Am I taking too many electives?

[ashley87]

Im not in medical school yet, but working on my degree. I got a late start because I was in the Army for a few years. Ive wanted to be surgeon since I was 9 years old, and Im going for it. I spoke with an academic advisor and we set up the first summer session and the fall semester. So far I have a math, english, psychology and orchestra (for the fall). This seems weird to me because I know that I need chem or biology, am I taking too many electives? I want to squeeze in one more class, but I dont have enough room or time to take a lecture with a lab (such as chem). What can I do? I feel like my schedule isnt right, but my couselor seemed to know what she was talking about. Unsure, any thoughts?

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[Empi]

I am one of the oldest crones here and I have never regretted listening to my instincts. If your gut is trying to tell you something, listen.

That being said, I think the courses you are taking reflect a nice well rounded student. I am not the expert, but I think that will help you in the long run if you can hande the volume of work.

 

[scottyT]

Is your advisor a pre-med advisor or just one for a major? If she isn't a pre-med advisor then she may not know what she's talking about. You should scrutinize your catalog and set up a spreadsheet for yourself to make sure that you're on track to both graduate and fill your pre-reqs. For instance, if you're a psych major you should take intro psychology ASAP so you can move on to other courses in the department. Also, you may want to knock out some math before you take chem or physics if you're not comfortable with algebra and trig. That being said, psych, math, and english all usually fill degree requirements in some way so I wouldn't count them as "electives" unless they truly are. Orchestra? You be the judge.

Best answer: trust yourself, read your course catalog, and figure it out for yourself; don't rely on someone you just met.

 

[LynnKat]

I'd also reccomend taking a look at major requirements, but if this is your first semester you also want to start maybe a little slowly especially if you've been out of school for a while. Twelve credits is probably a good start, though if you want another class consider something that fulfills distribution/ general ed requirements at your school, such as a language (if required). Just make sure to stay on top of add drop deadlines and not be shy about getting out of a class while you can if it's too much. If I had learned this before freshman year I'd have saved myself some grief later on

 

[Stillwaters]

You don't want to take chem or physics without algebra first. If you really want to take a prereq in your first semester, take bio. It is more intuitive and less math oriented. You need to take most of the courses you signed up fo, and it might be best to start out slow. Remember that you have four years to take the prereqs. If you take them before you are ready, you add coping with a bad GPA to the natural stress of school and application. Good luck.

 

[aunt ethel]

My #1 mistake as an undergrad was trying to take on too much my freshman year....many classes with labs, ECs, etc. It was very overwhelming. You'll have to take electives anyways to meet Gen Ed requirements (and many med schools require math, English and Psych or some other behavioral science) so why not take them at the beginning? Three out of four of your courses are potential med school prereqs (depending on the school). I think you're cool.

 

[Salient]

I think that a majority of applicants are Biology majors. If you have a different type of degree (or a wide variety of electives) but still do well on the prereqs and MCAT, it helps you stand out from the crowd a bit. Just make sure you don't let your grades suffer.