I am a current high school student in 10th grade. I will be in 11th grade next year and I am deciding between two sheldules. I want to be on the premed track and major in neuroscience or biomedical engineering. Which course selection is better for applying to premed at competitive colleges? Does it even matter if I take AP Chemistry? Could I just take regular physics?
Scheldule #1:
-AP English Language
-AP US History
-AP Psychology
-AP Chemistry/Biochemistry (2 credits)
-Honors Precalculus
-Orchestra
-Spanish 3
Schedule #2:
-AP Microeconomics
-AP English Language
-AP US History
-AP Psychology
-Physics (general)
-Honors Precalculus
-Orchestra
-Spanish 3
Obviously taking an AP in something science related like Chemistry/Biochemistry would help you for a medical degree in the future. However, the classes you pick are up to you. You could always take that AP chem/biochem class in senior year?
So the classes I decide to take won’t matter? I’m really scared for AP Chem/biochemistry because that course is really hard at my school. The regular physics class is really easy. I am also taking honors precalc so I’m scared for that. You are right I could take AP Chem senior year but I’m also taking AP calculus AB and AP calculus bc in senior year so I’d like to get it over with because I plan on taking AP Physics senior year. I don’t want to be too stressed. I was just wondering which path would be most attractive for competitive colleges.
You don’t need at all to go to an elite school to get into Med School. Med Schools don’t care much about your UG and no one ever knows or cares where their doctor went to college. Ask your family doctor what he or she thinks. They are likely to point at MCAT, GPA and extracurriculars in medicine such as shadowing as being the most important factors.
I’d recommend a schedule that - over the next 2 years - includes AP Chem, AP Bio, and AP calc. And yes make sure you have done physics. While AP Psych or AP micro could be “nice to know”, either could be taken in college with our strong high school foundation. Not so with the others. And as a pre med, your college success will ultimately matter more than your high school success. You are playing the long game if you plan to becomea doctor.
As for the hogh school classes, spread them out so that the workload is equal over the years. For college admissions purposes, you may want your junior year schedule to play to your strengths a bit more.
Agree that AP hard sciences are more important than AP Psych or Econ.