Michigan Undergraduate Schedule and MCAT Preparation

[jpdaman11]

Hello SDN,

It's been awhile since I've used SDN correctly, so I hope I'm posting in the right section. Anyways, I'm finishing up my freshman year at U of M. I finished Orgo I and Orgo II, Bio 172 (Cellular and Molecular), Psychology, and Sociology for my MCAT (along with other small classes not related to it). I will most likely be taking P Chem and Genetics in the spring and summer semesters contained in the summer (weirdly worded, but two 8-week semesters are in the summer period, and I plan to take one class in each 8-week period). I will be taking Biochem 310 in the fall semester, along with Physics I. In the winter semester, I will take Animal Physiology and Physics II. Is there anything else I can take that will possibly help with the new MCAT? Also, what are some "GPA booster" classes I can take along with those classes? My final question is should I do the Orgo and Bio MCAT prep during my sophomore year, or should I wait until the summer to do it all together? In the summer after sophomore year, I plan to take a Kaplan course for 2 months, then study independently until I take it in the end of August (hopefully).

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[takeurmeds02]

Looks like you skipped over general chemistry which is still a big part of the mcat..did I miss that? Also, not sure that you would get much benefit from taking P chem in prep for mcat.

You could probably do a light review of orgo/bio review to segue into kaplan course/dedicated mcat study but I would focus more on classes at hand

 

[avgn]

How'd your grades turn out? Very curious since you disappeared after last summer

No p-chem. **** is useless and a grade killer. Seriously. Best advice you'll get all morning
Animal physiology? Why not just do regular (i.e., human) phys? You care about dogs and reptiles and ****?
Take a history class or something else with a heavy reading load. Helps for CARS and many premeds struggle with VR
Just study over the summer as you have planned. 2 months is perfect pace

Keep in mind your plan is going to fill up 2 out of 3 college summers just like that *snap* which many other people are using to do research and beef up other ECs. Don't slack on that front

 

[jpdaman11]

How'd your grades turn out? Very curious since you disappeared after last summer

No p-chem. **** is useless and a grade killer. Seriously. Best advice you'll get all morning
Animal physiology? Why not just do regular (i.e., human) phys? You care about dogs and reptiles and ****?
Take a history class or something else with a heavy reading load. Helps for CARS and many premeds struggle with VR
Just study over the summer as you have planned. 2 months is perfect pace

Keep in mind your plan is going to fill up 2 out of 3 college summers just like that *snap* which many other people are using to do research and beef up other ECs. Don't slack on that front

Animal Phys takes out the requirement for my major. My advisor and others have told me that it's almost exactly the same as human phys, it's a lot easier, and it really helps on the MCAT. I'll message you about the EC's that I've been doing since they're abstract programs I started myself, and I trust you with that information. I heard P Chem is on the MCAT, but if its useless, to **** with it. I heard it's tough as ****. Anyways, I'll look into some heavy reading classes, I'll have to ask around for some suggestions on what I should take. You always pull through with advice. Thank you

 

[jpdaman11]

Looks like you skipped over general chemistry which is still a big part of the mcat..did I miss that? Also, not sure that you would get much benefit from taking P chem in prep for mcat.

You could probably do a light review of orgo/bio review to segue into kaplan course/dedicated mcat study but I would focus more on classes at hand

I tested out of gen chem. Maybe a light review of that during sophomore year will be useful?

 

[takeurmeds02]

I tested out of gen chem. Maybe a light review of that during sophomore year will be useful?

Yeah, I would strongly recommend using your time to get a good review of gen chem.

 

[avgn]

I tested out of gen chem. Maybe a light review of that during sophomore year will be useful?

The answer is TBR (The Berkeley Reviee). Read through the gen chem book, do the questions, and you'll be good to go. Same for physics. TBR and Kaplan tests are all you need for the physical sciences.

The only good thing about doing p-chem would be that you'll review the quantitative parts of gen chem (that's essentially what p-chem is: equilibrium, kinetics, electrochem, therm on crack). But it goes into a level of detail and difficulty you will never encounter in this life as a medical professional

 

[Affiche]

The chemistry sequence at Michigan is gem chem- ochem 1- ochem 2- pchem. You have to take pchem or you won't meet the 4 semester chemistry requirement at a large number of med schools.

 

[7331poas]

The chemistry sequence at Michigan is gem chem- ochem 1- ochem 2- pchem. You have to take pchem or you won't meet the 4 semester chemistry requirement at a large number of med schools.

Pchem is definitely not necessary for med school. The 4 semester requirement was fulfilled when he takes the biochems.

 

[7331poas]

I like that you're trying to correct me on the requirements of my own alma mater 🙄

I graduated from Michigan and will be matriculating into medical school this fall. You are wrong. Pchem is definitely not required for medical school (duh), but at Michigan, it is required in order to complete the full 4 semesters of chemistry required for medical school.

The 4 semester requirement is not fulfilled by taking biochemistry except by maybe a small number of schools; many medical schools will require you to take biochemistry in addition to the 4 semesters of chemistry. The large majority of schools will require you to take two semesters of general chemistry, which at Michigan, means taking/getting credit for Chem 130 (gen chem) and Chem 230/260 (pchem).

OP, please do not listen to other pre-meds on this forum who are unfamiliar with 1. the unique chemistry sequence at Michigan and 2. general pre-med requirements at different medical schools.

Edit: OP, do yourself a favor and take Chem 230. It's called "baby p-chem" at Michigan and is really not that bad (I tutored it). The only school that I know of that will substitute Biochem for Gen Chem II is Boston U, but you really don't want to limit the number of schools you can apply to over one class.

Are these requirements UMich sets on their own premeds in order to apply? How can a UG institution place requirements on premeds to apply? My UG cant tell me that I need a course, only the Med schools that I am applying to can do that.

As for the medical school its self, I see no where on their site such a requirement for P-chem. In fact when I look at their site they have NO course requirements. Just a list of "competencies".

https://www.michigandaily.com/news/medical-school-changes-admissions-requirements

 

[Affiche]

Are these requirements UMich sets on their own premeds in order to apply? How can a UG institution place requirements on premeds to apply? My UG cant tell me that I need a course, only the Med schools that I am applying to can do that.

As for the medical school its self, I see no where on their site such a requirement for P-chem. In fact when I look at their site they have NO course requirements. Just a list of "competencies".

https://www.michigandaily.com/news/medical-school-changes-admissions-requirements

I don't know how to explain it any more clearly than I have already. Michigan doesn't have two semesters of gen chem; it has a semester of gen chem and a semester of pchem. Ergo, to meet the two semester requirement set by medical schools, Michigan undergrads take gen chem and pchem.

 

[avgn]

I don't know how to explain it any more clearly than I have already. Michigan doesn't have two semesters of gen chem; it has a semester of gen chem and a semester of pchem. Ergo, to meet the two semester requirement set by medical schools, Michigan undergrads take gen chem and pchem.

You are overstating the requirement of "4 semesters of chemistry" at most medical schools. My undergrad also ran chem sequences that only had 1 semester of gen chem, and no premed I know has never faced a problem with med schools over their having 3 chem classes + biochem. Our advisors tell us not to worry about this from day 1 and the feedback is that they're correct. SDN neuroticism over harsh requirements at schools can be overdone at times.

You Michigan folks might be overdoing it by unofficially making it a requirement that p-chem be taken. It's silly. Do the 3 semesters + biochem, apply/get accepted, cross the bridge when it comes if a school comes nitpicking about it. Many schools offer a petition system to waive some lab/req you just didn't have time to take anyway. (I'm filling one out for physics lab as we speak) Worst case just make up gen chem 2 over the summer before matriculation, skate by with a C at some community college lol.

 

[hailbate]

PChem at UM = Gen Chem II. As noted before, it's kind of complicated, but essentially everything in the PChem class at UM will definitely be on the MCAT (We learned gas laws, acids/bases, buffers, electrochem, kinetics, equilibrium, entropy, enthalpy, etc etc etc.)

Gen Chem I at UM only does like the electromagnetic spectrum, basics of periodic table, energy, chemical rxns, etc. (And this is the class you get credit for with a 4/5 on the AP Exam)


Honestly speaking OP, I have no idea why you are asking these questions on SDN. You are only going to get misleading advice since not everyone here is familiar with UM's courses (and I'm not saying that to sound pretentious cause this is true for any school.) Go visit a pre-health advisor or find a senior who is applying/applied to medical school at UM for advice.

 

[Jav116]

A


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[salemstein]

I was thinking about taking some classes there (post-bac), but was warned about a disgustingly difficult biochem professor. Anyone know the name so I can avoid? Also how are classes curved?

 

[hailbate]

I was thinking about taking some classes there (post-bac), but was warned about a disgustingly difficult biochem professor. Anyone know the name so I can avoid? Also how are classes curved?

3 Biochem classes are offered at UM: MCDB 310, Biolchem 415, and Chem 351. The hardest one out of the 3 is BYFAR Chem 351 (the biochem for biochem majors). So I'm assuming that is the class that you are being warned about. MCDB 310/Biolchem 415 are different in their own ways (mainly MCDB 310 has a non cumulative final, Biolchem 415 is cumulative), but they are roughly the same in difficulty.

I can't tell you the curve of all 3 classes, but in MCDB 310 last fall you needed about an 88 to get an A in the class (A- was a 85). The average grade in the class was made at a low B.