MCAT HYC Study Support

Registration for Fall 2025 MCAT HYC workshops is open! You can register for these workshops in Anchor Link. More details below!

Gearing up for the MCAT?

Consider joining us at Tutoring Services for our MCAT support program, MCAT High-Yield Concepts. This semester, we are offering 2 MCAT HYC: Biochemistry workshops and 2 MCAT HYC: Chemistry/Physics workshops. Students must register for each workshop individually. All workshops will take place in person.

About MCAT High-Yield Concepts: Biochemistry and MCAT High-Yield Concepts: Chemistry/Physics (MCAT HYC)

MCAT High-Yield Concepts (MCAT HYC) is an opportunity for you to gather with a small group of your peers to collaboratively review high-yield biochemistry and/or chemistry/physics concepts in workshops developed by Tutoring Services tutors.

MCAT HYC this semester will offer 2 Biochemistry workshops and 2 Chemistry/Physics workshops, with each group capped at 15 participants. Each workshop will be facilitated by a biochemistry or chemistry/physics tutor eager to support others in their review and to use their own experience as tutors and learners to keep discussion and activities productive and focused.

As a Tutoring Services program, MCAT HYC is free and open to all currently enrolled Vanderbilt undergraduates as long as space remains. Students interested in participating in an MCAT HYC: Biochemistry workshop should have taken or should be currently enrolled in biochemistry. Students interested in participating in an MCAT HYC: Chemistry/Physics workshop should have taken or should be currently enrolled in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. Students interested in participating in any MCAT HYC workshop should be planning to take the MCAT within the next 9 months.

No purchased materials are needed–participants will make use of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Road Map (available for Biochemistry), relevant Vanderbilt-assigned course textbooks, and open-access web resources along with participants’ own notes from relevant Vanderbilt courses.

Workshops – Fall 2025

Workshop topics, dates, times, and locations are listed below.

Space is limited to 15 participants per workshop. See Registration to sign up!

MCAT HYC: Biochemistry workshop 1 – Amino acids

Wednesday, November 12 from 6-7 PM

In Person at Featheringill 211

Facilitated by Zach Goldsmith

MCAT HYC: Biochemistry workshop 2 – body sysTems

Tuesday, November 18 from 8-9 PM

In Person at Featheringill 211

Facilitated by Zach Goldsmith

MCAT HYC: Chemistry/Physics WORKshop 1 – electricity, optics

Thursday, November 13 from 6-7 PM

In Person at Featheringill 306

Facilitated by Allison Westerbeek

MCAT HYC: Chemistry/Physics workshop 2 – Reactions (gen chem), kinetics, equilibrium, acid/base

Wednesday, November 19 from 8-9 PM

In Person at Featheringill 306

Facilitated by Rocio Rosa

Guidelines and Expectations for Participants in the MCAT High-Yield Concepts: Biochemistry and MCAT High-Yield Concepts: Chemistry/Physics (MCAT HYC) Program

Keep in mind that MCAT HYC workshops are opportunities for students preparing for the MCAT to review high-yield biochemistry and chemistry/physics concepts in a collaborative group setting.
Students interested in participating in an MCAT HYC: Biochemistry workshop should have taken or should be currently enrolled in biochemistry. Students interested in participating in an MCAT HYC: Chemistry/Physics workshop should have taken or should be currently enrolled in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. Students interested in participating in any workshop should be planning to take the MCAT within the next 9 months.
Keep in mind that MCAT HYC tutors are peer undergraduate tutors drawing on their own studies and coursework within a peer learning support model. As such, your group’s tutor is there as a facilitator to help as you review and to help the group focus on concepts your tutor has identified as high-yield in preparing for the MCAT.
MCAT HYC uses only the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Road Map (available for Biochemistry), relevant Vanderbilt-assigned course textbooks, and open-access web resources. Participants may also use their notes from relevant Vanderbilt courses.
Prior to each workshop, participants are expected to preview/review the topic independently so as to be prepared to talk through problems and questions about that material.
Like all Tutoring Services programs and offerings, MCAT HYC is available at no cost to currently enrolled students.
Participants will be asked to provide feedback on their experience with their MCAT HYC workshop at the end of the semester.

Participants should be aware of the intentionally limited scope of MCAT High-Yield Concepts: Biochemistry and MCAT High-Yield Concepts: Chemistry/Physics (MCAT HYC) as detailed below.

MCAT HYC is a group learning support opportunity offered by Tutoring Services. It is neither a class nor a credit-bearing Vanderbilt course.
Facilitated by peer undergraduate biochemistry, chemistry, and/or physics tutors, MCAT HYC does not attempt to recreate the services of commercial, for-profit test prep companies and is in no way affiliated with commercial, for-profit test prep companies.
To maintain this distinction, neither participants nor facilitating tutors may bring materials produced by commercial, for-profit test prep companies to MCAT HYC workshops.
With its explicit focus on a selection of “high-yield concepts,” MCAT HYC does not aim to provide comprehensive subject review of all possible MCAT subjects or topics within a subject.
Likewise, MCAT HYC is not designed to guide students through MCAT-specific test-taking strategies.
MCAT HYC tutors will be prepared to support review of each meeting’s designated subject matter, but they will not lecture.
MCAT HYC seeks to support each participant in meeting their study and review goals; however, MCAT HYC does not guarantee a minimum score on the MCAT.

Registration

Registration for MCAT HYC workshops is open!

To register for an MCAT HYC workshop, simply click the links below and sign up in Anchor Link. Each workshop will be limited to 15 participants.

Biochemistry Workshop 1: Amino Acids on 11/12

Chemistry/Physics Workshop 1: Electricity, Optics on 11/13

Biochemistry Workshop 2: Body Systems on 11/18

Chemistry/Physics Workshop 2: Reactions (GenChem), Kinetics, Equilibrium, Acid/Base on 11/19

Questions? Contact Dr. Megan Minarich, Associate Director of the Writing Studio & Tutoring Services, at megan.l.minarich@vanderbilt.edu.