Just took my MCAT...

[Colossus]

Fuuuuuccck. That's all i can say. I know this isnt DJ-related, but man it was a big ball of suck. Both my buddy and i felt pretty bad about it. We studied together for 2+ months...and another month on our own. This past week was solid 12 hour days of stimulants and books. He is very smart; id like to think i am somewhat.

The killer for both of us was time. We definitely have a good knowledge base, but to apply it in that little time was a kick in the balls.
Fairly demoralizing considering the amount of time we put in. We devoted our last semester of college to studying; sacrificed time w/ friends, formals, girls...all for just a shot at medical school. I know it sounds silly but unless youve put in the time (and money) its hard to understand...emotional to say the least.

 

[RedPill]

Congrats on finally getting it over with after all that work. Did you pass?

 

[guru1000]

No Stress Or Worry my friend, as long as you did your Best.

 

[Colossus]

Congrats on finally getting it over with after all that work. Did you pass?

Wont know for 30 days. It's not really pass/fail; there is sort of a range you have to clear to be competitive. Stick me with the alcohol IV now... :crazy:

 

[Crazy Asian]

hey man, i'm thinking of going into med school too.
could you go into a little more detail about it?
thanks.

 

[Fuglydude]

Congrats on beeing done bro... go party it up for a bit... you deserve it.

I found the to be a really long ass exam...You're in there from 0800 to 1800 quite easily with the marshalling and everything and setting up the rooms for the exams.

what sections did u feel good/bad about?

 

[Latinoman]

This is my 3rd our of ten-per-day posts...but I don't care. I just want to say that I am very happy you took the test.

Regardless of the outcome (and I sense it will be a good one), remember that NOW it is out of your hands and you win nothing by worrying or thinking about it.

Stay neutral with expectations. If you do GREAT...then GREAT! If you do poorly...then that's cool, just prepare and take it again.

But there is not need to sabotage 30 days of your life for something you have no control or influence over it. Just take action once you get the results...until then, just work on the things you neglected while preparing for the exam.

Good luck!

Note: No need to reply to my post in this thread.

 

[#41]

We devoted our last semester of college to studying; sacrificed time w/ friends, formals, girls...all for just a shot at medical school.

I graduated law school in 2006 -- took the bar exam in summer of that year. It's a fun time: failure means that you just wasted 3 years of your life and $100,000+ on a worthless piece of paper.

I passed, but my ex couldn't handle not being much of a factor in my life for an extended period of time and it ended our relationship. I also put on close to 10 pounds from the last 3 or so weeks of "no break time" studying leading up to the exam.

Fun times.

 

[Bible_Belt]

I graduated law school in 2006 -- took the bar exam in summer of that year. It's a fun time: failure means that you just wasted 3 years of your life and $100,000+ on a worthless piece of paper.


I graduated a year ago, but have not taken the bar, yet, looking at this summer.

It is sad how law school has turned into trade school. Passing the bar and getting a job is all anyone cares about. The actual study of law as an academic endeavor is pretty rare at law school. If it's not on the bar exam, no one cares. I went to law school for the sake of education and learning about what interested me, but I seem to have been the only one. For everyone else, it is a three-year bar review course.

To Colossus, it is just a test! If you fail, then you take it again. There are plenty of lawyers who failed the bar exam 2-3 times, but once you pass, no one cares how many times you had to take the test - all they care about is that you passed. It's like the joke, "what do you call the guy who finished last in his class at med school?" The answer is, "Doctor."

 

[MacAvoy]

My ex g/f just got into medical school this past year. It took her 3 years to get in. Most people don't get in on the first try. Don't worry, keep at it and your chances should improve. She got her papers as an xray technician in the meantime. I think that also eventually helped her application.

Keep at it and keep trying. Work on the rest of your application as well. She never retook the test, she was satisfied with her first mark but just reapplied every year.

 

[MikeEdward1973]

I did my undergrad at a school that is famous for producing doctors. You'd guess right after two or three tries.

I know exactly what you're going through.

You can take the MCAT again, but it's not looked highly upon. What I have seen done successfully is for you to get a 1 year masters in public health, then take the MCAT again, and your odds are much better.

However - wait till you get the results before you start thinking about Plan B.

 

[Luveno]

Realize the MCAT is marked relative to all other test takers. Thus, if you found the exam difficult, chances are that others have also had difficulty with the exam.

However, don't get yourself all hung up over the MCAT. Keep in mind that a medical school application is far more than the MCAT. It involves GPA, extracurrics, and a bunch of other crap that I don't want to get into right now.

If you want to get some advice from people who've been in your position, I suggest posting on the studentdoctornetwork forums if you haven't already.

My advice: If you don't kill it this time, take it again and make sure you defeat it. Sure, its a pain in the ass, but be thankful that this isn't 10 years ago when the test was 8 hours long...oh, those were the days.

 

[eyedogg]

Great job Colossus!

Contraz on your progress in your journey in life! It's quicker then you think.

-eyedogg

 

[seth03]

I took the MCAT as a sophomore in college, in August 2006 (the last paper and pencil version). I studied for 3+ months, 12+ hours a day for that thing. When I took it, I was sure that I would need to retake. I guessed on 10+ questions on each section (had to fill in all B's for the last 10+ questions), becuase I am a slow reader. Anyway, 2 months later (it took longer back then), i found out i scored only one point lower htan my average on all my practice tests: in the 90th percentile. I'm goin to med school this year. Both my friends and I found that we all scored very close to what we avg'd on our practice tests, regardless of how bad we felt after the exam. So use that as a guide to predict your score.

 

[Colossus]

Thanks for all the support and advice guys.

I'm feeling a lot better about it now--but I was one one morose motherfvcker for a day or two. It took me a bit to put it into perspective.

Im going to keep my expectations neutral until my scores come back and just start reasoning through my options. I accepted the reality that it may take me more than one app cycle to get in. It sucks, but that is the nature of the profession. I could go D.O., but ive made up my mind for M.D. I think it will be worth my while in the long run.

If I have to retake, then I have to retake...its not uncommon. I know what to expect now. On the bright side I got a killer job this summer in Boston working in clinical research at the big MGH, so that will be a big fat gold star on my app. Im looking forward to it.

It's a disheartening process at times. It really does test your mental and emotional mettle; especially if you're a working-class joe like me. I cant ride the coat tails of my parents or cruise on a genius intellect.

As for studying, i think working with my buddy helped a lot. Working alone has its merits, but sometimes a partner can point something out that you would have otherwise spent hours spinning your wheels on.

Anyways I have a physics final in T-minus 8 hours. Time for bed.

 

[Centaurion]

#41 : 3 years total for law school? Shiiiat I wish I was studying in the US. Over here it is 5 years. It leads up to a masters degree, then you have to take the bar exam.

I've been studying 18 hours a day for the last 2 weeks for my law exam next week. I wish you all the luck Colossus as I know how much it sucks to sacfrice the good things in life for an exam!

 

[Bible_Belt]

Is that five years, post-bachelor's? Here in the US, law school is three years, but first you have to get a four-year undergraduate degree, so it is seven total years after high school, which Americans graduate from at about age 18.

 

[Centaurion]

I see.

Over here the law program is 5 years in total. You apply to it directly from HS, no need to do undergrad first. We really don't have that whole undergrad/postgrad division here. Same thing with med-school, you apply to it directly from HS, an you got the grades, you get in.