Pre-med coursework

[bobby_chamo]

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Hey guys

I know that not everyone that goes into medicine is a biology major. What I quesiton is what type of pre-med coursework most peopple take?

Like, I wanted to take an A&P class that my school offers, but it is the one that nursing students take. My prof was telling me to take comparitive anatomy. What I don't get, is how can this class be better for me than the A&P. The A&P is two semesters long, covers all the systems, and is strictly focused on humans. The comp. anatomy looks at things like the history of the liver, and how it compares to the liver of a whale, or the lungs of a cow.

Would a med school really look at my A&P and say that it's not as tough as a comp. anatomy? Or look down on me for taking one instead of the other?

 

[exilio]

From all that I have read, AP stuff won't be a deciding factor..you just need to focus on the pre-reqs of the med school you are interested in attending.

At a minimum, most schools REQUIRE the following:

* 3 years of college (90 sem/135 qtr units)
* 1 year general bio
* 1 year general chem
* 1 year organic chem
* 1 year physics (doesn't have to be calc based)

Some schools also require:
* 1 year english
* stats, calc (anywhere from1 sem to 1 year)
* upper division bio courses

 

[musiclink213]

Originally posted by exilio
From all that I have read, AP stuff won't be a deciding factor..you just need to focus on the pre-reqs of the med school you are interested in attending.

actually, i think the OP's intent on saying A&P was anatomy and physiology, not advanced placement. i'm not sure what you meant there. But as long as you have the general prereqs, and some upper level classes just to show you can handle the stuff, especially if you dont do so well in intro classes, then take whichever you like better. I'm taking human anatomy and physiology instead of comparative simply because i'm more interested in it, (and it also fits in my schedule as opposed to all the other bio classes which don't)

 

[AlternateSome1]

Originally posted by bobby_chamo
Would a med school really look at my A&P and say that it's not as tough as a comp. anatomy? Or look down on me for taking one instead of the other?

It won't affect med school decisions at all. A&P is not a required course, so taking it won't matter unless you do very poorly in it. The person recommending Comp. Anat. might have been suggesting that the course will be more interesting, or at least more worthwhile, since you will be learning everything from the A&P course during med school in great detail.

~AS1~

 

[exilio]

Oops..I missed that point...heh heh.

 

[DMBFan]

Originally posted by musiclink213
But as long as you have the general prereqs, and some upper level classes just to show you can handle the stuff, especially if you dont do so well in intro classes, then take whichever you like better.

I have a question about that comment. I am going to be done with all of my minimum premed requirements in the fall of my junior year. However, I haven't taken any upper level bio classes (except Anatomy and Genetics). Is it too late? I would take one in the fall, but I don't want to take 3 sciences in one semester and not when I am studying for the MCAT in the fall. Am I just going to have to suck it up and just take one either in the fall or spring of next year?

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by DMBFan
I have a question about that comment. I am going to be done with all of my minimum premed requirements in the fall of my junior year. However, I haven't taken any upper level bio classes (except Anatomy and Genetics). Is it too late? I would take one in the fall, but I don't want to take 3 sciences in one semester and not when I am studying for the MCAT in the fall. Am I just going to have to suck it up and just take one either in the fall or spring of next year?

its not gonna matter if you take it just to get in on your amcas app. esp if you do bad...

if you really want to let the schools know that you are taking upper div sciences then just send them update letters during the application cycle. id have to say that doing well on the mcat is more important than showing adcoms you took some upper div bio classes during that semester.

 

[Peterock]

Whatever you do - don't take a challenging course selection.
Simply get straight A's and take the required prereqs that people have listed.

There are no extra points for effort or challenging curriculum. Period.

 

[bobby_chamo]

Thank you guys for the responses. Its kinda what I figured. I couldn't see how a med school would look at a comp. anatomy better than a human A&P class.

By the way, I'm going to have 6 credit hours of research. This means I will be taking one less elective upper level biology. Will this look bad, or does it fall into the same thing as the rest of this discussion?

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Originally posted by Peterock
Whatever you do - don't take a challenging course selection.
Simply get straight A's and take the required prereqs that people have listed.

There are no extra points for effort or challenging curriculum. Period.

I don't know about that. The initial screening doesn't account much for difficulty of the curriculum but after submitting secondaries adcoms will look at the student in detail at which pint they include the ammount and difficulty of courses taken. Someone who had taken fewer courses with equal GPA, EC's, MCAT as someone else with a tougher curriculum would be at a disadvantage.

 

[bobby_chamo]

Hey guys

I talked to that prof again today. He said the reason that medical schools don't want you to take the Anatomy and Physiology class is that they want to teach you A&P. He said that is why they prefer you to take Comp. Anatomy.

Err, but doesn't comp. anatomy teach you an assload of anatomy also? Why is it ok to teach anatomy including animals, but to exclude humans?

Also, following that same line of reasoning, wouldn't it stand to reason that med schools would look down on me for taking histology, embryology, biochem, etc?

Note: For my school, both the A&P I want to take, and the comp. anatomy my prof is pressuring me to take are 200 level courses (sophomore).

What do you guys think?

 

[skypilot]

Originally posted by bobby_chamo
Also, following that same line of reasoning, wouldn't it stand to reason that med schools would look down on me for taking histology, embryology, biochem, etc?

The main thing is will the med schools still admit you after taking these courses. The answer is emphatically yes! So take the courses if you are interested in them but don't take them if you are only trying to impress the med schools. Make sure you can get good grades, don't load up just to impress the schools. If you are making A's then focus on the other parts of your application.

I have heard that taking histology and embryology might make your first year of med school a little less stressful. Biochem is highly recommended by most med schools.

good luck