Pre-Med Post-Bac Courseload

[Jayson135]

I am wondering what a good course load is for post-bac. If I finish in two years, I can do two science classes with their labs each semester and one science class with its lab in the summer. Right now, I am taking Bio 1, Bio 1 lab, Bio 1 scholar's enrichment program (1 hour credit - reviews the class lecture), Ch 1, Ch 1 lab, Ch 1 scholar's enrichment program, Phy 1, Phy 1 lab. That's 14 hours and I feel very overwhelmed. I am struggling in my Phy class/lab. The Physics average for test one was a 58 and I made a 37. I admit I put a lot on my plate and want to make sure that I am not putting myself in a bad position for failure.

For my situation, I am trying to make an improvement from my undergraduate GPA. I plan on taking only science pre-reqs. I want to thoroughly know the material in preparation for MCAT. I am currently not working. I am a single parent of one son. My family is very supportive.

Any constructive and helpful advice is greatly appreciated.

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[kayak30]

Hi there, I'm currently working on finishing my pre-reqs (orgo 1 and 2 left!). I went from a formal post-bac program to finishing the chem series at a community college due to cost. Here is my advice for you as someone who experienced the post-bac coursework.

- I suggest you only take the pre-requisite courses at this time and whatever you do don't "W". Things got hard for me (family, work, school) and I ended up with a "W" in Physics and Chemistry only to re-take and still end up with a C grades. If you have to take 1 class next semester, just get the grades and don't drop anything! If you get a low score in one class know its not the end, just keep working hard and don't get discouraged! I had a C in gen chem 1 and A in gen chem 2, second semester physics went better for me as well. Also, use rate my professor website before you register for a class...at first I didn't listen to the posts on there only to find out the hard way. (Also, from the advice I got on SDN: you can re-take courses later for a better grade since DO does grade replacement, but see how the MCAT goes).

- You need to start taking your general chemistry courses asap! No one told me I couldn't take orgo without gen chem (I thought I would be ok to do this only to find out that I needed to take them as pre-reqs to orgo at my school- though some people on here were able to do both at the same time). My advisor failed to tell me I should start with gen chem to finish post-bac in 2 years.

- Also a study tip that worked for me: read the textbook chapter before going to class (don't worry about trying to understand everything), read the chapter/skim the chapter after class (I also made notecards of important concepts from lecture) and spent most of the time working problems, practice, practice, practice...

You can do it

 

[wisconsinrunner]

Kayak, do most MD admissions offices care whether you earn credits through a community college or a 4-year institution? It would be cheaper for me to take courses at the CC, but am not sure if such credits are frowned upon.

 

[kayak30]

Kayak, do most MD admissions offices care whether you earn credits through a community college or a 4-year institution? It would be cheaper for me to take courses at the CC, but am not sure if such credits are frowned upon.

I'm not admitted yet so I can't speak from experience, however many MD schools do seem to accept CC credits, but you can check with the school admissions. You can also search threads on SDN because there are a few addressing this topic. Sorry I can't be of more help, and good luck to you!

 

[WaterPog]

Three lab sciences at a time is VERY aggressive, even two is a heavy load for most people. Remember that if there are any quantitative pieces to your application it is your GPA and your MCAT score, do what you can to make the numbers as good as they can be even if that means extending the timeline a bit.

Think economically:

An extra year in undergrad and getting accepted first cycle.
VS
Rushing your undergrad and having to re-apply in a year after taking more classes to improve GPA

 

[Fifimiki]

Three lab sciences at a time is VERY aggressive, even two is a heavy load for most people. Remember that if there are any quantitative pieces to your application it is your GPA and your MCAT score, do what you can to make the numbers as good as they can be even if that means extending the timeline a bit.

Think economically:

An extra year in undergrad and getting accepted first cycle.
VS
Rushing your undergrad and having to re-apply in a year after taking more classes to improve GPA

Is this really true? I started my post bacc but can't take science until next semester due to math requirements at my school (apparently college statistics doesn't qualify as math so I had to start over). Anyway, I've never had a class with a lab but next semester I was planning bio & lab, chem & lab, physics & lab and calc. sounds like this might be too much. I don't want to stretch my 3 year post bacc plan to 4 years!

To OP, please let us know what you decide to do

 

[Jayson135]

Thanks for all the advice. I honestly thought my load was doable, but I feel like getting the information down pat is more important for MCAT preparation. Yeah, Chemistry is something I do not want to push back because it builds up all the way to OChem 2.

I was told that taking science classes at a community college was accepted, but not recommended.

Another question... when you are prepping for your MCAT (as in taking practice exams, prep class, etc.)... should your regular course load be reduced? As I planned to take my MCAT in the spring, I would be taking two science classes and their labs at the time.

 

[mspeedwagon]

Going to throw in my two cents to this thread. First, much more important than courseload is your GPA. If you are not getting all As, you are taking on too much. I would suggest starting with a light course load and working your way up.

As far as community college, if you can avoid it, then do so. I took one class (Chem I) at a community college as a refresher. Plan to take Chem II at a 4-yr. If you can't avoid cc, go for it, but remember it may handicap you a bit (I know at least two schools that I'm considering say on their website that they strongly discourage cc classes). It's definitely possible to overcome this handicap (likely with a stellar MCAT).

And, regarding the MCAT, I'd definitely suggest reducing your courseload (or at least keeping it the same knowing you need at least 3-4 hrs of study time a day for 10 wks (on the low end)). I plan to take one course and two labs for my final semester before the MCAT (I'm working full and part-time now and will likely drop out of full-time work at the end of Jan).