Jack Westin MCAT Podcast

Jack Westin
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  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Mike and Molly from Jack Westin discuss anecdotes, advice, and ramblings on the premed years, the MCAT, and life beyond. Have new episodes delivered to you by subscribing. Note: Dr. Anita Paschal, MD, double PhD now has her own pre-med podcast. You can listen here: https://open.spotify.com/show/44nzbuzuaedVQxZrgB2rGJ?si=HqfcKNuhQ8mKBMmdNd6vkQ

  1. 6D AGO

    Does Language Control How You Think? Chomsky vs Skinner vs Sapir-Whorf Explained

    Welcome back to the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast with Mike and Molly! Last episode we broke down the neurobiology of language; Broca's, Wernicke's, split-brain patients. This episode we zoom all the way out and ask a question that's fascinated scientists for centuries: Does the language you speak actually shape the way you think? This is one of the most debated topics in MCAT psychology and one of the most fascinating. Mike and Molly break it all down, name by name, theory by theory. 📊 High-yield MCAT visual: Picture a number line. Thought on the left, language on the right. Every theory in this episode falls somewhere on that line — and knowing where is everything. 🔑 Names you MUST know for the MCAT: Chomsky · Skinner · Vygotsky · Piaget · Sapir-Whorf 🎧 Next episode: Biomolecules — amino acids, proteins, enzymes, and DNA. The highest-yield topic on the entire MCAT. Don't miss it. Get started with our resources! 📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast 💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8 📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast 🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast 👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast 🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast 0:00 – Intro & recap of last episode (Broca's & Wernicke's) 3:30 – Why language theories matter on the MCAT 7:00 – Chomsky: Universal Grammar & the Language Acquisition Device 14:20 – Skinner: Language as operant conditioning 20:45 – Vygotsky: Social interaction theory of language 25:00 – Critical Period Hypothesis explained 30:10 – Genie Wiley: What isolation teaches us about language 36:00 – The thought vs language number line visual 40:30 – Universalism: thought determines language 44:00 – Piaget's cognitive development theory of language 47:30 – Vygotsky at the center: both matter equally 51:00 – Linguistic Relativity: language influences thought 55:30 – Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: language determines thought 1:01:00 – How to apply these theories on MCAT questions 1:06:00 – Coming up next: Biomolecules

    39 min

  2. MAY 12

    You Can't Speak. You Can't Understand. Here's Why I MCAT Broca's & Wernicke's Area Explained

    Welcome back to the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast with Mike and Molly! In this episode, we're breaking down one of the most high-yield neuroscience topics on the MCAT, the biology of language and the brain areas behind it. Ever wonder why some people lose the ability to speak clearly after a stroke, while others speak fluently but make zero sense? That's not random, it comes down to specific brain regions, and the MCAT loves to test exactly this. 🔑 High-yield MCAT tip: If you see broken, labored speech with intact comprehension → Broca's. Fluent speech that makes no sense → Wernicke's. Can't repeat phrases → conduction aphasia (arcuate fasciculus). 🎧 Next episode: Theories of language and language development — Chomsky, Whorf, and more. Don't miss it. Get started with our resources! 📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8 📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

    33 min

  3. MAY 8

    MCAT CARS Walkthrough: "Moral Relations" Philosophy Passage

    In this episode of the Jack Westin CARS Podcast, Usher and Molly tackle one of the trickier philosophy passages in recent memory, "Moral Relations" from May 6th. If philosophy passages make you nervous on the MCAT, this one's for you. Get started with our resources! 📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8 📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 📖 This passage is linked in the description and available free on jackwestin.com as part of our daily CARS practice passages.

    29 min

  4. MAY 5

    Theories of Emotion & Stress on the MCAT: James-Lange, Cannon-Bard & Cognitive Appraisal

    Is stress a bad thing? Not according to the science. In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly flip the coin from last episode's neurobiology of emotion to the psychology of emotion and stress. They walk through the major theories of emotion, break down eustress vs. distress, explain cognitive appraisal, and connect it to the MCAT study experience in a way that might actually change how you approach test day. Get started with our resources! 📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8 📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast Next episode: Language, thought, and aphasias

    49 min

  5. APR 29

    MCAT CARS Passage Breakdown: Chimpanzee Domestication & Mutual Dependence

    Did chimpanzees domesticate us? And if wild chimps don't exploit each other, why do captive chimps exploit humans? In this Jack Westin CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Usher and Molly break down the daily CARS passage "Chimpanzee Domestication" (April 29th), a surprisingly philosophical passage about the mutual relationship between humans and chimps that's way more nuanced than it first appears. Get started with our resources! 📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8 📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast This is a great episode for anyone who struggles with passages where the same idea appears in slightly different forms across paragraphs, or who tends to over-complicate a passage that's actually more straightforward than it seems.

    31 min

  6. APR 28

    Limbic System, Emotion & Stress on the MCAT: Amygdala, Hippocampus & HPA Axis

    Why do you remember your most stressful moments so vividly but can't recall what you had for lunch last Tuesday? It's all about the limbic system. In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down the biology of emotion and stress, covering every limbic system structure, the HPA axis, cortisol, and general adaptation syndrome, plus how all of it directly applies to surviving your MCAT prep without burning out. Get started with our resources! 📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8 📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast Next episode: The psychology of emotion and stress (theories, stages of experiencing emotion, and how we respond to stressors)

    44 min

  7. APR 22

    MCAT CARS Passage Breakdown: Rituals, Speech Act Theory & Performance Failures

    What do you do when a CARS passage gives you a laundry list of examples in one paragraph and then repeats the same idea with a new layer in every paragraph after that? You learn to recognize the pattern and stop over-mapping. In this Jack Westin CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Usher and Molly break down the daily CARS passage "Ritual Failures" (April 22nd), an unusual passage that blends philosophy, anthropology, and speech act theory to explore why rituals go wrong. This one is packed with examples, parallel structure across paragraphs, and a rare gift-wrapped thesis statement that makes the main idea surprisingly clear if you know what to look for. Get started with our resources! 📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8 📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast This is a great episode for anyone who struggles with philosophy or anthropology passages, tends to over-map examples, or has trouble recognizing when paragraphs are just adding layers to the same core argument.

    35 min

  8. APR 21

    Atoms & Radioactive Decay on the MCAT: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Half-Life & PET Scans

    Alpha, beta minus, beta plus, gamma. Do you know which decay changes mass, which changes identity, and which changes nothing? In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly finally cover the topic they've been putting off for over a year: atoms and radioactive decay. They build from the ground up, starting with atomic structure, isotopes, and stability, then walk through every type of decay and connect it all back to PET scans and carbon dating. Next episode: The limbic system, emotion, and stress Get started with our resources! 📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8 📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast 🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

    58 min
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4.7
out of 5
83 Ratings

About

Mike and Molly from Jack Westin discuss anecdotes, advice, and ramblings on the premed years, the MCAT, and life beyond. Have new episodes delivered to you by subscribing. Note: Dr. Anita Paschal, MD, double PhD now has her own pre-med podcast. You can listen here: https://open.spotify.com/show/44nzbuzuaedVQxZrgB2rGJ?si=HqfcKNuhQ8mKBMmdNd6vkQ

Information

  • Creator
    Jack Westin
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    295
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jack Westin
  • Show Website
    Jack Westin MCAT Podcast

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