Messed up my pre-med journey, need advice on what to do

[zamtrios]

Hello,

I am currently in between junior and senior year of undergrad and I am a psych major. I have a 3.92 GPA and a 3.8sGPA. I am still missing Physics 2, organic chemistry 2, biochemistry, and biology labs.

The problem is because of covid all of my classes were basically free classes and I did not learn anything. This really really messed up my entire life. If I took the MCAT now I am basically going to be starting from scratch. I honestly don't know how realistic it is to study for the MCAT from scratch considering I am not an outstanding student.

I am also applying to Anesthesiologist assistant school this cycle because I do think I can get into that. I also have a 334 GRE which I am using to apply for AA school.

Should I just give up on pre-med and take what I have and get into AA school, or should I do some sort of SMP/Post-bac that would teach me all the pre-reqs again and then allow me to study for the MCAT after that? I honestly need the help of a structured program where I could just study really hard in the pre-reqs and hope to get through with linkage where they will accept you if you hold a certain GPA. I honestly don't think I have what it takes to be able to score good on the MCAT.

Thank you

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[MedicallyEnthused]

Almost everyone studies for the MCAT from scratch. It's not like you will remember all the info from your pre-reqs perfectly. I personally probably forgot like 80% of the material and am on track for a 510+ MCAT (currently studying for it).

Re-taking the pre-reqs just for the MCAT shows poor judgment.
The only reason to retake any pre-req is if you got a C- or lower, which isn't the case with your GPA.

It's really not that hard to relearn all the content, plus for the MCAT you DO NOT go into nearly as much depth as your pre-reqs.
There is a lot less detail you actually need to know for the MCAT (as compared to courses).
Plus you will probably surprise yourself, although you don't remember much now, once you start studying a lot of the info will seem familiar and thus easier to relearn (at least it was for me).
The content is not the hard part of the exam, it's more about critical thinking and analysis, but you need to know the content to do such critical thinking.

Also your missing pre-reqs probably account for at least 25-30% of the exam (it is heavy on biochem), so I would take those before you start studying for the MCAT.

And your GPA makes you an extremely competitive applicant, why give up so easily?
No offense, but this makes me wonder how easily you would give up if you got into medical school.

Just buckle down, put in the hardwork and time, and there is no reason why you can't score well on the MCAT.
I say shoot for about 300-400 total hours of studying (after you finish your pre-reqs) and you should be good.

 

[WashedUpPreMed]

Hello,

I am currently in between junior and senior year of undergrad and I am a psych major. I have a 3.92 GPA and a 3.8sGPA. I am still missing Physics 2, organic chemistry 2, biochemistry, and biology labs.

The problem is because of covid all of my classes were basically free classes and I did not learn anything. This really really messed up my entire life. If I took the MCAT now I am basically going to be starting from scratch. I honestly don't know how realistic it is to study for the MCAT from scratch considering I am not an outstanding student.

I am also applying to Anesthesiologist assistant school this cycle because I do think I can get into that. I also have a 334 GRE which I am using to apply for AA school.

Should I just give up on pre-med and take what I have and get into AA school, or should I do some sort of SMP/Post-bac that would teach me all the pre-reqs again and then allow me to study for the MCAT after that? I honestly need the help of a structured program where I could just study really hard in the pre-reqs and hope to get through with linkage where they will accept you if you hold a certain GPA. I honestly don't think I have what it takes to be able to score good on the MCAT.

Thank you

1. A fair amount of people start from scratch, the MCAT is nothing like the content you took in undergrad. You're still missing a good amount of coursework before you could really dive deep into the MCAT prep. You have an amazing GPA so without an MCAT score its hard to say what your move should be.

2. SMP/Post-Bacc won't teach you all of your pre-reqs again, most will require the classes that you're missing even to consider you for admissions and many require an MCAT score. They're designed for showing medical school schools that you can handle higher level course work even though you didn't do your best in undergrad and some have an MCAT prep component.

All the best.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Becoming an AA is pretty lucrative. Have you shadowed or had informational interviews with some?

You need to figure out what you want to do. You have not messed up your life in this context. (If you still believe this, get help.). Keep things in perspective. In terms of a plan, many of us can help if you do not have access to institutional pre health advisors.