Question for UC Irvine PreMeds or People who got into Med from UCI

[andreweezer]

Hey guys,

This questions for fellow UCI Undergrads or former Undergrads who are pre med hopefully a few will respond :X.

I noticed that most medical schools require one year of organic chemistry lab, so 51LA, B, C for us, but the counselors tell all the pre meds you only need A&B. How is this right? Is UCI wrong?

So are you guys taking 51LC? Supposedly it's just for Pre-PHarm people.

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[Pedsbro]

Hey guys,

This questions for fellow UCI Undergrads or former Undergrads who are pre med hopefully a few will respond :X.

I noticed that most medical schools require one year of organic chemistry lab, so 51LA, B, C for us, but the counselors tell all the pre meds you only need A&B. How is this right? Is UCI wrong?

So are you guys taking 51LC? Supposedly it's just for Pre-PHarm people.

I graduated 3 years ago from UCI. I only took 51LA and LB and it never came up the first time I applied to med school. Do med schools say they require a year of o-chem lab? Usually, it says "1 year of Organic Chemistry, with lab". I don't think they mean 1 year of O-chem lecture and 1 year of O-chem lab. UCI has had plenty of their bio majors get into med school using that curriculum, so I think we're all fine.

 

[funkydrmonkey]

I used to go to UCI. My sister also went to UCI. She got into med school. It counts. Do not worry. I also took 51A, 51LA, 51B, 51LB, and 51c only. So did she. It will be fine.

 

[Rikkye]

I graduated last year,

Yes the requirement for med admission had been changed since back in the old days when counselors told us to take A & B only. The reason that I didn't get caught up in this was because I was pre-pharm, so I took the entire series anyway. Just take the class and save yourself the trouble. It was pretty easy anyway.

 

[Pedsbro]

You don't need to take 51LC for med school. Period. I still have yet to see where a med school, at least the ones I'm applying to, say you need a full year of O-chem lab. Maybe some do, I don't know, but certainly none of the ones I'm looking at... Now some places, like UCI med school's own admissions website actually, says "1 year of labs" under the Chemistry heading. But they're combining gen chem and o-chem, which obviously will combine to more than one year of labs (chem 1LB,1LC, 51LA,51LB). They are not specifically asking for 1 year of just o-chem lab.
Like I and another poster said earlier: bio majors who took that curriculum at UCI have gotten into med school. Not sure what that dude is talking about when he said the core med school prereqs changed since then...that's news to me. If they had, UCI probably would have changed their o-chem requirements, which they have not since I just checked the current catalog and only 51LA and LB are still the only ones required. Don't take 51LC...go take something more interesting, easier, more fun, etc. Not sure if it's still being taught, but Human Parasitology with Dr. Krassner was one of the best classes I took when I was there.

 

[DrJD]

Human Parasitology with Dr. Krassner was one of the best classes I took when I was there.

That class was awesome, and he was a great teacher... What other teacher brings in sweets for the students for every test!? He was great, but I am pretty sure he retired. I know the year I took it, was his last "official" year, but I think they were going to call him back to teach just that course again so maybe they still are! Definitely try though, because it was a great class.

(Side note, Dr. Krassner was on the original faculty when the school opened!)

 

[Pedsbro]

That class was awesome, and he was a great teacher... What other teacher brings in sweets for the students for every test!? He was great, but I am pretty sure he retired. I know the year I took it, was his last "official" year, but I think they were going to call him back to teach just that course again so maybe they still are! Definitely try though, because it was a great class.

(Side note, Dr. Krassner was on the original faculty when the school opened!)

Yup, original faculty. He wrote me an LOR actually. Awesome teacher, awesome course. He's had so many "this is my last year" moments, I won't believe it until I see him gone for more than 2 consecutive years. He has a jar in his office with the body of a 15 foot parasitic intestinal worm taken out of someone (i forgot which species).

 

[airbaker]

Hey guys/gals,

I've have a couple more quick questions regarding UCI's "unique" course structure. Specifically regarding the Biology requirement: if you take BIO93 and 94, neither of them include labs; how does that incorporate into most med school's requirements of taking "one year of bio with a lab"? Do discussion sessions fulfill this lab requirement? In regards to the physics requirements: what physics series do you take to fulfill the specific requirements? Do they have to be calculus based? (I took a physics series way back in the day - 17A and B but it didn't include labs)

Thanks for any insights...

 

[DrJD]

Hey guys/gals,

I've have a couple more quick questions regarding UCI's "unique" course structure. Specifically regarding the Biology requirement: if you take BIO93 and 94, neither of them include labs; how does that incorporate into most med school's requirements of taking "one year of bio with a lab"? Do discussion sessions fulfill this lab requirement? In regards to the physics requirements: what physics series do you take to fulfill the specific requirements? Do they have to be calculus based? (I took a physics series way back in the day - 17A and B but it didn't include labs)

Thanks for any insights...

So I can answer a few of your questions... Bio 93 and 94 do not include a lab, and the discussion does NOT count as a lab. However, you take at least 3 upper division biology labs while you are there so those will count for a year's worth of labs. I took the Physics 3 series... aka non-calculus based... You do not need to take the 7 series, that is for engineers and what not. So you take Physics 3A,B,C and then you take Physics 3LB, and 3LC... Those Physics courses will work for both the Bio major at UCI and for med school pre-reqs... Best of luck!

 

[Pedsbro]

So I can answer a few of your questions... Bio 93 and 94 do not include a lab, and the discussion does NOT count as a lab. However, you take at least 3 upper division biology labs while you are there so those will count for a year's worth of labs. I took the Physics 3 series... aka non-calculus based... You do not need to take the 7 series, that is for engineers and what not. So you take Physics 3A,B,C and then you take Physics 3LB, and 3LC... Those Physics courses will work for both the Bio major at UCI and for med school pre-reqs... Best of luck!

Agreed. Physics 3 series, and you will take 3 labs in your 3rd and 4th years. The bio major at UCI is pretty much a "pre-med major". It takes care of all the prereqs for you.

 

[airbaker]

Thank for the responses, it's very helpful. I'm actually doing an informal post-bac and wondered what Bio courses with labs I should take a la carte? I'm currently taking Bio 93 and it appears to have a great curriculum to help prepare for the MCAT; I was just a little disappointed it'll do nothing for the lab requirement.

I'm really trying to squeeze in all of the med school pre reqs over a 2 year period. (I graduated from UCI way back in '93...gulp) Is there another Bio series I could take (without having completed o-chem thus being out-gradient) that would incorporate a lab?

I'm meeting soon with a pre med adviser, but just wanted an opinion of what courses to take from those who've been in the trenches.

Thanks again.

 

[airbaker]

bump