Jack Westin MCAT Podcast

In this episode, we break down the Jack Westin daily CARS passage “Sibling Relationships” (Feb 11) sentence-by-sentence to train you how to:

Identify key ideas in each sentence and paragraph
Track repeating themes across short paragraphs
Lock in the main idea (without bringing in your own opinions)
Build a clean passage map you can use on test day
Avoid the #1 trap: letting your personal experience change your answers

We also unpack the passage’s biggest throughline: how sibling competition, family roles, and birth order connect to personality traits (first-born vs last-born vs middle child), plus terms like de-identification and finding a “niche” in the family environment.

✅ Try the passage before you listen (recommended): pause here, attempt it, then come back and follow along with the walkthrough.

📌 Daily Passage Link: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/sibling-relationships

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at [email protected]! 📱
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Med school admissions is not just GPA and MCAT.

In this Jack Westin Pre-Med Admissions Podcast episode, Mark White sits down with Dr. Anita Paschal (35+ years on admissions boards) to break down how admissions committees actually read your application and what separates “qualified” from “accepted.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:
🧠 Why more applicants get denied than accepted (and what that means for your strategy)
📊 The seat math: ~52–58K applicants vs ~20–22K seats (about 40–44% acceptance)
🎯 What your personal statement must do in 5,300 characters (AMCAS)
🎬 How to write a 2–3 sentence hook that makes reviewers keep reading (think: trailer)
🧩 The recommended structure: 3–5 body paragraphs + a reflective conclusion
🚫 The most common clichés that make essays blur together (“help and serve,” “in that moment,” etc.)
👀 “Show, don’t tell”: how to prove empathy without saying “I’m empathetic”
✍️ The “I, I, I” problem and how to fix repetitive, self-focused sentence structure
🧱 Clear transitions: how to stop your essay from reading like a resume
🔁 The rewrite rule: why your personal statement should be developed over 5–6 months
🧯 Addressing weaknesses: when to acknowledge gaps (and where it actually belongs)
✅ What makes a strong opening (with a real example breakdown)

Mentioned in the episode:
✅ AMCAS personal statement limit: 5,300 characters (including spaces)
✅ A simple framework: Write → Rewrite → Review → Write again
✅ Tip: Have someone who doesn’t know you read it to spot clarity gaps

🎧 This episode is part of an ongoing series. Next up: experiences / work & activities and how to maximize impact.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at [email protected]! 📱
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Light and optics show up everywhere on the MCAT, especially when physics meets biology (vision). In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down the must-know foundations of light as a wave and how it behaves in optical systems so you can stop memorizing and start solving.

You’ll learn:
🌈 Light as a transverse wave and why it can travel in a vacuum
🧮 The wave equation v = fλ and what actually changes when the medium changes
🪞 Reflection basics: the law of reflection and the “angle is measured from the normal” trap
💧 Refraction and why light “bends” when its speed changes
📐 Snell’s Law (n₁sinθ₁ = n₂sinθ₂) and how to reason through relationship questions
🔁 Total internal reflection + the critical angle (and real-world examples)
🔍 Lenses vs mirrors, concave vs convex, and what “converging vs diverging” means
👀 Real vs virtual images, and the high-yield patterns (SUV for diverging systems)
🧾 The thin lens equation and magnification (and how to use them on test day)

Watch next: Vision and the Eye (how optics becomes biology) in the next episode.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at [email protected]! 📱
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In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Molly and Usher break down the Jack Westin Daily Passage “Cuban Crisis” (Feb 4) sentence-by-sentence to help you read faster under time pressure, map smarter, and avoid common CARS traps 🧠📚

You’ll learn how to:
✅ Spot what the author is really asking in a “question-heavy” opening
🗺️ Map each paragraph with just a few words (without over-noting)
🎯 Lock in the main idea through repetition and structure
⚖️ Track the passage’s key distinction: political vs military confrontation
📌 Handle dense historical context without getting lost

Try the passage first, then listen and compare your map to ours 👀✍️
🔗 Daily Passage Link: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/cuban-crisis

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at [email protected]! 📱
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📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast
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Med school admissions is not just GPA and MCAT. In this Jack Westin Admissions episode, Mark White (Academic Advisor) sits down with Dr. Anita Paschal (35+ years on admissions committees) to break down how medical schools actually screen applicants and what separates “qualified” from “accepted” 🎯

You’ll learn:
✅ The real screening order (and why your personal statement is not screen #2)
📊 What the applicant pool looks like and why acceptance rates hover around 40–42%
🧠 MCAT benchmarks: what 512, 515, 518, 521+ signal to schools
📌 Why 50% of denials can happen even with “good” MCAT/GPA
🏥 Experiences that matter most, plus target hours for clinical exposure
🧾 How to build a smarter school list with in-state vs out-of-state strategy
🗓️ A realistic timeline for MCAT, primary apps, secondaries, letters, transcripts
🔥 The big differentiator: your brand creation (your 5–6 selling points)

Dr. Anita also introduces a simple way to remember experience categories: CLASS
Clinical, Leadership, Academic (non-GPA/test), Service, Social 💡

If you’re applying this cycle or planning ahead, this is the framework you want before you chase checkboxes.

🎧 More JW Admissions + MCAT content: subscribe for new episodes

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at [email protected]! 📱
📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast
💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8
📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast
🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast
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