How many prereqs should we finish before applying to med school?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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<p>I'll be missing one physics lab and one semester of calculus (the second one) when I apply to med school next June--will this be okay? I've taken a couple of years off since undergrad, but medical school is definitely the route I want to be taking. I don't remember how many prereqs they recommend you having before application--is missing 2 okay, or will that reduce my chances of admission? Thank you all so much! (:</p>

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<p>Well, D1 applied with OChem 2 lab pending and it didn’t hurt her. (Like you she was a non-trad.)</p>

<p>But med schools will want to know your plan for making up the missing coursework. (Like naming the school and semester where you plan to take the missing pre-reqs. You will list this on your AMCAS application and if you make ANY changes to your plan, you will need to send out update letters to any school where you have an application pending.)</p>

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<p>Which schools require two semesters of Calc?</p>

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<p>Harvard does. </p>

<p>But most schools only require 2 semesters of college level math.</p>

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<p>My D had not taken the second semester of physics when she applied, and I don’t think it hurt her admissions. Of course, that also meant that she hadn’t had that course when she took the MCAT and needed to do some intense studying/review in that area so that she could do well on the MCAT.</p>

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<p>Harvard (but will accept AP) and MD/PhD programs (due to their research orientation). And possibly one or two others.</p>

<p>btw: According to my two-year old msar, <30 schools require Calc 1, but a bunch do “recommend” it.</p>

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<p>I believe Case Western (only for their MSTP) is the only school besides Harvard that require two semesters of Calculus but many require two semesters of math (Calculus and or Stats).</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/slife/pre_med/Math_Req_for_Medical_School.pdf[/url]”>http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/slife/pre_med/Math_Req_for_Medical_School.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>WashU requires 2 semesters of Calculus or 1 semester Calc + 1 semester of statistics. Same for JHU and Va Tech.</p>

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<p>OP–</p>

<p>While browsing SDN, it appears there are a handful of medical schools that will not consider an application unless ALL pre-reqs are completed or will be completed no later than fall semester of the year you’re applying. This includes required labs.</p>

<p>The list includes: UC-Davis, Temple, Penn State, Wake Forest, Vandebilt. Columbia is another that has this policy in the past so it would behoove you to check its policy as it changes from year to year…</p>

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<p>“WashU requires 2 semesters of Calculus or 1 semester Calc + 1 semester of statistics. Same for JHU and Va Tech.”
-I believe that all Med. Schools are like that or at least it was the case 2 years ago. However, AP credit was acceptable, including top schools</p>

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<p>BTW, Case Western definitely did not require 2 semesters of calculus 2 years ago, they could have changed. My D. asked Med. Schools’ adcoms all these questions, she got answers very quickly. Do not hesitate to ask adcoms of schools on your list, no quessing game</p>

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<p>Perhaps for the handful that your D applied to or otherwise investigated, but that statement is incorrect. (The first med school I randomly researched does not/did not require one year of math, calculus or otherwise.)</p>

<p>Yes, many med schools (highly) recommend 1-2 semesters of college math, but not “all” require it.</p>