Hey everyone,
It's my first post on this page so forgive me if I violate any existing conventions. I've been navigating through my pre-med coursework and am pretty sure that I covered all my bases but have not been able to get a straight answer in terms of the math requirement for different medical schools.
I'm not gunning for any medical school in particular but I want to make sure I set myself up well for different scholarships and/or schools for obvious reasons. I'm looking at a few California medical schools and know they have some stringent requirements so any input for UC schools specifically would be very much appreciated.
I took BC Calculus (Calculus I + II) in high school and scored a '5' on the AP exam. My transcript says that I have credit for calculus I + II and my University only accepts 5s so a medical school could probably deduce my score. I also took multivariable calculus at my University but have no other math courses under my belt.
In this regard:
a. Assuming a University requires two semesters of math but does not accept AP credit, would statistics satisfy the remaining semester requirement or should I take linear algebra and/or differential equations?
b. If statistics could satisfy the two-semester requirement, would biostatistics (offered through my University's Biology department) count towards the requirement even though it is not technically labeled "MATH"?
c. I assume I will need to take statistics at some point. Which statistics course should I take? I could take biostatistics (likely the most useful but not technically a math course), introductory stats (the equivalent of AP Stats; would be an easy 'A'), or statistics for math majors (likely out of my comfort zone). Would taking a more challenging statistics course prove worthwhile in the application process or could it simply come at the expense of my other classes/personal life/GPA/etc.?
d. Would it be useful to take statistics before really buckling down for the MCAT or is it not that integral to the test? I likely wouldn't be able to get into biostatistics until Junior Spring because it's just a tough class to get into but I don't know if waiting such a long time is a great idea if I plan to take the MCAT after my junior year.
Sorry for the long post! Let me know if you have any useful feedback!
It's my first post on this page so forgive me if I violate any existing conventions. I've been navigating through my pre-med coursework and am pretty sure that I covered all my bases but have not been able to get a straight answer in terms of the math requirement for different medical schools.
I'm not gunning for any medical school in particular but I want to make sure I set myself up well for different scholarships and/or schools for obvious reasons. I'm looking at a few California medical schools and know they have some stringent requirements so any input for UC schools specifically would be very much appreciated.
I took BC Calculus (Calculus I + II) in high school and scored a '5' on the AP exam. My transcript says that I have credit for calculus I + II and my University only accepts 5s so a medical school could probably deduce my score. I also took multivariable calculus at my University but have no other math courses under my belt.
In this regard:
a. Assuming a University requires two semesters of math but does not accept AP credit, would statistics satisfy the remaining semester requirement or should I take linear algebra and/or differential equations?
b. If statistics could satisfy the two-semester requirement, would biostatistics (offered through my University's Biology department) count towards the requirement even though it is not technically labeled "MATH"?
c. I assume I will need to take statistics at some point. Which statistics course should I take? I could take biostatistics (likely the most useful but not technically a math course), introductory stats (the equivalent of AP Stats; would be an easy 'A'), or statistics for math majors (likely out of my comfort zone). Would taking a more challenging statistics course prove worthwhile in the application process or could it simply come at the expense of my other classes/personal life/GPA/etc.?
d. Would it be useful to take statistics before really buckling down for the MCAT or is it not that integral to the test? I likely wouldn't be able to get into biostatistics until Junior Spring because it's just a tough class to get into but I don't know if waiting such a long time is a great idea if I plan to take the MCAT after my junior year.
Sorry for the long post! Let me know if you have any useful feedback!
