Hi! I’m a sophomore (junior, technically) that recently transferred to my state school from a university in Japan. I spent the last two years of undergrad in Japan as a bio major because I’ve always wanted to live closer to my family in Japan (I am a US citizen btw). But, throughout my experience, I gained an interest in a career in medicine. Because my university in Japan did not have a program for this, I decided to move back to the states to complete my undergrad to apply to med school. Sadly, a big portion of my credits didn’t transfer, so I’ve been pushed back a year. I know US medical schools don’t accept any foreign credits, so I will be taking the next two-three years to complete all my prerequisites.
It turns out that a few of my biology classes I took in Japan transferred and equated to general biology 2 and lab at my current school (general biology 2 covers mostly ecosystems, evolution, plant and animal structure). But because these are credits from a foreign university, I need to take other bio courses with lab to fulfill the prerequisite requirement (I heard some med schools accept foreign credits, but I want to play it safe as possible). I’m taking gen bio I this semester and thinking of moving on to take more upper biology courses instead of gen bio 2 next semester.
I was wondering if the 1-year prerequisite biology requirement for med schools is specifically general biology courses, or if upper-level biology courses can be substituted for them (like genetics or human physiology)? If possible, I’d like to avoid taking gen bio 2 and lab to save some money and take courses for my major that I haven’t taken yet.
Thanks so much!!
It turns out that a few of my biology classes I took in Japan transferred and equated to general biology 2 and lab at my current school (general biology 2 covers mostly ecosystems, evolution, plant and animal structure). But because these are credits from a foreign university, I need to take other bio courses with lab to fulfill the prerequisite requirement (I heard some med schools accept foreign credits, but I want to play it safe as possible). I’m taking gen bio I this semester and thinking of moving on to take more upper biology courses instead of gen bio 2 next semester.
I was wondering if the 1-year prerequisite biology requirement for med schools is specifically general biology courses, or if upper-level biology courses can be substituted for them (like genetics or human physiology)? If possible, I’d like to avoid taking gen bio 2 and lab to save some money and take courses for my major that I haven’t taken yet.
Thanks so much!!