Due to the notoriously rambunctious activity associated with a typical Brown Spring Weekend, some students registered to take the Medical College Admission Test this Saturday are worried about their ability to study for and take the exam, according to Sara Leone, curriculum support manager for summer and continuing studies.
In response to these concerns, the University is employing additional measures to accommodate test-takers, said Andrew Simmons, associate dean for health careers.
"I've been working with (the Office of Student Life) to come up with a list of steps we can take," he said.
But some students have sought alternate test-taking locations, and others still have made plans to leave campus a few days before the test to prevent Spring Weekend-related distractions.
Beth Hoffman '07 originally listed Brown as her first-choice location to take the MCAT, but she was placed in a testing group at the University of Rhode Island. Though she sent in a request form to change her testing location to Brown, she said she is glad that request wasn't honored.
"It's going to be pretty crazy here, so it might be for the better," Hoffman said. "I'm actually going to stay in a hotel Thursday and Friday nights because I know that there is no way I am going to get any work done here," she added.
Julie Doberne '07 chose to take the test at the University of Rhode Island after consulting reviews of test-taking sites offered online by her Kaplan preparation course. The site at URI is supposed to be have fewer students taking the MCAT, causing the exam to "fly by" because test-takers spend less time waiting for test booklets and answer booklets to be passed out and checked, Doberne said. Though not testing at Brown, she will be staying in her dorm and is concerned about her ability to prepare for the test in the days leading up to it.
"There are a lot of people here who make this Spring Week, not Spring Weekend," Hoffman said. "It makes it kind of rough and hard to focus."
"I'm just really nervous (about getting enough sleep the night before)," Doberne said, though she opted to remain on campus until the morning of the exam so she can relax in her own room. She has already e-mailed neighbors requesting that they create as little noise as possible Friday night.
Despite her concerns, Hoffman said she does not blame Brown for the unfortunate coincidence. "The University had no way of knowing about (the fact that the MCAT would be administered on Spring Weekend), which sucks," Hoffman said.
"We have absolutely no control over when the (Association of American Medical Colleges) plans the tests dates," Simmons said. He added it is possible that up to 20,000 students will be taking the exam this Saturday, both nationally and internationally.
Leone said 200 Brown students are registered to forgo Saturday's activities to take the MCAT, which, at roughly eight hours, is one of the longest standardized tests known to undergraduates.
"It is unfortunate timing," Simmons said. "But I think for the most part it is going to work out fine."
Taking the MCAT at Brown
On Saturday morning, the Sharpe Refectory will open 30 minutes early to ensure that test-takers have ample time to eat a good breakfast before taking the MCAT. Also, it is likely that student leaders and Residential Peer Leaders will be notified of the conflict in hopes they will encourage others to be respectful of those taking the test.
The exam will be held in Alumnae Hall. Because no official Spring Weekend activities are scheduled to take place near that area of campus, a small number of students should be walking through the area, Leone said.
Typically, before an exam like the MCAT is administered on campus, proctors hang signs on the doors of buildings where students are taking the exam. This weekend, triple the usual number of signs will paper the area surrounding Alumnae Hall to remind passersby to be quiet.
Additionally, one proctor will "walk the border" around Alumnae Hall to discourage outbursts near the testing site. "We hope that these two measures will cut down on any superfluous noise that will filter into the building," Leone said.
Perhaps most reassuring for MCAT test-takers is the fact that all proctors for the test will be students currently enrolled in or recently graduated from graduate school, Leone said. Because of this, every proctor will be sensitive to the needs and concerns of students taking the test.
"We've all gone through this testing process and (know) it is so important to have peace and quiet - with this test in particular because it is so long," Leone said.
