Do the pre-req classes stand out on app?

[mmdp]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I posted a couple times before but I had a quick question as I am going through this process. If I score low (lets say C) in both Phys 1 and 2 but do well in Chem and still manage an overall BCPM gpa of 3.6+ will those C's in Physics hurt my app to DO schools? Do the pre-req classes stand out on the applications (general bio, general chem, o-chem, phys). Would I need to re-take phys?

I had a chance to take a few more Bio courses such as Genetics and Lab and it really bumped my gpa. I'm just really worried about physics, looking forward to hearing from you guys.

Thanks!


Edit- one more question on volunteer! if i only volunteer at a pediatric office, and another doctor office at a hospital (but not for the hospital) is that still good enough? i found more value in volunteering at a docs office than delivering flowers. just needed your opinion on if i should try to do both. also have experience working in the mental health clinic. thanks again!!!

 

[flatearth22]

Conventional wisdom around here is that strong grades in upper level BCMP/science classes as well as strong MCAT scores in PS and BS can makeup for poor grades in intro chem, phys, bio, etc. (assuming you took those earlier and not later).

 

[mmdp]

Conventional wisdom around here is that strong grades in upper level BCMP/science classes as well as strong MCAT scores in PS and BS can makeup for poor grades in intro chem, phys, bio, etc. (assuming you took those earlier and not later).

Thanks for your reply. I'm doing a post-bac and some Bio major courses like genetics, evolution, etc... I plan to take the MCAT next summer without having organic chemistry. I plan to do the MCAT prep course before I take it. I am not sure if this is a good idea but I will have the whole summer off since I don't want to risk taking o-chem in the summer since I tried that with inorganic and had to withdraw. I just hope I can pull a good MCAT without orgo...nervous but one girl I spoke with from Gen Bio II took it without the pre-reqs and scored a 31...we're all different but I'm crossing my fingers.

 

[MT Headed]

Don't take it from me, take it from an expert:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5254234&postcount=13

There was a trend lately where there was less and less organic chemistry on the mcat. That trend died in August 2010. You maybe just maybe could take the mcat without ochem2, but even then it would cost you either points or time, and the advice in this thread is that you need to have a strong mcat.

I am a good self learner. I tried reviewing organic for the mcat early, and I couldn't make heads or tails of the subject. I finally came to the realization that the best mcat preparation is to do well in the pre-reqs. So I spent the last school year going through the trials and tribulations of every organic chemistry student, learning how to push electrons and remove protons. I did very well in class, I did very well on the ACS Organic final exam, and now I breeze through the organic sections of practice mcats, even those that cover late second-semester topics. It is free points and it buys me a lot of time for the complicated bio passages.

You are posting in the non-trad forum, so I assume you aren't going to enter medical school at age 22. What is another year, really? You've already show the adcoms that you can do it wrong with physics. Now is the time to show them that you can do it right with a good ochem grade and with a strong mcat score.

 

[mmdp]

Don't take it from me, take it from an expert:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5254234&postcount=13

There was a trend lately where there was less and less organic chemistry on the mcat. That trend died in August 2010. You maybe just maybe could take the mcat without ochem2, but even then it would cost you either points or time, and the advice in this thread is that you need to have a strong mcat.

I am a good self learner. I tried reviewing organic for the mcat early, and I couldn't make heads or tails of the subject. I finally came to the realization that the best mcat preparation is to do well in the pre-reqs. So I spent the last school year going through the trials and tribulations of every organic chemistry student, learning how to push electrons and remove protons. I did very well in class, I did very well on the ACS Organic final exam, and now I breeze through the organic sections of practice mcats, even those that cover late second-semester topics. It is free points and it buys me a lot of time for the complicated bio passages.

You are posting in the non-trad forum, so I assume you aren't going to enter medical school at age 22. What is another year, really? You've already show the adcoms that you can do it wrong with physics. Now is the time to show them that you can do it right with a good ochem grade and with a strong mcat score.

Thanks for the advice, however, its either orgo summer intensive and a possibly low gpa due to it, or I risk studying my b*tt off for the mcat and doing the mcat prep course. It's a difficult decision but I have to do one of these for sure. I've already lost at least 2 years with some bad "W" decisions. I'm 29 now.

 

[QofQuimica]

Thanks for the advice, however, its either orgo summer intensive and a possibly low gpa due to it, or I risk studying my b*tt off for the mcat and doing the mcat prep course. It's a difficult decision but I have to do one of these for sure. I've already lost at least 2 years with some bad "W" decisions. I'm 29 now.

So what if you're 29 now? You don't turn into a pumpkin at age 30. You also don't win a prize for starting med school at 30 instead of 31.

Yielding to this tendency to want to rush through the premed process as fast as possible is probably the best way I can think of to help yourself wind up in academic trouble in terms of low grades, low MCAT scores, or both. If getting into medical school is what you really want to do, then it's worth giving yourself the very best possible chance of success. Among other things, that means doing the academic requirements in the proper order.

As MT said, the best way to prep for the MCAT is to do well in the prereqs. These premed courses are called *prereqs* and not "co-reqs" or "postreqs" for a very good reason. The MCAT test-makers assume that you have completed all four of the prereqs before you take the test, and those four subjects are the core set of knowledge that you will be tested on. Thus, taking the prereqs first will give you the foundation that you need in order to do well on the test. You will then want to take an additional 1-3 months for test prep, depending on how much review you need and whether you will be studying full-time or part-time.

The next step after that is to put together a strong app, including starting your PS draft by March at the latest, getting your LORs together, and obtaining transcripts from all schools you have attended. Your primary app should ideally be submitted in early June. Obviously, you won't be able to do any of these things with a late summer MCAT, and that may be a major handicap to your app as interview slots start to fill and acceptances are given out. Think about this: there will already be people getting acceptances in October by the time you're just ready to start applying.

Don't get me wrong--I know where you're coming from very well. I was the exact same age as you are when I was at your point in the process. I took a late MCAT in Aug. 2004 (at age 29) and got my score in Oct. I decided to wait to apply until June 2005 (at the ancient age of 30!) rather than try to be a late applicant in 2004. I did this in spite of the fact that I had a stellar MCAT score beyond what I could have possibly imagined prior to starting my test prep. Obviously, I can't go back and redo the experiment to see how successful I would have been had I pushed to apply late in 2004. But if I had it to do over, I would still wait the extra year. I'm telling you this as a resident at age 36. 🙂

 

[mmdp]

So what if you're 29 now? You don't turn into a pumpkin at age 30. You also don't win a prize for starting med school at 30 instead of 31.

Yielding to this tendency to want to rush through the premed process as fast as possible is probably the best way I can think of to help yourself wind up in academic trouble in terms of low grades, low MCAT scores, or both. If getting into medical school is what you really want to do, then it's worth giving yourself the very best possible chance of success. Among other things, that means doing the academic requirements in the proper order.

As MT said, the best way to prep for the MCAT is to do well in the prereqs. These premed courses are called *prereqs* and not "co-reqs" or "postreqs" for a very good reason. The MCAT test-makers assume that you have completed all four of the prereqs before you take the test, and those four subjects are the core set of knowledge that you will be tested on. Thus, taking the prereqs first will give you the foundation that you need in order to do well on the test. You will then want to take an additional 1-3 months for test prep, depending on how much review you need and whether you will be studying full-time or part-time.

The next step after that is to put together a strong app, including starting your PS draft by March at the latest, getting your LORs together, and obtaining transcripts from all schools you have attended. Your primary app should ideally be submitted in early June. Obviously, you won't be able to do any of these things with a late summer MCAT, and that may be a major handicap to your app as interview slots start to fill and acceptances are given out. Think about this: there will already be people getting acceptances in October by the time you're just ready to start applying.

Don't get me wrong--I know where you're coming from very well. I was the exact same age as you are when I was at your point in the process. I took a late MCAT in Aug. 2004 (at age 29) and got my score in Oct. I decided to wait to apply until June 2005 (at the ancient age of 30!) rather than try to be a late applicant in 2004. I did this in spite of the fact that I had a stellar MCAT score beyond what I could have possibly imagined prior to starting my test prep. Obviously, I can't go back and redo the experiment to see how successful I would have been had I pushed to apply late in 2004. But if I had it to do over, I would still wait the extra year. I'm telling you this as a resident at age 36. 🙂

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my post...reading your advice really makes me realize how important it is to make the right decision here and not rush in this process. I will have to forward this to a couple of people I know because it's such excellent advice (and all the more meaningful coming from someone who has gone through this process). My husband is still on board with this process so I guess another year won't make a difference. Thank you very very much. 🙂

 

[QofQuimica]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my post...reading your advice really makes me realize how important it is to make the right decision here and not rush in this process. I will have to forward this to a couple of people I know because it's such excellent advice (and all the more meaningful coming from someone who has gone through this process). My husband is still on board with this process so I guess another year won't make a difference. Thank you very very much. 🙂

You're welcome.

I also realized that no one answered your other question about clinical experience. No, it doesn't matter if you volunteer in a doctor's office instead of in a hospital. As long as you are spending time in a setting where you are around physicians and patients, then you are getting the kind of clinical experience that adcoms want to see from applicants. The time you spent at the mental health clinic would also be considered clinical experience.

 

[mmdp]

You're welcome.

I also realized that no one answered your other question about clinical experience. No, it doesn't matter if you volunteer in a doctor's office instead of in a hospital. As long as you are spending time in a setting where you are around physicians and patients, then you are getting the kind of clinical experience that adcoms want to see from applicants. The time you spent at the mental health clinic would also be considered clinical experience.

Sounds good, thanks again! 😍