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MCAT Prep Princeton

 
Old 05-22-2010 at 10:30 AM   #1
X!Bilet
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MCAT Prep Princeton
Hi,

I am thinking of taking the Princeton Review course for the MCAT. However, all the ratings I have heard of are very area specific. So the actual course will be offered here at Mac; so I was wondering if anyone had any experiences or feedback that they could share.
Old 05-22-2010 at 11:39 AM   #2
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Courses are pretty much useless, the materials are good though.

Kaplan >> Princeton because it focuses on strategies (which are more important) and Princeton has a lot of unnecessary content.
Old 05-22-2010 at 03:59 PM   #3
neila.b
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I've been hearing that about Princeton too (way more content than you need to know).

I'm taking the Kaplan course right now and I cannot speak highly enough of it. The materials, instructors, resources...everythin g is just so above and beyond what I expected (though, to be fair, I didn't expect very much).

If you're going to do a course at all (and this may not be necessary depending on the type of learner you are, your background in the sciences, your ability to self-study), I'd definitely recommend Kaplan.
Old 05-22-2010 at 04:05 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by neila.b View Post
I've been hearing that about Princeton too (way more content than you need to know).

I'm taking the Kaplan course right now and I cannot speak highly enough of it. The materials, instructors, resources...everythin g is just so above and beyond what I expected (though, to be fair, I didn't expect very much).

If you're going to do a course at all (and this may not be necessary depending on the type of learner you are, your background in the sciences, your ability to self-study), I'd definitely recommend Kaplan.
Kaplan also makes books that you can self study from.
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Old 05-22-2010 at 04:16 PM   #5
X!Bilet
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See this is the exactly the kind of debate that is everywhere and to be honest I have never taken any standardized like this before. Its not even about expenses or anything; its more to the effect I have a limited time to study and I dont want to make the wrong choice. But I completely understand what you are saying jhan; the fact is that Prep 101; all these courses are not really giving you an extra edge.. the materials can be bought elsewhere.. and my point is that since its a standardized test.. how does this set anyone apart from anyone else.. like you hear of thousands of kids taking these courses and out of that obviously there are bound to be success stories and plenty of disappointments too I bet.. but at naila; are u a science student or do you belong to another faculty.
Old 05-22-2010 at 04:21 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by X!Bilet View Post
See this is the exactly the kind of debate that is everywhere and to be honest I have never taken any standardized like this before. Its not even about expenses or anything; its more to the effect I have a limited time to study and I dont want to make the wrong choice. But I completely understand what you are saying jhan; the fact is that Prep 101; all these courses are not really giving you an extra edge.. the materials can be bought elsewhere.. and my point is that since its a standardized test.. how does this set anyone apart from anyone else.. like you hear of thousands of kids taking these courses and out of that obviously there are bound to be success stories and plenty of disappointments too I bet.. but at naila; are u a science student or do you belong to another faculty.
It's all about how you learn though. If you really need someone to teach you the material then taking a course would be best. I haven't taken a course for my OAT test and I'm not planning to. I just plan on reading Kaplan and doing the practice tests contained within, as well as the practice test that the OAT administration people provide.
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Old 05-22-2010 at 04:23 PM   #7
Lois
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Quote:
Originally Posted by X!Bilet View Post
See this is the exactly the kind of debate that is everywhere and to be honest I have never taken any standardized like this before. Its not even about expenses or anything; its more to the effect I have a limited time to study and I dont want to make the wrong choice. But I completely understand what you are saying jhan; the fact is that Prep 101; all these courses are not really giving you an extra edge.. the materials can be bought elsewhere.. and my point is that since its a standardized test.. how does this set anyone apart from anyone else.. like you hear of thousands of kids taking these courses and out of that obviously there are bound to be success stories and plenty of disappointments too I bet.. but at naila; are u a science student or do you belong to another faculty.
Limited time? Pick Kaplan. TPR has a whole lot of unnecessary stuff and most of the passages have the information that you need in it anyways.

I did well enough and I only really studied for about a month (due to work) using Kaplan.
Old 05-24-2010 at 04:13 PM   #8
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I'm not in science per se but I've taken all the recommended courses (bio, chem, orgo, physics). I almost didn't take the course, but the one huge advantage of a course (that probably isn't worth the exorbitant fee they charge) is the structure. I'm a huge procrastinator, and the course tells you exactly what to study when, breaks everything down into segments, and gives you practice along the way. So I'd suggest taking it if you have an extra ~$2000 lying around.
Old 05-24-2010 at 07:49 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by neila.b View Post
I'm not in science per se but I've taken all the recommended courses (bio, chem, orgo, physics). I almost didn't take the course, but the one huge advantage of a course (that probably isn't worth the exorbitant fee they charge) is the structure. I'm a huge procrastinator, and the course tells you exactly what to study when, breaks everything down into segments, and gives you practice along the way. So I'd suggest taking it if you have an extra ~$2000 lying around.
or you could just buy the books and buy the practice tests for a lot cheaper...

the in-class instruction wasn't very useful, except for the marking of the essays.
Old 05-24-2010 at 09:15 PM   #10
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I've been hearing the same question a lot lately. And everyone seems to have their own opinion on everything, especially since they most likely only tried the prep course with one company and not more than one. Most people seem to agree about Kaplan being practical and such, especially in terms of practice and such. And others are for the Princeton Review because of history, etc, but they don't seem too flexible in terms of location. Another one is Prep 101, but I really haven't heard much about it, maybe someone else has?
So I really suggest you research the companies, online reviews, ask around (which you already did) before you make a decision. You definitely don't want to pay and find out the course wasn't useful.

Quote:
Originally Posted by neila.b View Post
I've been hearing that about Princeton too (way more content than you need to know).

I'm taking the Kaplan course right now and I cannot speak highly enough of it. The materials, instructors, resources...everythin g is just so above and beyond what I expected (though, to be fair, I didn't expect very much).

If you're going to do a course at all (and this may not be necessary depending on the type of learner you are, your background in the sciences, your ability to self-study), I'd definitely recommend Kaplan.
Which location are you taking the course at? And how did you come to the decision to choose Kaplan over any of the others?

-Thanks
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Old 05-25-2010 at 11:59 AM   #11
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I am going to advocate Princeton here, but ONLY if you have ~2.5-3 months to study for the MCAT.

The Princeton schedule breaks down what you need to learn and by when with their guide and it is really helpful to keep on track, especially if you are busy with other stuff during the summer (work, volunteer, research, etc...). The best part I found was that the instructors, even though they are students, are very well versed in their field and you can approach them to ask questions in or outside of class time. Also, you get a lot more practice with the Writing Sample (if you're scared about that), and the in-class compendium practice passages help keep your mind focused...

Besides getting to ask questions to an instructor (an advantage self-studying does not have), you get access to so many online resources, namely practice MCATs. THESE are the key to doing well - the MCAT is more than just the material, it is also about stamina and practicing in an environment you'll face on test day. Princeton really helped me and even though I'm redoing the MCAT, I have access to a new set of books to study and online access again (both for free). The course does cost ~$1600 (if you sign up before March or April you get a $200 discount), but it's well worth it if you have the time and money.
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Old 05-30-2010
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Old 05-31-2010 at 09:24 AM   #12
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