Prerequisite Questions

[Reynoa12]

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Hi all,

I have a few questions regarding prerequisite requirements for US D.O. schools.

First, for the Biological Sciences (some schools call this category "General Biology") requirement- I've seen most schools want applicants to complete at least "1 year with lab", however this is kind of vague. For those that require the lab component, does this mean that a lab has to be taken the full year's length as well or can 1 lab (for say one semester) only count towards this? More specifically for my transcript- I've taken one semester of General Biology with the accompanying lab, and also another semester of Microbiology with the accompanying lab. I am second guessing whether Microbiology and it's lab will satisfy the second half of this requirement and figured here would be a great place to ask. Also, I realize my best bet would be to call my prospective schools individually to clarify, but I am not quite at the point yet of having those schools picked out, so it would be a large task to contact them all at this time.

Similarly, do "semester hours", "semester credits" and "semester units" all mean the same thing? For example, Western U/COMP requires "8 semester units with lab" for Physics, and AZCOM requires "8 semester hours" for Physics. Do all of these terms use the same numerical scale?

Lastly, for classes such as Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics- what category of class type do these three fall under? Do these three classes also belong to the Biological Sciences?

Thanks in advance everyone, I really appreciate it!

 

[Kardio]

1. I would say that taking an isolated lab course for those prereq's is going to be acceptable.
2. I would consider those terms analagous to "credits"
3. For purposes of AACOMAS, there is a list for couse classifications. For your applications to each school, I would just use your first General Biology classes to fulfill their "Biological sciences" requirement

 

[Reynoa12]

Thank you for the feedback! However I am still confused-

What do you mean by isolated lab? Also, my issue with the biological sciences requirement is that I've only taken one semester of general biology with the corresponding lab. That's why I'm asking if Microbiology (and it's corresponding lab) will fulfill the biological sciences requirement for the second half to equate a full year. Lastly, where can I find the list for course classifications that you are referring to?

 

[Kardio]

Thank you for the feedback! However I am still slightly confused-

What do you mean by isolated lab? Also, my issue with the biological sciences requirement is that I've only taken one semester of general biology with the corresponding lab. That's why I'm asking if Microbiology (and it's corresponding lab) will fulfill the biological sciences requirement for the second half to equate a full year. Lastly, where can I find the list for course classifications that you are referring to?

By isolated lab, I mean that the "Lab" is listed as a seperate entry from the "Lecture" on your transcript.

I think different schools have different defenitions of what the want in their "1 year of biology" requirement. Unless I'm missing something, 2 semesters of General Biology is a very common requirement for medical school.

AACOMAS Course Subjects

help.liaisonedu.com

 

[Reynoa12]

Thank you for providing that link! However, it doesn't specify what classes are considered "General Biology"? Is it safe to assume that any class listed in that Biology category will fulfill that requirement then?

 

[Kardio]

Thank you for providing that link! However, it doesn't specify what classes are considered "General Biology"? Is it safe to assume that any class listed in that Biology category will fulfill that requirement then?

Nah man, that link is to figure out how AACOMAS will classify your courses. The biological sciences requirement is going to be school specific. If you're still in college, I would recommend asking your advisor about possibly taking General Biology 2 to gurantee you have all of your bases covered come application season.

 

[Reynoa12]

Okay thank you. So pretty much each school is specific to what they will count as the biological science requirements? I understand microbiology, physio, genetics, anatomy would all count as science classes towards your sGPA, but will they not count towards the semester hour requirements for med schools? Or is it case dependent? From looking at some schools I'm interested in all the information I can find is pretty basic in that they say "1 year biology with labs", or something similar. Sorry if this is getting redundant but I just want a clear idea.

 

[Kardio]

Okay thank you. So pretty much each school is specific to what they will count as the biological science requirements? I understand microbiology, physio, genetics, anatomy would all count as science classes towards your sGPA, but will they not count towards the semester hour requirements for med schools? Or is it case dependent? From looking at some schools I'm interested in all the information I can find is pretty basic in that they say "1 year biology with labs", or something similar. Sorry if this is getting redundant but I just want a clear idea.

Ask your advisor.

In my opinion, “1 year of General Biology” should be taken at face value

 

[Reynoa12]

I hear what you're saying. It just has me wondering why some schools specify that they want "General" Biology whereas some schools don't. You'd think they should all be on the same page with that! What about labs? Beyond just Biology- for the categories that say like, "8 semester hours with lab" do they mean a year of the lab or one semester (half year) of the lab?