Future Neurologist's High School Classes

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Hello, I’m wondering what classes during one’s junior and senior year are crucial to getting into and majoring in Neuroscience at a selective university (such as Johns Hopkins, UW or Columbia). Considering I’m in Washington State, I have the option of taking AP classes (including biology or chemistry), taking a UWHS physiology class (Bio-118) or doing running start at my local community college, taking human physiology/anatomy classes.

My schedule next year (as a Sophomore) includes Honors Chemistry, UWHS Pre-Calc, AP Physics I, AP Micro/Macro Economics, AP World History, and Honors English.

Any advice is welcome on what to do during my junior/senior years, but please don’t address my schedule next year. Thanks!

2

I’ll address it anyway…Why take 2 lab sciences at once?

Colleges don’t care you want to be a neurologist. They care what you want to major in.
Take Honors and AP sciences.
However, if you want to go to med school, remember

  1. Med schools don’t take AP credits for Bio/Chem/Physics
  2. So you have to take either those classes again or advanced classes
  3. And you have to have a good GPA in them

So take AP chem next year and AP Bio senior year.
Take AP Calc and AP Stats

3

@bopper I’m trying to fill my schedule up with as many Science classes as possible, and plan on doubling up on them throughout my Sophomore, Junior & Senior years.

I do realize that the AP credits won’t be taken for Med School, but it would be great if they were by the school I end up going to for my undergrad, in order to save money. Adding onto the element of saving money, if I go to an in-state University, like the UW, perhaps taking anatomy and physiology classes from my local Community College would be a good idea, both money wise (because they get transferred) and elective wise(?)

As for the AP Math classes, is doubling up on them a good idea, in addition to doubling up on Science? My current plan is to do Pre-Calc in 10th, AP Stats in 11th, then AP Calc AB in 12th. Would taking a year off from Calc put me at a disadvantage from succeeding in AP Calc AB?

Anyways, thanks for responding. I appreciate any advice!

4

The most important thing is getting a good GPA.
If you have a bad GPA but took 2 sciences and 2 math, colleges don’t say “oh, that is why”. THey say “that was dumb…we don’t expect you to take 2 maths and sciences”

But keep in mind if you take AP Bio or AP Chem and get credit for it, then you have to take an advanced biology/chem instead for med school. And get a good grade.

I think I would do AP Calc in Junior year and then take AP Stats

For med school, you don’t need to take A&P.

For med school you don’t need beyond Calc 1. Med schools will accept AP credits for math.

https://www.cc-seas.columbia.edu/sites/dsa/files/handbooks/MEDICAL%20SCHOOL%20ADMISSION%20REQUIREMENTS_June_2015%20V3.pdf

5

You don’t need Anatomy&Physiology for med school; those would be necessary for Exercise science, nutrition, nursing.
Your premed classes won’t be “medical” or medically related.
Being premed isn’t a major: you can choose any major (bio majors do poorly, Math, Music, and Philosophy majors do very well) and then you had a group of core classes where you need to rank top 10-20% against majors in those subjects, including 2 classes in bio, 4 classes in chem, 1 class in biochemistry, 1 class in calculus, 1 class in biostats, 2 classes in English (typically 1 writing intensive 1 communication/speech), 2 classes in physics, 1 class in psychology, 1 class in sociology, and, strongly recommended, 1 class each in neuroscience/cognitive science, a diversity-focused class, bioethics, and more advanced science classes of your choice (+ fluency in a language spoken by immigrants, for the best med schools). This changes from time to time but if you take all of these you’re good everywhere.
Also, where are you with foreign language? Being able to speak one language other than English fluently (preferably a language spoken in the US) is very useful.

Taking AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Calc, and AP Stats would prepare you well for 1st year courses in the premed core, keeping in mind you’ll have to rank at the top of the class.
If you do running start jr/sr year, keep in mind ALL your grades will count for med school admission; for this reason, doing a regimen of APs and Honors junior year, and Running Start senior year may make more sense.
If you do RunningStart, take 4 college classes each semester, including:
Elementary statistics then Biostatistics (or AP stats in HS jr year, Biostats senior year)
Calculus 1
1 science class each semester: biological anthropology, biology, general chemistry, algebra-based physics…
Foreign Language at the appropriate level (ie., if you completed level 3 in HS, start in college level 3) through college level 3 or 4
Humanities classes including 1 intro to philosophy (to prepare for bioethics), 1 intro to interpersonal communication (to prepare for the communication pre-req), see if there are classes such as History of Medicine or introduction to public health etc. Intro to sociology, intro to psychology may also work.
For HS graduation you’ll need to take US History and, likely, Freshman composition, if you don’t take US History Honors/APUSH and AP English Language.

6

You’re putting the cart before the horse. As Bopper wrote, they don’t care about your career goals (certainly not as a hs freshman.) In fact, applying to a top holistic with too much emphasis on “pre-professional” can be a serious ding. They care about your potential experience and influence during the four years at their college. They care about your awareness, energy, how you think, the challenges you take on and the the good you do. Your complete record will show them this. Or not.

The Common App asks about your career idea, to form a context in reviewing you, that’s all. It gives a frame to check your actions. But that does not mean you can be unilateral. For some background, check the MIT blogs. (In fact, you should be learning all you can, from what the colleges say.)

For a stem track, you need both AP bio and chem, if possible, to be most competitive. Top grades and AP scores. Physiology and the like can be a distraction (electives, not cores,) and you need strength/rigor in the traditional core areas. Look at how your possible targets frame their recommendations for hs courses. Eg, it includes foreign language. That’s much mre important than AP econ, to be competitive.

Way too soon to be setting a career path. Expecially for colleges that want rounded strengths. You need to believe us that the right rigor is far, far more important than the count of AP classes.

But here you are, framing this in career terms, when you’ve barely experienced high school, barely looked up what matters in admission to college.

Miles to go.