course selection advice

[vmc303]

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I'm starting postbac work next semester, and as course registration is coming up soon, I have a few questions. If any of you are really up on this stuff, I'd appreciate some advice.

1). How important is it to take the most difficult pre-med courses available? Do med schools even look at course difficulty, so long as they meet the requirements? There are several different tracks of chemistry and physics I could take. I have a relatively strong science and math background and should probably be in more advanced science classes, and I know I would enjoy them more. The problem is that I'll be starting in the spring, and only the more basic classes are being given at that time. Would it be worthwhile to enroll at a different school where I could take the more advanced classes now, or do I just sign up for physics 101 and get on with it? Also, for biology, can I take any two semesters of lab biology that look interesting - say, cell biology and genetics - or should it just be a year of general bio?

2). I finished multivariable calculus in high school and haven't done any math since. I know I could probably use AP scores to meet the calc requirement, but I'd rather take some college classes to show that I'm still up on things. What are the next two math courses I could take past multivariable calc that would still be considered "calculus" for med school purposes? Real analysis, linear algebra, differential equations, etc.?

Thanks for any info.

 

[dhoonlee]

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[Stroganoff]

Schools don't know which classes are the tough ones. For example at my ug, there exists a hard physics series for engineers (7A/7B) and an easier one for all other majors (8A/8B). Med adcoms don't know and they don't take into consideration that I took the harder series.

Just take something easy if you absolutely must take more math. Don't kill your GPA.

This numbers game is a sad state of affairs. It's like back in high school. People would take all the freakishly easy classes just to get a really high GPA, and the true scholars really gave a damn about learning took the advanced classes and occasionally got a B or so. People just don't grow up.

We need a national standards system for rating the difficulty of a course and making it clear that Course A is more difficult than Course B.

 

[Stroganoff]

To the OP, ideally the answer is to take the advanced classes, enjoy them, and get A's. Only take what you can handle though, but it's worth it.

The next step after multivariable calculus is Differential Equations. I don't know what else is next. There are courses simply called "Advanced Calculus," but I don't know how insanely hard those classes might be.