Monday, February 27, 2012

The Security Myth

One of my coworkers just found out that the "guaranteed" funding for her job just got pulled. Most of the people at my office are paid through federal grant funds. I've heard it said many times, "They don't pay us enough, but at least we have job security." It's amazing to me how unhappy people are willing to be in order to feel secure. Fear traps us.

I'm not immune. I recognize the illogical appeal of this false sense of "security," yet I still crave it. If I put off applying to medical school for one more year, then I will be vested in the retirement program. Delaying my dream will give me a mere $308 per month in retirement. Logically, I know I will be much better off as a retired physician, but I'm human and that $308 is "guaranteed" if I just stick around another year. That's crazy! Why do I even think about it at all?

The desire for security is part of human nature; we seek security even if it requires us to trust in a broken system. But our work culture is changing. Job mobility today is akin to our ancestors' ability to follow the heard. You've got to be able to adapt, reinventing yourself and actively navigating your own career. Becoming a physician in my 40s is definitely a reinvention.

In many ways, physicians today are in the same boat as any hourly wage earner. There is always the possiblity of having your job replaced by lower-level (and less expensive) employees or becoming redundant in the face of a merger. Having said that, physicians are uniquely trained for change. Rotations and residency are all about overloading and adjusting, while learning as much as you can. I see limitless possibilities for me as a physician: practicing in small clinic, working as within a hospital system, developing quality improvement intiatives, teaching public health, administering evidence-based practices. Job wise, nothing is secure; but as a career, medicine offers an incredible breadth of opportunity. After all, in today's world, security is what you make it.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Second Practice Test Done!

Last night, I was in a very shallow sleep when my husband got into bed. He woke me up enough that I rolled over and said, "This is stupid! I'm 37!" Clearly, I was dreaming about the MCAT.

I told myself that there was no more putting off my next full-length exam. Here are the results...
Composite: 30
Physical Sciences: 9
Verbal Reasoning: 11
Biological Sciences: 10

Oh, happy day! Not feeling too old, after all.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Review of MCAT Prep Materials

Once upon a time, I sat in my physics class next to a guy with an MP3 recorder. "I'm planning on going over these later for the MCAT." Yeah, right! That has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. You've got a boring lecturer covering topics in more depth and breadth than you'll ever find on the MCAT. No thanks!

Here's a brief overview of the resources I'm using as I study for the MCAT:

Examkrackers has some terrific material, but they aren't without problems. As I've mapped out the next few weeks, I've basically followed their 10-week MCAT study schedule with a few changes. I really like the basic subject books: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Organic Chemistry. The material is broken-down pretty well with fairly clear explanations of the quiz answers. Visually, Examkrackers is very skilled at setting apart key items for memorization while offering good mnemonics. There are times when I feel like there just isn't enough information given in the book. That's not because I want more detail, per se, but I just don't feel like the review is adequate. When I want a little more, my favorite place to go is Khan Academy.  Khan Academy has too much information to review all of the science subjects there, but it is very helpful for pulling up one small section at a time. Wikipedia also has some "chunked" information with just the right level of detail. I found the SN1 explanation (for example) very helpful.

My local library had Audio Osmosis, which I checked out for a month. I listened to it in the car on some long trips. Honestly, it didn't really do much for me. I've also tried listening to the program while taking notes. That wasn't so great, either. The non-stop corny jokes were a distraction, but I could see how they might appeal to someone else. The recordings follow the chapters of the subject books, but not exactly, so it wasn't always apparent which section they were in. After going through the audio program a couple of times, I really didn't feel much more comfortable with the content. I took my first practice MCAT (CBT 3) and scored P:8, V:10, B:8. This was lower than I had hoped for.

Though I wasn't a big fan of Examkrackers' verbal strategy book, I decided to buy 101 Verbal Passages. I'm not thrilled. My test scores have varied from 8-12 which seems like a pretty big spread (50th percentile to 85th). The explanations for some of the questions are fairly asinine, and I pray that the real MCAT is not like that. A couple of times I've grabbed my husband and asked him to evaluate the question--I'm afraid that they really are clearly worded and I'm just missing something, but usually that's not the case. There are quite a few typos in the book, too. Still, I think that some practice is better than none, so I have continued to use them. There are 14 verbal tests in the book and so far I've completed 6.

I also own 16 Mini-MCATs and have taken 3 of them so far. I've heard repeatedly that the best way to prepare is to take as many practice tests as possible. Each of the sections (P, V, and B) are designed to take just 20 minutes. Because they are so short, the sections roughly correspond to designated chapters in the subject books. (There is a table in the front to tell you when to take each test.) The explanations given for answers aren't as clear as the explanations in the subject books.

A friend of mine has the Gold Standard videos that she has let me borrow. So far, I've really enjoyed the videos I've watched. The explanations have more depth than Examkrackers books, but the content seems to be a little too narrow. I mean, can you really fit everything I need to know about Chemistry into just four hours of lecture? Dr. Ferdinand is unintentionally funny to watch, which adds to the entertainment value. He strikes you as the kid who always knows the answers and just wants everyone else to know it. His pronunciation of some words (e.g., skeletal and carbonyl) is a little different from what I'm familiar with, so every now and then I have to take a second to figure out what he is saying. The graphics are just whatever he draws on the whiteboard behind him. Simple and effective.

A year ago, when I was taking physics, I purchased a deck of flashcards from Wikipremed.com. Due to unknown difficulties, the flashcards did not show up until many, many months (and many, many emails) later. The content on them is pretty good, but I honestly haven't used them much. They seem more like problem/answer cards than concept-teaching cards. I don't know if I will use them, as I already have quite a few resources to go through and not much time to do it.

Another full-length CBT (test number 8) is on my calendar for this weekend.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Lesson learned: Apply early!

Remember my friend who applied to (grand total) 32 schools? Many of those applications were not finalized until late October. So far, she's heard back from half of the schools--no dice. I know, I know: all you need is one "yes," but really, who wants to put herself through that much pain? Waiting to hear back from so many places with one "no, thank you" after another. Unless you stand out and shine (and you better sparkle like one of those Twilight vampires), don't risk it! My goal is to be complete with secondaries before summer is over.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Less than 10 Weeks til MCAT

How ominous is it to take the MCAT on Friday the 13th? As I prep for the April MCAT, I find myself looking for excuses to push my test date back until May. My biggest concern is whether or not I'll have enough time to prepare, but if superstition gives me an "out," then I just might take it.

In all seriousness, I'm worried about having the fortitude to bring my scores up. I took CBT 3 (the free, official practice MCAT) and bombed it. I scored an 8 on Physical Sciences and felt surprisingly OK about it. After all, I know I stink at physics and I'm not so fond of chemistry. But scoring another 8 on the Biological Sciences was a real blow. I did not expect that. I fared better on Verbal, scoring a 10. Still, this was lower than what I had on previous Exam Krackers verbal practice. (And, by the way, why does it seem that people are so reticent to share their scores? Too afraid to be human and admit when you score less than 30?)

With a starting point of 26, I guess I've only got room for improvement.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Calm Before the Storm

I'm finally in my much anticipated "light" semester. As I plowed through full-time classes last year (spring, summer, and fall), I had my eye on this semester in which I'd lighten my course load and get ready for the MCAT. Yeah.

Here's my problem: I've lightened my load. Ok, ok, taking fewer classes really isn't a problem. I actually like that. I get to eat dinner with my kids more often instead of running off to classes directly after work. Last weekend I even took my crew on an impromtu vacation into the mountains. That was terrific!

It's the second half of my plan that has become a problem--the "get ready for the MCAT" portion of the plan seems to be faltering a little. I want to get ready for the MCAT. I know I need to get ready for the MCAT. I just really like being a bit chill right now. It's been a pretty intense 12 months, and I know that right now I am just experiencing the calm before the storm. I must say, I'm not sure I'm ready for the rough weather.

After the intense studying comes actually taking the MCAT. Right now, I'm looking at April or May. Come May 1, the AMCAS application is open, and the rush begins. I'll have a month to get my personal transcripts entered (and as an oldie-but-goodie, I've got quite a few transcripts to deal with) as well as all of the other gems included in the application. My goal is to submit as early as possible. Since many secondaries are already floating around, I'll be working on those all summer (even before I hear back from schools). Sounds like a whirl-wind to me. I suppose that I'll have all of my applications neatly wrapped up by September, but then the hard part comes...the wait!

Yep. I'm enjoying my break.