is this going to work out?

[as20gp]

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Hey everyone!! Im gonna be a freshman this fall and i just got back from orientation where i planned my schedule n stuff. My major is psychology and i am planning to apply to med school in the future..but im not taking any science classes this semester. my advisor thought i should wait until next semester. is this ok? wat years did you take which sciences? thanks

 

[Medikit]

Hey everyone!! Im gonna be a freshman this fall and i just got back from orientation where i planned my schedule n stuff. My major is psychology and i am planning to apply to med school in the future..but im not taking any science classes this semester. my advisor thought i should wait until next semester. is this ok? wat years did you take which sciences? thanks

Try to use better English, it makes it easier for everyone that reads your posts. Using lowercase letters in place of words and omitting apostrophes works for chatting but on a message board there is plenty of time to take care of such things.

If you don't plan on taking a science class this semester then you probably won't be ready for the MCAT until your senior year. You must take the MCAT before you apply to medical school and you must apply to medical school a year before you plan to attend. I didn't apply until my senior year and I'm earning a double major with my extra year.

Good Luck.

 

[as20gp]

I didn't realize I had to be so formal. Sorry, I guess. Thanks for your advice (Is that better?)

 

[Medikit]

I didn't realize I had to be so formal. Sorry, I guess. Thanks for your advice (Is that better?)

It's normal message board etiquette. The only thing we have to go on is your writing and it's hard to take you seriously if you make it look like trash. This is much better 👍

 

[Agent Splat]

I think you'll be fine if that's what you want to do. For the first year and a half of my college career, I took art and communication courses for a photography major. Then I only took one science course towards my premed requirement to see if I really wanted to get into the biology stuff. I'll be finishing up my BS after a total of five years of undergrad. Medikit is right about what he said regarding the MCAT, however...the delay in science courses put this behind for me....didn't take it until my senior year.

Basic summary of what I went through

Freshman year: Photography/Art, Communication courses, and some gen eds

Sophomore: More communication courses and gen eds...then Principles of Biology after changing my major

Junior: Bio 2 and upper level bio courses like physiology and genetics, principles of chem and more gen eds

Senior (first year): Organic chem, physics, more gen eds and upper level bio, and Latin just for giggles. This is the year I took the MCAT.

Super Senior (second year): still more upper level bio and chem, gen eds, another EMT course.

A lot of people who know what they want right away take bio and chem the first year, then organic chem their second year...at least that's how it is at my school. Personally I'm glad I sorta split my Principles of Bio and Chem classes up a bit, since I really had to work to get strong in my sciences at first.

Overall, you have to do what you're most comfortable with.

Best Wishes,
--Marc

 

[IndyZX]

Hah, someone's a little petsypeevy.

as20gp: Yeah, that won't be a problem. You have plenty of time to fulfill your pre-reqs. I waited until the beginning of my sophomore year (when I decided to go into Medicine), and I was able to finish my pre-med stuff by the end of my junior year. Given that Psychology is a pretty easy major, you'll be fine.

 

[IndyZX]

By the way, I'd stay off this message board until at least the MCAT comes around. It'll do nothing but bad things to you.

 

[Agent Splat]

By the way, I'd stay off this message board until at least the MCAT comes around. It'll do nothing but bad things to you.

I'll third that. Honestly. You'll go crazy. I'm getting there. Just take the classes you need and do your best.

 

[hnbui]

hey i'm a incoming freshman too. what school will you be attending?

 

[as20gp]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your advice.

 

[as20gp]

I'm going to the University of Maryland, you?

 

[hnbui]

tulane...
tulane college more spec.

u maryland is a great school. awsome. Do you have aim?

 

[Medikit]

Super Senior (second year):

That's what it's called? Okay I'm going to start calling myself that.

Hah, someone's a little petsypeevy.

Just trying to keep this place readable.

By the way, I'd stay off this message board until at least the MCAT comes around. It'll do nothing but bad things to you.

Fourthed

 

[futuremsfdoc]

It's normal message board etiquette. The only thing we have to go on is your writing and it's hard to take you seriously if you make it look like trash. This is much better 👍

i guess nobody takes me seriously then. 😎 actually, i think the only etiquette people should use on message boards is correct english punctuation. commas and apostrophes are good things, but capitalizing is unnecessary, imho.

 

[Medikit]

i guess nobody takes me seriously then. 😎 actually, i think the only etiquette people should use on message boards is correct english punctuation. commas and apostrophes are good things, but capitalizing is unnecessary, imho.

There are plenty of message boards out there where people talk just like they do when they use instant messenger.

http://www.somethingawful.com/weekendweb/

 

[Agent Splat]

That's what it's called? Okay I'm going to start calling myself that.

Well, that's what all the COOL fifth year seniors are calling themselves.

 

[YML]

i actually reccomed taking both bio and chem freshman year, thats what i did!
then in the summer between freshman and sophmore years you can take physics, and in the summer between sophmore and junior years take the mcat. That way if you screw up the MCAT the first time round you wont be wasting anytime and youll still be able to retake it without loosing a year.

Having said that, its all up to how much work you can handle, and still enjoy your time in college.

its a toughh balance but if you can do it, it may be advantageous

 

[hnbui]

i actually reccomed taking both bio and chem freshman year, thats what i did!
then in the summer between freshman and sophmore years you can take physics, and in the summer between sophmore and junior years take the mcat. That way if you screw up the MCAT the first time round you wont be wasting anytime and youll still be able to retake it without loosing a year.

Having said that, its all up to how much work you can handle, and still enjoy your time in college.

its a toughh balance but if you can do it, it may be advantageous

i thought that med school reccomend taking the mcat only once...... 😕

 

[Giving My .02]

i actually reccomed taking both bio and chem freshman year, thats what i did!
then in the summer between freshman and sophmore years you can take physics, and in the summer between sophmore and junior years take the mcat. That way if you screw up the MCAT the first time round you wont be wasting anytime and youll still be able to retake it without loosing a year.

Having said that, its all up to how much work you can handle, and still enjoy your time in college.

its a toughh balance but if you can do it, it may be advantageous

I did the same, but took physics and organic my sophomore year. I would try to get into at least Chem, because staying out a year, also places you behind in organic. I also agree this board is not good for someone who is just a "fish". Best advice, start out working hard. I thought I was going out of my mind with my first semester taking a 18 hour load and working 20 hours a week (to help pay for those classes). That meant little social life, but it was worth it. And those who didn't work hard, ended up dropping out of the pre-med life, at least most did. (I only know of only one person at my school with a 3.8+ GPA, and only studied for like two days for the MCAT and made a 34+ that could party most of the other time and still do well). Best advice, this is not the norm. Lastly, I wouldn't suggest starting out with 18 hours.

 

[velo]

The advice other people gave is fine, but I'd like to add that I think you should add a 2nd major. Psychology is not the hardest major in the world (go to any sorority house and ask them their major) and, I don't know, it just sounds a bit weak. A friend of mine was majoring in physiology with me, and during sophmore year he did some research in a psych lab and decided to tack on a psychology major as well. He easily graduated on time, and told me a couple of times "I don't know how people just major in psych, its just not a lot of work."

Say you add a major in a life science...between doing the psych major and the pre-med reqs that you're already planning on doing, you'll probably only have to take a handful of extra classes to get a 2nd major. I'd look into it.

 

[hnbui]

I did the same, but took physics and organic my sophomore year. I would try to get into at least Chem, because staying out a year, also places you behind in organic. I also agree this board is not good for someone who is just a "fish". Best advice, start out working hard. I thought I was going out of my mind with my first semester taking a 18 hour load and working 20 hours a week (to help pay for those classes). That meant little social life, but it was worth it. And those who didn't work hard, ended up dropping out of the pre-med life, at least most did. (I only know of only one person at my school with a 3.8+ GPA, and only studied for like two days for the MCAT and made a 34+ that could party most of the other time and still do well). Best advice, this is not the norm. Lastly, I wouldn't suggest starting out with 18 hours.

hey i'm planning to do the same thing. The physics and organic chem in my sophomore year that is. How were the two claases for you? was it hard?

I was originally going to take physics I spring semester of my sophomore year and psysics II fall semester of my junior year but then i found out that phsysics I is only offered during the fall semester, and physics II only during the spring semester.

so basically inorder to take all the classes required for the mcat i will have to take organic chem and physics in the same year.....

 

[hnbui]

The advice other people gave is fine, but I'd like to add that I think you should add a 2nd major. Psychology is not the hardest major in the world (go to any sorority house and ask them their major) and, I don't know, it just sounds a bit weak. A friend of mine was majoring in physiology with me, and during sophmore year he did some research in a psych lab and decided to tack on a psychology major as well. He easily graduated on time, and told me a couple of times "I don't know how people just major in psych, its just not a lot of work."

Say you add a major in a life science...between doing the psych major and the pre-med reqs that you're already planning on doing, you'll probably only have to take a handful of extra classes to get a 2nd major. I'd look into it.

doesn't psychology vary from school to school? Also it depends on how many classes are required for the psychology major at uni of maryland. Plus he has to take the distribution classes into mind.

 

[Medikit]

doesn't psychology vary from school to school? Also it depends on how many classes are required for the psychology major at uni of maryland. Plus he has to take the distribution classes into mind.

I wouldn't worry about it. Psychology classes are really fun and social science majors appear to fair well on applications. You may find that all the extra science classes you have to take will make you wish you majored in science, though. It might take you five years of undergrad too, but I don't consider that a bad thing.

 

[hnbui]

I wouldn't worry about it. Psychology classes are really fun and social science majors appear to fair well on applications. You may find that all the extra science classes you have to take will make you wish you majored in science, though. It might take you five years of undergrad too, but I don't consider that a bad thing.

yeah

i'm planning to major in neuroscience and minor in psychology and maybe another minor in cell and molecular biology.

Let's see if i can do it within 4 years 😀

 

[rockit]

I go to Maryland right now. Gonna be a senior and am applying right now. PM me, because there's a lot of stuff you should know, and I don't want to bother the others with UMD stuff.

 

[AlternateSome1]

I did not decide to go to medical school until the middle of my sophomore fall semester. I had taken plenty of math courses, but no other prerequisites. In order to fit them in, I took them in the following order (all with labs):

Sophomore Spring:
Bio 2
Chem 1

Sophomore Summer Session 1:
Physics 1

Sophomore Summer Session 2:
Physics 2
Chem 2

Junior Fall:
Bio 1
Ochem 1
English (Technical Writing)

Junior Spring:
Ochem 2
English (Shakespeare)

Senior Fall:
Biochemistry

My main problem was that the summer sessions were a big financial burden. If you wait until your sophomore year to start taking prereqs (besides math and english), you should be able to fit everything in without a problem. You can take chemistry and biology sophomore year, and ochem and physics junior year. I hope this helps.

EDIT: I took the MCAT April of my Junior year and graduated and applied at the standard times.