Can you apply to MD even though you lack one prerequisite? Please Help

[2004applicant]

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Hello...I finished all the prerequisites except organic chemistry II. I am planning to take the summer mcat and apply to medical school this year for next year's entering class. I will take the last O2 this fall or next spring because i don't want to take it in the summer.

---Am i at disadvantage?
---Will amcas not process my application?
---Will i not get secondaries just because i have not taken organic chemistry II yet?

---thank you.

 

[Street Philosopher]

yes
no
no

 

[2004applicant]

Originally posted by Street Philosopher
yes
no
no

thanks. So, i will go ahead and apply.

I had an A in organic I and maybe that will help.

 

[IrishOarsman]

Check out if the schools have an exemption policy- that is, if you are not intending to take the class - you might have to formally request they drop the req.

Otherwise, you can always promise to take the class if that is req'd for your entrance and they give you a conditional acceptance.

good luck

 

[TexasRose]

What I have seen on school websites indicates that you need all the prereq's prior to matriculation. You can be accepted on the condition that you finish Org II with a passing grade before med school starts.

Make sure the rest of your application is strong so that no adcoms doubt your ability to do well academically or think you are trying to avoid a "tough" class.

Good luck
T

 

[coffeespoon]

Be careful -- I am not sure if I am remembering this correctly, but I think Cornell required that an applicant be finished with their prereqs the Jan. before they matriculate. Who knows if there are other schools out there like that.

Shouldn't affect you if you finish Organic II the fall semester of your senior year.

 

[2badr]

Did I misunderstand the op?? I think the question was can (s)he apply to med school before finishing the pre-reqs,not actually matriculate .She states that she plans to take "O2" in the fall or the spring because she didn't "want to take in the summer".Sounds as if she will be finishing it before matriculation but after applying.
Just be sure to finish all your pre-reqs.as one seasoned SDN er replied a while ago :There are too many applicants who are willing to follow thru with all the pre-reqs and then some.You want to make your app as strong as possible.( I'm summarizing,here,folks.)
from my own personal experience I had planned to apply for the entering class of 2005,therefore taking the April 2004 MCAT.After many discussions with friends (one who is already a doc.,family,advisors etc.) I put those plans aside and am trying to make my application stronger than it would have been if I had applied for the 2005 class.It is so easy to get caught up in the aoolication excitement and not realize that maybe your app could use a little more "refining".(Not to imply that the op is not a strong candidate already).
If I misunderstood the op disregard this message...and blame long nites,early mornings,stress and caffeine.😀

 

[coffeespoon]

I understood the OP's request, but I thought it would be helpful to warn about the demands that a medical school may place on timeliness of fulfilling prereqs.

It won't do any good if 2004applicant applys to schools because s/he can, only to find that s/he won't be able to matriculate because the prereqs weren't taken by the school's deadline.

 

[VienneseWaltz]

There will be some stuff on the MCAT that is covered in orgo 2, so that is a potential problem (reading NMR stuff, advanced bonding)

I took both semesters of orgo in the summer and I'm glad I did. I don't know what your summer plans are or where you are on MCAT prep, but if you can take orgo in the summer, you might want to think about it.

If not, you will want to indicate to med schools that you plan to take it. In the transcript section, you can say what you plan to take. If it is offered in the fall, I would try to do it then.

I had AP credit for gen bio + 7 hours of upper-level bio, meaning that I was short a lab course for several schools. I'm taking the extra course this spring. BU accepted me in January and Hopkins accepted me in March, so it's certainly a surmountable obstacle.

Also, some schools let you substitute biochem for the second semester of orgo, but this is by no means universal.