Med school prerequisites

[asdasd12345]

I have checked out the average med school classes that you should take to get in Calc, Gen Chem 1/2, Gen Bio 1/2, Organic 1/2, biochem. but are there any other courses that you probably should take to higher chances of being accepted?

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[AlternateSome1]

English Composition? Biochemistry is usually a good one to take, as long as you can get a good grade in it. Beyond those two, take whatever you enjoy.


~AS1~

 

[Drakensoul]

Biochem is a requirement for a good number of them..

 

[ify]

I've also read somewhere that some schools like statistics, though I don't see why.

 

[Dr. Chiquita]

If you are thinking Harvard-HST, need to show math competency by taking differential cal, linear algebra, etc. I hear.

 

[nycgal]

Don't forget physics 1/2...yuck

 

[pjm]

the "average" requirements look like this:

physics 1 yr with lab
gen chem 1 yr with lab
org chem 1 yr with lab
bio 1 yr with lab
calculus 1/2 yr
english or writing 1/2 yr (1 yr? not sure)

biochem is a bonus for most, a requirement for some. (including UMich, I think.)

Some secondary applications present a form with the categories above and ask you to indicate which courses fulfill which requirement. This lets the school quickly determine which ones you are missing.

Do not ignore the "with lab" component. I didn't take lab courses through ugrad, and I made most of them up in postbacc.

Asking med schools about "will you let me in if I don't have X" is interesting. Some are flexible, others are not. Many say they are not, but are actually more flexible than they seem. Overall, the adcom does not care about missing course X or Y, they want to make sure you have a broad life science background. I am told that UC Davis is one of the most strict about prereqs.

For each individual school's prereqs, get a copy of the big AAMC book (the MSAR). The new one is just coming out now, there is a nearby thread discussing when it will be available.

 

[emorygirl04]

Genetics.

 

[avicoo]

Originally posted by emorygirl04
Genetics.

Yeah. I thought back when they said they were going to add genetics to the MCAT that they were actually going to add in a bunch of genetics not just one or two questions straight from basic biology classes. Are they phasing more in?

 

[asdasd12345]

does it have to be physics with calculus or just general physics without calc? not that i have a problem with calc.

 

[2112_rush]

I don't think they're required, but I thought Cell Physiology and A&P were helpful for the MCAT, and to a lesser extent Mircro. I think going beyond the minimum requirements for med school will only help your application, but I doubt it would make or break you.