Course Choices

[Lvoen Bgilisis]

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2 quick questions about when to take courses for those with experience:

1. Animal Physiology or Genetics (already have biochem) before MCAT?

2. Would it really make a difference if I took foreign language requirements P/F? The requirement is 2 semesters 5 credits each of Spanish which I've never taken before (french in high school). Most people at my school take it P/F, but do you think it'll hurt me in the end?? Thanks a mill...

 

[rambo]

2 quick questions about when to take courses for those with experience:

1. Animal Physiology or Genetics (already have biochem) before MCAT?

2. Would it really make a difference if I took foreign language requirements P/F? The requirement is 2 semesters 5 credits each of Spanish which I've never taken before (french in high school). Most people at my school take it P/F, but do you think it'll hurt me in the end?? Thanks a mill...

I don't know about #1, but I took my foreign language as P/F for the 3rd semester since I went straight into intermediate. I only did it because I didn't want to worry about attendance policy, etc, since I'm already fluent. I'd be careful about the 4th semester, I think some undergrads require that to be taken for a C or better. I don't think a med school will care about P/F for a foreign language, however.

 

[Shredder]

2 quick questions about when to take courses for those with experience:

1. Animal Physiology or Genetics (already have biochem) before MCAT?

2. Would it really make a difference if I took foreign language requirements P/F? The requirement is 2 semesters 5 credits each of Spanish which I've never taken before (french in high school). Most people at my school take it P/F, but do you think it'll hurt me in the end?? Thanks a mill...

Genetics for sure unless it is human physiology, in which case you may consider it. I didn't find either of those courses overly challenging if you're worried about that. Some biochem should overlap with genetics...but that may be the case with phys as well.

Take Spanish for a grade, it's a joke of a language to learn (quite similar to English and common Latin origins) and the heavy hours will support your GPA. You'll also learn it better that way, and it is a practical language to know in the USA, and in medicine.

 

[Fermata]

I agree about taking Spanish for a grade.

It's cake and practical.

 

[Khenon]

I wish I had some physiology under my belt before taking the MCAT. The only physiology I had for the exam is what is offered in the review material for the MCAT, and I'm not sure that was enough. There's seems to be an assumption that you had it before, so I felt like I didn't know enough. And sure enough when it came to the MCAT there were concepts I didn't understand so I was screwed. But having said that, there was alot of molecular genetics on the exam too. Tough choice.

 

[logos]

Genetics...no doubt. It is the largest area on the mcat that the required prereq courses just dont prep you for. My general bio, which was known at my school for being insanely difficult, didnt cover nearly enough genetics detail to quickly and efficiently whip through the genetics problems on the mcat. The only other area that wasnt covered sufficiently was human biology...mine had none...it was mostly evolutionary biology and genetics.

 

[brats800]

i don't remember seeing any animal phys on the mcat, and i wished i'd taken a genetics class when we had to review that kindof stuff for the test in my kaplan class.

also, i don't think medschools really would care if you take a foreign language p/f. if you know spanish really well, that might be a plus for you (the ability to work with spanish-speaking populations, etc) but if you take it p/f i wouldn't think it would hurt you.

 

[Dr. Weebs]

Genetics for sure unless it is human physiology, in which case you may consider it. I didn't find either of those courses overly challenging if you're worried about that. Some biochem should overlap with genetics...but that may be the case with phys as well.

Take Spanish for a grade, it's a joke of a language to learn (quite similar to English and common Latin origins) and the heavy hours will support your GPA. You'll also learn it better that way, and it is a practical language to know in the USA, and in medicine.

What an arrogant post. Have some consideration for people who do have difficulty in their classes. Calling something a joke to learn, when there are most likely many people on here who have had difficulty in them is just downright rude. Quit trying to make yourself look so smart. It's arrogant people like you who shouldn't become doctors. There's enough doctors who act like their God's gift to academics that piss off their patients as it is.

Weebs

 

[Medikit]

I'd go with animal physiology. I think the genetics that's on the mcat can easily be self taught.

 

[opinionkitten]

spanish: doesnt matter, if you think you can get an a in it, go for the gpa boost. medschools are only going to care about this in terms of movement up or down on your overall gpa, so if you think its going to bring you down take it p/f

i thought genetics was a way cool course, but wished i had more physiology on the mcat (i took 0). they will both help you some on the mcat, but i dont recall there being a lot of genetics on it, so teach yourself that and go for the animal phys. it comes down to what youre better at, i suppose. if youve had some physiology, go for the genetics. ive youre good at mendellian junk go for the phys.