One of the reasons I've been feeling so discouraged is because I realized that with my lack of pre-requisites and potentially terrible MCAT score, I'd be left with pretty much one university to apply to. Its my second choice (but only due to location, the program itself is my first choice) but its also the hardest to get into in Ontario because of its favorable admissions requirements (low GPA min, only verbal score of MCAT counts etc) so way more people apply there than other universities.
But today I found out that for the 2013 application cycle, an awesome university has abolished their pre-requisites requirements AND don't have any MCAT cut-offs! Mind you, that doesn't mean I can tank the MCAT (they will have their own internal cut-off for sure) but just the knowledge that they won't toss my application because of one bad number is uplifting (and the fact that they take your best MCAT score only). And this ironically makes me more motivated to study harder. Also, I have heard that they really value extra-curricular activities highly and I think mine are pretty solid. That's one thing I'm really grateful to my undergrad for - we were required to keep a certain level of activities during the year, so at least I tick that box.
So all in all...feeling a bit better about it all today.
:) so glad you got some extra motivation!
ReplyDeleteThanks ames!
ReplyDeleteThe process of getting into medical school can be a scary and frustrating one, but all you can really do is throw your heart into it and go for it. As for the MCAT, my advice to anyone taking it is to focus more on the test taking aspect of it than the actual material of it. Much of the information that you need is contained within the passages, and I think the difference between a good score and a mediocre/bad score comes from one's ability to understand the questions, pace themself, and stay focused throughout the very long day. For me, one of the most helpful things was doing 2 or 3 full practice exams prior to the MCAT. I did them absolutely according to the MCAT schedule, including time of day, duration of breaks, etc. so that I could get used to what the actual day would be like and develop some coping strategies for staying on my game all day.
ReplyDeleteGood luck however you choose to study! And thanks for the link to my blog - I always love the extra visitors.
Thanks SD! I've been following your blog for a while, I realized that it would be easier to link to my blog instead of typing out the url every time! I appreciate your advice very much. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteHi, I was just curious which university it is that has eliminated their prereqs and mcat for 2013?
ReplyDeleteQueens University has eliminated their pre-reqs, however the MCAT is still required - they just don't have the hard cut-offs (or at leats they haven't been announced yet).
Deletehttp://meds.queensu.ca/education/undergraduate/prospective_students/academic_requirements
Wow! Thanks
DeleteBest of luck in your journey!!