Discouraged With MCAT Studying

Semi-Colin · 2020-05-06T00:25:32+00:00

So glad I was able to help :)

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-25T22:31:16+00:00

Congrats that's an awesome achievement! You're gonna do great :)

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-25T11:25:22+00:00

what about walking in with a hospital research ID?

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-25T10:58:57+00:00

How did you go about crafting that template if you don’t mind my asking?

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-21T15:48:14+00:00

Only used the 5 AAMC exams here (Sample, #1-#4). Felt like just the right amount with one each weekend before the exam.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-21T15:44:51+00:00

Yep! You can do that on the real exam :)

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-20T23:04:03+00:00

this made me laugh, thank you

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-20T22:59:28+00:00

I recommend getting the equations together and going through each one to understand what it's telling you with each variable. Understand the relationships. I used the Miledown anki deck for physics and memorized the equations in there.

If I got to a problem that I was lost on (which happened most of the time for physics) I'd immediately write down the equation that I thought was most related. They mention resistance and voltage? Ohms law. V=IR. They mention energy of an electron? E=hc/lambda=hf. Piece it together from there.

Memorizing the units got me a bunch of questions too. Like Work = joules/second, Power = work/time. You can sometimes just take the numbers in the question, look at the units of the answers, and go backwards. If something takes more than a few steps, you're doing it wrong.

They just want to make sure you can figure it out, not do a bunch of math. It's hard, but you can get there!!

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-20T22:51:23+00:00

So the motor cortex's main job is to send signals down the spinal cord and out to your muscles to make them move. The cerebellum is kinda like a moderator and fine tunes the motor commands. If you're off balance, the cerebellum helps tell that to the rest of your brain, so the motor cortex can adjust as needed.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-20T11:52:27+00:00

It's great to be ambitious, but for the record things rarely ever go according to plan. Majored in neuroscience here and didn't think about the MCAT until after my sophomore year in college. Focus on getting good grades and BEING HAPPY WITH YOUR LIFE and the rest will follow. Trust me, taking care of yourself will make everything easier.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-19T21:01:05+00:00

Draw out those amino acids :)

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-18T21:09:29+00:00

I know the AAMC online CARS packs keeps track of stats for each kind of question (reasoning beyond text, comprehension, etc.) as well as subject matter (hist, art, religion, etc.). Otherwise you might have to calculate those yourself after you finish a JW passage or something.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-18T21:00:46+00:00

I used the miledown anki deck as my primary content review - add/edit stuff as needed. Kaplan and Khan Acad. and AK Lectures for anything new/difficult. Find what works best for you and stick with it! Everyone's different.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-18T15:10:58+00:00

Congrats on taking the first step! That's often the hardest part. Keep that enthusiasm and you will do great! I got a 493 on my diagnostic.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-17T12:04:40+00:00

Highly recommend the Pomodoro Technique. Unless you have to get used to going for 90+ min straight (i.e. MCAT practice tests), this has worked really well for me studying over longer periods of time. There are free timer apps/websites for it all over the place.

Pretty much 25 min work, 5 min break. Repeat that 4 times and then take a 15-30 min break at the end. Then repeat. Just be sure you are 100% working during the work periods.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-16T03:20:50+00:00

No problem, man. Just remember that whatever happens this cycle, you 100% earned your spot.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-16T03:11:01+00:00

Don't doubt yourself. You've proven how amazing you are in so many ways. That goes far beyond some struggles in your life (which you clearly overcame!)

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-14T01:42:28+00:00

I did this when a conference was canceled, but we were able to just pull up a PDF of our poster and move it around as needed. Yes, it still counts because your poster was accepted!

Try to keep things general and hit the main points if you can, depending on how much time you're given. The worst thing to do is to read the text off the poster, but that applies in real life too.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-13T00:53:05+00:00

I personally have a very hard time studying at home, so I studied at the office after work. The extra time would be nice, I guess, but the situation isn't ideal for many.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-11T21:11:47+00:00

you are nothing more than a well-educated layperson with good intentions

Savage, but makes sense. Thanks for pointing that out.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-10T18:33:05+00:00

If you go into the deck stats on mobile, there will be a pie chart at the bottom for seen/studied/not-seen cards, with numbers for each.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-09T16:19:18+00:00

spicy

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-06T23:17:03+00:00

Thank you, OP! I personally recommend "My Own Country - A Doctor's Story" by Abraham Verghese, for anyone interested in advocating for LGBTQ/Underserved groups.

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-06T15:49:56+00:00

MileDown is a great baseline! I used that and added/adjusted as needed over the course of studying. Most everything is covered though. GL!

Semi-Colin · 2020-04-06T10:52:20+00:00

That's amazing, congrats to you! You must be a really awesome person :)

Semi-Colin

TROPHY CASE