<p>Im gonna be starting Premed this fall and I thought that it would be better if I planned out the years so that I could fit my Pre-Reqs in.</p>
<p>I plan on doing something like this:</p>
<p>Freshmen Year:
Orgo 1 and Orgo 2
Intro Psych
Research(which also gives me 3-4 Credits)
Intro Bio in 2nd semester</p>
<p>Sophomore Year:
Calc 1 and Calc 2
Physical Chemistry(Because I tested out of Gen Chem and went right into Orgo)</p>
<p>Junior Year:
Physics both semesters
2nd Semester of Intro Bio with the Lab</p>
<p>I will also fit in the 2 semesters of my English classes somewhere in there as well</p>
<p>Should I spread out these classes differently? Do u think these will give me enough time 2 study for the MCAT?</p>
<p>No need to worry about studying for the MCAT. As long as you finish your prereqs before the end of junior year (assuming that’s when you plan to take the MCAT, which is when many people do), you’ll be fine. Also, no need to study for the MCAT for more than a few months/a semester (unless you choose the Kaplan program that runs for considerably longer, meeting once a week for many months rather than three times a week for most of a semester) anyway.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, my undergraduate school recommended:</p>
<p>gen chem + lab, gen chem 2 + lab, and intro bio + lab freshman year
genetics, cell bio, orgo + lab, orgo 2 sophomore year (note that genetics and cell bio aren’t official prereqs–my school just recommended them)
physics + lab, physics 2 + lab junior year (I also took physiology and biochemistry)
finishing up degree requirements senior year</p>
<p>It’s the path I took and it worked just fine–I start med school in a few weeks. </p>
<p>As for your plan, I’d ONLY take orgo freshman year if you have an insanely strong background with chemistry from high school. Orgo is hard. It’s probably one of the more important prereqs (because it introduces a totally new way of thinking analytically, which is required for all of med school). You should do your best to do great in it (that said, my orgo grades are the worst ones on my transcript!) and really learn the process well. Adding a really challenging academic courseload to an already challenging and stressful time (that is, transitioning to college) would be a big mistake, in my opinion.</p>
<p>If I were you, I’d stick with general/intro courses for freshman year, and wait until sophomore year to take the more challenging ones. No reason to rush it–you have plent of time. That way, you’ll have a year of college life and college classes under your belt before you take on the big ones.</p>
<p>kristin gives great advice. That said, you also really should fit biochemistry in there somehow. And if you do skip genchem, you will have to make up all 8 credits somehow–a single semester of pchem won’t be enough at a lot of places.</p>
<p>Orgo first year is a bad idea, not because it is impossible to do well but because it is such a time drain during the period where you should be adapting to college and beginning to get involved in ECs</p>
<p>Are you planning taking Genetics, Physiology, other upper Bio’s. Did you have Stats at HS? According to D. first Bio is not helpful for MCAT BS section at all. Yes, Biochem is reguired or strongly recommended by many Med. Schools. However, at D’s UG, it was “waste of time” type of class, nothing new. She took it only for requirement. I assume that you will have more classes in your schedule, it is very light. Do NOT study for MCAT beforehand, do not waste your precious time. Study few months or even weeks right before taking it (depending on your schedule). D. preferred longer period, she had too many things on her plate, others like no longer than 3 months before or even shorter. Taking Gen Chem was the best for my D. - she got the best job on campus - SI for Gen. Chem prof., which lasted for 3 years. As a result, first, she knows she can teach, if she has to, second, she did not need to review Gen. Chem. for MCAT. Maybe you know Gen. Chem very well already, you are the only one to assess. But I agree, that taking Orgo first year is NOT a good idea. Orgo is one of the hardest pre-med classes which has almost nothing to do with Gen. Chem.</p>
<p>I would recommend strongly against such a schedule. </p>
<p>If you have AP credits, take Gen Chem and earn the “easy” A. </p>
<p>Take Calc Frosh year; it comes in handy for research. </p>
<p>Take English Frosh year. Not only will you be done with English, you will significantly improve your writing abilities and thus make your next three years a little easier. Heck, having stronger writing ability even makes lab write ups a little easier.</p>
<p>PChem can be a bear everywhere. Unless you are a Chem major (or Engineer), not sure why its on the list. But if you are an engineering-type, you should just follow your college’s recommendations, not this board. Engineering schedules are packed from Day 1.</p>
<p>edit: OP, I just read your other posts. You will be matriculating to UMich. You only scored a 4 on the AP Chem test. You were concerned about senior AP course grades. IMO, you would be beyond foolish to skip Gen Chem. The competition at UMich is in a another league than your AP Chem course. Given your senior study habits, you will NEED time to adjust to college life. Earning a B in GenChem will require a LOT of work.</p>
<p>You should take 4 classes a semester. Why are you taking so few? Dont skip gen chem. It is important for med schools to see it on your transcript and from what I heard orgo is a beast. You dont want to jump into that. You should be able to take 2 bio classes in your freshman year, and every other year for that matter.</p>
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