It felt like you finally arrived, that you made it through the most
perilous times of your undergraduate career. The majority of your course
requirements were checked off and you were looking forward to a relaxing summer
before your last year. WRONG. Your dreams of sun kissed beaches, salt watered t-shirts
and amazing travel destinations were abruptly halted. Why might you ask?
Because the next few months would be spent preparing for that lovely graduate
school assessment test. Wait! But that wasn’t your story; It was mine.
Greetings, all! My name is Felicia and I will soon be a University of
Florida alumnus in less than two months. This past year has been spent
mastering the precarious balance between studying for the PCAT and keeping up
with various courses and/or extracurricular activities. At first, the struggle
was real. But with tips to keep you sane and calm, I am confident that my initial
trials and tribulations will not be yours. Regardless of whether you’re taking
one of the other various graduate school tests (GRE, LSAT, DAT, MCAT), it’s the
same balancing act.
For me personally, I started studying this past summer while being a
fulltime student. Looking back I don’t regret taking courses, but if you want
to study and enjoy your
summer DON’T DO IT.
With
that being said, I’m going to interject with a few tips on how to study:
1.
Study your most challenging course matter first.
Because you’re just starting, you’ll
be less weary at looking at what will essentially become a compilation of your
undergraduate years in paper/book/packet form. Study the second most
challenging course matter second, followed by the third, etc.
2. Save the reading preparation for
last...if your graduate school test prep is science and math related (MCAT,
PCAT, DAT and GRE).
Don’t focus on
making flashcards for vocabulary words because how do you know which words will
be on there? You don’t. There are a few that may repeat but it doesn’t benefit
you to spend your most precious time madly scribbling definitions that won’t
matter six months from now. Read books: British literature, NY Times
Bestsellers and those favorites from high school. If you stumble across a word
that you genuinely don’t know or can’t quite define from context clues, search
the definition and make a flashcard for that. Comprehension and the need for speed is where reading challenges lie.
If you can quickly understand what you read, you can answer the questions. The
definition/analogy portion is pretty straightforward and the right answers can
be eliminated through context clues and looking at the response choices.
Also, by
saving the reading for the last, you can drop books in your suitcase as you
enjoy a small hiatus here or there.
3.
Study like it’s your job.
Quite frankly,
this test is going to play an integral part of your application so put your all
into it now to ensure you can enjoy grad school later. :) If you choose to take
classes over the summer, go home to study and do homework for those courses,
take a break and then test prep away! Stop when your brain starts to get tired
or when it’s time for bed. You made it this far in undergraduate so you’ll know
when you need to stop studying for the day. If you study for a few hours each
weekday, you’ll be able to spend the weekends enjoying summer, or just life in
general. Don’t forget to have fun!
Now that I’m done with that little Segway, I personally say take your
exam the earliest date possible and plan accordingly with your studying if that
is what you choose to do. Taking it early allows you to focus on your fall and
spring classes and the actual application process, which takes time and
attention to minute detail. I know many people who did this and even though I myself
took the PCAT during the conventional school year, it turned out well for all
of us in the end; It was just a bit more stressful so I want to spare you
lovely readers.
Hopefully this little blog of mine sets your mind at ease and guides
you in the right direction. When the time comes, those interviews and
acceptance letters will be rolling in. You are a University of Florida student:
one of the best and brightest in the nation! Don’t doubt your capability and
never second guess a test
question! ;)
XOXO,
The fun-sized dynamo
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Felicia Metellus
Class: Senior
Hometown: Ocala,
Florida
Major: Food
Science and Human Nutrition
Specialization: Food
Science
Involvement: Word Up
College Ministry staff, Spirit of Faith Christian Center Gainesville Ministry
of Helps, undergraduate researcher in the UF Food Engineering/Food Processing
Lab
Hobbies: Going to
the movies, baking, reading, traveling and spending time with family and
friends.
After
college:
Attend pharmacy school and become a clinical pharmacist with a focus on
pediatrics
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