I’m doing well, thanks for asking.

Nope, I applied for medical school last fall, which was the start of my 3rd year of undergraduate biology. You only apply to medical school if you are planning to start it if you get in that year.

Unfortunately I have sold all my MCAT materials, but I’m sure you won’t have trouble finding someone to buy off of near you. Lots of people are selling every year.

I suggest doing a class/course if you are unfamiliar with the sciences or need a refresher, or if you think taking the course will help keep you on track with your preparation/studying. Otherwise, I think you’re best studying on your own.

How are you? and howz summer??

I just wanted to inquire about when you are actually entering med school. After 2nd year or 3rd?…You applied after first right? and then completed second?

Also, I’m wondering if you have any MCAT materials I can get off you or if you know anyone that may have any materials.

Also, do you recommend studying by yourself or actual classes? or a combination of both?

Thanks

Raghav

I took a Princeton Review MCAT course, but I don’t know if it’s better than Kaplan or anything else. I doubt one is that much better than the other.

Actually, the MCAT is only based on knowledge you learn in 1st year physics/chemistry/biology and 2nd year organic chemistry. You don’t need 3rd or 4th year knowledge to do the MCAT, though it wouldn’t hurt of course.

You can learn more about registering for the MCAT here:

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/

Thanks alot for your much appreciated advice. I also want to enquire about where you did MCAT preparation…and if one organization is better than others.

I also want to know how you managed to cope with the content after only two years of university. I’m assuming alot of content was only taught in 3rd and 4th year?

When and Where can MCAT be done

Thanks

I started preparing for the MCAT the summer after 1st year, and took it that August.

I think doing physics over the summer is fine, and 1st year university physics is definitely more than you need to know for the MCAT – which is why it’s good preparation.

And no, at least for Canadian medical schools, I don’t believe certain courses are weighed more heavily than others.

Thanks alot once again. You have been the biggest and best help I’ve obtained. I also want to inquire about when you started MCAT preparations and when you took the actual examinations. Also, is doing phsyics over summer enough to satisfy the material covered in MCAT or would some information be left out? When would I do physics otherwise? Also, is there any particular subject that has a higher weighting that the others in terms of GPA calculations? Like are there specfic subjects out of (chem, bio, pshycology, math, economics, computer science) that i have to concentrate on? or equal emphasis should be placed on all?

Thanks alot.

I don’t know the major difference between 1013/1014 and 1505, except that 1013/1014 is definitely harder. I think basically 1013/1014 covers everything in 1505 at a much faster pace, and then goes beyond it.

I think keeping economics is fine, as it’s not as demanding as your other courses.

Thank alot for the last one. Yeah, i felt that physics would be too much along with the other two sciences, espicially because of the lab components. I just want to know what the difference is between 1013/1014 and 1505…no one is giving a clear difference…not even the advisors..who have played the worst role in aiding me. I am looking towards psychology…and should i keep economics during the year as well?

Thanks.

That’s exactly the set of courses I took in first year, except I took calc 1505. You don’t need 1013/1014 for biomed or biotech – you only need it for biotech. Honestly, unless you really want to do biotech, I would suggest not taking 1013/1014, especially because your courseload is hard enoguh.

It will be a tough year, especially because you will have 3 lab courses. Is it doable? Sure, and only you know whether you will have the work ethic to handle that. Personally, I would have found it extremely tough.

Yes, I suggest taking at least 30 credits per year because I believe some medical schools require “full course loads” every year.

By the way, you don’t have to take all of those courses during the year. You could take a less stressful course in stead of physics during the year (e.g. PSYCH1010), and then take physics during the summer (a lot of my friends did this). This is also a good idea because during 2nd year, you will probably end up having 9 half courses instead of 10 because your biology lab courses (e.g. biochemistry 1 and 2) will be worth 4.0 credits – however, by taking at least one summer course, you will have enough credits to apply to McMaster and Queen’s medical schools in 3rd year if you wish.

Because I never took any summer courses, I had to take 11 half courses (33 credits) this past year. Might be a good idea for you to take a summer course and avoid that.

thanks for the previous email. One more quick question. first year at york and this is how my timetable looks like… math, chem, bio, physics, computer science, economics. …i want to know if im killing myself? …cause the advisors said you need a full course load for medical schools to consider you properlly..is that true?? … and i decided to take math 1013, 1014..so that i have a chance of doing a specialized honours in biochem or biomed or biotech. Nevertheless…is 30 credit per yer required??…and specialized honours requires 120 credits in 4 years..so i have to do that anyway right? i’m confused..