Is med school still worth going for if I'm taking only core science classes now?

[439634]

---

Members don't see this ad.

.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

You send them transcripts, so obviously they'll see it, and see how well you end up doing.

 

[439634]

.

 

[Josh7]

thanks. anybody else, more input??

I don't really see what the question here is. The adcoms will see that you were only taking 3 courses a semester but you can obviously compliment that with a lot of extracurriculars.

Also is "pre-med" actually a major?

 

[Purple2012]

Why wouldn't med school still be worth it?
Couldn't you explore your interests and add a major?
Then you have more classes to take and you can use the extra time to build ECs.

 

[EvenStevens]

I don't really see what the question here is. The adcoms will see that you were only taking 3 courses a semester but you can obviously compliment that with a lot of extracurriculars.

Also is "pre-med" actually a major?

at some schools it is a "major" in that it just lays out your schedule to fulfill the pre reqs, i don't think you get any kind of degree though

 

[La Presse]

at some schools it is a "major" in that it just lays out your schedule to fulfill the pre reqs, i don't think you get any kind of degree though

At my school, it is called Biology--Option 4 (pre-everything)

 

[439634]

.

 

[hmoactktey]

Pretty much every pre-med takes 3+ science classes a semester. I don't understand what the huge dilemma is.

 

[439634]

.

 

[Jamie561]

I'm not under the semester system. I said I'm doing the quarter system

I think the point is that a full load of science courses will not score you additional brownie points. You're applying to medical school for goodness sake.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

 

[yankee4life]

Pretty much every pre-med takes 3+ science classes a semester. I don't understand what the huge dilemma is.

what school do you go to?? THREE plus?

 

[hmoactktey]

what school do you go to?? THREE plus?

Yes, 3+. What school do you go to where you don't?

 

[Ismet]

Yes, 3+. What school do you go to where you don't?

The only time I took 3 sciences in a semester was my freshman year, and that's if you count Calc 1-2 as sciences. I majored in a science as well as completed the pre-med requirements and I never had to take more than 2 sciences in a semester.

 

[439634]

.

 

[neekzg]

What does it really matter if adcoms look favorably on this? You said it's your only choice. Plenty of people at UCLA take some of their pre-reqs during junior year, but since you're done with GEs I guess there's not much else to do unless you want to take upper divs. I highly doubt you're gonna be able to get all the classes you want unless you have a super good enrollment time.

 

[mehc012]

Can't you take other, non-science classes that interest you?

 

[Law2Doc]

Let me re-summarize my question one more time since people seem to still be confused.

The typical load a UCLA undergrad pre-med student takes in one quarter is: 2 science core classes and 1 GE.

Unfortunately, I am done with all my GE's, so if I take the pre-med route, I will have no other choice but to take 3 science core classes every quarter for this upcoming school year. Will adcoms look favorably upon this one rigorous school year if I do well? (of course while on the sideline I am volunteering, doing research, etc.)

Med schools don't care if you were technically "premed", and as long as you are a full time student, they really don't focus on how rigorous your curricula was. They want you to take all the prereqs before you attend, and want to see you get mostly A's in them. Many people get in each year taking the minimum prereqs and otherwise majoring in totally unrelated things that some premeds might even regard as gut courses, such as art, social sciences, religion, dance. Med schools like their classes to be filled with diverse majors, so the theology major who aces his prereqs is going to have at least as easy a time as the hardcore premed who takes every bio course available. And the relative rigor of course loads isn't something people focus on usually. Does the adcom know that taking bio, chem and physics simultaneously is harder than taking bio along with sociology and anthropology? No. Do they really care? no. Don't kid yourself. Do what you need to get A's because at the end it's the GPA, not the perceived rigor of the schedule that will win the day. Honestly, you could spend n extra year and take these at a slower pace and as long as you get A's med school isn't going to have a problem with that. Lots of people spend postbac years taking this stuff at a more relaxed pace and the issue of rigor never comes up.

 

[NewYorker9]

For me it was something like this . . .

Freshman Year: 2 science courses/semester
Sophomore Year: 3 science courses/semester
Junior Year: 3 science courses/semester
Senior Year: 2 science courses/semester

Plus additional courses to bring me up to full-time status. I guess I'm missing the question here, because 3 science courses a semester/quarter is not uncommon. I would be doing it again senior year for a double major but I don't see that benefiting my application and would rather take gen ed classes that teach me practical skill/knowledge before I'm thrown into the world of medical school.

 

[yankee4life]

Yes, 3+. What school do you go to where you don't?

An LAC. I've taken 2 every semester

 

[gmcguitar4]

Honestly, don't make your schedule too rigorous. Just concentrate on getting straight A's. Having a rigorous transcript riddled with B's and A- won't compare to straight A's and an easy schedule.