A group of Baker students are going the extra mile in hopes of ensuring their goal of attending medical school is reached.

Juniors Christine Janssens, Chelsea Dunn and Carly Dickens have already signed up to take a prep course for the Medical College Admission Test, which is being offered in Lawrence at the Kaplan Center, 1000 Massachusetts St., next semester.

“Basically, it is a prep course over the whole spring semester that is two to three nights a week,” Dunn said. “What they do is they help you learn how to take standardized tests and they just break it down for you with different techniques you can use to learn how to take the test.”

The students are sacrificing both time and money to attend the course, which is guaranteed to improve one’s MCAT scores over the course of the semester. The course costs $2,000, but students who participated in a free test program that was previously offered receive a $200 rebate.

“If you don’t score better than your practice tests then you are guaranteed to get your money back,” Dunn said.

All three of the students agreed that the guarantee of a better score overshadows the cost of the course.

“It was a huge factor for me,” Dickens said. “I really had to sit down and talk with my parents about it. It seems like a lot of money at the time, but I’m hoping what I get out of it is well worth the cost.”

Dickens said she will most benefit from the support and structure that a classroom environment offers.

“For me personally, I need structure when I study,” she said. “I could study on my own, but I worry that I wouldn’t be getting enough out of my studying.”

Janssens said her motive for taking the course is making sure that she stays on track and is held responsible for her studying.

“I decided to do this because I wanted to make sure I was completely prepared for the MCAT,” Janssens said. “I know people who can study on their own, but I think this is a great way of being held accountable and forcing me to study.”

Because the course is being offered during the spring semester, the students will face the added pressure of juggling both their regular class load as well as the work necessary for the prep course.

“Definitely I’m going to have to give up some of my own time because there are classes on Saturdays and it is very time consuming, but for me the effort will be worth it,” Dickens said. “I’m hopeful that I will be able to balance my school work and the work for this course.”

Medical school hopefuls have lots of monetary fees to face along the road. With application fees and high tuition costs, Dunn said the money spent on the prep course will seem like a small price compared to the bigger picture.

“When you look back on it you are going to be happy that you spent the money to do it and got accepted into med school rather than not do it at all,” Dunn said.

The end goal is what is important for these students and what is on Dunn’s mind when she thinks about the work ahead of her.

"I hope to get accepted into med school, and if I do, I'm really interested in being a family physician or a pediatrician."<br/>