How many science/math classes in undergrad?

[isupsych253]

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Hi guys,

I am in my 4th year in my undergraduate studies with a psychology major. I have not taken a lot of chem, bio, physics, etc courses, and if I did, it was when I was a freshman for general education requirements and I didn't do excellent in them. I've recently been thinking about going the M.D. or D.O. instead of the Ph.D. (I know it may be too late), but I have a 3.5 GPA with a double major and a lot of research experience in psych, what do I need to do to have a shot at med school?

 

[aSagacious]

As long as you have completed the pre-requisite classes (bio I/II, chem I/II, orgo I/II, physics I/II, labs for all of the above, and a few others) you should be fine. For more specific information for each school I suggest purchasing a copy of the MSAR (https://services.aamc.org/30/msar/home) and looking at 'selection factors.'

Edit: I didn't see this line at first

I have not taken a lot of chem, bio, physics, etc courses, and if I did, it was when I was a freshman for general education requirements and I didn't do excellent in them.

So, where does your science GPA currently stand?

 

[isupsych253]

As long as you have completed the pre-requisite classes (bio I/II, chem I/II, orgo I/II, physics I/II, labs for all of the above, and a few others) you should be fine. For more specific information for each school I suggest purchasing a copy of the MSAR (https://services.aamc.org/30/msar/home) and looking at 'selection factors.'

I have completed a couple of those courses, but I don't think I did well enough to be applying for med school. So how many more semesters do you think it would take to complete the required courses? I guess I didn't put in the effort that I wished I would have back then because I never thought of applying to med school 3 years ago (hindsight's 20/20 I guess).

Also, I am a bit concerned with once I actually GET to med school. Must a person be a math/science wiz to be successful in med school? I've heard so many arguments about this one it's unbeleivable.

 

[aSagacious]

So how many more semesters do you think it would take to complete the required courses?

If you have hardly taken any of the pre-reqs, two years seems to be about average. Here are some data regarding typical GPAs, majors, etc. https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/

Also, I am a bit concerned with once I actually GET to med school. Must a person be a math/science wiz to be successful in med school?

You certainly have to be a science wiz (maybe not so much math) to excel in med school. Now, that's not to say that only science majors do well (many studies have shown that undergraduate major is irrelevant to med school success) but you still must have the capacity to do well in science classes once in med school.

 

[sctrojansgirl]

Since you haven't completed too many of the pre-reqs, you might want to do a post-bac which will help keep you on track. My friend is in a post-bac program that takes 1 year to complete.

 

[aSagacious]

Since you haven't completed too many of the pre-reqs, you might want to do a post-bac which will help keep you on track.

If you decide to go the route of a structured post-bac, it would be worth your time to check these out:

'Post-bacc FAQ'
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=114425
'Postbaccalaureate Programs"
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=71

 

[estradiol9]

I agree with doing a post-bacc program. You can take the prereqs you haven't already taken and retake the ones you did poorly in and also raise your gpa. Your undergraduate gpa will still be important though so if you haven't graduated yet, take the opportunity to take some more classes and raise your gpa.

Also.. have you taken the MCAT yet? If you do well, it can help you tremendously. If you do poorly, it can make you even less competitive.