I am a working electrical engineer who needs chem, bio, and orgo prereqs. I am starting to check out classes and plan out a class structure.
I am planning to take chem this 2002 fall and 2003 spring. I am considering 2 options:
1) taking bio/orgo in the summer and having lots of time to study for MCAT 2004 april
2) taking bio/orgo in 2003 fall and 2004 spring while studying for MCAT (i would have quit my job in the winter)
Is it tough taking the MCAT while finishing up the last semester of both?
Thanks for your help!!
Hi,
I am engineer who requires all the prereqs too and I was planning to take the 2003 April MCAT. I quit my job - There is no way I can take classes full time and do the clinicals and work at the same time. Orgo usually requires 2 gen chem prereqs, so you might want to take that into account while planning for your classes. Check the post titled 'Should I take a review class' and some people discuss their perspective on handling the load of taking classes and studying for the MCAT.
Good luck.
Bluebird check the other thread regarding mcat plus review course. I encourage you not to take Orgo and Bio together in the summer, they both require a ton of studying (unless you are a super intelligent individual) and Orgo is usually very time consuming. The fast pace of the summer is not the best time to take two sciences together. It seems that a better option would be to take Organic and Bio in the fall/spring 03/04. Taking a review course may be doable with just 8 hours of science but again it depends on you and what you are capable of. Good luck!
I was taking the second semester of O-chem and Physics while preparing for the April MCAT. I deliberately did not sign up for another class, presuming that MCAT prep was probably worth at least a 4-credit course. I put most of my focus on my classwork, quite honestly, and did less MCAT prep than a lot of folks I know. I figured if I learned it really well for class, that surely counted for MCAT prep. It worked for me.
I also reasoned that I had only one shot to do well in the classes, whereas if necessary, I could take the MCAT again (God forbid). That proved unnecessary, fortunately!
I just finished a post-bacc program at Rutgers.
Here is what I did:
Bio+Orgo in the Fall/Spring of 2000-2001
BioChem, general chem2 Fall 2001
Orgo Lab, MCAT Princeton Review Spring 2002, + April MCAT
I continued to work full time during all of this, and had surgery and was on crutches the entire spring while in orgo lab and mcat review.
I also have an EE degree. I would strongly recommend finding a good post-bacc program that can help you put together your package and recommendations.
(sorry, 2nd follow up)
My advisor also told me NOT to take summer classes as the med schools view these as easier then the fall/spring classes.
| Quote (sproule @ July 01 2002 11:08 am) |
| My advisor also told me NOT to take summer classes as the med schools view these as easier then the fall/spring classes. |
That may or may not be true. I ahve had several advisors tell me the opposite. A lot of this "summer schools are easier" is myth and I was NEVER asked about my summer classes in any of my interviews.
Sproule, how much of a life were you able to have while taking 2 lab courses and working? Were you also volunteering in a clinical setting at the same time?
And were you fine starting Orgo without GenChem2?
How did you think you did on the MCAT?
What would you do differently?