missing prerequisite- help!!

[medgrrl]

Any advice for a nervous premed? Here's the deal- I took first year chemistry- a half a year of intro gen. chemistry, and a half a year of intro. org. chem. (I then took a full year of orgo with labs). The problem is that these courses did not have lab sections... I'm so nervous about this! I'm reluctant to bring this to the attention of the medical schools when I go for my interviews, and I'm kind of hoping that they won't notice. These were transfer credits and my college that I'm in now didn't care about the missing labs- they let me into upper-level Bio and Chem courses even without them. I really don't know what to do now- I'm afraid that if I tell this to the adcoms, they'll reject me outright b/c there are so many other people vying for the same spaces as me in the first-year class. I would be willing to audit the lab components of these courses (at my college, I would not be able to do it for credit if I don't re-take the entire first-year courses over again- due to time constraints this WILL NOT be possible). This has me soo worried, and I really don't know whom to ask for advice- as I said, I don't want to jinx my chances just because of some stupid missing labs! BTW, the rest of my application is really competitive- my gpa and MCATs, etc. It's just this part that's driving me nuts. Any words from the wise?

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[alceria]

I don't think this will hurt you at all. Labs usually end up being pretty pointless anyway. I'm sure there are some people out there that have had fantastic lab sections, but there's also a lot of people out there that found them to be a total waste of time. You said yourself that you took a full year of orgo with labs, so you have some lab experience. It's more important that you really understand the material in the lecture portion. It's not like you're going to show up for a med school interview and they are going to whip out some chemicals, beakers and rubber gloves and expect you to preform on the spot.

I think it's pretty much irrevelent that you didn't have a lab for general chemistry. I don't remember a thing from my general chem lab! Maybe there are some people out there that don't agree with me, but I seriously doubt that this would be the thing to hinder your application. If you are very apprehensive, talk to the pre-med advisor at your school. Classes and grades aren't the only thing the adcoms are interested in. They also want to see some that you've had some clinical exposure and strong a MCAT. As long as you have those things, you should be fine. Don't stress the labs.

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^v^

 

[guy104]

i don't know your situation exactly, but i am in your boat i believe. i finished all prerecs but a lab in organic chemistry. i just got accepted, but the acceptance is contingent upon completion of the lab. so, it shouldn't keep you from getting accepted, but i am pretty sure that the registrar's office are the people that will eventually figure out whether or not you have fullfilled prerecs and if you haven't by the time school is to start, regardless of whether you've been accepted they won't let you start. sorry for the run-on. anyway, that's what the associate dean of admissions told me in my interview. the comment was, "we don't care that you haven't done it yet. but you MUST get it done before next fall if you get accepted." so, i think it may be in your best interest to call the registrar's office and see where you stand. you may just need to take a lab or two in the spring. i'm taking my organic two lab this spring. and if you can't just take the labs by themselves, then what about a community college nearby? good luck.

 

[turtleboard]

The whole point of prereqs is to take them before you start medical school, but no one has ever said you have to finish them before you send in your applications! Do them in the summer following your graduation from college and right before you start medical school if it's a big deal.

I would be entirely forthcoming with the AdCom regarding your lack of a general chemistry lab. The importance of these labs probably varies from school to school, but should the school feel these labs are important and essential to your admission, lying about it won't make you look any better. The worst case scenario -- and this is REALLY extrmeme -- is that years from now when you're practicing with your shiny MD and years of postgrad training, your Alma Mater calls up and says, "Hey Dr. medgrrl, we just noticed that you never did your labs and you never let us know. We're gonna take back that MD and the state's gonna take back your medical license. Good luck washing windows."

Be truthful with the AdComs -- they care about you.

Tim of New York City.

 

[medgrrl]

hey, thanks for the advice, everyone. I have gotten up the nerve to actually call a few of the schools to test out their rxns to this (a few of the lower ones on my list, mind you). Here in Canada, we have no "premed advisors" so I'm basically on my own with this. Anyways, I'm thinking of doing half a year's labs next semester just in case, that way I'll only need another half, easily doable in the summer.

 

[mike_D]

This is just a thought........most med schools have GENERAL CHEM as a prereq, not intro (or "baby" courses, as called at my school). I know that in my state all med schools require 8 hours of general chem with labs (along with orgo)upon application. If I were you, I would definitely check with the colleges you are thinking about.