Adventures of an MCAT Survivor

So, here's my summary of the events of yesterday, because I know EVERYONE cares, coughnotcough. :)

Well, the night before last I talked to my friend Ria who happens to live near Ann Arbor. I was taking the MCAT down at the Ann Arbor U of M campus, so the two of us were planning on a visit after the test was over. I happened to mention to her that I wasn't sure where I'd park, and I was lucky that I did. I forgot how hard it is to find parking in Ann Arbor! It would have taken me years to find someplace to park down there. She suggested that I drive to her workplace a few minutes from campus, park there, and then she'd drive me over.

So that's how that went. Thankfully I had a good friend who could help me find parking, otherwise it would have been a big mess. As it was, there were virtually no signs or anything for people who were taking the test. Which I thought was pretty annoying. At our U of M campus, they host something small, like the "fifth annual secretaries of GM awards" and they have 20 million signs posted everywhere on campus, directing people where to go.

So I got up at 5:30 am, and can you believe it, I had no desire to do any last minute studying. I figured, if I don't know it by now, it's not going to sink in now. I just took a shower and ate some breakfast, and got dressed and was ready to go. My stomach was a little upset from stress and nerves, but I took a Rolaid and was ready to go. I left around 6:45 and got to Ann Arbor a little after 7:30. Ria was waiting for me, and she had doughnuts and apple fritters just for me! She was very sweet. Although my nerves only allowed me to eat one doughnut on the drive over to campus. From there she wished me luck, and I was on my own to face my impending doom.

When I went inside they had one dinky homemade looking chart saying like "A-H Aud C." Like what the heck did that mean? Luckily there was one lowly Kaplan employee standing there waiting to give test takers a little bag with a pencil, granola bar, and starbursts, along with a flyer that said "After you ace your test, come work for Kaplan!" Yeah, people, if I ace this test the last damn thing I'm going to be thinking about is working for Kaplan. Well, anyhow, this worker was nice enough to explain that Aud C meant Auditorium C (ahh...lol we never called them auditoriums, we called them recital halls) and that Aud C was downstairs and around the corner and to my left.

There was a line that stretched forever, and two other lines, and a line leading upstairs. Luckily I found the right line, but I was in it forever. Seriously, I didn't even get into the Auditorium until 9am and we were scheduled to be there at 8am. Our test didn't even get started until after 9:30, when technically they were supposed to start the MCAT no later than an hour after scheduled arrival time.

I finally found my seat, and they made me sit on the aisle because I'm left handed (I hate sitting on the aisle, so distracting!). And then sitting directly in front of me was this skater dude with dreads in his hair. Black guys with dreads are bad enough, but white boys with dread, eww! I just instantly imagine festering head lice when I look at their heads. Well, yeah, so the dread guy was literally about two feet in front of me. And all through the dang test he insisted on scratching his dandruff covered head and then stretching his back, leaning his disgusting head inches away from my test sheet. I seriously thought that if I did poorly it would be due to having to sit behind his disgusting head. I really thought it would be worthwhile to write to the AAMC with a complaint.

The Physical Sciences part went. I don't think I did fanastic, but I'd be disgruntled if I didn't get at least an 8 on it. I always worry though because in practice I use practically no equations while taking that portion, so is that a good thing or a bad thing? Ah whatever. The Verbal Reasoning portion went good, I only ran out of time at the very last second and was unable to read the very last question, so I had to just fill in a bubble. That was annoying, but it was only one question guessed on, versus like an entire section. I really am hoping for a 10 on that section.

I totally bombed the writing section. Seriously! I wouldn't be surprised if I get an M on that part. I wrote like a page and a half and at some points I just wasn't even sure what the heck I was talking about. I definately used the same adjectives redundantly. But whatever. Who really looks at the writing portion anyhow? As for the Biological Sciences part, I hope I got a 9! I felt pretty good on everything, and I really didn't feel like I had to guess on anything. And there was a very low number of organic questions, so that definately worked to my advantage. The only thing that threw me for a loop was a question on a convex lens. I fully expected to see that on a physics portion, so just seeing that question threw me for a loop. That was the only question I felt like I was just straight up making a guess on.

I was sad that they didn't ask more questions on hormones, because boy did I have those down cold! LOL I am a science geek.

In the end, I didn't feel that bad about my performance, and I feel like for better or for worse, I survived the MCAT. After we got out from the MCAT, around oh, 6 freaking 30, I met up with Orelia and we went to the Red Hawk for a great dinner, and then we walked around Ann Arbor more before getting some ice cream. I'm lucky I survived the drive home, because it was already dark and my night vision isn't the best, it was rainy and my wipers suck, and I was totally mentally burned out for the day. But I just stayed in the slow lane and took my time and I was cool.

So that's my MCAT adventure. I woke up today feeling the overwhelming urge to study. (Ah, groan, overwhelming was one of the words I insisted on using a million times throughout one of my essays yesterday.) I'm determined to remain in my pajamas and glasses all day long, and eat nothing but junk food.

And now, all my focus can go onto another unhealthy topic, summer camp. Afterall, May Weekend is less than a month away.