DIY Post Bacc Schedule Advice?

[pearclover]

Hey everyone, I'm thinking of taking my pre-reqs at my community college because of money. Are these courses enough? Should I add in other courses from other colleges?

General Biology 4 credits
Microbiology 4 credits
Cell Biology 4 credits
Genetics 3 credits
A & P I+II 8 credits

General Chemistry 4 credits
Organic Chemistry I+II 8 credits
Inorganic Chemistry I+II 8 credits

Pre-Calc 3 credits
Calc 3 credits

Physics 4 credits

With these courses, I should be finished in two years and not spend $30,000+.
I read Goro's thread on reinvention and there weren't any similar courses listed by the cc.

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[Dr. Let 'er Buck]

I think it looks pretty good but might want/need to add a couple things. It seems most schools want two semesters of gen chem and two of physics.

The inorganic might be better if you scratched it off and looked at biochemistry. That is extremely helpful for the mcat.

I'm no expert but those are the classes most of my schools wanted to see.

 

[pocketpants]

I agree with @Old Medic that most schools want two semesters of general chemistry and two of physics. Instead of inorganic, I took 1 semester of biochemistry after I finished organic 2 because most schools I was applying to required biochem. It also helped a ton on the new MCAT.

 

[pearclover]

I think it looks pretty good but might want/need to add a couple things. It seems most schools want two semesters of gen chem and two of physics.

The inorganic might be better if you scratched it off and looked at biochemistry. That is extremely helpful for the mcat.

I'm no expert but those are the classes most of my schools wanted to see.

Thank you for the advice! The cc offers a fundamental course in biochem but I know that’s not going to be enough

 

[pearclover]

I agree with @Old Medic that most schools want two semesters of general chemistry and two of physics. Instead of inorganic, I took 1 semester of biochemistry after I finished organic 2 because most schools I was applying to required biochem. It also helped a ton on the new MCAT.

I rechecked the courses and they offer 3 physics courses so I’m good there

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Hold up for a minute.

Before you enroll in anything, you need to invest in a subscription to the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) database and do some research about what your state and other top choice medical schools require. Every school is different and we can only offer general guidelines here. The MSAR subscription is less than $30 per year and can save you thousands on unnecessary or unacceptable coursework. Most schools don't require cell bio, A&P (Creighton is the only one I believe), genetics, etc. so you may choose to focus on different classes.

Some schools do not really like CC coursework. Some are fine with CC for the intro classes, but want to see upper division work done at a 4-year institution. Some don't care at all. The MSAR can help you determine whether you're at a disadvantage by taking only CC level coursework (check the school websites, too, sometimes they directly state their preference on their Admissions portal).

As a general rule of thumb, to be considered for most MD programs, you will need:
- Full year/2 semesters General Chemistry with lab
- Full year/2 semesters Organic Chemistry with lab
- Full year/2 semesters Physics with lab
- Full year/2 semesters Biology with lab
-1-2 semesters of biochemistry with lab
- A full year of English (some allow "writing intensive humanities courses" to substitute. you should check with the MSAR about your target schools)
- Many schools require a semester or a year of social science coursework as well

Get an MSAR subscription, spend an afternoon reading up on the requirements of your target schools, and you're in business. Good luck.

 

[pearclover]

Hold up for a minute.

Before you enroll in anything, you need to invest in a subscription to the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) database and do some research about what your state and other top choice medical schools require. Every school is different and we can only offer general guidelines here. The MSAR subscription is less than $30 per year and can save you thousands on unnecessary or unacceptable coursework. Most schools don't require cell bio, A&P (Creighton is the only one I believe), genetics, etc. so you may choose to focus on different classes.

Some schools do not really like CC coursework. Some are fine with CC for the intro classes, but want to see upper division work done at a 4-year institution. Some don't care at all. The MSAR can help you determine whether you're at a disadvantage by taking only CC level coursework (check the school websites, too, sometimes they directly state their preference on their Admissions portal).

As a general rule of thumb, to be considered for most MD programs, you will need:
- Full year/2 semesters General Chemistry with lab
- Full year/2 semesters Organic Chemistry with lab
- Full year/2 semesters Physics with lab
- Full year/2 semesters Biology with lab
-1-2 semesters of biochemistry with lab
- A full year of English (some allow "writing intensive humanities courses" to substitute. you should check with the MSAR about your target schools)
- Many schools require a semester or a year of social science coursework as well

Get an MSAR subscription, spend an afternoon reading up on the requirements of your target schools, and you're in business. Good luck.

I know the MSAR subscription only lasts for one year though. I'm planning on buying it a little closer to my gap year date. I don't think the requirements will change very much within 3 years, but I just want to be sure.

 

[Bonne Nuit]

I know the MSAR subscription only lasts for one year though. I'm planning on buying it a little closer to my gap year date. I don't think the requirements will change very much within 3 years, but I just want to be sure.

Then you need to plan on buying a subscription for more than one year. The MSAR is extremely important to have at two points in your pre-med career:

1. While planning prerequisite coursework
2. While building a school list during your application cycle (i.e., after you've taken your MCAT)

You need to have a full awareness of what the schools you're most likely to matriculate at - especially your state schools - are looking for before you spend a penny on post-bac tuition, or else you risk of taking inappropriate or unnecessary classes.

You indicated that you're concerned about wasting money, yet you listed four upper division bio classes (A&P, cell bio, genetics, micro) which are completely optional at most schools. I would only take all these classes if I was working towards a second degree, not if I was just going to do a DIY post-bac and move on with my life. To me, optional classes are a "waste of money" - which is why I didn't take genetics, etc. during my own DIY post-bac. I didn't take them because I had a subscription to the MSAR, and I knew what my top schools were looking for in terms of prereqs.

$60 for two years of an MSAR subscription is a drop in the bucket compared with the post-bac tuition burden you're accepting. Be wise and have all research tools available at your disposal before dropping thousands on school.

If you really cannot afford to buy the MSAR for a couple years, then visit websites individually and start building a spreadsheet with information from individual school websites. It's more legwork, to be sure.