Medical School Preparation: Day 2

I've decided to career change, and become an orthopod.

I'll be applying to medical schools in about one year.

I spoke with Dr. Jonathan Day at CSU, Chico and based on his advisements, I understand that to ensure favorable odds for succeeding in my goal I must:

• Complete MIT Open Courseware material daily, every day.


• Spend time on the practice MCAT daily, every day.


• Pass CHEM 111, CHEM 112, CHEM 270, CHEM 370, BIOL 151, and BIOL 360, and PHYS 202A (admissions requirements for UCSF in particular and med schools in general).


• Pass the MCAT with a high score

Technically Dr. Day says one should take an additional 6 courses in order to do well on the MCAT, but the bare minimum to meet admission requirements requires less. I'd like to wrap this up in a timely manner, so I'll be substituting MIT courses and self-learning for those optional courses.

The MCAT is a 5.5+ hour long test, which Dr. Day says is the hardest test in the nation. I believe he believes this, because he had the attitude that if I passed the MCAT, then 4 years of medical school and 2 years of a residency would be so easy as to be hardly worth mentioning. It's the MCAT that's hard.

Today I spent 30 minutes on the bona fide practice MCAT. I finished 17 questions and got 12 of them right, which is 70%. A 70% is required as an absolute bare minimum to be accepted at any medical school. I'll need to push that up to 100% before the end.

Today I learned that wavelength multiplied by frequency equals velocity. Doctors have to know these things.