{"id":32468,"date":"2016-03-17T13:24:19","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T20:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=32468"},"modified":"2016-07-27T15:45:40","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T22:45:40","slug":"mcat-expertise-harvard-mba-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/mcat-expertise-harvard-mba-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"MCAT Expertise + Harvard MBA Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Listen<\/a>Today\u2019s show<\/a> has something for pre-meds looking to prepare for the MCAT and for MBA wannabes interested in Harvard Business School.<\/span><\/p>\n

<< Click here to listen to the show >><\/a><\/p>\n

Meet Alec Lee<\/strong> [1:15]<\/span><\/p>\n

Alec is the co-founder of the online prep course M Prep. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2011 with a BS in BioTechnology and a minor in philosophy. After completing the first year of his MBA program at HBS<\/a>, he decided to take a leave of absence to work on a start-up.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is M Prep<\/strong>\u00a0[2:07]<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a full-service MCAT prep company. They started by offering an MCAT question of the day \u2013 to help students prepare on a daily basis (and avoid procrastination). And now they\u2019ve grown that product into passage-based prep and a full prep course. They also offer other services\/resources, such as a database of med school info, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

How M Prep has adapted to the new MCAT<\/strong>\u00a0[3:25]<\/span><\/p>\n

They started developing resources a few years ago when AAMC released info on the new exam. Overall, the strategic goals of the new exam are the same as the old one, so there\u2019s some overlap. But the new sociology\/psychology section<\/a> required substantial development, as did the biochem material. They\u2019ve also upgraded their prep materials in response to the actual exam after it was released.<\/span><\/p>\n

Focus on content review or test strategies?<\/strong>\u00a0[5:45]<\/span><\/p>\n

Everyone knows what subjects will be tested \u2013 there are a lot of free resources for content review. So M Prep\u2019s goal is to add value on the strategy side. But they also do a comprehensive content review.<\/span><\/p>\n

What students should know about preparing for the new MCAT<\/strong>\u00a0[7:00]<\/span><\/p>\n

For the old exam, he advised 2-4 months prep time; now he advises 6 months, especially if applicants are full-time students. And it\u2019s best to take as many pre-reqs as possible before the exam (especially soc\/psych and biochem), to be ready for that material.<\/span><\/p>\n

When should applicants retake the MCAT?<\/strong>\u00a0[9:20]<\/span><\/p>\n

Aim for the scores you need, not the scores you want \u2013 that is, know what it actually takes to get into med school. The new MCAT is a bit of a wildcard at the moment. <\/span><\/p>\n

Factors to consider when deciding whether to retake the exam<\/a>: the combination of your MCAT and GPA (do you need a higher MCAT to offset a lower GPA?). What schools are you applying to?<\/span><\/p>\n

Transition period for new MCAT<\/strong>\u00a0[14:45]<\/span><\/p>\n

Schools are adjusting to data from the revised exam, so it\u2019s only natural for scores to be weighted a little less while they get used to the new exam.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for M Prep<\/strong>\u00a0[15:35]<\/span><\/p>\n

Launching a full set of practice exams for the new MCAT \u2013 the first three are coming soon, and more in a few months. They\u2019re developing a lot of new content.<\/span><\/p>\n

Advice for premeds<\/strong>\u00a0[17:08]<\/span><\/p>\n

Start early!<\/a> It makes a big difference for test prep. Let the MCAT be a rite of passage \u2013 see it as an important step, rather than something you just have to endure. Attitude matters.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re looking for help with test prep, consider the track record of the instructor in helping students prep for the exam. Look for someone who\u2019s a good coach and teacher \u2013 not just someone who has a high MCAT score.<\/span><\/p>\n

His HBS experience, and why he took a leave of absence<\/strong>\u00a0[21:40]<\/span><\/p>\n

He did the 1<\/span>st<\/span> year required curriculum \u2013 he loved the courses and especially loved the environment (studying with the talented people in his class). But he realized that a two-year program goes by fast, and he wanted to make more thoughtful, goal-directed choices about his time at HBS. So he opted to take a leave of absence (HBS allows up to 5 years). He sees a risk of losing relationships, but the potential to explore projects and consider his goals for when he goes back.<\/span><\/p>\n

Should MBAs think about those goals before b-school?<\/strong>\u00a0[25:00]<\/span><\/p>\n

He thinks it\u2019s important to do some soul searching up front: the people who know exactly what they came for do get the most out of b-school. Having direction is important.<\/span><\/p>\n

Has his HBS experience helped him run M Prep?<\/strong>\u00a0[28:04]<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes: he\u2019s drawn on it when negotiating contracts, etc \u2013 but he\u2019s also found that the skills he gained from the case method help him frame situations effectively and solve problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Advice for MBA applicants<\/strong>\u00a0[31:25]<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s helpful to have direction and goals<\/a>, even if you\u2019re a career changer who will be using b-school to explore. People who know what they want to get out of b-school will be able to use their time more effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Register for the MCAT webinar
\n<\/a><\/span><\/i>\u2022\u00a0M Prep\/MCAT Question of the Day
\n<\/a><\/span>\u2022 <\/span>Should I Retake the MCAT?<\/span><\/a>
\n<\/span>\u2022\u00a0Navigating the Med School Maze<\/a><\/span>, a free download<\/span><\/p>\n

Related Shows:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Shadowing Experiences Around the Globe with Gap Medics<\/a>
\n<\/span>\u2022\u00a0MedHounD Hunts The Right Med School for You<\/a>
\n<\/span>\u2022\u00a0MCAT Scores, MCAT Prep, and #MCAT2015
\n<\/a><\/span>\u2022\u00a0MCAT Mania: How to Prepare
\n<\/a><\/span>\u2022\u00a0Learning by Osmosis: Premeds, Med Students Take It All In!
\n<\/a><\/span><\/b>\u2022\u00a0How to Upload Medical Terminology To Your Permanent Memory<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Subscribe:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\"Listen<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\"Subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Watch<\/a><\/p>\n

This article\u00a0<\/a>originally appeared on\u00a0<\/em>blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.<\/p>\n

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>get accepted<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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Today\u2019s show has something for pre-meds looking to prepare for the MCAT and for MBA wannabes interested in Harvard Business School. << Click here to listen to the show >>…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,243],"tags":[100,796,49,1896,39],"class_list":["post-32468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","tag-harvard","tag-harvard-business-school","tag-harvard-hbs","tag-mba","tag-mba-admissions","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32468"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32469,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32468\/revisions\/32469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}