First, a quick breakdown of the test: it has four sections--physical sciences (physics and inorganic chemistry), verbal reasoning, two essays, and biological sciences (biology and organic chemistry). Each of the three non-essay sections is given a score from 1 to 15. These three numbers are added together to give your total score out of 45. The essays are scored separately and given a letter from L to T (T is better). Your final score is reported as a number and a letter, 45T being a perfect score on all sections of the test.
I took the MCAT on the 28th of May, and had to wait until June 30th for my score. Needless to say, it was kind of a long month. And here are the results: 36O, with a 12 on each of the multiple choice sections. The score report also gives what percentile you rank with your score. Interestingly enough, a 36 ranks in the 96th percentile (confusing, since 36 works out to 80% of 45), and I should be able to get in somewhere for medical school. Now we'll just see if it's where we want to go.
Now it's time to finish the stupid application.
P.S. My "O" score on the essays turns out to be in the 50th percentile. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw that. Fortunately, the number score is the one that schools look at more.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Old fambly picture
Hey all, I was digging through some old photos tonight and found this treasure.
Mandy looks stunning on her stool, Jord's the little stud on the left, Mom is dazzling as always, and you can see the devilish look on my face there on the right--one hand on the hip, the other on my sister's knee! We're a gifted family. Dad was busy taming lions, and Kelli wasn't quite talented enough to make it into our little performing group so she got stuck taking the picture. Middle-child syndrome?
Just kidding. Kelli is actually the most talented amongst us, and this picture isn't really my family. It's from Awkward Family Photos, a pretty fabulous site.
Mandy looks stunning on her stool, Jord's the little stud on the left, Mom is dazzling as always, and you can see the devilish look on my face there on the right--one hand on the hip, the other on my sister's knee! We're a gifted family. Dad was busy taming lions, and Kelli wasn't quite talented enough to make it into our little performing group so she got stuck taking the picture. Middle-child syndrome?
Just kidding. Kelli is actually the most talented amongst us, and this picture isn't really my family. It's from Awkward Family Photos, a pretty fabulous site.
Heads up
Hey everyone (mostly any ladies, probably, who happen to view my blog and not my wife's), my wife and her friend are having a cool giveaway at their new craft blog, floralshowers.com. Check it out and enter to win!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Good news, bad news
It's done. Thanks everyone for your well-wishing and prayers and such. I feel like the test went pretty well, and I'll find out my score in a month. There is an essay section on the test that has to be graded, and so we don't get to walk out of the testing center knowing our score. Bother. When I got home, we went out to dinner to celebrate--Kentucky Bourbon burger from Carl's Jr. Mmmm, my mouth salivates just remembering it.
Sadder news: the blasted check engine light came on again today on my way home from Salt Lake. Hopefully it turns off again on its own soon like last time.
That is all. Good night and good luck.
Sadder news: the blasted check engine light came on again today on my way home from Salt Lake. Hopefully it turns off again on its own soon like last time.
That is all. Good night and good luck.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Two small things
I've updated the song of the moment. Catchy tune, and amusing lyrics--seriously, have you ever heard a song that used the word "ampersand" before? I highly recommend it.
Tomorrow is the MCAT, at high noon. Place: OK Corral. Only one of us will walk away.
Tomorrow is the MCAT, at high noon. Place: OK Corral. Only one of us will walk away.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Surprise!
So, yesterday morning I would have expected this post to be about how glad I am that the MCAT is over. But things changed. I got an email yesterday afternoon from Prometrics (the people that run the testing centers for these big graduate school tests) saying that tomorrow's proctoring of the exam was cancelled. I was rather incredulous. All of this work, all of my psyching up, and for... nothing?
I called up the phone number that was listed in the email, and after waiting almost half an hour, I explained my predicament to the guy on the other end. He was very helpful, and we were able to get me scheduled for May 28th at noon at a testing location in Salt Lake. It sounded like they had to pull some strings but everything is on track, just with a new date.
My feelings on the matter: mixed. I was pumped and ready to take the test and be done with it. I was kind of upset yesterday. On the other hand, I get an extra month to study for the test, and I get to take it at noon instead of 8am. Also fortunate is that they were able to reschedule me before it gets too late in the application cycle--if they tried to reschedule my test for late June or July, I would have been fairly angry.
So anyways, thanks everyone for your kind thoughts and prayers. Keep 'em going for another month. :)
I called up the phone number that was listed in the email, and after waiting almost half an hour, I explained my predicament to the guy on the other end. He was very helpful, and we were able to get me scheduled for May 28th at noon at a testing location in Salt Lake. It sounded like they had to pull some strings but everything is on track, just with a new date.
My feelings on the matter: mixed. I was pumped and ready to take the test and be done with it. I was kind of upset yesterday. On the other hand, I get an extra month to study for the test, and I get to take it at noon instead of 8am. Also fortunate is that they were able to reschedule me before it gets too late in the application cycle--if they tried to reschedule my test for late June or July, I would have been fairly angry.
So anyways, thanks everyone for your kind thoughts and prayers. Keep 'em going for another month. :)
Saturday, April 18, 2009
I'm not contrary.... Oh.
When I was in Bolivia on my mission, the lady who cooked lunch for us said to me: "Elder, usted es muy contrario." This translates to: "Elder, you are very contrary" (but it doesn't rhyme in Spanish). Just last night, I came to the realization that I haven't changed much in that respect in the past 3 1/2 years (side note: can't believe it's been that long already). I mentioned this to Jess last night, and she just sort of laughed at me and said "yep." We discussed my contrariness for a few minutes, which helped me understand my standard reaction to so many things.
I think a lot. I analyze things. Probably too much. I find that a lot of issues have multiple facets, and that makes it harder to make snap judgments. Because of this I tend to want others to see these other facets, and my subconscious method for doing this is to play devil's advocate. I don't always espouse the idea that I present--mostly I just want the person that I'm talking with to think about it. Have they considered this aspect of what they are talking about? If they have, great! I'm not looking to argue, just to show that things might be more complicated than initially realized. I actually don't like contention--I just like to explore ideas.
So what's the bottom line? Two things: 1. If I have ever offended you because I came across as argumentative or disagreeable, that was not my intention. I apologize. Hopefully what I have written here will help you understand what is going on inside my head. 2. Finding character defects is kind of a painful process. However, recognition is one of the first steps towards fixing a problem. I still think that thinking things through is good, but maybe I just need to be more careful in how I present the things that I've thought about. I need to harness this power for good instead of evil. :) Any ideas on how to do that? Did any of this make any sense?
I think a lot. I analyze things. Probably too much. I find that a lot of issues have multiple facets, and that makes it harder to make snap judgments. Because of this I tend to want others to see these other facets, and my subconscious method for doing this is to play devil's advocate. I don't always espouse the idea that I present--mostly I just want the person that I'm talking with to think about it. Have they considered this aspect of what they are talking about? If they have, great! I'm not looking to argue, just to show that things might be more complicated than initially realized. I actually don't like contention--I just like to explore ideas.
So what's the bottom line? Two things: 1. If I have ever offended you because I came across as argumentative or disagreeable, that was not my intention. I apologize. Hopefully what I have written here will help you understand what is going on inside my head. 2. Finding character defects is kind of a painful process. However, recognition is one of the first steps towards fixing a problem. I still think that thinking things through is good, but maybe I just need to be more careful in how I present the things that I've thought about. I need to harness this power for good instead of evil. :) Any ideas on how to do that? Did any of this make any sense?
