Sunday, September 13, 2009

MCAT confusion????


So last week, I decide out of the blue to meet with the director of a local SMP program, the Dean of another med school, and my professor for my molecular physio class who just also happens to be my thesis mentor and adcom member at a local med school. My statements to each of them: "my job is great, the pay is even better, but it simply isnt enough. However, after multiple MCAT's I just can't seem to crack "30" and I don't know why".

The med school Dean whom I know quite well, suggested I take a MCAT diag after I told her than I was planning to repeat most of the premed preqs. And she insisted that I didn't need to repeat the classes. The director of a local SMP suggested that in order to even be considered, I'd need at least a "30" and maybe even higher. And when he asked me why I wasn't actively pursuing admissions to med school, and I told him I thought in light of things going on in my personal life I should wait, to which he suggested my waiting until my kid finished high school didn't seem necessary. He also suggested I keep both the Caribbean and DO schools on my radar which I was already doing and I always think is a must for anyone with any type of academic blemish on their med school app. Interestingly, he also didn't think repeating all the classes was necessary but did suggest an intensive MCAT prep course. Finally, my course prof/thesis advisor chimed in the same as the others about my putting off med school so far in the future and added that I needed to make sure if I took the MCAT prep course, that I really buckle down and work hard (which I admit I hadn't really done the first time).

I take the MCAT diag and score a VERY lobsided 26 and I report back to the Dean, to which she replies do the intensive test prep. The problem is, I'm not sure I believe her/them, or maybe I should say, I'm not confident in my MCAT test taking abilities? I dunno, all I know is that I'm so sick of the MCAT that I could just reguritate test passages, LOL!!

So with all that said, I've decided to still finish the Chemistry review because I need to know what the hell I'm doing when I decide to teach college chemistry again, but I'm also going to try another test prep strategy used by a friend (since EK hasn't helped me much) which helped her gain a whopping 8 points on her MCAT exam. Her's uses Berkely Review books supported by the EK 1001 questions, EK 30 minute exams, and of course the all the AAMC computerized exams. Cost, about $500.00 but hey, at this point I either wanna rock this thing for once and for all or I don't. And given the "headache" I have from bumping my head on the glass ceiling at work, I'm simply ready to do the damn thing!!

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