Reinvention and Class Schedule Help

[AveragePerson.Psych]

Hi Everyone, I hope that the weather and life is treating you well wherever you are. My class registration day is coming up and I am trying to figure out what to take next. For this semester i took Organic chemistry I, Introductory Bio I, and College Physics I. Currently I know I will be scheduling myself for Organic Chemistry II and College Physics II. I took the intro to Biology course because one of my dual credit biology courses will not contribute to my TMDSAS GPA because it was a non-science biology course.

My question is would it be best for me to schedule myself for Introductory Biology ii or enroll in general biochemistry or biochemistry for the upcoming semester? I know there is a plethora of content for biochemistry, but I also know that the biology section has quite a few questions asking about introductory biology information.

One last question, well maybe, currently I have A's and B's in all of my classes. I'm aiming to pull out all A's, but if i don't is it okay for my post-bacc to not be a 4.0 GPA? I had taken about 18 and 19 hours during my last two semesters of undergrad and my GPA trend went down to a 3.26 both semesters (overall I ended with a 3.66 GPA, my science GPA was about a 3.04 without having taken all of the required science courses), but my science courses were either A's or B's with one C my last semester for General Chemistry II.

Thank you for your help! I hope that your day or night is going great!!

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[eigen]

Do you already have credit for something equivalent to second semester biology, anywhere?

Two semesters of first-semester biology won't count for a year of biology with labs, and the way you've worded the dual enrollment bit makes it unclear which part of the content wasn't contributing.

 

[AveragePerson.Psych]

Do you already have credit for something equivalent to second semester biology, anywhere?

Two semesters of first-semester biology won't count for a year of biology with labs, and the way you've worded the dual enrollment bit makes it unclear which part of the content wasn't contributing.

I have an upper class cell biology, but I thought that the introductory biology courses would count for the general biology section of some medical schools. In my mind I had separated the requirements for the upper class biology courses being different from the general biology course prerequisite requirements (because I have seen that some schools have both, at least in Texas they do).

The Introductory Biology I course is 4 credits with a lab included. The only other second semester biology course I could take would be the part Introductory biology II of this course or take another upper class course like genetics, applied microbiology, or ecology. That is what I have left for the biology pre-med courses plan.

The course description: Introductory Biology I provides an introduction to the study of biology and is intended for biology, pre-professional, and pre-vet majors. As such, a strong background in biology and chemistry is suggested. This course is designed as the first half of the freshman biology sequence and covers topics including biological evolution, biochemistry, cellular biology, and molecular genetics. With successful competition of this course, students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the above concepts by definition, explanation, and use of these ideas in examinations and laboratory exercises.

There is another introductory biology course that is 1 credit and it introduces students to the biology field, but I did not take that one because I did not see it as helping me with MCAT material.

The class that isn't contributing to the TMDSAS GPA was a non-science major biology course that I had taken in high school about 5 years ago, as a dual credit course at my junior college.

 

[eigen]

This depends a bit on where you're applying, but often "general biology" refers to a two-semester introductory series (i.e., introductory biology 1 + introductory biology 2).

Upper level biology is great, but not everywhere accepts that as a replacement for general biology. If you're only applying in Texas, things might be a bit different- I think there it's just a total number of biology credits.

In total, how many credits of biology do you have (lecture and lab) and what classes are they?

 

[AveragePerson.Psych]

This depends a bit on where you're applying, but often "general biology" refers to a two-semester introductory series (i.e., introductory biology 1 + introductory biology 2).

Upper level biology is great, but not everywhere accepts that as a replacement for general biology. If you're only applying in Texas, things might be a bit different- I think there it's just a total number of biology credits.

In total, how many credits of biology do you have (lecture and lab) and what classes are they?

I will apply to Texas schools and out of state schools. I am trying to get myself set up more for the Texas schools because they seem to be specific and it is a little difficult for me to make sure that I have all of their course requirements.

Courses according to my transcripts and what I am currently taking:

Four year college:
Upper level Cell Biology 4 credits with a 'B' (lab included in the 4 credits)
Introductory Biology I 4 credits, currently have a high 'A' in the class (lab included in the 4 credits)

Dual Credit at Junior College:
US Lab Sciences 4 credits with an 'A' (this is the non-science major course; lab included in the credits)
US Hum-Bio: Struct/Funct 4 credits with an 'A' (lab included in the credits)

For all of these courses, the lab credits were included with the lecture course credits instead of them being separate letter grades. At my college, from what I have noticed, only the chemistry courses have labs that get their own credits.

I have an 'A' in Physiological Psychology with 4 credits (no lab), which was offered through the psych department, but it was about how neuron signals and neurotransmitters make the muscles of the body function; I am unsure if this will count as a science course, but I would like to list it as a science course when I do my application.

 

[eigen]

For Texas schools, you need 14 credits of biology total, including 2 credits of labs.

So for that, you'll need another 8 credits of biology classes, but "should" be OK for the labs assuming a 3 credit class + 1 credit lab.

For most schools outside of Texas, you need 1 year of general biology with labs (typically, introductory biology 1 + introductory biology 2) and some also want upper level biology electives on top of it.

To me, it looks like your US Hum-Bio and Introductory Biology 1 are basically the same class, but at different schools (unless I'm understanding the content wrong). Both seem to be first-semester level intro biology for majors.

 

[AveragePerson.Psych]

For Texas schools, you need 14 credits of biology total, including 2 credits of labs.

So for that, you'll need another 8 credits of biology classes, but "should" be OK for the labs assuming a 3 credit class + 1 credit lab.

For most schools outside of Texas, you need 1 year of general biology with labs (typically, introductory biology 1 + introductory biology 2) and some also want upper level biology electives on top of it.

To me, it looks like your US Hum-Bio and Introductory Biology 1 are basically the same class, but at different schools (unless I'm understanding the content wrong). Both seem to be first-semester level intro biology for majors.

Thank you so much because I realized I have been confused this entire time with how courses are counted! I thought that one year of biology was just one year of ANY biology courses. My major for undergrad was psychology so I did not learn about how the pre-med courses should be set up.

I guess I was farther off than I thought, I will go ahead and take part II of the biology sequence so I can have a full year of biology courses. Over the summer I can take biochemistry, but it is only offered online which I know some medical schools may not like, but that is how it will be for me.

I do plan on applying to some of the medical schools that don't require prerequisite courses because it is better for me financially since I may not be able to afford all of the necessary courses. I will take biochemistry in the summer, but it is only offered online. The part two of introductory biology is only offered in the this spring so i will continue with the sequence.

Thank you so much truly! I feel dumb for not understanding how the course counting worked, but better late than never!

 

[eigen]

Some schools will allow you to replace missing lower level classes with upper level electives, some won't. I would highly recommend reaching out to the schools you're most interested in to ask / check the specifics on their websites.

Good luck! It can be a confusing process. One thing I've learned is that it never hurts to reach out and ask about pre-requisites: I almost always get fast and helpful replies from admissions offices when I reach out because advisees aren't sure / the wording is ambiguous.