<p>oops should have said scheduled to take in march not may</p>
<p>Well, if he’s taking it in March, and it’s currently Dec 31 and he presumably hasn’t registered for a Kaplan class, he might be up a creek as far as scheduling a Kaplan class that ends before his test goes. </p>
<p>$2k is not a small amount of money. But when it comes to med school, it’s chump change. Which is ridiculous, but true. Factor in apps ($) and interviews ($$) and tuition ($$$$$$$+) and fees ($$) and books ($$$)…and, well, I wouldn’t let the cost of it sway me either way.</p>
<p>I’m in favor of classes. But that’s because I’m a bright kid who just couldn’t imagine studying for a test on my own for that many months. I needed the structure, and I liked learning the strategy. Seems like many people improve around 10pts from their first test–wouldn’t a 38 be sweet!? Would be among the higher scores on this board I bet.</p>
<p>kristen, there is still space for the one starting jan 7, will end the week he takes the exam. i have posted before that i think classes would be better and have agreed to pay the 2K, it seems to be a sticking point for him though. there is also kaplan on demand (same price basically) gave him a deadline of today to decide</p>
<p>Good luck to your DS Parent56!. I so agree with you both regarding taking classes. However, if the “young adults” are inclined to go solo knowing what the options are then “it is what it is”.</p>
<p>He sounds like a stubborn guy who knows he’s smart and doesn’t want to be “stuck in a class with a bunch of people who need to learn how to read faster.” </p>
<p>Some convincing points:</p>
<p>1) It’s unlikely he’s the all-star premed he thinks he is, and the people in the class will be bright and interesting too.</p>
<p>2) Some insurance on the MCAT is a good thing–the higher the score the better, and a class will likely help him maximize his score.</p>
<p>3) $2k seems like a lot, but it’s not in the grand scheme of med school. Even if you weren’t willing to pay and he had to essentially take out a loan to do it, $137k in debt is essentially the same as $135k in debt (using average figures). </p>
<p>4) He probably won’t have to study much outside the class–just do section tests and occasional full-lengths. What it’s doing is giving him some structure and making sure he doesn’t miss anything or gloss over something he thinks he’s good at but really needs to review. Even though the MCAT is not a content-based test, having a strong understanding of the content is important. It’s unlikely all the content is fresh in his mind, so reviewing is a good idea.</p>
<p>5) It’s from 1/7-3/20, for goodness sakes. If he can’t suffer through a few months of studying stuff he doesn’t want to study, then he’s going to have a helluva time in med school (if he gets there!). (He says he’s going to self-study, but will he really? I have a hard time believing self-studiers get as much done as class studiers. But that’s my bias as a former class studier)</p>
<p>But this all miiiight be a moot point. I don’t know if finishing the class the same week as the test would be sufficient. I think part of the deal was that you finished the class, then did a few full lengths, then came back together one last time for a pep talk/final session. Without time for those last few full-lengths, hard to say. I’d say rescheduling for Apr (is that possible?) would be a better bet if he’s going to do the class.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t take a class that ends the week of the exam. You need a few weeks after you’ve reviewed everything to take a few full lengths and consolidate everything.</p>
<p>kristen i dont think it is that he thinks he’s too smart for it and its not that he doesnt think he needs to study or couldnt handle it for a few months… he will be applying for mdphd programs so knows he has to really score well. he was actually the first to suggest classes were the way to go as he knows he wont self study effectively (major procrastinator) but then he talked to a few people who said it wasnt worth it to take the classes and that is why he is now undecided
… he is also concerned about the cost, but i would be paying that , not him. he even lightened up his usual credits (usually takes 20 per semester) down to 16 , and requested that he not be given TA duties on the days of mcat classes.</p>
<p>P56, DS also planned to self-study until his midterms got him off schedule.</p>
<p>Gee. We all raised a stubborn bunch of cusses, didn’t we? lol</p>
<p>lol curmudgeon! i should have just gone ahead and booked it when he mentioned it.</p>
<p>the reason he wants the march one, is that the week before the test is spring break…whether i think it is the best way to study or not…he does better with his self imposed stress…that solid week of no classes means no conflict with a paper or exam that is due and gives him dedicated study time. </p>
<p>lima which way are you leaning now?</p>
<p>
Although you yourself will never have a chance to get even with your S/D, in 30 years, your grandson and/or granddaughter will come along and get it even on behalf of you. Your stubborn S/D will be in the position your are in today: ranting on CC about how he/she raised a stubborn bunch of cusses.</p>
<p>Wait…what if your S/D chooses to opt out of childrearing altogether? Then you will not have this chance to get even.</p>
<p>Another trick that may be useful to some people with a cetrain personality: Try to be near some of those who study for MCAT more seriously. It could make yourself study harder.</p>
<p>DS did say something like this but not in the context of studying for MCAT. He once said when he is at shool (med school in this case), he tends to study more just because those around him study so hard.</p>
<p>BDM once told of a story that most of his friends at his college set a relatively higher bar for MCAT automatically just because their peers set a higher bar there, and one of his friends who stayed back at home at some local college set a lower standard just because most of his peers set a lower standard. (I thought the peer pressure is only for teenagers!)</p>
<p>But this could backfire though if your S/D could not handle this kind of peer pressure well. If this happens, it could even lead to depression if being perpetually overwhelmed under a high pressure. It is like a sword with two sharp edges. And this is also the reason why I think a premed power house is not always good for everyone. Whether or not it is good or not for you is more dependent on your personality, not so much on your academic capability.</p>
<p>P56, he signed up for a March test, but will be taking a class too.</p>
<p>As someone who just took the MCAT last August, I would recommend postponing it until she is scoring at or near her target score consistently. Speaking from experience, good prereq grades and MCAT scores are usually not correlated - I didn’t do that well in prereqs, but managed to score a 38 on the MCAT. If you want specifics on how I studied, just message me.</p>
<p>well i said he was a procrastinator…deadline yesterday… no decision yet :)</p>
<p>i have been comparing (yet again) various programs, courses… found one i think would have been perfect but it is wednesday and sunday nights. (kaplan advantage) wont work for him due to committment on sundays, </p>
<p>so down to
classes on monday and wednesday (kaplan)
ek books and audio osmosis or any of the other (kaplan, berkley, princeton)
Kaplan on demand</p>
<p>the only live class schedule that works for him and march exam is kaplan</p>
<p>also found this: princeton has a live online that is sat/sundays from 12-5:30 and ends before the march exam…going to mention that one to him… not sure though exactly what time his sunday committment is. …anyone done the princeton review?</p>
<p>Apples5 that’s a solid score. How did you study? Did you take a course? Would you please send me a PM?</p>
<p>Closing old thread.</p>