Texas Med School Course Requirements

[daaarn]

I should probably preface this with a little background about me: I'm a soon-to-be post-bacc (I graduate undergrad in about a month, so I don't think I qualify as a nontraditional) looking to go to med school. I was actually a biology major/pre-med when I started, but in-between transferring schools, ochem, and an abrupt foray into pre-law, I kinda drifted from that path, but now I'm back.

Anyway, now that the intro's out of the way, here's my problem: I need to finish off my pre-med course requirements (for Texas med schools) but I'm not exactly sure how. Essentially, all I need to take are OChem II+Lab and an upper division Biology class. I know I can take OChem at my local community college, but what about the upper division Biol class? are there any community college courses that qualify to fulfill that requirement (the ones at my cc are all prefaced with a course number of 1--- or 2---)?

I already read the TMDSAS sticky thread but it didn't answer my questions, so I'm hoping someone here can. Please and thank you.

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[63768]

i'd recommend you not take any premed prereqs at a community college. you run the risk of them not being accepted. take it at an accredited 4yr university.

for upper level bio, you can take pretty much anything above gen bio, but courses like biochem, cell bio, genetics, physio, anatomy, etc are recommended. if all else fails, you can refer to the TMDSAS website.

 

[whatintheworld?]

just take whatever you need at a 4-yr college. i did that as a post-bac, right after finishing my degree at another school out of state. feel free to pm me if you have questions.

 

[daaarn]

i'd recommend you not take any premed prereqs at a community college. you run the risk of them not being accepted. take it at an accredited 4yr university.

for upper level bio, you can take pretty much anything above gen bio, but courses like biochem, cell bio, genetics, physio, anatomy, etc are recommended. if all else fails, you can refer to the TMDSAS website.

My main problem is cost. CC is just cheaper. Plus it's closer. I'd have to commute like 45min-1hr one way to get to my closest 4 year and that's assuming it's clear traffic. Like I said, I'm going to be a post-bacc soon and I'll be working (most likely full-time) to finance all this so cost and time are quite important to me. My local CC is accredited (are any not?) so I don't see a problem with that. My main concern now is finding an upper division bio class. Does it have to have a course number beginning with a 3 or 4? Because I've checked the CC's course catalog and they only offer like Anatomy&Phys or Genetics at a 2 level.

 

[63768]

i guess i was wrong about the community college thing. http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/FreqAskedQs/11-PrescribedCourses.htm

and concerning the course selection, it doesn't look like it matters if it's 3 or 4 level. go by the name (obviously don't choose biochemistry for english majors or something like that): http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/EssentialsForApplying.htm#PrescribedCourses

 

[somemaybedoc]

. Nr

 

[daaarn]

i guess i was wrong about the community college thing. http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/FreqAskedQs/11-PrescribedCourses.htm

and concerning the course selection, it doesn't look like it matters if it's 3 or 4 level. go by the name (obviously don't choose biochemistry for english majors or something like that): http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/EssentialsForApplying.htm#PrescribedCourses

Thanks for your input. The prehealth adviser at my school was so bad, she couldn't get anything straight. It looks like my CC's bio classes won't qualify then since they're all 1 and 2 levels. This really puts a cramp in things. I was hoping to use the fall semester to finish up my premed requirements, but it looks like I might have to split it up across the whole year unless I work part-time and want to battle traffic everyday depending on class scheduling. Yeesh... I guess I'll call my CC and see what I can do, and maybe I'll start looking to see if I can't gain admission into my local 4 year as a precaution.

 

[daaarn]

. Nr

huh?

 

[somemaybedoc]

huh?

Sorry, Not Relevant. I had an idea, but upon further review of the TMDSAS rules, it was not supported by the text of the source.