How "required" are required courses?

[dramanaut9518]

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[Goro]

You have to take and pass the required courses prior to matriculation

 

[Blueprint Med School]

They are very required, especially biochem. A school may rescind your acceptance if you aren't able to have all of the prerequisites in before matriculation.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[KnightDoc]

They are very required, especially biochem. A school may rescind your acceptance if you aren't able to have all of the prerequisites in before matriculation.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

This^^^^^^. You really need to reach out to every school that is a possibility for you and see whether you can swing a waiver, or whether it's recommended rather than required before you miss the opportunity to take it somewhere in the spring if you need to. If it's required and you don't either have a waiver or the class, you will lose your seat prior to matriculation.

You're definitely not overthinking it, and obviously, it won't be waste of time if the alternative is finding another career or being forced to reapply in another cycle and have to explain why you were forced to give up an acceptance. Good luck!!!

 

[dramanaut9518]

Wow, I had no idea. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

 

[Goro]

Wow, I had no idea. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Out of curiosity, what did you think "required" meant?

 

[dramanaut9518]

Out of curiosity, what did you think "required" meant?

idk man I was on some powerful psychedelics

 

[dramanaut9518]

Out of curiosity, what did you think "required" meant?

In all seriousness though, I contacted one school and they said it means "strongly recommended," so students can still get in without it. And I made the stupid mistake of extrapolating that logic to all schools that require courses. In theory, if I get an acceptance from a school that requires biochem, do you think taking it in Summer 2021 before matriculation would be okay? Or would you advise taking it next semester?

 

[KnightDoc]

In all seriousness though, I contacted one school and they said it means "strongly recommended," so students can still get in without it. And I made the stupid mistake of extrapolating that logic to all schools that require courses. In theory, if I get an acceptance from a school that requires biochem, do you think taking it in Summer 2021 before matriculation would be okay? Or would you advise taking it next semester?

I would advise calling the schools rather than relying on the advice of anonymous strangers here. 😎

Of course, the safe thing would be to just take it in the spring. If you like to live on the edge, you might very well be okay, but, if not, you need to know before next summer. Med schools start anywhere from June through August, so you might not have time to take a summer class and get the official transcript to them in time for orientation, depending on when med school would start and when your summer session would end. In any event, that would really be cutting it close if it came down to that.

 

[Goro]

In all seriousness though, I contacted one school and they said it means "strongly recommended," so students can still get in without it. And I made the stupid mistake of extrapolating that logic to all schools that require courses. In theory, if I get an acceptance from a school that requires biochem, do you think taking it in Summer 2021 before matriculation would be okay? Or would you advise taking it next semester?

If you haven't taken the MCAT yet, I strongly urge you to take the Biochem course first. If you have, then take it in the spring...better to do that and not have the pressure of having to do well just prior to matriculation.