Is This Thing On?

[hid-dle-ston-deactivated2018030]

reblog if you're gay, not gay, slightly gay, or if you just want to launch donald trump into a dying star

[breezybreezer]

It has been awhile since I’ve posted! I’m preparing for my biology of cancer final, my first class post-bacc :). Happy Sunday y'all. I need to find some tea.

[theantigunner-deactivated201703]

My MCAT 2015 Recommendations

Hey everyone,

I just recently took the MCAT and here were my thoughts on it.

1. Don’t overlook anything. My biggest mistake was assuming I knew things and then coming across the basics on the exam and freaking out. Even if you just took general chem or physics, or whatever the course might be, review!

2. Give yourself enough time to study. The amount of time I allotted myself was not nearly enough time. Since this godforsaken exam is now 7.5 hours, its in your best interest to give yourself at least 3-4 months. If anyone tells you BS like “I only studied a month and a half” then they’re lying. Or, they did poorly.

3. AAMC is not afraid to play dirty when it comes to this exam. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED! Literally. The sample test they provided left me feeling like “this isn’t so bad, I can do this!” I walked out of my testing center the following week questioning whether I should even bother applying to medical school. Do your best to know everything you can, and pace yourself when taking full length exams.

4. Study with people. And more importantly, the RIGHT people. Avoid the negative underachievers that just want to get by and that will try to convince you that theres no other way to prepare for this test. Also avoid the students who will convince you that the MCAT is do or die and that you need to study 12+ hours a day just for a good score. That’s just downright unhealthy. You want to surround yourself with others who will motivate you, encourage you, and maintain a positive outlook. This was probably one of the biggest regrets I had when it came to studying for this exam.

5. Avoid the MCAT burnout. Yes. It’s real. Don’t convince yourself that you can study 7 days a week for 3 months without a break. You’ll burn out really quick, start to do poorly, and walk into that exam feeling quickly demoralized. Take at least 2 days off per week. Don’t talk about it, look at it, think about it, do anything that involves it. You’ll feel much better and more energized afterwards!

6. Practice practice practice. I know it is difficult since AAMC decided “Hey, since we’re going to revamp and redesign this MCAT entirely, why not give these examinees the bare minimum to prepare with!” Compared to the old MCAT, which had 10 practice tests, this new one doesn’t have much. Even for the old one, the test prep companies were much more well versed with it (since it had been out for 25 years). But, you must practice somehow, so here are my recommendations on what to use and what not to use:

First - avoid The Princeton Review like the plague. TPR took their old books and slapped on a new cover and said “Here you guys go!” Not only do they contain numerous mistakes, but they provide WAY too much information. This test is far from a test of what you can memorize, it is much more about using your prior knowledge to solve problems, so basic understandings are generally required.

Second - For the physical sciences and even biology, use ExamKrackers. They actually put a good amount of time and effort into reorganizing their stuff for the new exam. They are straight to the point and provide TONS of practice materials. Their emphasis is critically thinking, not just facts and details.

Third - For the Critical Analysis and Reasoning section, I highly suggest using the question packs released from AAMC and EK 101 Verbal Reasoning passages. Although this was for the old MCAT, the style of questions felt similar to the MCAT I recently took.

Fourth - Biochemistry. Now, this is supposedly the new focus of the exam (although on my MCAT, biochemistry was far and few in between). For the sake of this, either take a biochemistry course at your university before you start studying for the exam or use Kaplan’s biochemistry review book. Both will sufficiently prepare you IMO. Also, Khan Academy has a ton of videos that cover majority of the biochemistry topics (as well as everything else), so be sure to review them when necessary!

Lastly - Psychology and Sociology. Most of you might think, “that’s such a joke, it’s all common sense.” Trust me, AAMC knows how us smart ass premeds think, and they used it to their advantage. This section is very tricky on the actual test, and to prepare I highly suggest having a general understanding of statistics and research design as well as the list of topics released by AAMC. In terms of reviewing the content, definitely use Khan Academy’s MCAT section vids for this section. They cover just about everything you need to know, they have tons of practice passages, and the videos help the material stick (if you take notes while watching them).

7. STAY ORGANIZED. Come up with a study plan/calendar and stick to it. You will have less anxiety, and more time to focus on what you’re learning instead of freaking out beforehand. Make sure you’re realistic too. I tried telling myself that I was going to do 10 different things in one day and ended up doing ½ of it from sheer burn out. Don’t overwhelm yourself, which is why I mentioned giving yourself enough time in point #2.

That’s all for now. Let me know if you have questions and good luck to future test takers!

[thesinglesurgeon]

MCAT in retrospect.

It has been almost a year since the dreaded/exciting/awful/rewarding day of my MCAT.  I took it only once and after about 8 months of studying.  I read through the books, made piles on index cards, and recited information aloud in my kitchen for hours.  Now that it’s over, and very over at that, I see it without a veil of fear and anxiety that shielded it since I first knew what the MCAT was.  Here is my list, in hindsight, about useful tips and advice:

Think big.  Remind yourself every hour if you have to what kind of consequence this test has.  Picture abolsutely dominating the test: it’s the gateway to your future. Can’t you see yourself in a long white coat, bustling through the hospital, running rounds?  Can’t you see your office, the patients, the diploma on the wall?  Remember that this is the key to what you want.

STOP if you’re confused and figure it out.  Yeah, so your goal was to get through 20 pages of material, but you are stumped at page three.  Go over and over the idea until it sticks, even though it’s painful realizing you will only get through five pages after all.  At least you will have a solid knowledge base and didn’t rush through to meet projected timelines.

Say it out loud over and over again.  When you catch yourself stuttering or skipping over words and just replacing them with mental notes, you don’t get it.  Be able to explain the concept to your wall, a stranger, your cat, without losing your “flow,” and you know you are ready to move on.

Be weird.  Say those strange thoughts out loud and fully envision any unexpected visuals.  This will help you remember on test day.  I reminded myself that calciTONin tones down blood calcium levels, DJ Ileum spins the sick beats in the villi (to remember duodenum, jejunum, ileum in the right order).  I also matched dramatic hand signals to remember physics equations (almost like interpretive dance) and had odd voice inflections over key words.  You’ll keep yourself entertained, too.

Pump yourself up.  Associate the MCAT with awesomeness and mastery.  I played by music deafeningly loud and memorized Iggy Azalea lyrics about domination: “I heard the top is lonely, I wonder if that’s the truth” and “I’m what amazing looks like, you’ll recognize it when you see it.” I looked forward to breaks so I could feel cool while rapping in my kitchen and drinking iced tea.

Do practice questions.  After content review, you are only halfway through studying.  You need to become almost bored with the question and answer format of the test, the wording, and the pace.  Time yourself, sit on a hard chair, stare a computer, eat nothing, put your water in another room, and be as realistic as you can.

Admit your practice score (on AMCAS practice tests) is an accurate projection.  Not much will change on test day.  Don’t assume you’ll get an expert spurt of knowledge at the MCAT computer.  If your physical sciences score doesn’t seem to reflect your efforts (like mine), that’s what will probably happen on the real test.  Review the specific questions you didn’t get, then explain (out loud) the right and wrong answers in a conversation tone until it’s simple and clear-sounding.  Tackle your weak spots wholeheartedly and admit when you have a weakness.

Looking back now, the MCAT looks like a faint memory that did not overpower my summer.  At the time, it felt like it ruled my life and took over my soul.  So if you are in the trenches, rest assured that this one day be only a memory.  Of course, the experience has seriously lasting consequences, but it still only feels like a droplet in the ocean once it is said and done.  Don’t be afraid, be empowered, to take another step on the doctor-journey!  =)

[medschoolapplicant-deactivated2]

when you commit to studying for the MCAT over the holiday break

[thelifeofamedstudent]

Part 1. Awesome facts about the elements from kcd-elements! Science is fun and knowing some of these could surely help on MCAT passages or at least Trivia night at the local bar!

[aspectacularstart]

[breezybreezer]

[breezybreezer]

Retrieval cues

Learn about how priming, environmental context, and internal state affect memory.

I love Khan Academy so much. :) sometimes I watch their encoding strategy videos when I need to break from studying. 

[breezybreezer]

How To Hack ISIS: Anonymous Publishes Guide To Help Attack Islamic State's Online Presence

Online activists using the banner of Anonymous have published a series of guides for those interested in helping attack Islamic State group's presence online.

[breezybreezer]

Wake up and go DO something to be helpful, useful, and inspiring! 

“Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.”Frank Herbert

For today, I will become a MCAT ninja. I’ve been on campus and studying since 6:45am. Sometimes I wish I could read/comprehend/memorize information a little bit faster but I’m willing to trust the process and put in the time. 

Good luck study ninjas and happy Saturday!! :P 

[study-well]

Practice your discipline.

Schedule a short task (e.g. 15 minutes) for a specific time of day.

Wait for the scheduled time and then when it reaches that time, start the task.

Continue to stick to a schedule like this for a few weeks.

This technique means that you are focusing on starting tasks, rather than completing them.

By working in schedules, you’ll develop a habit of work.

Track your progress. At the end of the allotted time for your task, record what you achieved. This will help you track how long tasks take.

Make yourself accountable for missing work / tasks / etc. One way to do this is to have a buddy who works with you.

Set smart goals:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Timely

Remove temptations and distractions. If you get distracted by websites then consider installing blocking apps and extensions to limit your online activity. 

There’s a list of apps and extensions here.

Your willpower is at it’s highest at the beginning of the day so do the worst tasks then.

Reward yourself.

[breezybreezer]

Sharing to look at later. 

[breezybreezer]

X Ambassadors - Renegades (Official Video)

Get X Ambassadors’ debut album, VHS, out now: http://smarturl.it/VHS Music video by X Ambassadors performing Renegades Directed by: ENDS and Alex Da Kid (C)2...

Happy Thursday. Y’all should probably watch this and proceed to power through your day.

“It’s not a matter of enjoying more or less, it’s about enjoying it differently. It’s enjoying it through different vision, through another lens.” 

[telep0rt]

HOW DO I STUDY FOR _____________

So I think this might be the question I get asked the MOST often. People are always asking me how do I study for this or that class. So I thought I would just make a master post I could link you all to. :)

All classes

Watch my video on how to study. This applies to almost everything you have to study. 

See below for additions to doing everything listed in that video. 

Math

Do problems. Do all the problems. Do them again. 

Do all the problems in your book.

Get another book and repeat step 2 

Trust me 99.9% of all math classes is pattern recognition. If you can learn how to solve the problem you can ace any set of variables they throw at you. 

Physics

See math–because physics is JUST applied math. You have to learn how to read the questions and pull out the information you need–the only way to do that is to do dozens of questions!

Micro Bio/ID

Flow charts–break things up by group to understand them. You have to group things to remember what’s gram positive or gram negative 

Don’t blow off the actual micro part of micro. If you understand the virulence factors you’re more likely to understand the sx/tx

I had to use a lot of silly sayings to remember all the little pieces of micro. So I would remind myself about the diseases of haemophilus influenzae by saying haEMOPhilus (epiglotitus, meningitis, otitis media, pnuemonia). It was silly but it worked for me. 

O Chem

Do all the problems. Do them again. 

Get another book and repeat step 1 

Flashcard the reactions you don’t understand–put the reactants on one side and the products on the back. Practice these backward and forward. 

Draw out every step of reactions you don’t understand

Circle your electrons or mark whatever it is you lose track of

Count–count where everything went at the end to make sure you didn’t screw up. 

Categorize. Do all members of this group react this way?? It’s easier to learn the rules and the exceptions than force memorize every individual compound’s reaction.

Gen Chem

See math

Understand real world examples. I related all of the stuff about heat to a cup of coffee. It worked for me 

Talk through it! I had to read chemistry out loud or try to repeat it out loud in my own words to have any idea what was going on. 

YouTube videos are absolutely perfect for gen chem!! (There’s even a whole CrashCourse series on Gen Chem that’s appropriate especially for high school level chem). 

General Biology–Genetics/Immunology/Cell Biologyetc

You really need to watch my video 

Cross relate–you have to integrate all your biology together to keep all that information in your head. 

Flashcard only the stuff that can’t be understood. (Like cell markers, etc) 

Charts! Biology is all about categorization and understanding the similarities between different groups of things. If you can simply remember the characteristics of a group it’s easy to know everything you need to about all the members of that group. 

Pathology

Pathoma

Look at the pictures until you feel sick. 

Make flashcards of the pictures so you can at least do immediate identification of what you’re looking at even if you don’t know exactly what the pathology is. 

Integrate! How does the physiology relate to exactly what is going on with the pathology? How does the pathology predict treatment? 

Learn some latin and greek root words. Even if you have no idea what the word means you might be able to figure it out from there. :) I’ve gotten more than one question right by just figuring out what the word meant. 

Pharmacology

Understand the mechanism of the drug–it will really predict how it is used or what its toxicities are for

Flashcard the bare minimum or anything bizarre you can’t remember any other way. 

Figure out the similarities in the names. If it sounds the same, it probably belongs in the same class. 

Don’t learn in isolation. It’s hard to study pharmacology on its own–instead study it integrated with physiology and pathology whenever possible for the best understanding. 

Study as case studies!! What diuretics would you give to a patient with CHF? With ESLD? 

Biochemistry

Charts–get poster boards or tape together a ton of sheets of paper and try to write out every pathway you can to see how it all is integrated. 

Always track the flow of energy!! Where is your NAD/ATP/etc?

Group pathways by the “point”. Are you destroying carbohydrates or building fats? How does this compare to other pathways that do the same thing?

Try to rewrite the pathways from memory then see what you missed. 

Anatomy

Spend a bunch of time with the specimens if you have access to them. 

DRAW even if you suck at drawing

Learn the clinical correlations–why do you care

Thing about everything in relationship to one another! 

Do questions!! Grey’s has a student question book I recommend.

I’ll probably add more to this list as I go and as more of you ask for specific subject advice, but here you go!! 

When in doubt, always ask yourself “how would this be asked on a test?”. If you could write a test question about it, you should definitely know it! 

And always remember that you should study for understanding and not just for a grade–always be learning and not memorizing. It’s more important you understand the material than you get the A!!

Happy studying!  

[breezybreezer]

Yaaaaaassssss.

[breezybreezer]

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

Meister Eckhart

[breezybreezer]

Happy Sunday!

[breezybreezer]

You are brilliant!