The Scores Are In

Today, at precisely 2:54pm Mountain Standard time I checked my MCAT score. (Which you know, I also attempted to check at 12:05pm,1:21pm and 2:17pm because I am a premed and we are obsessed with stuff like this. We can't help it.) All day, since walking in to the Health Sci building at 8:30am, its all I could think about, and I had butterflies in my stomach up until I checked to see if the scores were posted at 2:50. For some reason, I was totally okay with getting a below 30 score. It didn't matter to me anymore, because it is just a test, a test that I can take again. Next time with more food...

But,  I bet you are all dying to here what my score is, so drum-roll please....
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And no, there is no specific pattern in my ellipses use. Stop being so neurotic you pre-meds!
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I'm not going to tell you what my score is. Sorry guys, its just you know, a thing that I want to share with my friends and family. I don't want anybody to be offended or feel like they are a God if they did better or just a mere mortal if they did worse. SERIOUSLY GUYS ITS JUST ONE TEST! And yeah, I know it seems like the most important test you will ever take, but lets face it, there is no single most important test in your life. Except maybe that drug test your National Sport Doping Control Agency asks you take...that's pretty darn important.

So if you got your score back and are disappointed with it, chill, study smarter (not necessarily harder) and write it again. Take a year off if you have graduated, get a sweet job, travel and volunteer. No matter how good or how awful your score is, its the person, not the number(and letter) that counts.

I will tell you that my score is probably good enough for all of the Canadian schools that I want to go to. Lets just say, I got the same composite score as my room-mate (with a higher writing sample score) and she is currently in her first year of medicine. I surprised myself with my PS score, way higher than I expected, met my VR expectations and disappointed with my BS score. (Remember the whole MCAT fiasco where I majorly bonked and felt like passing out during the BS section? Yeah, I blame that.) But, my score was fairly even across the board, so its solid, and I'm 75% happy with it.

I will apply next summer/fall for the Fall 2014 intake, and if I don't get in, then maybe I will consider rewriting. But for now, I plan on keeping my MCAT stuff in a box, and not looking at.

Remember, relax. For y'all who are type A personalities, just take a step back, and look at the whole picture. When people chuck baseballs at you, learn to use a bat and hit one back at em'. (I will let you interpret that metaphor on you own, you are a smart cookie.)

Peace like a river

Canadian Style

As you know, I wrote the MCAT yesterday, and lets just say it the organization on the part of the testing centre wasn't too awesome.

I don't think my score will be "top"

Like the AAMC said, I arrived 30 min prior to my start time. When I walked up to the building at 7:25 am there was a group of about 15 students standing around outside in the 5 degree morning light. After a while we all started to get anxious because it was almost 8 and the doors were still not open. Eventully, a jolly man came out and said "Oh, the doors are locked. We were starting to wonder where all of you were..."

And if that doesn't set the stage for the morning, let me continue.

We all gathered inside a smallish room that only had 5 chairs, in which the jolly man told us they were having computer troubles and that number 16 wasn't working at all, and that they couldn't find the cord to set up the Prometric registration. Because there were only 20 computers and 20 test takers, one computer going down meant that one person wouldn't get to write.

Slowly, they called us in groups of three out of another computer lab to get registered, and we were all hoping that we wouldn't randomly be assigned computer number 16. There were only 3 people left in the room when my name was called, so my chances of getting number 16 was increasing every minute. Once I left the holding room and walked into the room where we originally started I found the 6 people who were called 15 minutes prior to me just sitting there, still waiting to be registered. At this point, it was 8:30.  A few people had already started writing and we all began to realize that it was going to be a very long day.

Once I eventually made into the registration room, myself along with 4 others were sat down at table next to the Prometric registration. The jolly man who looked a bit like Santa Clause walked in: "We only have 4 working computers left not including number 16 which has already been assigned to an unfortunate sole."

So, my first reaction and verbal vomit was "But there are 5 of us..." The man just nodded in agreement. So, you have 5 premeds in a tiny room, all stressed out and already over 1.5hrs behind schedule being told that one of them wouldn't get to write. Eventually, one of the others volunteered to wait until a computer was fixed by somebody in Baltimore or write at a later date. I was shocked by the civility that we all displayed under such circumstance, but we had already spent 2 hours talking with each other by that point and were on our way to becoming pretty good friends. I must add that I am very thankful to have had other pre-meds to talk to while I waited. If I was all alone going through that, I might have had a nervous breakdown. Everybody was pretty chill, maybe that's the Canadian way of handling stressful situations, just let it ride.

Eventually, I was in the hot seat going through the Prometric registration. For some reason, my right hand finger prints kept coming up as belonging to a member of the British Army. So, after sorting that out, which to took a considerable amount of time, my finger prints, drivers license, and photo were all registered. I was assigned computer number 12, which was thankfully working.

By 10 am I was registered and ready to write, but the guy beside me was more than 2 sections ahead of me. I was moderately flustered starting the Physical Sci section because of everything that had happened earlier. So when I encountered a difficult question, it threw me off more than it usually does. The end result I believe will be that I did not achieve a 10 on the PS section. It was hard, really, really hard and it didn't seem to reflect any of the practice tests in any way.

I thought that VR was actually reasonable and very similar to the AAMC verbal. I finished with 7 extra minutes and was able to go back over the time consuming questions that required going back to the passage and I think (and hope) that I was able to correct some mistakes before the time limit. By the time I fnished VR, it was already past noon. I didn't bring enough food to be there past 1:30 and I was starting to get really hungry. I only brought a few pieces of fruit, 4 granola bars, 1 chocolate bar and a can of vinalla coke. I wasn't planning on eating all of that, but I was down to only 2 granola bars, a chocolate bar and my coke after VR. Needless to say, my next biggest concern was running out of food.

Thankfully, the writing sample prompts were manageable, but for me, the writing section is exhausting. Also, the guy beside me was completely finished before I got half way through my first writing prompt. And by the time I finished the second, my stomach was literally growling.

So, before the Biosci section I scarfed down the remaining food that I had and drank half a can of Vanilla Coke (which I would like to point out is not sold in Canada, so I reserve it for special occasions only). Halfway through Biosci I stated to get a headache. I eat a lot on a normal basis, and my body doesn't respond well to not having enough calories, so basically, I bonked halfway through Biosci. Also, it seemed like all the questions in Biosci did not require any background knowledge in biology and it was really just based on interpreting the passages, which is nothing like the practice AAMC exams so I have no ability to predict how well I did.

At 3pm, I walked out the testing centre into a rain and hail storm, 2 hours behind schedule, shaking from hunger. As you may have guessed, it was not the best day of my life. I am fairly certain that I did not get a 30, I'm predicting a 28 at best. Which is very disappointing because I really don't want to have to write it again. Maybe I would have done better if the morning had gone smoother, maybe not, one thing for sure is that I was pretty flustered starting the test and completely bonkered ending it.

Next time I write, maybe I will do it Montana, and just submit to the metal detector and body pat down that goes against privacy laws in Canada. I appreciate the relaxed atmosphere that the testing centre and staff had, but it was a bit stressful.

Peace Like a River

Ready or Not?

Tomorrow is my last day to study, as per the recommendation of Examkrackers I shouldn't even be studying tomorrow, but I have few more things to review. Really, I could review until I'm 30 years old and I still wouldn't feel ready. 

I'm hoping for a 30, and if I could manage a 32 I might actually have a heart attack. I'm going to give it my best shot on Saturday, and I know that no matter what my score is, it was the best that I could do given the time that I had to study. There is no shame in needing to write it more than once, I would just prefer not to have to go through this torture again. 

In other news, I meeting with my lab supervisor and one of his new MSc students on Friday to go over what my research project will be. Its looking like something along the lines of a tumour suppressor knock down and then looking at the function recovery of an injured nerve. I'm really hoping that I get USRP funding, otherwise my move to Calgary might have been for nothing. (Missing out on the Human Anatomy Dissection class at Guelph is a bit of a bummer, but I am going to get into medical school someday and I will get to learn anatomy the way it has been taught for centuries.)

If you have any extra available brain power on Saturday between 8 am and 2pm  Mountain Standard Time, please direct it my way.

Peace Like a River

5 days

When I read or hear about how other people are hoping for a 35 on the MCAT my jaw pretty much falls out of my head. I wish I had that kind of realistic expectations.

Today is the first time that my AAMC practice exam has cracked 30. I got my first 10 on PS, and I am stoked beyond belief. I know that one exam isn't necessarily predictive of my score, but it I think it gave me the confidence boost that I really need. I scored another solid 11 of BS and unfortunately a 9 on VR. Hopefully that will also be a 10 on Saturday.

My goal of getting a 30 isn't unrealistic, and it pretty much meets the average score for most schools other than UWO. 

7 Days

Yesterday was my last day of work for the summer. I was the first summer student to leave our department, the other 3 suckers still have a week left, but they had a little going away party for all of us anyway. They got us a cake and me my own mini gluten free cake which was pretty awesome. My job wasn't too exciting but I am nonetheless grateful for the experience that it provided. I am a super passive person with a backbone made of soup, and this job forced me to toughen up and make my backbone more like the consistency of jello. Every opportunity is a chance to learn, maybe I didn't have any super awesome volunteer experiences this summer, but I did learn how to deal with people who are less than happy to hear your voice. People are grumpy and angry all over the world, this summer I learned how to deal with them all day.

I am now in Calgary, and I have 7 days until the MCAT. I am really, really scared. I did another practice exam today, AAMC #5, and I got a 29 :( My Physical Science score went back down to an 8....and I am really disappointed. Usually its physics that gets me, but this time it was chemistry. My Verbal Reasoning score is back up to a 10 (thank goodness!) and I intend to keep it there if not get it higher. And Biological Science is currently at an 11 (yippee!).

I have seven days to learn what ever it is that I don't know in physical science and there is still room for improvement on biosci.

For those of you out there also preparing to take the MCAT in the near but distant future, I wish you luck. We are all in this together, the pursuit of becoming a doctor is not an easy one and it is designed to weed out the weak. This is just the first of many walls that we will have to climb.

"The brick wall isn't there to keep us out, its there to show us how badly we want something." - Randy Pausch

Adventures Through MCAT Land

And were are back to talking about the MCAT...sorry guys, but right now, studying is literally my life. I have these Examkrackers Audio Osmosis on my iPod, so at work I literally listen to physics, chemistry, orgo or bio for the 9 hours that I am at work. I don't know if it helps at all, but I can't bare to waste 9 hours of everyday sitting at a desk NOT STUDYING! So I listen...with the hopes that I will remember something useful.

I wrote another practice MCAT today, did the best I have done in a combined VR and BS score...and the worst I have done in physical sciences. I literally did better a month ago, and that was before I had gotten through all of the chem and physics lectures....

I have two weeks left to pull it all together....

But I have some tips if you are also studying for the MCAT and are looking to do better on verbal reasoning section:

1. Buy the Examkracker verbal reasoning technique book and the 101 verbal book

2. Study form both books, and do the tests in a timed fashion with the Examkracker methods

3. IT IS ALL ABOUT THE MAIN IDEA

4. Pause after you read the passage, close your eyes and formulate a sentence about the main idea, then proceed to the questions

5. Take a 5-10 second break between each passage, just breath and imagine your self doing something that you love. I imagine my self riding my bike

6. Keep practising

I wish you the best of luck! 

Heading off to learn the last lecture in orgo and then review some physics. 

Peace like a river. 

The Circle of Life

As some of you may or may not know, my Grandpa passed away two weeks ago. He had an amazing life, did amazing things for people and ultimately left the world a better place.

Today was his "Celebration of Life," which is basically just a happier version a funeral and sans burial.  My brother and I both spoke, and neither of us cried! We both even managed to make a few people chuckle and few people cry. It was a really great service, and the pastor at my Grandparent's church is simply amazing. It was a bit exhausting though....having to constantly meet people and have them tell me how wonderful he was all day...it was constant reminder that he is gone. I will miss him, but I am trying to remember that this is a time to rejoice in the difference he made in the lives of others rather than a time of mourning.

Yesterday, (Friday) I went to Vancouver to see my surgeon, Dr. B, again for a follow up. He was a bit puzzled by the fact that it is still swollen to the point where you can leave a thumb imprint in my ankle (it literally stays there for 5 minutes...its kinda freaky) and the fact that I have throbbing pain...but overall pleased that my nerve pain is better. He said that it could be possible that the nerve is growing into my bone....great. He is sending a e-mail to Dr. S Mackinnon in St. Louis who first preformed the procedure to see if she knows what might be going on...she is also pretty much my hero.

Dr. B saw that I was studying for the MCAT (I was working through the 1001 MCAT physics questions before my appointment), laughed and said that he can't remember anything from the MCAT because he blocked it from his memory. So...I guess it is that bad...

Racing the Tour de Bowness Crit on Monday morning, wish me luck! (Not crashing would be nice, but this course has some pretty nasty pavement and a hill section.)

Side note: I gave an elderly homeless man on Robson St in down town Vancouver (it is the shopping street of the city) $50. I don't really know why, but I even went back and re-crossed the street to give it to him. I haven't really ever felt compelled to give somebody that much money before for no apparent reason, but I just felt like I really needed to. Maybe it was my Grandpa talking...I don't know.

Peace like a river