Sorry gang I forgot to mention that my credits are old (pre-microchip) Could you all suggest review books by company.
(Not too costly please) I am a real estate broker with my own company which would explain my connection with my MD/client. My partner just passed away and I do not have any transaction in escrow. Also, how far has anyone gone with Kaplans MCAT preparation? Would you recommend spending 1500-$2000 for tutoring. By the way,the school i would apply in the Carribeans really doesn’t require the MCAT. But, I am doing this for my own academic survival and for the best for my patients should I be accepted. I am going to have to sell my condominium to finance school and scratch this monkey on my back. This yields the family several thousand dollars a year; it is mortgage-free.
It has been years that this thing has been hanging on my back. I felt that nursing would remove it but, it hasn’t.
I do admit that I do not feel 57. However, on occasion, I do feel the age when I lift weights or pop a Viagra before intimacy with my beautiful wife. (A Canadian RN). She would be glad to move back to Canada but I perceive that C. schools are not an alternative either. Correct me please if this is a misperception.
Thanks Again,
the old Hawaiian 
edit from Mary Renard, moderator: here is the earlier post alluded to by the old Hawaiian guy, I think this discussion will be easier if both are in the same thread.
Dear folks,
My gpa really stinks. Except for my nursing school / Excelsior College. 3.5, recent courses ana/phys/ = A
family/formerly child dev.= B, but my BMCP are anemic 3.0 in major psych. B= biochem (ez for nurses) B/C organic chem,
general chem A at on junior college, C/D general chem. B/quant. analysis. etc. ==2.49.
I am currently reviewing Kaplans Comprehensive review, are there any other recommendations. I’m all ears. I can see myself as gaining entrance to a Caribbean school with God’s approval and guidance; however, a USA school is out of the question due to my age.
Anyone OPMs out have any comments? My thinking after speaking to my client/friend who recently retired from being on the teaching staff of a Caribbean school commented that how well I do on the MCAT would probably be a good indicator as to how I would do in med. school.
I am also licensed as an EMT-Paramedic. Have accumulated about 15,000+ hours of clinical experience; mostly in ER and psych setting. my client/ MD is concerned because I have congenital AF (atrial fibrillation and meds. would be difficult to obtain in the Carribbeans.
Mahalo and aloha to all.
the old hawaiian guy
Hey there old Hawaiian, doing well on the MCAT is not going to help you provide better patient care. The MCAT is a means to an end: it tests your basic science knowledge but more importantly, it tests your ability to quickly synthesize unfamiliar information, put it in context with what you DO know, and come to appropriate conclusions. Unless you’ve looked at sample MCAT questions, this explanation won’t make a lot of sense so I suggest that you check out an MCAT prep book to see examples of MCAT-type questions.
As for how old your courses are, frankly I find this to be much more of a challenge for you than whether you take the MCAT or not. Your basic science curriculum in med school is going to assume that you have solid recent knowledge in chemistry, biology and physics. You comment that your credits are “pre-microchip” – I can relate! When I went back to general chemistry, on the first night of lecture the prof was going over the periodic table and waved at the noble gases (Group 18) saying, “Back in the old days, these were called the inert gases.” Hmmmm. Yeah, that’s what I remembered them being called - and now the prof was referring to that as “the old days”! That put me on notice that everything was going to be new - and I was right.
The thing is, you really do need to know this stuff, not just know it for a test. You’ll do physics of all kinds in dealing with physiology. You’ll need that organic chemistry to talk about medical biochemistry and enzymes. General chemistry will come up in your pharmacology courses. And if you haven’t taken biology in the past ten years, there is a world of stuff out there that you won’t know, but need to be familiar with. In your other post you indicate recent coursework but at the ADN level - you really need the in-depth coverage that pre-med courses provide in order to have an adequate knowledge base going into med school.
So, my first suggestion to you is to think less about the MCAT and more about what you need to know. How you learn what you need to know is probably up to you if you are applying Caribbean and not held to the prerequisites that are a given for U.S. schools. While it is true of any medical school that you get out of it what you put into it, I have heard comments over the years that Caribbean schools traditionally are MUCH less proactive about helping students do well in their courses, stay on track, and do well on the Boards. Preparing by essentially learning your prerequisite material on your own would certainly put you in fighting shape for dealing with that atmosphere, but it is a lot of stuff to have to slog through on your own.
I’m not pointing this out to be discouraging, but realistic. When you’re contemplating this path, there are certain sentinels that are easy to fixate on, and the MCAT is certainly one of them; prerequisite GPA is another. It’s only after you’re in that you realize “Hey! I actually needed to know that stuff!” Good luck to you.
Mary