Advice on Classes

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>I'm a 2nd year Biochem student attending a CC on the pre-med route and will be signing up for classes soon. I used my AP credits to skip Gen Chem I, Calc I & II, Intro. Bio, and English I & II (freshman composition and literature), as well as some GE's in the Humanities. During my first year, I took Gen Chem II, Calc III, Cell & Molecular Bio, Plant & Animal Bio, Statistics, and English III (writing and analysis course), and Art History (GE). </p>

<p>After researching med school requirements, I realize that I should probably go back and take Gen Chem I (my school doesn't have a harder chem). But, I'm not sure if it's necessary, since I'll be taking plenty of Biochem courses with lab at Uni (will these fulfill the requirement?). As for the bio, I think the more advanced classes I took (Cell & Molecular and Plant & Animal) can be used to fulfill my 1 year general Biology requirement, so I don't think I need to go back to take general bio. Another concern is English: since I took one semester of a writing course, would taking a creative fiction writing course be acceptable to fulfill my one year of English? Creative writing is known to be pretty fun and stimulating here, and I don't really want to go back and take freshman composition. What would you guys advise? Normally I would just play it safe and take general Bio, Gen Chem I, and freshman composition, but these would make my schedule very hectic since I'm trying to take care of major courses and other GE's.</p>

<p>And yes, I understand that many med school have different requirements, but I'm just trying to take the classes that will make me a good candidate for most med schools (not just matching the specific requirements for one).</p>

2

<p>Creative writing probably won’t satisfy med school writing requirements. Med schools want writing that is academically focused.</p>

<p>If you don’t want to take the dreaded freshman comp, take some writing intensive humanities classes. The designation of what’s writing intensive will vary according to each school’s policies, so check the course catalog or with your transfer advisor. </p>

<p>One issue: a good many CA public med schools will not accept AP credits in lieu of the actual classes. If you intend to apply in-state, you may need to go back and actually take the courses you APed out of.</p>

<p>You should check the policies for the UC med schools w/r/t AP credits.</p>

3

<p>"good candidate for most med schools " is not a good approach.
Contact adcoms with specific questions of the Med. Schools on your list. Do not ask general questions, ask specifically about each class in question. My D. did that and got her responses very quickly. The responses that she did not need to question / discuss or spend any additional time researching.</p>