Recommended science classes for business major?

[ianj253]

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Hey all,

I'm currently majoring in Economics(B.S). Im a Junior, but won't be applying to med school until summer of my senior year and I'm going to end up taking another semester to graduate. So far I've done my pre-med requirements except physics. I was wondering what other science classes I should take to strengthen my application. Right now I was planning on doing human anat/phy and mammalian physiology in the fall. Then I planned on doing a year of physics and biochemistry over the subsequent semesters. Is this a good plan or should I be looking into taking something else?

 

[bluestreaks]

Sounds like a good plan to me! I don't think you have to worry about taking extra science classes too much.

Also, it's funny to me how your school's econ is a BS and I got a BA for biochem.

 

[SOMBound13]

Strengthen your app? I don't think adding more classes do that. If your GPA is already good, why risk it by taking unneeded classes. Med schools don't care about those. They care that you've taking the prereqs and your GPA.

 

[GSPhamily]

If you've already completed most of your pre-reqs and are planning on completing the rest of them over the next semesters, I think you're in good shape. The other classes that you are planning to take also sound good as well, just be sure to do well in them.

I think it's important to note that your science GPA will be determined by your grades in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics (BCMP). Make sure that your math requirement is actually a math class and not a business class - a math designation rather than a business designation. Most medical schools require at least 1 semester of mathematics, some require 2, others just recommend a mathematics course, so just be aware of that.

 

[ianj253]

@bluestreaks I don't know what the difference at my school is. We have a BA in econ through the sociology department and a BS from the business school. From what I've seen the BS programs are harder to get accepted to.

Right now my science GPA is a 3.7. I already was mis advised by my schools pre med advisor on calc so ended up taking business calc and then had take real calc. I'd heard taking the bare minimum of science classes didn't reflect well, so I thought taking some of the more commonly recommended would be a plus.

 

[Law2Doc]

@bluestreaks I don't know what the difference at my school is. We have a BA in econ through the sociology department and a BS from the business school. From what I've seen the BS programs are harder to get accepted to.

Right now my science GPA is a 3.7. I already was mis advised by my schools pre med advisor on calc so ended up taking business calc and then had take real calc. I'd heard taking the bare minimum of science classes didn't reflect well, so I thought taking some of the more commonly recommended would be a plus.

The "bare minimum" sciences are all you need. For most med schools that is just the prereqs. A small handful of schools also require or recommend biochem. If your college didnt cover certain things tested on the MCAT, you could pick those up, maybe as Pass/fail or audit course, or plan to learn them on your own, but I probably wouldn't bother taking a course on, say genetics just for med school. Beyond that it's really not necessary. Med schools set the prereqs and that's all they really expect or want, not because those courses have any real bearing on what they teach in med school, but because it's good foundation and they want a common yardstick by which to compare applicants. If they wanted more, they would ask for more. They really truly don't care if you took anything else. Don't fall into the trap of creating imaginary prereqs for yourself based on what you think adcoms "should" like to see.

 

[Omppu27]

I think if you took these other science courses it might look nice/boost your sGPA, but in the grand scheme of things it probably won't make a big difference. Perhaps spend that time doing ECs? Also, it could look pretty bad if something goes wrong and you get like a C in one of those classes... you never know. With all that being said, make sure that you have all the necessary courses for all the schools you plan on applying too..... You don't want to be caught behind the eight ball when you notice that you need to take biochem or anatomy for a school...

 

[Frazier]

Hey all,

I'm currently majoring in Economics(B.S). Im a Junior, but won't be applying to med school until summer of my senior year and I'm going to end up taking another semester to graduate. So far I've done my pre-med requirements except physics. I was wondering what other science classes I should take to strengthen my application. Right now I was planning on doing human anat/phy and mammalian physiology in the fall. Then I planned on doing a year of physics and biochemistry over the subsequent semesters. Is this a good plan or should I be looking into taking something else?

Strengthen app? As others mentioned, you only need the pre-reqs to do well in admissions.

Trust me, I'm a non-sci major.

That said, remember some schools' pre-reqs do include classes such as anatomy and biochem.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

If you can handle the Calc 1 & 2 (maybe 3) required for Econ, you can basically take any "variant" of the pre-med courses, even upper level pre-med sciences.