Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Marshalls do Med School {MCAT}

Read: Last week Intro

One of the main steps you have to take to be accepted into medical school is to take (and do well on) the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). This is a pretty hardcore test that scores on 3 separate categories: physical sciences, verbal reasoning and biological sciences. Pretty intense..glad Jordan took it; not I!

With this whole 'Marshalls do Med School' series I'm going to be super candid. I'm talking..expenses, how I felt, how he felt, etc. So, back in October I believe Jordan bought this test prep book complete with DVDs, practice exams, etc. He bought it from a coworker for $200.00 who originally was going to apply to med school, but ended up becoming a physician assistant instead. Jordan felt like it was worth the price.

In February 2013 we got Jordan all signed up to take his first (and hopefully only!) MCAT= $270.00. Yikes, expensive and important test!! Earlier this month he took 2 weeks of paid time off from work to study. This was hard at first on him because he works third shift so he had to change his sleep schedule.
 He would wake up everyday at 7am and study, take a break for lunch, go back to studying, pick up Brad from daycare, eat dinner, go back to studying and then come to bed around 10pm. I liked having him home in the evenings more, even if he was studying. On the weekends I tried to stay out of the house with Bradley as much as possible because it was tempting to bother him or want to be around him when he should be studying.

He ended up taking 2 practice tests to see about where he was ranging. His goal was to get at least a 30. His first practice exam he got a 27 and was pretty bummed. He studied more, took a second practice test and got a 33, so his spirits were lifted.

The MCAT was held in Hays, KS on May 23, 2013. Hays is about a 2 hour drive and he had to check in for testing at 7am. So, we ended up renting him a hotel room ($60) and he drove there on Wednesday, the 22nd. Luckily, Jordan's aunt, cousin and grandparents put together a really sweet MCAT survival basket complete with granola bars, bottled water, etc and a $50 gas gift card. Super sweet and came in handy! 

I was on pins and needles all Thursday morning, awaiting his call. The test ended up taking about 5 hours ,and from what he told me was high security..I'm talking finger prints, couldn't even wear a watch, etc. He called me after the test was over and was in good spirits!! First thing he said was "Damn! That was the hardest test I've ever taken!" But he felt pretty confident that he scored anywhere from 30-35. We're still crossing our fingers; he should have his results back in a week or so!
All together our expenses for the MCAT= $530 (study guides, cost of test, hotel room). Our fingers are crossed that he scored just fine and doesn't have to retake it in July!! Either way, I am incredibly proud of him and his efforts!

Next week: Our narrowed down list of schools to apply to

No comments: