Pre-Med Advice

[rolltidedoc]

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I am an upcoming college freshman this fall. I am majoring in Biology and was wondering what science classes I should take my first year? There are a list of classes I will need to take to complete the pre-medical track, but I am just not sure how to break it up throughout the four years.

Also, any advice you have or things you wish you knew as a pre-med is greatly appreciated.

 

[confidentandgood]

Former pre-med here. I took a sensible load my freshman year so I wouldn't be too overwhelmed while adjusting to college coursework, getting involved on campus, etc. I would suggest taking one course (or two if you have the space and time) for your major and using your other slots to get pre-requisites (English, calculus, etc.) out of the way.

 

[Goro]

Bio I and Chem I (Inorganic or Gen Chem) should suffice

 

[WheezyBaby]

I am an upcoming college freshman this fall. I am majoring in Biology and was wondering what science classes I should take my first year? There are a list of classes I will need to take to complete the pre-medical track, but I am just not sure how to break it up throughout the four years. Also, any advice you have or things you wish you knew as a pre-med is greatly appreciated!

You do not need to major in biology. I encourage any premed to explore a range of fields. You have limited opportunity in life to expand your knowledge outside of your eventual career to the extent you can in undergrad. That said, if you want to get into med school, a major should balance interest, ability to obtain a strong GPA, and career prospects outside of medicine if you don't eventually become a physician (statistically, you won't).

Dont overload yourself freshman year. 2 core science classes is a good place to be imo, as Goro recommended, with intro bio and Chem being the obvious choices since they're prereqs for other premedical prereqs. Don't overextend yourself with non-academic commitments as a new freshman either. Lock down school then expand your commitments from there.

Do not miss a football game. Show up to the gates 3 hours early to get good seats. Make noise for the defense. Alabama will repeat this year and you can be a part of it. RTR 😉

 

[rolltidedoc]

Oh yes, I have been told many times that my major does not need to have a single scientific aspect about it but really and truly, I just love biology and feel it is something I can do well in. I know medical schools are looking for a well rounded person. Like you noted, GPA, MCAT, EC's, clinical experience as well as volunteer activity.

There is a medical center just outside of campus (you probably know which one I am referring to) and they are currently taking applications for college aged volunteers. I contacted the supervisor of volunteer services and hope to get something set up to basically reserve a spot and begin volunteering later my freshman year. Again like you said, to lock down school first and gradually start to add things that would boost an application.

As far as shadowing goes, I've done a lot as a high school student to make sure I even wanted to pursue the pre-med route. I'm not exactly sure how I will go about doing shadowing in college since I don't have any established relationships with physicians there. More than likely will continue to shadow the physicians here at home when I am on breaks and things like that. I've developed a pretty good relationship here with the Children's hospital.

I plan to take the summer between my sophomore and junior year to study for the MCAT.

Thank you for all of your advice. I think what I liked most about your response is that you love the tide. Just kidding - your advice was very helpful. I just get excited when people love my team because it seems to be a rarity especially where I live! I've been a huge fan since my dad grew up in Bham. I got to go to the National Title game. It was fantastic. Now on the road to 17... RTR

 

[TheBiologist]

I would take your General Biology and General chemistry your freshman year (both are usually year long classes i.e. Bio I & II and Chem I & II). I would do this for a couple reasons.

1. It gives you ample time to change career paths when you fail chemistry (or get a C in biology). Yes that's hella forthright and I'm not saying you will fail but people who wait until sophomore year to fail have just that much less time to adapt.

2. It gives you MORE time to change career paths when you fail Organic Chemistry. Orgo. It's a class that separates the wanabees from the doctors. It is generally considered one of the hardest undergraduate classes and almost certainly the hardest one you will take as a bio major. It is a year long i.e. Orgo I & II

3. IF you do well, (and I wish you all the best to do well), it gives you a solid start and motivation to continue doing well. If you take easy classes your freshman year, that won't really give you a reliable idea of how you will do the next 3 years, and might not be that beneficial.

All that aside, taking two labs your freshman year is indeed hard - the path to become a doctor is very hard in general. That being said I would for sure make your other two classes (assuming you take 4 classes at a time) GE's or otherwise "lighter" classes to compliment your two labs.

All the best

 

[confidentandgood]

As far as shadowing goes, I've done a lot as a high school student to make sure I even wanted to pursue the pre-med route. I'm not exactly sure how I will go about doing shadowing in college since I don't have any established relationships with physicians there. More than likely will continue to shadow the physicians here at home when I am on breaks and things like that.

You can't list high school shadowing on your application, but if you can't do it on campus, shadowing on break is fine (and usually a lot easier!).

 

[DaisyC]

You might want to check a course listing and see what's required for some of your upper level science classes. I know that a lot of schools require Gen Chem and OChem to be completed before you take Biochem. So you might want to get started on those classes that build heavily on each other.

 

[rolltidedoc]

You might want to check a course listing and see what's required for some of your upper level science classes. I know that a lot of schools require Gen Chem and O Chem to be completed before you take Biochem. So you might want to get started on those classes that build heavily on each other.

Thank you! I am meeting with my pre-med advisor in a couple of weeks before I schedule my classes so I will definitely mention this.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[MoDiddy]

In terms of classes, Bio I and Gen Chem I. It's important to start off strong, from day one you should work as hard as possible. I say this because your GPA is most volatile at this point. Creating good study habits from the beginning will do wonders for you. Best of luck!

 

[freak7]

Personally, I wouldn't recommend taking the MCAT before you're at least mostly done with Biochem which will probably be your junior year (I wouldn't take o-chem and biochem at the same time). There's just so much biochem on the test and you don't want to waste an attempt simply because you wanted to take it as soon as humanly possible

 

[_atlas]

Biology I & Chemistry I are what advisors have recommended.
(upcoming freshman here as well)

 

[lu17]

Personally, I wouldn't recommend taking the MCAT before you're at least mostly done with Biochem which will probably be your junior year (I wouldn't take o-chem and biochem at the same time). There's just so much biochem on the test and you don't want to waste an attempt simply because you wanted to take it as soon as humanly possible

Agreed!

In addition to what's been said, I would recommend mapping out the courses that you need to take for your major requirements and your core requirements for your university. That way, you can see how much wiggle room you have in your schedule for other academic interests. Keep a copy of this map handy when you register for classes throughout your undergraduate career. By doing this early in my undergraduate career, I realized that I didn't have enough room in my schedule to fulfill the language requirement, and I registered for the Spanish SAT II during the summer after freshman year.

Check out if your university offers any interesting minors or study-abroad programs that you could see yourself getting involved in. Also, think about whether or not you want to work in a lab for class credit during any of your undergrad years. Discuss your interests with your advisers and get their advice about how to make everything work.

I agree that your course load during your freshman year shouldn't be too science-heavy. Give yourself time to adjust to being at college and to explore ECs that your university has to offer.