Prerequisite courses

[Link2]

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I know that medical schools can require different course prerequisites, but are there any specific courses that are needed at most medical schools? Is there any major difference for MD/PhD programs?

I did not take any general first year biology or chemistry course. Instead I have taken some advanced biology and chemistry courses such as physical chemistry. Are the general first courses courses required for admission? I may have received credit from AP courses for a general biology and chemistry course, but I am not sure.

Is a first year calculus course also needed for most medical schools? I am a math major and have taken many higher level math courses, but I did not take first year calculus. I did not receive any AP credit for it.

 

[Link2]

In terms of prerequisites no. In terms of having significant advanced worth and indepth, productive research, yes

Usually no to prereq substitute, as an example below shows

http://www.upstate.edu/com/admissions/faqs.php
Can other science courses like Organic Chemistry II or Microbiology be used to complete your prerequisites?
No. We will not accept any other science courses as substitutions for our required prerequisites.

As for AP, each school has its own specific policy and often the policy is per course it is replaces. I discuss this previously in
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...gy-is-adequate-correct.1187889/#post-17515701

You may have technical requirement issue that likely can be waived (noticed I said may and likely).

Start looking at the school websites and MSAR to find out specifics per school

Thanks. So do most medical schools specifically require a general first year biology or chemistry course which can not be substituted by a higher level course? I have checked the websites of some schools and the prerequisites usually varies. However, many allow it to be substituted by a second year or higher course.

 

[medic86]

In general:

1 year of biology + lab
1 year of chemistry + lab
1 year of organic chemistry + lab
1 semester of biochemistry (at some schools, replaces the organic II requirement)
1 year of writing/literature
1 semester each of statistics and/or calculus (depends on the school)
?? maybe psych/sociology

YMMV. Sometimes schools explicitly require the lower division courses, and sometimes schools allow you to substitute with more advanced coursework. As gonnif suggested - double check with the MSAR or individual school web sites.

 

[Link2]

I believe what you describe above is specifically for AP course related issues.

1) The phrase "most medical schools" cannot be easily applied with 140 programs, each with variations on the very general requirements

2) get a subscription to MSAR to see specifics per school

3) double check with each school's website as MSAR may not adequately describe the nuances of requirements

4) The situation you describe above most generally applies to those applicants who are using AP credits for basic prereqs. In that situation you are waived from the basic/general prereq but need higher level course to replace it.

5) If you do not have AP credits applied on your transcript, then item #4 would not apply. That is, you cannot substitute a higher level course simply because you didnt take the lower level course

6) As far as I am concerned, Gen Bio is vital for MCAT success

7) Some medical schools are shifting away from required prereq courses to a core competency model where is evaluated by overall academic background in areas (see https://www.einstein.yu.edu/educati...pplication-procedure/course-requirements.aspx as good example)

I will have to double check this, as I am not sure if I received AP credit for biology and chemistry. However, I did a very significant amount of studying outside of high school and I didn’t take any first year course.

I already took the MCAT and got a score I am satisfied with.

Thanks for your help. I will look at the website of specific schools and see which prerequisites they require. If many of the ones I want to apply to require general biology and chemistry, I suppose I have no choice but taking it next year. It will be awkward taking a first year course though.

 

[medic86]

Here's a list of schools that don't currently require prerequisite courses:

Wake Forest
Vanderbilt
USC Keck
Stanford
Rush Medical College
Southern Illinois
Tulane
Albert Einstein
Hofstra
NYU
University of Cincinnati
Drexel
University of Pennsylvania
Sydney Kimmel
M University of South Carolina (Charleston)
University of Virginia
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
Duke
UCSD
U Conn
U of Chicago

Note: many of these are very competitive and/or have a heavy in-state bias.

 

[Link2]

When they say biology, would something like Cell and Molecular biology fulfill that prerequisite? I went through the courses offered by my university and they do not offer a general biology course.

I don't think this will be a problem for chemistry, since not many schools require general chemistry. I have taken biochemistry, organic chemistry and inorganic chemistry which are usually required.

Since I am a math and physics major, would I meet the calculus and general physics requirement even if I did not take any of those courses? I have checked the sites for many schools and none of them provide any information on this.

 

[Link2]

If these are the introductory level courses then yes

My experience and impression is quite the opposite. Most schools require General (or introductory inorganic) Chemistry.

Schools dont care about your major; required prerequisites are just that, required. Not having them can be a fate worse than not being accepted, that is allowed to matriculate. Specific prerequisites are not typically checked or required as part of the admissions process. Rather they are checked for fulfillment at post-admissions or pre-matriculation phase. Here, once you gave taken an offer of acceptance, you need to have official transcripts sent directly to the medical school (s opposed to AMCAS) where prereqs are checked. It is at this point that you find out if prereq requirements have been filled. Imagine you get accepted but only to be told you can matriculate unless you have some missing freshman course (see my post about PhD needing Gen Bio II). Now, it used to be that you could usually squeeze that in the last summer before medical school. However, with transcripts not checked until May and June, and more medical schools starting early August or even Late July, it may be impossible. The school might (I said might) grant a year deferment but I wouldnt count on it for this reason. You might have your acceptance withdrawn for this reason. While the risk is low, it is certainly real. And, by having an acceptance withdrawn you would likely have to disclose that on any reapplication which raises a red flag with full fireworks. As in unlikely to be accepted again anywhere

This is why I harp on this stuff for applicants. The probability of the risk is low but the impact of the risk in a nuclear blast

The Cell and Molecular biology course was second year, so I don't think it would count.

So after taking graduate level courses in math and physics, I now have to take first year calculus, mechanics, chemistry and biology if I want to go to a medical school that requires those courses? Luckily most of the schools I am interested in have prerequisites that can be substituted by higher level courses or follow the competency model.

I have read that if the AP credits do not appear on my transcript, I have to send the AP score report directly to those universities. I think I am still eligible to write the AP exams, so can I just take the AP Biology or AP Chemistry exam and send that score to the medical schools? If the medical schools accept AP credit as equivalent to fulfilling the prerequisites, or if they allow me to substitute the prerequisites with higher level courses if I have AP credit, I should be able to meet all the requirements.

 

[Link2]

Also, is there any downside to taking these prerequisite courses in the summer? I have searched for this question on here, but most of the posts are about taking the courses in the summer at some other university while I can take those courses in the summer at my current university.

 

[Takamori]

Also, is there any downside to taking these prerequisite courses in the summer? I have searched for this question on here, but most of the posts are about taking the courses in the summer at some other university while I can take those courses in the summer at my current university.

As far as I know, the science classes taken during summer bear a bit less value because usually material is covered quite superficially and I guess your A is easier to get. I was advised against taking them during summer.

 

[Link2]

A decade or more ago, summer classes were very looked down upon. Back then, some schools would have considered summer Ochem unacceptable.

However for most solid students a summer course or two at their home institution is fine
A summer course at another 4 year school is perhaps ok
A summer course at CC could be noticed and questioned slightly.

All of the above could be considered inversely proportional to how solid the student is. The better the candidate is, the less likely is will be any issue

Example below of a SUNY Upstate Medical School's policy
http://www.upstate.edu/com/admissions/faqs.php (emphasis added)
Applicants should avoid taking more than one or two prerequisite science courses during the summer and avoid taking them at community colleges.

This looks like the best option for me rather than waste 1-2 semesters. The rest of my application is good according to me and I would assume that if medical schools see that I've taken graduate level math and physics courses, they won't look down on me if I take calculus and mechanics in the summer.

One other question I had is how long (semesters) should the biology and chemistry courses should be. I know it varies by school, but what is a general length most medical schools look for? I apologize if it looks like I am relying on you for all the answers without doing any work myself, but I am short on time if I want to register for the summer courses. It would take me a couple of days to come up with a list of medical schools I want to apply to and then search their prerequisite courses.

 

[Link2]

I would concur

2 semesters each

Okay, thanks for your help. I will register for the two semester long courses in the summer.

 

[Link2]

Before I register for the courses, I wanted to make sure if the course meets the requirement. My university offers two main first year biology courses, on in molecular and cell biology and another in ecology and evolution. They are both semester long courses. Would taking them satisfy the requirements for general biology?

Similarly, for chemistry, the first year courses most students take are inorganic chemistry and physical chemistry. They are both also a semester long. Would they meet the requirements for general chemistry?

 

[Takamori]

Before I register for the courses, I wanted to make sure if the course meets the requirement. My university offers two main first year biology courses, on in molecular and cell biology and another in ecology and evolution. They are both semester long courses. Would taking them satisfy the requirements for general biology?

Similarly, for chemistry, the first year courses most students take are inorganic chemistry and physical chemistry. They are both also a semester long. Would they meet the requirements for general chemistry?

This question can be best answered in the bio and chem departments in your school if you tell them that you need just the most fundamental general bio/chem courses including both lectures and labs.