Question about Pre-Med Coursework

[chigrl]

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I'd like to apply to med school in the near future. I've completed all of the pre-med coursework except for physics and a semester of English; however, it's been over five years since I took a pre-med course. Do I need to repeat all the coursework, or just complete the courses I did not take as an undergrad? (My grades in these courses were generally good.) Thanks.

 

[CavalierMD]

Technically, no. For your sanity... that's a different story. You need to take the MCAT... you need to take pre-reqs for the MCAT... if it's been a long time since you took the classes, the MCAT could be a more miserable experience than it is by default. So, if I were you, I'd piddle with some MCAT prep stuff and see how it goes. If you're struggling more than you're willing to deal with, maybe squeeze in another bio or chem class with your physics and english. But, if it starts coming back and you think you can push through the cobwebs... then by all means go for it. If you do well on the MCAT, you'll prove that you still remember the bare minimum to get you into med school... which is all med schools care about.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

In general you just need complete the courses you haven't already taken. For most schools pre-reqs don't expire, although if you've been out of school for a while it's a good idea to take some upper-level science course work to show you still have what it takes.

Now if you scored poorly in a pre-req then it might be in your best interest to repeat it, but that doesn't sound like your situation.