I want to go Pre-Med or the Chemistry/Biology track in college, but I have to finish my senior year.
As it is approaching, I want to finalize my schedule.
I need to have one senior social study in order to graduate. Some options I am considering include AP Psychology or Genocide. What class should I take?
Thank you!
Can you list
- your schedule as it stands right now
- your current gpa
- colleges you’re aiming for
- AP classes already taken (or dual enrollment, aice, IB)
Premed is not a major. It’s just a set of courses you take on top of your major. They include 2semesters each of English, biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, plus one semester each of calculus, statistics /biostatistics, sociology, psychology, a diversity - focused class, and biochemistry. Also useful: classes in Neuroscience, medical ethics or other ‘medical humanities’ and having skills in a language spoken by immigrants (can be through community education and volunteering at a clinic - French creole, Hmong, Somali… aren’t often taught in college programs.)
In all these classes, especially the science classes, being premed means you’ll need to rank higher than 80% majors in the class. Plus rank high in your chosen major. Plus get involved in a research lab and volunteer in health- related settings. Essentially being premed means not playing a varsity sport and not joining a Greek organization as you’ll have to work harder than you thought possible.
Many students start as premed, as many as 2/3-3/4 give up along the way (either because they find more interesting paths or because their grades weren’t med-school worthy as it’s tough to rank top 10-20% in every college class you take) and among those remaining, nationally only 40-50% make it into a med school. Hard work and superb time management skills is the only way.
In high school you would need AP Lang, AP chemistry, AP calc AB. AP psychology can help when you 'retake ’ it in college.
Thank you for replying!
My school does not offer many AP courses. They only allow seniors to take AP classes, I have been in all science honors (Earth science, biology 1 and 2, Chemistry, and now Physics) and all of the History honors (American and World)
My schedule right now:
Honors Government
Honors Physics
AP Calc
World Lit(English)
Human Anatomy
Medical Careers
My GPA is a 3.4, and I am aiming for University of Washington, University of Toronto, University of Colorado-Denver, Rocky Mountain College, or Montana State. (I am applying to a few more, but these are the schools I am truly aiming for).
AP Psychology sounds like a good complement to that schedule. 
I’d agree with AP Psych. Additionally, the MCAT now has a psychology component as well so having some background knowledge in addition to taking another course in college could help with that.