<p>I read the Med School FAQs thread, and all the major threads, but I'm still confused. My main issue is that I'm doing a Biochemistry/Molecular Biology(BMB) major starting this august when I start my freshman year. My goal is to get my 1 year of gen chem, math, writing, phys, and basic bio(even though i got a 5 on the ap for bio most people recommend retaking the class in college even my bio teacher). Also I plan on doing orgo I in the summer between freshman and sophmore years, and than orgo II 1st semester sophmore year so that I would have the necessary knowledge to take the mcats at the end of my sophmore year and than again in junior year if i feel uncomfortable with my score. </p>
<p>Anyways I'm seriously debating between BMB or BioPhysics right now, the advantages of BMB are that you get to do 3 research projects at either nalco, arrgone, fermi, or the BP labs for each of your 3 years after freshman year, you also get to present them at local, regional or national conferences. The only problem is that most people only do 14-15 credit hours a semester instead of 18 which is the average for other majors, supposedly it is an extremely difficult and time consuming major.</p>
<p>With biophyics, you don't get research as part of your major, but you get an easier major with more credit hours/semester. You do have the option senior year to do a research project that is similar to the bmb projects. but most students in biophys do not go in to med school, they go into phd programs.</p>
<p>Just wanted to know which major would be most helpful to prepare me for the MCATs and help with medical school admission.</p>
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My goal is to get my 1 year of gen chem, math, writing, phys, and basic bio(even though i got a 5 on the ap for bio most people recommend retaking the class in college even my bio teacher). Also I plan on doing orgo I in the summer between freshman and sophmore years, and than orgo II 1st semester sophmore year so that I would have the necessary knowledge to take the mcats at the end of my sophmore year and than again in junior year if i feel uncomfortable with my score.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That is an incredibly ambitious first year. I don't think it would be wise to take your requirements so quickly unless you have a specific reason why you need to have them done by sophomore year. Why do you want to take the MCAT so early? If your only reason is so that you have time to take it again, that isn't a good one. As I'm sure others will tell you, you shouldn't plan on taking the exam twice. Just take it once your junior year when you're fully prepared.</p>
<p>... also, why can't you, you know, use the second half of your sophomore year? Or... push more than one of those into sophomore year? And why the summer?</p>
<p>Sem1:
Gen Chem I
Univ. Physics I + Lab
Bio I
Rhetoric
Calc/Analytics I + Lab
Biocalc I + Lab
Spanish
NatSCI I Lab (bio/chem combined labs for biochem/molecular bio students)</p>
<p>Sem2:
Gen Chem II
Univ. Phys II + Lab
Bio II
Research Writing
Calc/Analytics II + Lab
Bio Calc II + Lab
Spanish
NatSCI II Lab</p>
<p>I applaud you on your ambition, but you may want to be careful with taking such a large and strenuous workload during your first year of college.</p>
<p>the only reason I'm doing this is because I want to get my preqs out of the way as fast as possible, should i spread it out even more lets say move my phys classes to soph more year.</p>
<p>plus i have to do spanish as part of the scholars program.</p>
<p>sem 1.
Gen Chem I
Bio I
Rhetoric
Calc/Analytics I + Lab
Biocalc I + Lab
Spanish
NatSCI I Lab (bio/chem combined labs for biochem/molecular bio students)</p>
<p>sem2.
Gen Chem II
Bio II
Research Writing
Calc/Analytics II + Lab
Bio Calc II + Lab
Spanish
NatSCI II Lab
(scholars multi-disc. research paper)</p>
<p>sem 3:
Univ. Physics I + Lab
Spanish
orgo I + lab
genetics + lab
cultural heritage
(BPHYS Research Argonne)
(scholars multi-disc. research paper) </p>
<p>sem 4:
Univ. Phys II + Lab
Basic Speech Comm.
orgo II + lab
Recombinant DNA Lab
Spanish
cultural heritage II
(BPHYS Research Argonne)
(scholars multi-disc. research paper)</p>
<p>I really don't think that's doable. You'll find that in college, it is not common to take 6+ classes like in high school. For your first semester as you're transitioning in to college, you should probably aim for at most 4 classes. Perhaps calculus, gen chem, bio, and spanish. Factor in labs, and that's a solid schedule right there.</p>
<p>
[quote]
the only reason I'm doing this is because I want to get my preqs out of the way as fast as possible, should i spread it out even more lets say move my phys classes to soph more year.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Why specifically do you want to get them out of the way so quickly? Completing all of your reqs in 4 semesters is going to be hell. Consider doing it in 5 or 6!</p>
<p>I don't think that you're even going to be allowed to follow the schedule you've outlined. Most (all?) schools have a limit on the number of hours you can take per semester. At my school you've got to get permission from the dean to take more than 18 hours and 21 is (I believe) the absolute, no-exceptions upper limit. Also, the most labs I ever took in one semester was three, and that was brutal.</p>
<p>The MCAT is offered over 20 times a year now. There is no reason why you can't put it off until Winter Break of your junior year and then take it again in April/Early May if necessary.</p>
<p>i didn't know that last little bit about the mcat being offered 20 times a year, i thought it was still 2 times a year but just on computer. woops</p>
<p>Even assuming there were only two administrations, and even assuming you couldn't take them at the normal time, and even assuming you needed all the coursework... why would you not spread them out over two years? Why push them all into one year? It doesn't make any sense, even if the MCAT is only given twice.</p>
<p>spread them out over fresh/soph years and then study for the MCAT during the summer and hopefully everything will be fresh so you'll get a good score.</p>
<p>well i was thinking that if i could finish it by the middle of sophmore year than i could spend the other half studying and give it in May(?) than if i messed up take it again in a year but now i think ill spread it out over 4 sems.</p>
<p>The earliest not-ridiculous time to take it is the August after your sophomore year. Otherwise, you're just putting it in the middle of finals for no reason.</p>
<p>If you mess up, take it the next month. It's offered 22 freakin' times a year! You shouldn't be rushing the first attempt, which is what it sounds like you're doing. Study over the summer and take it at the end of the summer or whenever you're ready. Hopefully, if you don't perform well, the reason won't be something that'll take a full year to correct.</p>
<p>NCG's right. If you're taking the mcat really, really early in order to have time to take it again if you mess up, it's going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Trying to rush to take it the first time is going to make it more likely that you need to take it a second time.</p>
<p>@norcalguy yea thanks for that advice, it helped calm my nerves a bit, my moms on by case telling me to start studying already, my best friends sister(senior) is a BME major at SLU and hasn't had time to study for MCATS because shes been too busy and is going to do a year of research before applying. I guess I was just freaking out.</p>