Biology Question......

[Lab Diva]

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I taking some classes at a local college with no pre-med advisor (transferring this winter to a State Univ.) Have completed A & P I, A & P II and Microbiology. Does this satisfy the BIO requirement or do I need to take Gen. Bio I and II?

I do plan on taking some higher level Bio's at the Univer (i.e. Genetics, etc...)

 

[spyyder]

Unless those classes are the equivalent of Bio I and II then u probably are going to have to take them.

This site lists all the required classes for osteopathic schools:
http://www.aacom.org/data/cib/03-prereqs.html

 

[Funkdoctor]

I taking some classes at a local college with no pre-med advisor (transferring this winter to a State Univ.) Have completed A & P I, A & P II and Microbiology. Does this satisfy the BIO requirement or do I need to take Gen. Bio I and II?

I do plan on taking some higher level Bio's at the Univer (i.e. Genetics, etc...)

Nope, you WILL have to take general biology I & II. Here is a list that shows you exactly what you will need. Some schools have different sets of requirments than other schools, like taking 6 hours of social sciences, or biochemistry, or extra bio, etc.

http://www.aacom.org/data/cib/03-prereqs.html

 

[Nate]

Hi Lab Diva, I am surprised any college let you take Microbiology without General Biology as a pre-requisite. However, some DO schools require 16 credits of Biology, like UMDNJ, for which you will be ahead of the game, so don't worry. You will need to take General Bio 1 and 2 and all the rest of your pre-reqs.

 

[Lab Diva]

Hi Nate!

I am took these courses at a community college. My A & P I prof (an MD) said I should have taken Bio I and II prior. Granted it made the classes more challenging.....but I did fine and got A's.

Bio I and II are going to cover the broader areas such as plant biology, cell biology, etc.. Right?

Lab Diva

 

[ehaskins]

Nope, you WILL have to take general biology I & II. Here is a list that shows you exactly what you will need. Some schools have different sets of requirments than other schools, like taking 6 hours of social sciences, or biochemistry, or extra bio, etc.

http://www.aacom.org/data/cib/03-prereqs.html

Please correct me if I am wrong, but the aforementioned link doesn't say anything about taking General Bio 1 and 2. It only says that 8 credits of Biology must have been taken. Like someone else mentioned, General Bio 1 is a prerequisite for many other courses so you'll ultimately have to take it. With this in mind, taking Gen Bio 1 and one other upper level Bio (e.g. Microbiology, Genetics, Anatomy, etc...) should satisfy this 8 credit Biology requirement....right???

 

[Nate]

Correct, General Biology is a year long course that covers, albeit minimally, most topics in modern Biology. Since it is improbable that even a Biology major will take advanced and more thorough courses in every topic, this ensures that you will at least have a general understanding. Usually, one semester will cover microbial and plant kingdoms and the other will cover animal kingdom, ecology, genetics and even a bit of biochemistry. All of which is fair game for the MCAT.

 

[cdreed]

I taking some classes at a local college with no pre-med advisor (transferring this winter to a State Univ.) Have completed A & P I, A & P II and Microbiology. Does this satisfy the BIO requirement or do I need to take Gen. Bio I and II?

I do plan on taking some higher level Bio's at the Univer (i.e. Genetics, etc...)

I'm an MSII at AZCOM, and I didn't take Gen Bio II. I did take Gen Bio I, but then I opted to begin my A&Ps. I don't think that DO programs will care how you get your bio credits as long as you have the minimum hours of bio covered, whether they be upper or lower division courses. Of course I could be wrong. Your best bet would be to contact each school that you're applying to and ask.

 

[Nate]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but the aforementioned link doesn't say anything about taking General Bio 1 and 2. It only says that 8 credits of Biology must have been taken. Like someone else mentioned, General Bio 1 is a prerequisite for many other courses so you'll ultimately have to take it. With this in mind, taking Gen Bio 1 and one other upper level Bio (e.g. Microbiology, Genetics, Anatomy, etc...) should satisfy this 8 credit Biology requirement....right???

If this is a situation that you already have you may be able to take it up with the specific schools but if it is for future plans I would highly recommend taking General Bio 1 and 2 which is what most schools ask for and contains information you may need for the MCAT.

 

[Nate]

As always, your best bet is to call the schools that you are interested in and discuss it. I don’t remember where I read that General Bio is what is expected but usually it is the prerequisite for higher level Biology. Calling schools to discuss such matters is not only the best way to find out the official answer to your question but it also opens a dialogue with the admissions office and shows them an early interest in the school.

 

[jkhamlin]

I taking some classes at a local college with no pre-med advisor (transferring this winter to a State Univ.) Have completed A & P I, A & P II and Microbiology. Does this satisfy the BIO requirement or do I need to take Gen. Bio I and II?

I do plan on taking some higher level Bio's at the Univer (i.e. Genetics, etc...)

At 2 year colleges, A&P and micro are usually nursing / tech courses. They might not even be counted as science courses. You should check here:

https://aacomas.aacom.org/html/ins_sess_ac.htm

You should take BIO I and II, and upper level micro, anatomy, and physiology separate.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I taking some classes at a local college with no pre-med advisor (transferring this winter to a State Univ.) Have completed A & P I, A & P II and Microbiology. Does this satisfy the BIO requirement or do I need to take Gen. Bio I and II?

I do plan on taking some higher level Bio's at the Univer (i.e. Genetics, etc...)

A&P aren't science courses.

You need Bio I & II with lab.

You also need to take genetics, to better prepare you for the MCAT.

 

[Soleilpie]

I would ask the schools you're interested in about it. One school I contacted said A&P meets their biology requirement. I'm a non-traditional student and I'm not able to spend eternity taking classes that will meet every single medical schools' requirements. It can't hurt to ask and why take extra classes unless you feel it'll help you on the MCAT or in medical school.

 

[fullefect1]

A&P aren't science courses.

A&P aren't science courses? When I took them they were listed as something like BIO21 or something of that sort.... how would u consider them not science courses?

 

[nebrfan]

I am took these courses at a community college. My A & P I prof (an MD) said I should have taken Bio I and II prior. Granted it made the classes more challenging.....but I did fine and got A's.

It has always been my understanding that adcoms will look questionably upon courses taken at 2-year colleges...especially so when they are prereqs. If you have the time, I would suggest taking bio I & II at a 4 year school. The courses aren't real hard and it'll save you the time/worry of convincing each school to accept the credits you currently have.

 

[bioteacher]

Anatomy and Physiology as well as Microbiology are science classes. AMCAS averages their grades into your BCPM and you designated them as Biology when you enter them.

I do agree with everyone that says to take Biology I and II at the four year for all the reasons mentioned above. Make sure to get great grades at the four year or else all your courses from the two year and your grades from them will be even more questionable.

Again, I would talk with the premedical advisor at your new school, but I believe they will concur.