A couple of questions about college

[iqe2010]

So, I'll be attending college in the fall at a large university and I had a few questions about the classes Ill be taking.

1. For my first semester Im only in one pre-req class which is Biology, my understanding is that the MCAT is taken during the junior year, my question is will this impair my preparation for the MCAT or will I have time to take all of my pre-reqs by MCAT time?

2. Are there any other classes that any of you guys reccomend taking for preparation for the MCAT? My advisors said that most pre meds will take A&P 1 and 2 even though it's not required for med school acceptance. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks in advance.

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[deleted316655]

Taking Biology in your first semester will be fine; there is still plenty of time to finish all your prerequisites. The first semester of college you will still have to adjust to college life which is totally different from high school. Also, you can take any additional classes as long as you think it will help you in the long run. It is better to have a good GPA and a solid understanding of the basics before you go ahead and take upper level courses. If you think that you can handle other classes then by all means go ahead. As your advisor said, A&P is taken by some students s o if you want to take other classes, I would start with this one.

 

[Daedra22]

Biology is fine to take early, but A & P is not relevant to the MCAT. I'm not sure why advisers recommend it. I mean, it might be somewhat helpful for med school itself (this is HIGHLY debatable) but the MCAT...? You'd be better off taking biochem. Biochem has some useful critical thinking aspects and enzyme kinetics, which are always good practice.

 

[iqe2010]

Thanks. I was just worried I wouldn't have enough time.

 

[sgtbrushes]

You will have time, but chemistry is actually more important than biology to start taking. This is because there is a four-semester sequence (Gen Chem 1, 2 and O Chem 1, 2), so you should start Gen chem 1 in the spring.

 

[EMS5]

So, I'll be attending college in the fall at a large university and I had a few questions about the classes Ill be taking.

1. For my first semester Im only in one pre-req class which is Biology, my understanding is that the MCAT is taken during the junior year, my question is will this impair my preparation for the MCAT or will I have time to take all of my pre-reqs by MCAT time?

Absolutely. I didn't start my chem sequence until spring of my freshman year, and I will still finish my chem sequence one semester ahead of the MCAT.
2. Are there any other classes that any of you guys reccomend taking for preparation for the MCAT? My advisors said that most pre meds will take A&P 1 and 2 even though it's not required for med school acceptance. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I would have to agree with that. Although you do get a little exposure to animal physiology in your biology principles courses (depending on school), taking A&P 1/2 won't hurt definitely won't hurt when it comes to the MCAT.
Other classes that you may wish to consider (depending on your major) when browsing the course catalog:
Cellular/Molecular biology
Genetics (Molecular genetics or genetic analysis)
Biochemistry I (Wouldn't take while preparing for MCAT though)

Thanks in advance.

1. For my first semester Im only in one pre-req class which is Biology, my understanding is that the MCAT is taken during the junior year, my question is will this impair my preparation for the MCAT or will I have time to take all of my pre-reqs by MCAT time?

Absolutely not. I didn't start my chem sequence until spring of my freshman year, and I will still finish my chem sequence one semester ahead of the MCAT.
2. Are there any other classes that any of you guys reccomend taking for preparation for the MCAT? My advisors said that most pre meds will take A&P 1 and 2 even though it's not required for med school acceptance. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I would have to agree with that. Although you do get a little exposure to animal physiology in your biology principles courses (depending on school), taking A&P 1/2 won't hurt definitely won't hurt when it comes to the MCAT.
Other classes that you may wish to consider (depending on your major) when browsing the course catalog:
Cellular/Molecular biology
Genetics (Molecular genetics or genetic analysis)
Biochemistry I (Wouldn't take while preparing for MCAT though)

 

[iqe2010]

Thanks so much for reassurig me guys! Most of the people who are pre-med at my school are taking Chem and Bio, and I thought I might be behind. And our advisors told us that the curriculum had changed, so that Pre-Cal was a pre-req for Chemistry and since I'm starting the year with pre-cal, I'd have to wait until the spring to take it. And the professors at my school drop the student from their class if they don't have the pre-reqs for it.

 

[EMS5]

Thanks so much for reassurig me guys! Most of the people who are pre-med at my school are taking Chem and Bio, and I thought I might be behind. And our advisors told us that the curriculum had changed, so that Pre-Cal was a pre-req for Chemistry and since I'm starting the year with pre-cal, I'd have to wait until the spring to take it. And the professors at my school drop the student from their class if they don't have the pre-reqs for it.

That sounds a bit ridiculous. Pre-calculus is definitely not a skill set required for general chemistry. Even though most students do start off college with bio 1/chem 1, plenty more start chemistry a semester or two late.

A word of advice, however (from personal experience). If/when you take general chemistry in the spring, make darn sure that you enroll in the class as soon as they open it up. Because chem 1 is typically offered in the fall, there very few classes available in the spring (as with any class that is offered as a 1-2 sequence in the fall and spring).