New to field, how many science prerequisites can I realistically take each semester?

[Lifel0nglearner]

Hello,

I will be a 2017 Spring Graduate with a B.A. in Music and Minor in Psychology. I have a 3.6 GPA, a full tuition ride through undergraduate, good leadership roles, plenty of general volunteer hours and tons extracurricular activities, but no science prerequisites. I have read the general requirements for Medical School are one year of biology, one year of physics, and two years of chemistry and one semester of microbiology since the updated MCAT. I'm looking forward to shadowing a primary care physician after graduation, and plan on beginning prerequisites in September. How many prerequisites can I bite off each semester while retaining the necessary knowledge for a successful MCAT? I am currently planning on taking medical terminology over the summer, and Biology I, Physics I, and Chemistry I with labs this fall through my local community college. I will be graduating from a private university, so I'm hopeful this won't count negatively against me. Are there any large holes in my logic? Thank you for any time or advice you can spare, it is much appreciated!

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[Geo16]

I am sure you are able to handle it!
That isnt too much at all.

 

[Lifel0nglearner]

I am sure you are able to handle it!
That isnt too much at all.

Glad to know, thank you for your response. Realistically, can I/should I take more than that in a semester? I'd like to get prerequisites finished as soon as possible, but realize retaining the information is more important.

 

[Lifel0nglearner]

not microbiology
its biochemistry

My only suggestion since you havent taken science, taking three at once without any basis to judge by is very risky. This is especially true with labs as these are quite time consuming. I would say chem and especially physics are math heavy so you need to be sure you are up to speed


The math does concern me. But if I can't take three in a semester, would I even be cut out for medical school? I want to take medical terminology because I want to take courses outside of the required that will help for medical school. Would you recommend something else in its place? Pardon, biochemistry. Thank you for taking the time to reply!

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[Lifel0nglearner]

To step a foot in, would you recommend taking a biology course over the summer before chemistry and physics? Or a summer chemistry course? Would a summer class look bad? I've heard that before, but I don't want to be foolish in how much I can chew off in the fall, and I would like to use this year wisely.

 

[Lifel0nglearner]

I had my college math course last semester, finite math. My last biology class was in high school. I'm in statistics I this semester.

 

[Lifel0nglearner]

Thank you so much for your advice, I really appreciate it. I've been trying to take prereqs this entire past year, but my scholarship classes have always conflicted, so I've been tempted to try to bite off more than I should chew for this fall. Thank you for the word of caution.

 

[raiderette]

I am a fan of starting with chemistry. You need more chemistry classes, and I found it easier to tackle than the rote memorization of biology.

 

[aprilfools]

Hello,
Biology I, Physics I, and Chemistry I with labs this fall through my local community college

I can't speak as to the difficulties of sciences classes at CC's versus at private undergrad places, but where I went to school taking three classes with lab at one time would absolutely kill you just because of the amount of lab hours you're putting in outside of class. I did 3 or 4 semesters of 2 extra lab classes each and those were annoying/time-consuming enough.

Secondly, in general it is frowned upon to take many of your pre-reqs at a CC as it can be seen as a "cop-out" or a way to make the generally harder classes easier. Did you decide on medical school late as to your reason for not having taken pre-reqs while at your private undergrad? If this is the case, I'm assuming your situation will be a little different than usual, so I think one of the adcoms' input would be helpful here.

 

[neoevolution]

Why not take a look at something like Khan academy and see how much of the basics you recall from high school? I think most college courses will go well beyond that, but being completely lost is a good indicator to take it slow.

I agree that 3 science classes with labs can be a lot, especially with lab reports or any integrated projects

 

[Lifel0nglearner]

Would you advise that I could take the majority of my prerequisites at my local CC and biochemistry at my local public university?

 

[Lifel0nglearner]

I can't speak as to the difficulties of sciences classes at CC's versus at private undergrad places, but where I went to school taking three classes with lab at one time would absolutely kill you just because of the amount of lab hours you're putting in outside of class. I did 3 or 4 semesters of 2 extra lab classes each and those were annoying/time-consuming enough.

Secondly, in general it is frowned upon to take many of your pre-reqs at a CC as it can be seen as a "cop-out" or a way to make the generally harder classes easier. Did you decide on medical school late as to your reason for not having taken pre-reqs while at your private undergrad? If this is the case, I'm assuming your situation will be a little different than usual, so I think one of the adcoms' input would be helpful here.

I haven't taken any science courses while I've been here, except for acoustics of music. I've been concerned that community college classes would be frowned upon, but I read on several forums here that if I can get a solid MCAT score I should be fine...My only other option was to enroll at my state university, which is much more expensive. My college experience hasn't felt typical, if quarter life crises exist, mine happened my junior year. I'm currently graduating from a small, private christian university. Sad to say, my GPA would be higher if I hadn't spent so much time practicing. I still love music, but became disenchanted with working in the field for multiple reasons. So yes, I certainly have decided late. But, I figure a year and a half of prerequisites shouldn't stand in my way, especially at 22. At least it seems like my interview will make for an interesting conversation, it seems the majority of students know they want to be doctors from birth. Thank you for taking the time to share your advice, I really appreciate it.

 

[Lifel0nglearner]

Why not take a look at something like Khan academy and see how much of the basics you recall from high school? I think most college courses will go well beyond that, but being completely lost is a good indicator to take it slow.

I agree that 3 science classes with labs can be a lot, especially with lab reports or any integrated projects

I will look at Khan academy, thank you for the recommendation. I plan on studying on my own before classes begin. If I'm not working or taking other classes, would it really be that difficult to manage? I've taken nearly 18 credits each semester through my undergraduate studies...time feels so precious.

 

[aprilfools]

I've taken nearly 18 credits each semester through my undergraduate studies...time feels so precious.

This is a lot of credits so if you're used to doing well while taking 18 credits worth of classes I'd say you know how to manage your time relatively effectively.