Taking Prerequisites After College Graduation

[candiddoc2022]

Hi Everyone!

I am a non-traditional pre-med student. I started taking pre-reqs in college but did not complete them. I have 6 classes to take: Physics I & II , Chemistry 2, Biochem, Organic I & II.

I am thinking about taking all 6 of these classes this upcoming semester. I'd take the physics at a local community college and the other classes at a university. I work from home full time and my work load at work isn't too crazy.

Pre-covid, I spent hours commuting so I have extra time on my hands just from not having to commute and it will be much easier to take the classes. However, is it a terrible idea to take all of these at the same time? Since I'm a post-bacc non-degree seeking student paying for the classes out of pocket, the university has agreed to let me take all of the classes.

I know it's super important that I get A's in these classes so that's my only concern. Another reason I want to go ahead and take the classes this semester is because I don't know how long I'll be working from home and I don't know if I can manage working, classes, and the 3 hours/day I spend commuting.

Sorry, this is all over the place but as I mentioned before, my question is is it a bad idea to take all these classes at once? I'd have to extend my timeline if I don't. Any advice is appreciated!

Edit: Also, the community college offers Organic Chemistry. Would it be okay to take organic at a community college?
Also, I got B's in both bio classes and a C in one of the bio labs, so I don't even know if MD is feasible. This was my first year of college. It's not an excuse, but my college grades aren't as good as they could have been because I had to work nearly 40 hours/week during college.

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[LaughingGas10]

That would be a lot of tough classes in the university ( Chemistry 2, Biochem, Organic I & II. ) which will come to 16 credits if you include the labs with all these courses. If you do Physics at the community college with labs that is another 8. Not easy to take that many science classes together and get an A on all of them, if it is a competitive university. In addition, some universities require you to have taken organic chemistry before they let you enroll in biochemistry.

When are you planning on taking the MCAT ?

 

[candiddoc2022]

That would be a lot of tough classes in the university ( Chemistry 2, Biochem, Organic I & II. ) which will come to 16 credits if you include the labs with all these courses. If you do Physics at the community college with labs that is another 8. Not easy to take that many science classes together and get an A on all of them, if it is a competitive university. In addition, some universities require you to have taken organic chemistry before they let you enroll in biochemistry.

When are you planning on taking the MCAT ?

Thanks for your input!The more I think about it, the worse this plan sounds! My plan was to take the classes this upcoming semester (Jan-May) then take the MCAT in May. I think I'll take 2 classes at a time for the next three semesters (Spring, Summer, and Fall '21) then 2022 will be my application year.

 

[Moko]

I have 6 classes to take: Physics I & II , Chemistry 2, Biochem, Organic I & II.

I am thinking about taking all 6 of these classes this upcoming semester. ... my question is is it a bad idea to take all these classes at once? I'd have to extend my timeline if I don't.

Edit: Also, the community college offers Organic Chemistry. Would it be okay to take organic at a community college?
Also, I got B's in both bio classes and a C in one of the bio labs, so I don't even know if MD is feasible. This was my first year of college. It's not an excuse, but my college grades aren't as good as they could have been because I had to work nearly 40 hours/week during college.

My thoughts:
- I would be very surprised if you were allowed to register for all of these classes concurrently as they are typically taken as a sequence. Physics I (+lab) -> Physics II (+lab). OChem I (+lab) -> OChem II (+lab) -> Biochemistry.
- Regardless, even if it was allowed, it would be a horrific idea to take six heavy science classes at the same time. That's essentially academic suicide. My strong recommendation would be to take these classes sequentially, which will also give you time to gain other experiences (e.g volunteering, etc) that are necessary for a competitive application. Getting into medical school is not a race.
- B's in biology will not eliminate your chances at MD schools if your GPA/MCAT are otherwise competitive.
- I would recommend taking as many of your pre-reqs as possible at a four-year university, as allowed by your financial situation. While community college classes are considered in context of the entire application, they are generally viewed as being less rigorous (especially if you need to prove that you've got the academic chops to handle med school). Just my thoughts. Best of luck.