Valuable Courses - What Should I take?

[banana_phone]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forums and am so excited to have found a community of non-traditional pre-med students! I'm 24, graduated college with a BS in Elementary Education and am now doing a sort-of DIY pre-med program at the University of Minnesota. I was accepted to Loyola and Mills post-bacc programs but opted to take the courses independently, as it was much more cost effective.

However, the downside of that is I'm unsure what courses will be the best for me to take. Specifically, I'm wondering if I should take Calculus (never did as an undergrad) and what the best biology courses to take are. The U of M doesn't offer a year-long biology sequence for students outside of their College of Biological Sciences, so I took the one-semester General Biology course last semester, and need a second. My options are Microbiology and Physiology at UofM. I could take Cell Biology elsewhere, but am worried because I already have a ton of transcripts accumulating. Any advice on which courses to take moving forward? I have contacted admissions offices of med schools I'm interested in, and they said they will accept any upper-level biology course, so that's no help .

Thanks everybody!

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[didymus]

Do you have a list of schools in mind where you intend to apply? If not, make that list. If so, purchase the MSAR guide, click on the "selection factors" tab, and from there you will see a table at the bottom of the page that details the courses you need to take and how many hours of each. Most schools have a link there to their school's premedical coursework requirements page.

I believe many schools want the one-year sequence of the basics like bio, chem, and physics. That said, there are schools that will accept any upper-level coursework (for majors) from these departments to satisfy the requirements. It will do you good to look at the MSAR guide for specifics.

 

[banana_phone]

Hi didymus! Thanks for your response. I do have a list of schools I intend to apply, and have made myself a spreadsheet documenting their requirements. I also have purchased the MSAR and have referenced that! Unfortunately, it hasn't provided as much guidance as I would like, as most schools (and their websites, and admissions officers) have simply told me that one year of college biology would work. While this provides flexibility, it doesn't help me with which course might be the most helpful for the MCAT and preparation for medical school.

I'm leaning towards microbiology, but could take cell biology at another school if this is a better course for preparation. This leads into my second question: I have 2 transcripts from undergrad (I transferred as a sophomore), I took some prerequisites for my actual prerequisites at a community college before attending UMN now, and will be taking courses at yet another school over the summer because UMN doesn't offer organic chemistry/physics in the sequencing I need. I'm concerned about having too many transcripts!!! Advice?

 

[didymus]

Hi didymus! Thanks for your response. I do have a list of schools I intend to apply, and have made myself a spreadsheet documenting their requirements. I also have purchased the MSAR and have referenced that! Unfortunately, it hasn't provided as much guidance as I would like, as most schools (and their websites, and admissions officers) have simply told me that one year of college biology would work. While this provides flexibility, it doesn't help me with which course might be the most helpful for the MCAT and preparation for medical school.

Micro vs. cell bio is six of one/half dozen the other. Maybe someone else on here will have a strong opinion one way or another, but I don't think it really matters. Many people here will tell you that (and if you search threads you'll see this view hammered hard) you can't really prepare for medical school. I've read posts where others have said that medical school covers the entirety of undergrad science coursework in the first two weeks (I'm not a med student yet, so I can't personally corroborate). The advice I've seen, and the advice I've taken, I will give you here: take whichever class you can guarantee an A in. Take upper level science courses and get A's. That's your best strategy. I'm led to believe it is too soon to worry about medical school curriculum until one has started medical school curriculum.

As for the MCAT, I don't believe either of those classes will give you such an edge for you to worry about it that much. If you procure the best study materials, and have a good foundation in general biology/chem/physics (and the other stuff they will ask on MCAT2015), you should be able to bring yourself up to level (again--I am relaying information to you I have gleaned from the forums, as I have not yet taken the MCAT).

I'm leaning towards microbiology, but could take cell biology at another school if this is a better course for preparation. This leads into my second question: I have 2 transcripts from undergrad (I transferred as a sophomore), I took some prerequisites for my actual prerequisites at a community college before attending UMN now, and will be taking courses at yet another school over the summer because UMN doesn't offer organic chemistry/physics in the sequencing I need. I'm concerned about having too many transcripts!!! Advice?

Meh. I have transcripts from way more (yes, way more) schools than you, and every person I've spoken with in every admissions office I have either called or emailed has dismissed this as a factor of any real consideration. I think it will probably come up in open file interviews, but for people with legitimate explanations (not excuses) I think the interview moves on to more pressing and relevant matters in your file.

For me, I just took the classes at the institutions that were available to me when my schedule permitted. As someone working full-time, volunteering at every free moment, working in a research lab, and getting a masters degree, my situation determined for me when and from where I could take classes, and this was seldom from my undergrad institution or the local CC (though I took classes from these places when I could). I have several transcripts from schools where I took courses online. It is a pain in the ass to go through the transcript request process for all these institutions (like I had to do for graduate school admissions), but that is probably the biggest problem about it.

 

[711082]

I am stuck with the order I should take my courses in my school. I still have to take Biodiversity with lab (3+1 credits), Organic Chemistry 2 with lab (3+2 credits), physics 1 and lab (4+1 credits) and physics 2 and lab (4+1 credits). What do you guys think is the best way for me take these courses. These will be taken during my gap year after I graduate. I will only be working part time as well as studying for MCAT and volunteering from time to time. So basically have spring, summer, and fall to take these last pre reqs and don't want to have my hardest classes in one semester. Oh and orgo lab can be taken after orgo 2. Please share your thoughts

 

[Thumpthump]

Personally, I would get through the physics classes as soon as possible because they are a major part of the MCAT. Other than that, I think it would depend on how comfortable you were with Ochem 1.

Ochem 1 was easy - maybe knock out Ochem 2 in the summer
Ochem 1 made me cry - probably better to wait until fall