Courses to take before MCAT?

[skyee]

Hi, I am currently a freshman, and contemplating pre-med.

By the end of this semester, I will have completed a year of English and a year of Calculus.

I have not taken any Science courses, so I am somewhat behind.

My plan as of now is to take Bio I, and GenChem I in the first semester of my sophomore year, and Bio II and GenChem II in the second semester.

Then, my junior year, I would take the Organic chem requirements.

That still leaves me with Physics. I am afraid to take Physics the same year as Organic Chem (for obvious reasons).

Does this lead me to a huge disadvantage for the MCAT?

What do you guys recommend I do? Should I take Physics as a summer course this summer? Or is that looked down upon?

Thank you.

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[koopa_troopa]

I wouldn't really recommend deciding definitely on medicine until you have taken a college level biological science. Sure you might have liked high school bio, but once you get to university you might not enjoy it.

Physics is essentially 1/2 of the Physical science section, so I would recommend taking at least a semester of physics. You could take 2 courses of bio, chem, and physics in your second year, that way you can concentrate on organic in third year. What faculty are you in? It sounds like you are a non-science student.

People seem too afraid of organic chem for some strange reason. There are people who do bad in it, but like all things, if you put in some hard work, you will do well. Don't let it freak you out. You might even enjoy it.

 

[SgtDoc]

I find Ochem easier than Gchem...it just makes more sense.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

You really do need to take physics before taking the MCAT. Otherwise, you'll be totally lost for about 1/2 of the PS section. If you don't want to take it with organic, maybe see if you can take it in the summer. Otherwise, I think you'll just have to do it along with organic. You do not need to take calculus-based physics for either medical school or the MCAT, and algebra-based physics is not usually the hardest class around.

 

[skyee]

Ok, thanks guys.

Is taking your pre-req classes in the summer looked down upon by med schools?

I don't really go to a presitgious school at all. I go to CUNY Baruch, a known business school, but they offer all the classes I need.

 

[koopa_troopa]

Ok, thanks guys.

Is taking your pre-req classes in the summer looked down upon by med schools?

I don't really go to a presitgious school at all. I go to CUNY Baruch, a known business school, but they offer all the classes I need.

I don't think it will be frowned upon. Most schools look at applications holistically and make a judgment. If they see 1 prereq taken in the summer, it won't be a big deal.

 

[Rofeh20]

I wouldn't really recommend deciding definitely on medicine until you have taken a college level biological science. Sure you might have liked high school bio, but once you get to university you might not enjoy it.

Allow me to play devil's advocate here for a moment, as I wouldn't advise someone to choose a career in medicine based on their experience in an introductory biology course.

In fact, I wouldn't recommend anyone make that decision based upon experiences inside the classroom. Although by no means comprehensive, one of the best ways to make this decision is to gain a variety of clinical experiences by volunteering in a clinical setting, participating in clinical research, and/or shadowing physicians. Variety is important as the workflow and lifestyle of a physician is far from homogeneous! Surgeons v non-surgeons and private v academic are two points of difference that receive a lot of attention, but within each major branch there are many more. I would also strongly recommend a student stay up to date with current events (very easy to do with RSS), talk to others in the know and/or with your peers (SDN is a great resource for that), and read the work of some leading members in the field (Atul Gawande, Jerome Groopman).

Of course, there is a connection between clinical practice and the basic science learned in the classroom; however, it is not quite as strong as one might think. After all, how many cardiologists do you think can help you understand protein synthesis? Is it an important topic in academia? Yes. Is understanding protein synthesis directly relevant to patient care? Not really.

Sorry to take this thread off topic, but you touched on a pet peeve of mine! There is a distinction between medicine and science. Medicine is primarily a service industry, thus the question is not if someone is interested in introductory biology -- it is if one is interested in medicine as it is practiced.

 

[Green Pirate]

I find Ochem easier than Gchem...it just makes more sense.

so true. I hated gen chem, and I absolutely love ochem

 

[Rofeh20]

Hi, I am currently a freshman, and contemplating pre-med.

By the end of this semester, I will have completed a year of English and a year of Calculus.

I have not taken any Science courses, so I am somewhat behind.

My plan as of now is to take Bio I, and GenChem I in the first semester of my sophomore year, and Bio II and GenChem II in the second semester.

Then, my junior year, I would take the Organic chem requirements.

That still leaves me with Physics. I am afraid to take Physics the same year as Organic Chem (for obvious reasons).

Does this lead me to a huge disadvantage for the MCAT?

What do you guys recommend I do? Should I take Physics as a summer course this summer? Or is that looked down upon?

Thank you.

It would be in your best interest to take physics by the end of your junior year. Medical schools typically don't engage in "analysis" of your transcript (i.e. they don't care when you take a certain class) unless you are on the "bubble", thus it most likely will not hurt you to take physics over the summer. Could it? Yes, but the larger cost is probably the opportunity cost of what else you could have been doing that summer rather than taking more courses.

Ultimately, you know you best. Admissions officers are not likely to seriously evaluate an applicant with a low GPA, thus if there is a real risk your GPA will be hurt by taking Ochem & Physics in the same year then don't do it. However, you're a bit young to be lacking in confidence in these subjects. Furthermore, it is a shame to look at these courses as means to an end rather than an end in and of itself. A thorough understanding of physics will actually help you understand more about the other sciences (e.g. there's a nice connection b/w fluid dynamics and cardiology). What you want to ask yourself is where and when can I take physics so that I will have an opportunity to truly understand and appreciate this science? If you are able to learn physics well, you will be able to understand the other sciences with a deeper perspective.

I hope that helps!

 

[koopa_troopa]

Sorry to take this thread off topic, but you touched on a pet peeve of mine! There is a distinction between medicine and science. Medicine is primarily a service industry, thus the question is not if someone is interested in introductory biology -- it is if one is interested in medicine as it is practiced.

Sorry, I didn't actually mean that one has to like biology to like medicine. I should have phrased it better. I agree that what one learns in introductory biology has little to do with the practice of medicine. What I meant is that one should be able to handle introductory biology at the college level. Many people enter university and struggle with introductory science courses. Medical students will need to not only study the sciences in depth for two years of medical school, but also do well on it for licensing exams. If one can't get past these hurdles, it will be difficult to actually practice medicine. So that is why I suggested taking these courses before setting on a definite path towards medicine. You need clinical experience to know what you are getting into, but you also need experience in the actual material too.

 

[EuroPhysician]

All the premed courses that are required for med school admission. Also read a lot of difficult papers and magazines(Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, etc.)