<p>I have been accepted as a Business Admin major and am interested in doing pre-med. How difficult is it to fit the requisite classes for pre-med into your schedule? Especially if you factor in co-ops/study abroad?</p>
<p>It’s been done, but it’s not easy. Co-ops are going to interfere a bit since pre-reqs are all a year long, but that’s how it is with most science students so it’s possible. </p>
<p>Most pre-meds take Bio & Chem at the same time, then physics and organic. That’s pretty demanding though, especially since you have business reqs to complete. Also, in addition to taking 4 year-long sciences, you need to get solid clinical and volunteer experience, and you need to take the MCAT which makes scheduling even messier–you apply to medical school in fall of the year before you attend, and need to take the MCAT about 6 months before that.</p>
<p>My guess is that you’ll have to stretch out your courses over the entire 5 years. A sample of how this might be done for a business major. Spreading out would mean taking the MCAT as a senior, which forces you to apply once you’ve already graduated, thus taking a year between undergrad and medical school (which is actually a popular way to do it, and is generally looked well upon by admissions)
Spring/Freshman: Bio I
Fall/Sophomore: Bio II and Chem I
Co-op spring
Fall/Middler: Chem II
Co-op spring
Fall/Junior: Organic I
Co-op spring
Fall/Senior: Organic II and Physics I
Spring/Senior: Physics II and take MCAT</p>
<p>I wouldn’t get too caught up in the details now… the schedule will work itself out once you get started. I’d suggest just taking Bio I at some point freshman year, and if you still think it’s something you want to pursue you can meet with your Business advisor and Gail Begley, who’s the pre-med advisor.</p>
<p>Thanks, it’s a good thing I was planning on doing 5 years if I went to NU. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t in too over my head. I was looking at the division patterns online, and I’m a little confused, especially since most seemed to invovle a summer session… In order to do all spring co-ops don’t I have to graduate in January of senior year?
Or what if I did a bio minor instead of pre-med? Is that even more difficult to fulfill?
Plus: as a business major, would it be possible to find a co-op in a medical/science field?</p>
<p>Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure Northeastern’s right for me!</p>
<p>With the above schedule, you have 7 semesters of class accounted for by regular semesters. Technically this leaves you with a semester of class left, which could be covered over 2 summer sessions.</p>
<p>A bio minor is easier, but it won’t get you into medical school. The prereqs for med school are 1 semester of calculus (which you’ll take in business anyway, so we can ignore that), a year of general bio, a year of gen chem, a year of organic, and a year of physics. </p>
<p>A business major getting a health/science job is going to take some serious hoop-jumping and hassle. A few reasons: First, you’ll be less qualified for these jobs than someone who is a science major (academically, and as far as work experience). Also, co-op is geared toward giving you experience that is applicable to your major/field, so a science job may not fill this requirement as a business major. Finally, you’d have to work with another co-op advisor (bio, chem, bouve) to access the jobs.</p>
<p>What you want to do is possible but very ambitious. I don’t know that I would do it, but I’d also rather stick forks in my eyeballs than take a business class. I also think the 5 year/co-op deal is going to make it easier, not harder, to do it. </p>
<p>Like I said, If I were you, I would start off with one req, probably Bio I, preferably in spring when you are more accustomed to college work and have figured out how to manage your time. Get involved in health-related volunteer work, which will get you started with pre-med ECs, and give you a better idea of what medicine is really about. If you’re still into it, meet with your business advisor, who can help you figure out how to manage business/premed and how to go about co-ops.</p>