<p>Okay so to many of you this may be very obvious, but I need clarification. My pre-med advisor was not too helpful. Does it look bad when someone takes only one science class a semester? I'm fine with two but do the two science classes have to be the required courses. I mean, can one be general chemistry while the other being general genetics or do the two science courses have to be something like general chemistry and physics? Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>Two challenging science classes / semester are doable in 18-19 credit hours schedule along with EC’s. Gen Chem + physics is doable, since Gen. Chem is not that challenging and physics does not need to be calc based. However, class difficulty level is different from school to school. So, if you feel that pre-med advisor was not helpful, I would strongly advise to ask current pre-med students. Keep in mind that junior and senior year load will need to be lighter because of MCAT prep and Med. Schools interviews.</p>
<p>what if I wanted to wait until after graduating and finishing all required classes both for my major and pre med before doing MCAT preparation and applications. I realize I would begin medical school late but would that be okay? do people do this or do they always apply while still studying?</p>
<p>It doesn’t look bad to take one science class per semester. As far as the amount of science classes that you should take per semester, it varies from school to school. I know that at my school, pre-med advisers warn students not to take more than 2 pre-req science classes per semester. Taking 2, from my experience is brutal and requires a lot of work. Ask the students at your school.</p>
<p>You definitely need to have finished your pre-reqs before you take your MCAT. The MCAT covers material from all those pre-reqs.</p>
<p>As to when to take your MCAT and apply–that is matter of personal preference. Some people take the MCAT spring of their junior year and apply over the summer/fall of senior year; others wait until they’ve graduated to apply. Both paths are equally acceptable.</p>
<p>BTW, the average age of a first year med student is now 24-25. Applying after graduation really isn’t unusual anymore.</p>
<p>Two science classes per semester is very manageable. Both my Ds have done/are doing 4 science/math classes per semester routinely. How difficult it is depends on you and your ability to manage the workload.</p>
<p>(And Colleges–2 science classes/semester isn’t brutal; 4 is…)</p>
<p>^^for a science major, 2+ science classes is not unusual. But Frosh/Soph’s should wary of loading up on too many lab courses, since IMO its the lab portion that is the sink-hole of time.</p>
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My D’s two toughest semesters academically were </p>
<p>1) when she got the bright idea to take 4 tough science classes at the same time.
2) when she decided to take 4 tough writing/reading intensive liberal arts courses at the same time.</p>
<p>In her opinion, both semesters sucked equally.Yep. Imagine that.</p>
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<p>Like I said, it varies from school to school. My pre-med advisers have told me and other students not to take more than 2 Pre-Reqs a semester. It may be different at other schools, but my friends and I have found taking 2 pre-reqs in the same semester to be brutal. </p>
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<p>^^^ Which is why I specifically said Pre-reqs (for med. school) in my previous post.</p>
<p>I’m having trouble seeing the distinction, Colleges. The Premed science requirements are INTRO courses: chem, bio, and physics. (Calc/Stats are also Intro courses.) The only non-Intro course is Organic, and Biochem for those schools that require it. Assuming you aren’t speaking of ‘Physics for Poets’, or Enviro, many other college science course will be more advanced than the premed prereqs, so taking 2+ is practically required for some science majors.</p>
<p>im no frosh/soph. im actually a junior now. i didn’t decide to do pre-med until this semester but it had always been a thought and now has become reality. I do believe that everyone is different and might find the intro courses to be more difficult than the higher level sciences. But I asked about taking 2 sciences or more and which kind because I heard that if the med schools see that you only did one science a semester then it doesn’t show that you will be able to handle med school. by required courses i meant chem, ochem, bio, physics and if these should be taken together or if you can mix these with the suggested science classes like biochem and genetics…By the time I finish my premed courses and my major I will be at least 24 so I will be a late medical student if I even get in.</p>
<p>im no frosh/soph. im actually a junior now. i didn’t decide to do pre-med until this semester</p>
<p>Why can’t you take 2 science classes per semester from now on?</p>
<p>Are you planning on graduating and then finishing your pre-reqs? If so, will you have a trouble paying for those classes? Your FA will change once you graduate.</p>
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<p>^^^ From what I have heard from upperclassmen, the intro classes tend to be a lot more work than most upper level classes because they are meant to weed kids out. Upper level classes tend to have very generous curves, where the class averages hover around a B/B+. Intro classes tend to average around B-/C+. (They didn’t show me charts to back up these claims, but I am going to take their word on it, since I haven’t taken a whole lot of upper level science classes yet.) Also, a lot of upper level courses (especially in NBB) don’t have lab components, which like you said takes up a lot of time. With two pre-reqs a semester you have to deal with 2 3-hour labs every week.</p>
<p>You are also incorrect in assuming that science majors have to take more than 3 science classes a semester. For NBB my friends told me that you only need 11 classes to graduate. (Each class at my school is 4 hours and kids usually take 4 classes a semester for 16 hours a semester). If a student averages 2 NBB classes a semester, he/she can be done in 5-6 semesters, and have 1 full year where he/she does not have to take any NBB classes (during these 5-6 semesters, the student can also takes 13 non-NBB classes). Its just a matter of planning your classes out.</p>
<p>Yes, labs are really a Black Hole of time. The write up for a one-unit class can take way longer – and be graded harder – than many Lit/history papers. But don’t think that upper divisions courses are that much easier. Do the math. Sure, the curve maybe better, but as you note, they have already weeded out the ‘weaker’ students, perhaps even the bottom quartile. (Not a whole lot of weak students taking PChem, for example.) And of course, those taking upper division science courses REALLY want to take them, bcos they enjoy the material and/or they are majors in the field.</p>
<p>^^ We don’t get an extra hour credit if a class has a lab component attached to it, orgo is the only exception. </p>
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<p>^^^ Again, my friends who have experienced both types of classes have told me that intro classes are a lot more work than most upper level classes. That is just from what they have told me, I have yet to experience it. Also, at my school most science majors don’t have to take more than 2 science classes a semester, if they plan their schedules out properly. </p>
<p>I understand what you are saying, and it varies greatly from school to school. My friends at A&M have told me the exact opposite. Their intro classes are a lot easier than their upper level classes. Also, we have this really screwed up style of credit hours where each course is 4 credit hours, and so kids take 4 classes a semester for 16 hours. Most schools have classes that are worth 3 hours and kids take 5 classes for 15 hours a semester.</p>
<p>I’m in 17 credits with 3 science classes. It’s manageable but tests always come all at once in the hardest subjects.</p>
<p>no, sorry for the confusion but I can take 2 classes at a time. I just dont know which two science classes to take. For example, do they have to be two required science classes or can it be a required and a suggested science course. I’m planning on graduating and for my last semester, finishing my last two science classes that I will take with me to med school but because I started this pre med track so late, I will probably finish a semester or two late. I was originally supposed to graduate the spring of 2013 but now it seems it might take me till the fall of 2013. Then I have to figure out the whole application process. I have no idea when the schools accept applications and when one can take the MCAT, etc.</p>
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<p>I haven’t been following this thread so I don’t know what the rest of it is about, but I can definitely answer this question for you.</p>
<p>The application process has a few steps, and the general plan is to hurry up and wait.</p>
<p>1) take the MCAT in the spring (April, May, or June would be ideal), fill out the AMCAS (it opens in June, fill it out as soon as you reasonably can). The AMCAS is also called the primary application. It contains all your demographic information and statistics and resume, and after it is verified, it is forwarded to any school you designate. I applied to 13, many people apply to 20+.</p>
<p>wait for it to be verified, which takes 4-6 weeks usually.</p>
<p>2) have a committee interview with your school’s premed committee (mine was in the summer), ensure your recommendation letters get added to your AMCAS primary application (by ensuring they have been received by your school’s committee).</p>
<p>wait to receive secondaries, which can take anywhere from a day to a month or more.</p>
<p>3) complete secondary applications (this involves extensive essay writing depending on the schools you apply to), pay application fees ($50-$100 per school), submit secondaries (aim to do this by the end of the summer at the latest).</p>
<p>wait for interview invite(s), which can take anywhere from a day to ???</p>
<p>4) attend interviews (mine were in November, December, and January)</p>
<p>wait for decisions, which can take anywhere from a few days to six months (if you interview early (in like, September) and your school decides late (in like, March))
(optional 5: send additional information)</p>
<p>and finally…pick up an acceptance somewhere, and you’re on your way.</p>
<p>All in all, it takes about a year from the time you start MCAT prep until the time you could have an acceptance in hand. My MCAT class started 1/20/2010 and my first acceptance came on 12/16/2010.</p>
<p>Long road, but totally worth it. And CC will make it all the more bearable, promise :)</p>
<p>And yes, I do know the exact day I was accepted to medical school. It was a pretty proud moment.</p>
<p>Ah, thanks much, kristin5792. and congrats on getting into med school. it is something to be extremely proud about. from what you’ve said, I probably won’t take the mcat until either spring of 2013 or spring of 2014. I don’t know yet but 2013 could be pushing it. I’m sure I’ll have many more questions as I progress into more classes.</p>
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<p>Could you or mudgette please repeat this over and over when science majors think they have the only tough course loads. :)</p>
<p>Frankly, you will not know until you apply to Med. Schools. One of my D’s Med. Schools added 2 classes to equirements AFTER D. applied and signed up for her senior Fall sememster. She had to drop one of her minors, drop one class, obtain permission to take required class, well, she went thru extensive loops and still had to accomodate second required class in the last semester of her UG (thnaks goodness, it was available). Well, she got accepted to this Med. School but might choose another one. You got to stay very flexible, lots of Med. Schools are changing requirements, and you might not know until very last minute so to speak.</p>
<p>In regard to science majors vs others. Science majors are not toughest, engineering is by far. However, by my D’s observation, you really cannot compare pre-med requirements and English or Business requirements. Pre-meds absolutely have to maintain GPA=3.6+, they have to take at least 2 very tough science classes per semester and others along with crazy number of various EC’s or they have no chance at Med. School. In junior and senior year they have to do MCAT prep and Med. Schools interviews, so they need lighter schedule, taking care of lots of requirement before. And even with that, only 43% of applicants get accepted to at least one Med. School, 57% end up empty handed, they are aware of that. D’s sorority had only 2 pre-meds, D and her friend, but lots of English and Business majors and others. D. also is graduating with music minor. She loved all her classes, including music classes, but music was primarily R&R, which has forced her to stay away from her science and has helped a lot and as a benefit she has developed very nice voice. And although she was curve graded with music majors who had extensive music training before college, voice lessons…etc., music classes were still much much easier.</p>