Study Study Study - It All Begins Now!

And so it begins...

In actuality, my journey as a 'pre-med' student began some time ago. After realizing I was capable of entrance into a medical research program, it became clear that I should not limit myself but, instead practice medicine and conduct research concurrently. If other doctors can do it, I can too! Thus, at present I find my self drowning in seemingly endless mountains of MCAT (Medical Collage Administration Test) materials, note books, flash cards and posters all in anticipation for the fast approaching 'E' (exam) day!

My MCAT is not scheduled until early August (the earliest exam I could get as all others were booked out in my region), however my study efforts thus far are almost immeasurable. Being determined was always one of my better qualities and, after years of self directed learning I find I am really enjoying having my nose to the grindstone to get through everything I need to in time for the exam. I am however not even sure how to begin describing the extent to which I have been glued to my study books over the past few weeks - even despite working full time!

The MCAT is an exam that assesses the general knowledge of all medical school applicants throughout the Americas and in most international locations. There are 4 main topics covered in the 'science' portion of the exam including; physics, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and biology. There is also a section called 'verbal reasoning' of which assess your comprehension capabilities and ability to determine the mood of a passage and extrapolate its meaning. The final section is called 'written response' and, as the name implies, it requires you to write! You are given two topic statements and you are expected to write two essays (on any number of topics - not science) in an hour’s time. The exam it's self is roughly 6h in length and, as you would expect, takes a full day to complete.

While the AAMC administers the MCAT exams annually, there is little in the way of prepatory courses available in Canada. While the AAMC fails to provide anything outside of pricey practice exams for 'review' (they are up to $45 each), there are companies somewhere out there that will provide you with learning material to review before you take the plunge!

After a bit of research I elected to use MCAT prepatory materials produced by 'Examkrackers.' While still not cheap by any means, I found their materials to provide a comprehensive coverage of the materials tested on the MCAT while not expecting you to go through hundreds of extra concepts and questions on irrelevant materials. The books and CD's were developed by a past employee of the AAMC MCAT division that used to teach prepatory courses for more than a decade. I opted for … well... pretty much all of the materials I could find! Initially I ordered the boxed-book set containing five books (well over 1000 pages of materials), and a set of 12 CD's that cover all of the lecture content. If I am going to get a good score on the MCAT, I am going to exhaust every means that I possibly can! I figured that if you learn a song subconsciously by listening to it on the radio, surely you can do the same with CD's on physics, chemistry and biology!!! It’s worth a shot at the very least!

At this stage I am about four weeks into my studies. It is intense to say the least!

I ordered my study materials the week I after I returned to Canada from Asia in April. Since their arrival I have had no life out side of study or work. No sport (minus volunteering), no dance, nada – just study! The first two weeks after receiving my materials - CD's and books in hand - I spent in excess of 16 hours per day studying. This past week I began working again full time and subsequently my study time has decreased substantially. A few hours here, a few hours there - anywhere I can fit it in, coffee breaks and lunch included.

I am about 2/3 of the way through my materials at present but there is still a very long way to go! My approach to the material was to skim through everything first. After looking through everything, I combined the audio CD's with the books to write out a set of notes that were concise and easy to follow. 2x 360page notebooks later.... I'm getting there! Hey, you can't blame me; I haven't done physics since high school! My next step was to write out flash cards and study sheets (in the insanely small print that everyone else I know hates but seems to work for me!) however this is something I started doing while at work during breaks as it was easier that lugging everything with me and is something I can be easily torn away from. Post flash card/poster/study sheet completion there is nothing left to do but grind every concept, definition and formula into my head right!?! Wrong! The last step includes in excess of 6000 practice questions from a combination of resources - AMCC, Examkrackers, QA Day etc.

In addition to working in a lab as a chemist and studying until my brain feels a little on the sub-gelatinous side (a.k.a. liquid!), I am also volunteering for both Special Olympics and Save the Children. I began working with Special Olympics at age 9 when I helped with the 1996 National Winter Games (organisation, promotion, junior mentor, etc.). This year I am coaching a number of sports for Special Olympics Canada and I am having a really good time! At the moment I am involved with the soccer (coaching novices) and athletics (intermediate/advanced) programs a few hours a week. It is a lot of fun and gets me out of the house and active while also having the opportunity to help others.

My work for Save the Children, in theory started shortly before the Christmas Holidays when I came across a pattern and request from the orginisation. Since then, I have been crocheting hats for infants and young children who really don’t have anything. My involvement with Save the Children increased while traveling through Lao P.D.R. where I stayed with a gentlemen who worked for the orginisation in some of the most remote and poor locations in the world. I fell in love with Lao P.D.R. and the wonderful people – who despite being listed by the WHO as one of the poorest nations in the world has some of the most kind people I have ever met! I knew even before returning my hats, currently only numbering in the dozens, were destined to head to Lao P.D.R. I am also hopeful that as I progress through my study materials more, my hats will number in the hundreds instead of just a few dozen!

Between now and August I suspect my schedule will change very little. Sports and dance activities of which I would normal take part are nearing their end for the season; the Special Olympics programs for the 2010/2011 year come to an end in July at which time I will register for new events for the following year and, by the time that is finished, it will be time for my MCAT. I am planning on registering for courses at the University of Calgary for part time study over the next year in preparation for my future medical studies. Again, anything I can do to aid in my ability to further myself at this stage, I will do it! A few advanced courses in anatomy/physiology, genetics, psychology and ethics will very likely come in handy! But… more on that next time!

With that, I must run for the time being! I hope this is enough to provide a bit of insight as to what I am currently doing.

I suspect posts on this blog will only occur once each quarter (maybe more this year), but I will do my best to keep everyone informed as to my current progress!