Which undergrad courses ESSENTIAL for USMLE step I, not MCAT

[jaimaiyaki]

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which courses are recommended during college to prepare for med school/USMLE, not MCAT

 

[CoryChevalier]

Well I would recommend taking some time off if you have soo much time and travel a bit. Traveling is incredibly helpful and educational...and if you've already traveled you can always travel more. If you are absolutely SET on either doing Kaplan courses or starting med school early, I'd start med school a year early because I feel like you would be more time worthy than taking kaplan courses on subjects that you haven't taken yet.

 

[BigRedBeta]

Unless your medical school won't go over certain courses (like biochem) because they will have expected you to take them as an Undergrad (which I find highly unlikely), then NONE. Your medical school will teach you what you need to know.

 

[alfonzarel]

doesn't health and wellness 101 have a bit of overlap?

 

[IHeartNerds]

Don't most BA/MDs get dumped into the MS1 class with the rest of us more well-adjusted (kidding, kidding) med students? There is nothing useful in the pre-med curriculum for Step 1, except maybe the basics of cell biology.

Is your program shortened somehow? That might make a difference but again, almost nothing you learn outside a medical curriculum is going to be very useful on Step 1....

 

[OncoCaP]

Take the pre-med basics so you are well-prepared for med school. You have several bridges to cross before you should even think about STEP I. Undergraduate physiology, anatomy, cell biology, biochemistry, and neuro courses may be somewhat relevant for STEP I if you really want to go crazy about this.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Every BA/MD kid I know has taken the full M1-M4 course load. They have the option to opt out of stuff that was covered like Biochem/Genetics etc. if they're willing to take the proficiency test like all students, but none do. As such, I'd say no undergraduate class is essential, but some can be helpful IF you're interested and not taking them just to get an advantage in med school.

 

[45408]

None of them.

 

[lord_jeebus]

None

 

[Tired]

It's a medical licensing exam. You don't learn medicine as an undergrad.

The closest you're going to get would be Anatomy, but even then Step 1 doesn't really do much in the way of "What structure is this?" In fact, most of my questions like that were MRI or CT images.

 

[njbmd]

I have been in a BA/MD program since high school (I am really not studying for MCAT as its scores won't affect my admission at all). Which courses should I DEFINETLY take in college to do well in USMLE step I? I was thinking Human Physiology and Biochemistry? I am a humanities major and I have not done ANY other such courses (no micro, genetics, anatomy, neuroscience etc). I HAVE to keep up my college GPA at 3.75 or higher so I don't want to be messing with courses I will not really need (or will need just a bit). In all my pre-requisites (Bio, Chem, Orgo, Phy) I got As but Bio wasn't easy for me. However, I have lots of time as I have mostly completed undergraduate requirements. Should I use my time doing USMLE prep books or Kaplan courses? Instead of doing any of these courses (physiology, biochem etc) I could also start med school a year early. Which is the better way to go?

Nothing undergrad is useful for USMLE. Take the required and the things that interest you and keep your grades up. Undergrad doesn't matter much for medical school other than acceptance.

 

[Law2Doc]

Nothing undergrad is useful for USMLE.

Agree. The USMLE tests on the first two years of med school, with an emphasis on the second year stuff. Thus there is nothing of value outside of that curricula, and absolutely nothing you can take at an undergrad level that will help one iota.

 

[167649]

Short anwser: None.
Long answer: None whatsoever.

 

[ACSurgeon]

I have been in a BA/MD program since high school (I am really not studying for MCAT as its scores won't affect my admission at all). Which courses should I DEFINETLY take in college to do well in USMLE step I? I was thinking Human Physiology and Biochemistry? I am a humanities major and I have not done ANY other such courses (no micro, genetics, anatomy, neuroscience etc). I HAVE to keep up my college GPA at 3.75 or higher so I don't want to be messing with courses I will not really need (or will need just a bit). In all my pre-requisites (Bio, Chem, Orgo, Phy) I got As but Bio wasn't easy for me. However, I have lots of time as I have mostly completed undergraduate requirements. Should I use my time doing USMLE prep books or Kaplan courses? Instead of doing any of these courses (physiology, biochem etc) I could also start med school a year early. Which is the better way to go?

start early... that is an extra year of doctor pay

 

[Random Anesthesiologist]

I would say take an English class, since the test is in English.

 

[mudphudwannabe]

Another vote for none.

Try taking something you're actually interested in, and keep in mind that not everything can be learned in the classroom. Don't miss out on living your life. Medical school isn't everything.