Undergrad electives that help the most in Med School?

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I have the flexibility in my schedule next year to take 3 electives. I'm trying to determine which classes I could take in undergrad that would actually make things a little easier in medical school. (I know that they won't make a huge difference, but it might be nice to have some familiarity with the more challenging classes.)

In addition to the standard pre-reqs, I will have completed BioChem I, Physiology, Genetics, and an undergrad level Human Anatomy Lab.

Which classes do you think would best prepare me for medical school? I've made a list of those that I think might be good. With a PA and other health science programs offered here at my school, I can probably find most any class that might be helpful.

Here is my list. Which would be your top 3 choices?
My Top 3:

• Regional anatomy (cadaver dissection)
• Cell/Molecular Biology
• Histology

The rest (not ordered):

• Neuroanatomy / Neurosciences
• Pathophysiology
• Immunology
• Clinical Nutrition
• Embryology
• Pharmacology
• BioChem II
• Hematology
• Advanced Physiology (emphasis on cell and molecular mechanisms - A 500 level graduate class. I'm not sure I want to put in that much time!)
• Genetics of development and cancer
• Molecular biology of the gene
• Advanced genetics laboratory
• Something I missed ?!?

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by SailCrazy

I have the flexibility in my schedule next year to take 3 electives. I'm trying to determine which classes I could take in undergrad that would actually make things a little easier in medical school. (I know that they won't make a huge difference, but it might be nice to have some familiarity with the more challenging classes.)

In addition to the standard pre-reqs, I will have completed BioChem I, Physiology, Genetics, and an undergrad level Human Anatomy Lab.

Which classes do you think would best prepare me for medical school? I've made a list of those that I think might be good. With a PA and other health science programs offered here at my school, I can probably find most any class that might be helpful.

Here is my list. Which would be your top 3 choices?
My Top 3:

• Regional anatomy (cadaver dissection)
• Cell/Molecular Biology
• Histology

The rest (not ordered):

• Neuroanatomy / Neurosciences
• Pathophysiology
• Immunology
• Clinical Nutrition
• Embryology
• Pharmacology
• BioChem II
• Hematology
• Advanced Physiology (emphasis on cell and molecular mechanisms - A 500 level graduate class. I'm not sure I want to put in that much time!)
• Genetics of development and cancer
• Molecular biology of the gene
• Advanced genetics laboratory
• Something I missed ?!?

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

Try doing a search on this topic. I know its come up several times before.

That said, my undergrad institution did not allow pre-meds to take Anatomy & Physiology - it was restricted to nursing students. If it was offered, I definitely would've taken it. Instead, I spent some time with the Rohen atlas before starting med so I wouldnt be far behind those who had taken anatomy before. Immunology is also pretty complex, and I wish I'd seen more of it prior to having to cram it in med school. No matter what you take in undergrad, you'll likely have to know 10x the detail later.

Although med is alot of info, you'll have more than enough time to learn what you need to learn. Take some electives you enjoy, not necessarily med-school prep. It'll be your last opportunity to do so.

deb

Take all of them. And don't forget to deny it when you get to medschool and claim straight out that you "never had to study in undergrad"

Based on what you have provided, I would recommend
1.) Human Gross (anything upper level)
2.) Nueroscience
3.) Embryo (usually poorly taught, but over-represented)

Aything related to bichem/genetics as an undergrad seems to be a waste for med school.


If you're feeling really ambitious, throw in Imunno and Histo. IMHO, the rest is either easy at md school, mostly irrelavent or too far off (2nd yr stuff).

1) Music

I took 2 years of music theory, 2 years of campus band, 1 year of wind ensemble, and 4 years of marching band. EVERY one of my interviewers asked me about it.

Plus, it'll help you relax

Do something you enjoy. Undergrad should be experience in itself, not a means to getting into medical school. I still gush when I talk about how much I enjoyed undergrad, and while I have a chemistry degree, it really had nothing to do with medical school....or surgery. Nonetheless, even in residency interviews I could talk about what a fabulous time MIT was.

Nothing I took in undergrad really helped for medical school. For some classes, people who took it before actually do worse because they think they know the material, and consequently fall behind. I would take the 3 classes you've always wanted to take, but perhaps never had time for because of premed classes.

Originally Posted by debvz

Try doing a search on this topic. I know its come up several times before.

I figured that it had, but when I do a search with just a few key words, I get a bunch of crap and can't find the tread I want. When I add more key words, I just end up with a blank screen!

Originally Posted by Vincristine

Do something you enjoy. Undergrad should be experience in itself, not a means to getting into medical school. I still gush when I talk about how much I enjoyed undergrad, and while I have a chemistry degree, it really had nothing to do with medical school....or surgery. Nonetheless, even in residency interviews I could talk about what a fabulous time MIT was.

The situation is a little different for me because I'm a non-trad. I definitely enjoyed my (1st) undergraduate experience, and I too still talk about how much I enjoyed Penn.

Right now, I'm really excited to be done with my lower-level science class and to have the opportunity to take some biomedical classes that are much more interesting!

I did also schedule Spanish for this summer, next fall, and next winter - just for fun.

cell/molec
neuroscience
immunology

I like your top 3. They should all help during 1st year.

I would definetly take a good anatomy course (not anatomy/phys, which is bull****), get as much of that stuff in as you can. Everyone in my class who has taken a good anatomy course is way ahead of the game in our course, which is really, really tough. I find it's easier to relearn stuff that to learn it for the first time.

I'd also say that taking something interesting like pathophys would be a good idea, just to get yourself exposed to some basic pathology so that you can make some clinical correlations when you get to first year. I'm a first year med student with a film degree
and I wish I had taken anatomy before I got to med school.

Good luck!

Let's step back and think about the purpose of the basic science education in medical school.

It's not to teach you everything you'll ever need to know to take care of patients. Actually, it teaches you very little of what you need to take care of patients, fill out forms, do procedures, and most of whatever else doctoring is about.

Think of it as a "first-pass". Do I remember every single outcropping off the brachial plexus? The Cori cycle? Alas, no, and neither do most of my classmates. It's why we specialize. But it does give us some perspective, and the "first pass".

Why is the first pass imporant? Even though I don't remember the Cori cycle, those connections are still (weakly) present. It's a framework with which to go back and relearn the material in an appropriate depth when needed. I may not know it well enough to actively synthesize the material, but I can recognize when it is presented.

Medical school is about preparing you for lifelong learning. It certainly doesn't teach you everything you need to know, but instead provides a framework under which you can keep current for the rest of your practicing life.

As for grades...they matter very little in the grand scheme of things. Focus on being able to learn well and work well in teams.

Take archeology, advanced physics, English lit, electrical engineering, modern American/World history, and intro to law.

Histology, Histology, Histology -- makes 2nd year Pathology much easier
Embryology
Molecular Biology

would be (were) my top three and they were GREAT to have had.

I'll stray from the others and discourage an anatomy class. I took a comparative vertebral anatomy class and it was a complete waste. I'd focus more on subjects that are more "cerebral" and less rote memorization.

Concepts will stick with you longer than at what level the aorta passes the ovaries.

ANAT
Biochem II
Advanced Phys

All first year courses. See some of it now, see a lot more of it later. But at least you've seen it.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Cheers!

Originally Posted by SailCrazy

I did also schedule Spanish for this summer, next fall, and next winter - just for fun.

This is one of the best things you can do for yourself. I'm jealous--I can't tell you how many times I've wished I could go back and take Spanish. It's incredibly useful in any medical field.

Originally Posted by SailCrazy

I have the flexibility in my schedule next year to take 3 electives. I'm trying to determine which classes I could take in undergrad that would actually make things a little easier in medical school. (I know that they won't make a huge difference, but it might be nice to have some familiarity with the more challenging classes.)

In addition to the standard pre-reqs, I will have completed BioChem I, Physiology, Genetics, and an undergrad level Human Anatomy Lab.

Which classes do you think would best prepare me for medical school? I've made a list of those that I think might be good. With a PA and other health science programs offered here at my school, I can probably find most any class that might be helpful.

Here is my list. Which would be your top 3 choices?
My Top 3:

• Regional anatomy (cadaver dissection)
• Cell/Molecular Biology
• Histology

The rest (not ordered):

• Neuroanatomy / Neurosciences
• Pathophysiology
• Immunology
• Clinical Nutrition
• Embryology
• Pharmacology
• BioChem II
• Hematology
• Advanced Physiology (emphasis on cell and molecular mechanisms - A 500 level graduate class. I'm not sure I want to put in that much time!)
• Genetics of development and cancer
• Molecular biology of the gene
• Advanced genetics laboratory
• Something I missed ?!?

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

Gross (Regional) Anatomy
Histology
Neuroanatomy

(these were the 3 most difficult courses in the first year for me)

I took Immuno during undergrad and found it very easy in medical school while alot of my classmates thought it was hard if they had never seen it before. So my vote is for immuno.

Originally Posted by efex101

cell/molec
neuroscience
immunology

I agree w/ cell/molec and immuno. Neuro if you have ZERO knowledge of it- in my experience med school neuro is all about anatomy and has very little to do with what neuroscience teaches (that's more physio than neuro in my experience).

I think the following classes would be helpful:

anatomy
neuroanatomy
immunology
pharmacology
hematology

good luck!

Take a math class. You wouldn't believe how many people die each year from docotrs making a mistake on the order of magnitude of a medicine perscribed.

Or take Java.

TP

is without a doubt Physiology. A great grasp on Physiology will save you time and time again, especially in Pathology and Pharmacology classes. However, learning the cellular pathways isn't heavily emphasized in medicine. I'd look at Pathophysiology if it seemed to relate to primate problems; if it doesn't or your course that you already took was solid, you can't really go wrong with familiarity in Histology.

On the other hand, go by the reputations of the professors and the courses as well. We had a terrific professor in Embryology at my undergrad; as such, I didn't have to study for the correlate classwork in medical school and still aced it.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but courses in undergrad will REALLY not help much in medical school. You will have ample time to learn everything you NEED to learn while in medical school. I would recommend you take either easy courses so you have time to have fun or something not science related that you would enjoy. Remember, the next four years of your life will be devoted to science and medicine, you'll be a better doctor if you take something that is interesting and have something to talk about besides medicine, though I assume you already have some sort of humanities degree if you're getting a second undergrad degree. If this is the case, you probably have other interests, so induldge them while you still can.