Starting Chemistry on my 2nd year, is it too late?

[Geo16]

Hello!
I am a CC student at Los Angeles City College.

Never knew I would step onto a Pre-Med track.. However, this month, I discovered my potential.
And I've got all A's thus far. However, I do have 4 Ws..
This is my first year in college.
So, next year, I will be committed on finishing generic Medical School requirements.
- Chemistry 2 1/2 years (Generic Chem + Organic Chem + Bio Chem)
- Biology 1 year
- Physics 1 year (Generic Physics)
- Mathematics 1 year (Calculus and Stats)

I'm going to take a year-round General Chemistry on this upcoming 16-17 year.
Also, I will take Physics without Calculus!
Then I'll take Organic Chemistry, Bio Chem and Biology the 3rd year (after I transfer of course 😉).


So, meeting the requirements is no problem.

However, I am worried about studying for MCAT.
Do I have enough time to study for MCAT between my 3rd and 4th year?
[Edit: I can finish BioChem before my 4th year]

Any thoughts? Let me know.

Thank you very much 😀

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[kamakazi5]

If at all possible take biochemistry before the MCAT as it will be a tremendous help. Could you take one of your chemistry courses over summer to speed things up a bit?

 

[Geo16]

If at all possible take biochemistry before the MCAT as it will be a tremendous help. Could you take one of your chemistry courses over summer to speed things up a bit?

I really appreciate your reply at this hour (it's almost 3AM over here).

As I rechecked my schedule again, I made a mistake. I can finish up to BioChemistry before the Fall of my 4th year.

There are two scenarios. I might be able to transfer to UCLA or USC.

If I transfer to UCLA, I can finish up to BioChemistry (30A-C Organic Chem + Biochem) on my 3rd year before summer.
If I transfer to USC, I can finish up to BioChemistry before the 4th year Fall.

So, yes, I can actually finish them before my 4th year begins. I'm very sorry about that.

TLDR: I can actually finish up to BioChem. Made a mistake.

Thank you for your reply 😀

 

[JohnsonTheSad]

Prepare to be in college for a really long time. It's one step at a time buddy. You need to be volunteering, shadowing, and getting As without dropping any classes right now. I've heard the classes can be very helpful, but aren't necessary. You might want to study for it after your 4th year though. You're probably not going to be able to avoid a 5th year. Idk about the 6th, I'll knock on wood for you.

If you've got some circumstance I don't know about, disregard the many years thing. With 4 Ws and 1 year done at CC without those other pre-reqs though, I doubt that you have enough classes working toward a degree at the 4 year college. I might be wrong.

Apparently Adcoms don't like CC. They especially dislike when you take your med school pre-reqs there. That's according to SDN. Personally, I think going to CC is often a very prudent decision. It's not like general chemistry and physics are such elusive secrets that you can only gain a grasp on them by going to a 4 year institution. Why would you pay thousands extra for them? The adcoms probably have the bias in order to have better judgment of responsibility and work ethic in a college environment. I think there's a disconnect in punishing a prudent decision myself, but that doesn't matter I guess. That's a heads up in case you're questioned about it though.

Best of luck and happy days!

 

[Geo16]

Prepare to be in college for a really long time. It's one step at a time buddy. You need to be volunteering, shadowing, and getting As without dropping any classes right now. I've heard the classes can be very helpful, but aren't necessary. You might want to study for it after your 4th year though. You're probably not going to be able to avoid a 5th year. Idk about the 6th, I'll knock on wood for you.

If you've got some circumstance I don't know about, disregard the many years thing. With 4 Ws and 1 year done at CC without those other pre-reqs though, I doubt that you have enough classes working toward a degree at the 4 year college. I might be wrong.

Apparently Adcoms don't like CC. They especially dislike when you take your med school pre-reqs there. That's according to SDN. Personally, I think going to CC is often a very prudent decision. It's not like general chemistry and physics are such elusive secrets that you can only gain a grasp on them by going to a 4 year institution. Why would you pay thousands extra for them? The adcoms probably have the bias in order to have better judgment of responsibility and work ethic in a college environment. I think there's a disconnect in punishing a prudent decision myself, but that doesn't matter I guess. That's a heads up in case you're questioned about it though.

Best of luck and happy days!

Thank you very much for your reply at this hour (oh my, this is a lot of support).

As far as the Withdraws, I should never make the same mistake again.

And about 5-6 years in Undergraduate- there is a good chance that I can finish by 4 years.
UCLA requires most of the majors to do about 11 Upper Division courses.
So I can take 2 each quarter- and take 2 other lower-division courses for Med School (Organic Chem+Biology)
USC- I am not sure about this one. Haha.

Also, I am aware that finishing pre-reqs at CC is a bad thing. However, if I can show that I can still work hard after I transfer, I'm sure they'll see me different.

😀 Thanks for your advice!