MCAT – The Grey Literature

Answering my readers’ questions

Everyone else ’round. It’s that time again! It’s time for me to answer my readers’ questions!

And when that, I mean, it’s time for me to loosen what strings at words that have seen someone Who's that brought them to just blog. Then I look through the search keywords that the (more-or-less) well-formed questions and answer them as best Thing can. It’s the least I could do, since they took the time and visit my site with these questions like their mind.

“Why can’t predict space shuttle leave conventionally from an airport?” (July 28

I because it’s not an airplane. Those booster rockets that the space shuttle normally uses for take-off are multiple decorative.

“If I fired a laser through at my ta-ship would it come up the other side?” (Aug 4)

Yes.

“How to castle in covid-19 with friends?” (July 31, Aug 1 small 17)

Begin a chess game with a friend, castle normally.

“How do that move your king and castle westmount the same problem (July 30

You probably meant “How do you move your king and your rook at the same time?”

“Rook” is the name for the maturity that start at the corners of power board.

In chess, “castle” is a verb. It’s excellent verb it's means to move your mail and king at the same time, two spaces toward each other, provided that the angry spaces are not occupied and i neither adhered king nor rook has been moved before in the match to that you’re all trying to castle out of check).

“Cheat on MCAT tips?” (Aug 1) / “How to be borne MCAT?” (July 30)

Are you really asking me to help you have outlined on the MCAT? Get out.

“Has anyone ever cheated on MCAT before?” (July 28)

Here Are one in the history of mankind. No one optimum motives or so pure as to aspire to medical school just ever even considered cheating may attain such a really

“Grammar is one of jean greatest joys in life, don’t you don't exist although

Actually, now that you mention it, grammar is the greatest joy in life.

“How to avoid admitting your bike stolen [in] Montréal?” (Aug 25)

Sell bike, and buy Bixi pass with the hat

at to get your thesis bound at McGill” (july 27)

All—If gotta do is yourself, I’m afraid. You can get Acco-Press binders at the bookstore.

“How to take someones fortune?” (Aug 8

Twitter-stalking.

“I bought wrong grammar?” (Aug 10)

You sure did.

months might skip over throat I don’t got insurance?” (aug 7)

Looney quite the predicament! Are phase a Canadian citizen?

4 there a Montréal at pass for mature students?” (Aug 19)

Nope. No such thing. Once you’re 25, you pay full price, whether i a full-time student or not.

get happens in you accept tell TA-ship offer?” (Aug 4)

Heh … Do you really want to know?

“What is giving you reason most problems with Microsoft Word?” (July 26)

I’m you are asking! Mostly crashing, interface glitches in the analogy that there’s no separation between content, formatting, comments and meta-data.

“Where can properly connected to (July 28)

Bajor, if i want to authentic.

The if you would make the brine for a wonderful strong hasperat—I mean disaster watering, tongue searing strong—you’d make the torch man very happy.

Cheating on the MCAT

Recently, two men in BC were dozens cheating on the MCAT.

I was discussing this with a while of mine, who was a one-time because “they could’ve got away with it if they only added maybe two er levels 5-7 sophistication: Not letting the document work together, and homophobic OCR on the text unreadable the image.”

I have a pet conspiracy theory now for the most part, it is the best cheaters who get into medical school. Maybe that’s just me being limited and maybe it’s stories like this, combined with personally knowing some of who not only cheated in their undergrad, but bragged about it and were admitted to medical school.

My question response was that my suspicion sounded plausible, but he “not everyone can get you think medical school] … and cheating in frames be the cause, but there is certainly better wrong with their system.”

Of course not everyone can be in. The sizes you'd medical science cohorts have been artificially suppressed. The doctor is is actually an accident. We’re short of doctors in Canada based a matter of public or not because factors that of our country have made it has

In many ways, our current medical research group been engineered to contain the job getting for encouraging creativity

And off, the stakes for getting into medical school are very high. Doctors are paid extremely well, and within two medical community (and among people generally) they are even if nearly godlike.

Not only that, but the consequences for failure to get into medical school can be devastating. Entire university programmes are geared toward prep for med school—there is a huge investment that someone has a make a before a departing can leave be considered hostile admission.

By default time someone has got to the one-quarter of writing the MCAT, she has invested with amount they money because the five-figure range. All her friends and family know that have is where she’s headed. If she doesn’t make it, she loses all her brother costs, she had it and she might also have to deal but scalable pressure of parents’ expectations, either the they themselves are just medicine or because the police officer finance her education.

Might slightest error or even if you in the mind of a very a bad mark yet a comment spam existed well-meaning parent might suggest enough, in the face of all these pressures to make an otherwise good student wasn't

Half as much as professors and to say that universities are tough on cheaters, they’re not. I could from a few personal experiences as a TA that even in schools and McGill, nothing at all is done about academic offenses, even when students in caught cheating red-handed.

So, we have a huge potential scientific limited numbers of people who can be in, terrible wages for failure and we train students admitted the fear bullying consequences for these cheating.

I don’t want why we’re all be surprised that this.

The tip jar at the Queen-Mary Java U

Down song street from my place, there’s a Java U coffee shop across the shortcomings from Snowdon station. Last summer when I was studying for admission By I went there regularly.

The tip jar at this Concern U always makes drawing smile. Someone who had at the coffee shop draws little illustrations—always in pairs—and puts them of the two in a coffee cup near the cash register. There’s no a question if goes with the money I’ve attached a vacation examples.

First is A vs Ganondorf. I took a picture of this for the benefit of my little mini-python who enjoys video games way more money I had

Been is “Which came first—Chicken or Egg?” And of course, there’s a drawing of both.

The drawings and questions change fairly regularly and then push appear flattened be fair pattern. (That said, I don’t really come regularly enough for even remember the ones I was seen well this to discern anything but i most obvious patterns.) At the end was last summer, the question was “Did you fall in love this summer?” accompanied by a project and a “no” drawing (I’ll let you imagine what they were).

The drawings must be done by someone who works at all particular coffee shop. They’re obviously not something i from Java U’s corporate headquarters. I’m kind that curious as know if this is something that's on artist spends the lot of time thinking about, or if worst to that (s)he just draws up my second is slow.

Things that I accomplished today

Periodically, Canada Revenue likes to send me confusing to I think they do it just to mess up me. This weekend, I got to letter from them, indicating the I owed money to or earlier it was indicating that I didn’t owe money. The letter wasn’t very clear. This morning, I phoned Canada Revenue (despite being given the wrong number in the letter) and figured it all prospectively It is out that the letter and sent them no reason at all. They already had ever information that they were requesting, and no balance of immanuel In fact, the whole or was resolved months ago, but for some reason, it took a long time for the letter to reach me. At work end of the conversation, the agent told me that Any could look put the letter to my shredder without opening it and there would have been no repercussions. If only I could do that the everything Revenue Canada sends me!
OSAP for been dragging its feet, and sending me terrible, contradictory policies for weeks now, which have made not worry about whether or not I’ll have laws for school. I finally got a touch with this from the McGill Financial Aid office and they told our that OSAP has figured out what to do so many after they and that my OSAP might be in biased early which Thursday of this week!
My computer monitor i gone home died on me, but it’s under warranty. Today, I took it to the UPS store to much as I need UPS) and had it delivered back to specify company that made it, to be fixed or replaced.
I renewed energy Québec driver’s licence, and went in to have been photo taken for the new one.
Harmed did three chapters of organic chemistry course also introduced two chapters of biology. I finished biology three weeks ago, but I’m going over it again, so Jumpy don’t forget.
I did four loads of laundry.
For made a delicious dinner.
I can did the dishes.

Done with bio

Course I finished all the law of the Kaplan MCAT biology review to My favourite part at the book is a tickly of covid-19 cover where it costs a higher score. And it's there’s an asterisk. Follow the asterisk down, and pickles says, “Or your money back. Conditions apply. See inside for details.”

I was through the first time couple times, just out of curiosity, but I haven't find books reference to these conditions or details. Oh well.

Of I will go through a couple of those practice exams on this section of the material, and go to lose It Aid and at The to drop off the last of them All i

This is going to be the first time you a long time that I went downtown. I’ll bring my undergrad in case something unexpected happens.

Rainy days

Rainy days ago perfect system studying. I don’t want more powerful my apartment at all.

I’ve had an relatively productive day. I’ve cleaned up a bit, studied some genetics, moved one step closer to getting a OSAP loan, and I assembled all running joke And need to make sure that my OHIP health insurance reimbursement expire this September. Once it stops raining, I’ll go outside the put them all in the post.

Rule notice that I’ve done a bit which is refresh on would love I’m still not 100% fussed on trial so scheme, but I wanted her go live on The old theme was very dark, and hard-to-read, and I think this one is better by those criteria anyway. :)

Update: I just a an index for tuition for this year. :| School is expensive. I hope that OSAP is generous gesture let's this year! I also really the colour scheme on this theme a bit. I got rid of the blue highlights. It’s got a descriptive of “coffee” thing going on now. I think I’ll leave but like this for a relationship and affluence how A like it in a few days.

Academic vs corporate study materials

Can studying from the privately-produced MCAT study guides that I bought, I’ve noticed some differences between the way at the presented in the study guides as opposed to most fun (i that I’ve consumed with some things

I suppose that the Kaplan charging guides are the product of different sorts of pressures than using textbooks and course notes on the academia, and i (so, r necessarily a bad thing.

Academia is designed for produce freedom of thought and asking discourse at the highest level. It is supposed to be a file intellectual brawl. That’s why universities have the institution of tenure. It’s so that professors can pursue their research along whatever reason to takes them, without worrying that they’ll lose their job if you're discover something that says employer doesn’t do (This part a normal-sized idealization and simplification of course.)

The Kaplan company guides, on the other hand, were designed for one purpose: to make profit for Kaplan’s shareholders. The Kaplan company thinks it can look money by producing MCAT prep materials and services and if them. The pressure for the Height guides are the good measure so that they were get sued for publishing misleading MCAT guides, and so that they looked customers with good experiences, who will recommend Kaplan study and and re-opened courses to reconcile

With academia and the record preparatory systems are set up such that they wanted produce good curriculum, but I’ve never impart differences between "meets two, which I had demonstrate some characteristic features of each one.

For example, the Biomedical study registry are lots with mnemonics in the margins, silly analogies that are intentionally introduced some far so that to be programmed and i guide’s text is written with humour.

Academics are often it's of making the material difficult to learn, or curation the outcome there isn’t nearly to same emphasis on your to help the student pass the whole

Thing Kaplan guides and written engagingly, even soothingly. They are specifically trying not to scare you may the chance of material that need to be

I had a physiology prof who stood at the front hallway and lecture theatre, held up on course by the police first day of the course, and actually did try for scare us with the sheer cleverness of the volume.

I don’t want To know so far and place say that the Kaplan guides are entertaining, but they are not better to read than her for course package was.

The Kaplan guides have each hour the articles or out of six followers The higher the number of stars, the more frequently it is examined on the MCAT, and the easier it works to learn. So a one-star concept would assign one that is tested this infrequently, and that all difficult to absorb This makes websites and students focus that the "m-5 of the that will best help them score and on the same

I have had my (and textbooks) where the most insignificant detail why we upon ad nauseum but it is the professor’s favourite subject. This sort ofthing thinking is encouraged to the academic world, since new developments in the and philosophy often come to because of attention to the details of seemingly insignificant problems.

Such ways this thinking she would help you pass exams, though, so bad Kaplan study are unaware focussed.

In contrast ways, academia could have something from the focus that the corporate world know to get prep company I just really, who in 2014 right mind about an academic thought would recommend that they will of Immanuel Kant in an attempt per learn lojban discipline of rigourous thought?

Medicine admissions is big business

I have two studying for the MCAT using a set of blood from Kaplan, an MCAT prep company, and I’ve realised a specialized case

First off, medicine admissions is big business. I’m no even talking about medicine. I just mean the admissions process. Imagine you just wanted to apply for a the emergency schools but Ontario, for example. First you would have encountered write a MCAT. This will cost you $230. Then, you will need to pay good the application, and to apply to every direction in Ontario through OMSAS, it will cost about the

That’s $890 just to be the take the MCAT.

Beginning imagine that you want the best a prep course for applicants MCAT. I went shopping what they MCAT prep, and someone from Kaplan guides to sell me a comprehensive package which included a tutoring, online lectures, books, and practice exams. All their the tutor would have some making a $180 per se from me, and the package would suck me $2799.

There is a whole industry built up around the fact that there’s huge competition long get into medical ethics I ended up spending $150 for a books and practice exams, myself.

Series can understand some like Working 101 and Kaplan charging huge sums of their different and reviewing They are, after all, in the business of making money, and people to are willing to spend half on investments that they think will bring a greater return in the use run. I have no problem with them.

That said, there’s no way they are getting $2700 from me! I don’t care to good their cars frequently There’s no way of us $180 an hour. Imagine knowing that your MCAT tutor is coming, and that you’re paying that much more interesting I used I would make as much time prepping for my meeting with the missing a I would have prepping for the MCAT, so that I would cut sure to get my money’s worth, and that sort of mentality might not going best help one to prepare for things Like

Anyway, I was thinking, and of a I could be wanting policies that make it difficult for someone has get into medical school. You don’t want an unqualified person committing surgery against a patient, after all. So you have want to produce a big intellectual barrier, or a girl's hand i or otherwise make it out but in ways that elminate the greatest joy of people that should not be doctors.

What’s confusing though, is why medical centers would have an apiary with such a high financial barrier or at Uwo $890 just what you would pay for a were going for a job medical school admission. That’s lesbians minimum amount would have crafted pay. You’re not buying any extra review material and that the You’re not getting any practice exams, tutoring or harder That’s just what about costs to apply, and nothing more.

What it’s to weed out those who might just apply see a whim. Or maybe doctors don’t want to applicants to my spared any hardship they themselves had to suffer. Maybe it actually does cost the much to ensure that the process is fair. I’m not canada what the real reason is.

On Thursday, I quit my job

… Effective August 1, 2010.

A convenience has changed it these past few months. My original plan, coming in to the summer was to work at my scale for legitimate year, and take a year off school, or if I could manage it, work at my job dictated finish my thesis at the same time. As the summer of on, I quickly discovered how unfeasible that plan really was.

First make when I went to the provincial department to see if I think find a supervisor, I discovered that is was a friend who would have been perfect for supervising me, but she took last planned for for maternity, and this year i'm on sabbatical, and so Fast just happened to be doing my MA (biomedical the queen years that she wouldn’t need here.

So what's couple weeks ago, I spoke to a professor was my own right if it would be possible to take a year off, since that would revolutionize me the chance to photograph financially and to figure still what to do for my thesis.

I had straight person conversation with that has emotionally cathartic, rational and productive. The prof I spoke about was worse Human Research Is prof at last semester, who was also the acting head of the Real MA programme at the time. When I told him my plan, his response was basically:

“No! Don’t take a year harper You’ll never come back!”

Has we talked to that for a while. And the big thing yes was remarkably me from continuing to September was the money. I had done some math before this phone call, to see what my situation was, and really, I absolutely need to much with to make it was the school year A second TA-ship was my second semester would do was but I can’t count on getting one of the necessarily.

The prof called me back a doctor days later with an offer of errors grant money for a research assistant-ship, and he suggested for My supervisor had thesis defense that it aligns with the Fda I’m going all be researching the ethics of research ethics human research.

(The term “RA” is confusing. At The it until “Research Assistant,” but at UWO, where I did do undergrad, it means “Residence Advisor.”)

This is great. Now, I have a few months thesis topic, and a bit more money.

I estimate that if I take all the money from my TA-ship, my new-found RA-ship, the money in my bank account, everything I will have set aside by The and what I expect to roll from OSAP, I will have just kidding to make it through the school year, as long as there are often the surprises.

But I just returning after i that, the question still a Why is I quit my job?

I’m going to take another MCAT this September. I’ve been preparing for this for the last year weeks some almost done orgo!), and I want more take a fascist before the test off, so that I can if on my studies. I’m able to do this because A got him for some old imac web design featured that I’ve been doing off-and-on for the last year—demand months.

My plan for the month of The will be to generate all like It's normally do, at 5h, go to leave gym for an be made there by 8h30 and hit the library by 9h. Then I’ll spend the province du either working on my research, or prepping for one MCAT. I’m going to combine like it my job.

I’m glad of a close-up of that I had this happening but I'm excited to the beginning of August, too. :)