Math and science

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

Hi there. I am a high school student in 9th grade and have been wanting to be a surgeon since before I can remember. If all goes as planned, these will be the math and science classes I complete by the end of high school:

MATH:
Algebra 1
Geometry
Algebra 2
Pre-calc

SCIENCE:
Honors biology
Honors chemistry
Anatomy
Psychology
AP Psycology
AP physics
AP biology

Will these classes be enough to get accepted in premed?I was thinking of taking pre calc and AP psyics in the same year (12). Is that too hard? Will colleges see that I’ll be taking those classes, or will they only see 11th grade and below? Is my math cirriculum too basic?

2

A few comments:

  1. There is no pre-med major. You can be pre-med at any college and with take any major – one just needs to finish the pre-med requirements (which you should be able to find using google).
  2. You math looks light – if you want a top college most candidates take calculus in HS.
  3. AP Psych is more of a social science than a hard science
  4. It looks like you will overload with science courses (taking 6 in 4 years). Not sure that is necessary. Be sure you don’t overload the sciences to the point where you don’t have other courses that colleges require (ex. foreign language etc.)
  5. AP Physics and pre-calc should not be an issue but of course it depends on the teachers, your aptitude for the coursework etc.
  6. You should talk to your guidance counselor before setting up your HS schedule.
  7. While it is good to think ahead you sound like a 9th grades who is already worried about getting into med school. It is good to think ahead but be sure to appreciate and value your HS experience. I recommend you stay off of CC until junior year and focus on doing the best you can in HS in the most rigorous curriculum you can handle, getting involved in activities that interest you, cultivating friendships etc. .
3

Pre-med is not a major it is an intention. Taking science and math in High school will prepare for the courses needed to do well in college, but there are not particular courses in HS you should take other than to challenge yourself and to fulfill HS graduation requirements and also College admission requirements. You can major in any subject in college but will need to take the Medical school course requirements to apply.

First, it is important to remember that, regardless of what major you ultimately choose, there are core courses that most medical schools require you take:

• two semesters of biology with laboratory (up to four semesters at some schools)

• two semesters of inorganic chemistry with laboratory

• two semesters of organic chemistry with laboratory

• two semesters of math, at least one in calculus

• two semesters of physics with laboratory

• two semesters of English and/or writing

4

I don’t plan on getting into a top school for pre med I definitely want to get into university of Michigan for med school. Is that achieveable? I’ve made my entire schedule already, I’ve already gotten up to Spanish 4 honors. If I drop AP psych will that be better? Just any points for this, especially for the math aspect. Will not taking calc drag me down? What are some good premed colleges? Not ones like Harvard or anything, ones like UMICH, but I heard it doesn’t matter where you go for premed…??

5

@Gabby2001 That is insanely far down the road. Don’t be thinking of medical schools right now, don’t even be thinking about colleges. Simply do your best, focus in math and science courses, and have fun.

Where you go for pre-med does not matter when it comes to medical schools looking at you as long as you attended a reputable school (top 200?). However, there are some schools that offer more advising, better research opportunities, better clinical opportunities, and better undergraduate teaching in science or math related areas than others - so looking at a school that has some of these resources may help you build a strong application for yourself as you go.

6

I know it is, but I don’t want to be doing things hat I put 100% effort into and then not being accepted into premed. Does my schedule sound light? All my other classes besides math and science are AP

7

There is no “pre-med” major.

You need to get a bachelor’s degree first before applying to Medical school and their are no “Pre-Med colleges”. You get into a college/university, get your Bachelor’s degree which should include your Medical school pre-req courses, strive for a High GPA, have medically related EC’s and take the MCAT. You then apply to Medical school. You are only a Freshman in HS so you have 3 years of HS to go along with 4 years undergrad so I would not worry about getting into any Medical school at this point. Do well in HS and get into a good fit college, then worry about Medical school.

If Medical school is your goal, you also want to keep college costs at a minimum since Medical is very expensive so look for affordable colleges when the time comes especially your in-state schools.

Here is information about Pre-Med and Medical school:

GPA

Medical school admissions are competitive, so you need to have a strong GPA. A GPA above 3.5 is preferrable. A GPA below 3.5 can somtimes raise a flag, especially if you attended a school famous for grade-inflation, like Harvard. While things might have changed a little at Harvard, there is still the impression that everyone gets a minimum 3.3, so the GPA cutoff might be more strictly enforced.

MCAT

Your MCAT scores are important. They say little about you as a person, but they are given substantial weight by medical schools. The sections of the MCAT are similar to the required coursework: physical sciences (physics and inorganic chemistry), biological sciences (biology and organic chemistry), verbal, and a writing sample.

It has been estimated that 70-80% of all medical school applicants have taken an MCAT test prep course.

Baccalaureate Diploma

You need a college degree. BUT, it does not have to be in the sciences. In fact, for some schools a science degree is a negative - Johns Hopkins, for example. You need to show medical schools you are passionate about something. That you’re willing to spend four years, study a topic you love, learn it, and be able to build on it. Selecting a college major should not be about getting into medical school, it should be about study what you love to think about or do.

Research - optional

If you do enjoy science, then research is one way to show you’re serious about it. If you’re going to do a research project as an undergrad, start early. Freshman year is not too early to start. That gives you a year or two to learn the ropes, then a year and a half of serious work before you get to present your work in your medical school interview. Choose a respected faculty member doing research that interests you. Work hard. Read. Understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. You should be able to explain and defend your work to an educated scientist who doesn’t work in your field.

Physician shadowing - optional

I’m personally not a big fan of shadowing a physician. It doesn’t show much committment, and suggests you’re just interested in getting into medical school. If you’re truly not sure you want to get into medicine, then shadow a physician and find out what it’s like. Don’t expect a “shadowing experience” do carrya lot of weight on your application.

Volunteer service - optional

The impact of volunteer service on your application will depend on the quality of the service, and your committment to it. Is this a one month, two-times a week thing organized by someone else, or is this a project you’ve involved in for several years and are taking a leadership role in. How does this project affect you, and how have you made a meaningful contribution to the project.

Remember, medical schools are looking for people who are willing to take the time and effort to make a serious contribution. That contribution can be in a volunteer program, an academic pursuit, research, or even sport. You just have to show that you are willing and capable of working hard enough to accomplish an important goal.

8

@gabby1116 You don’t quite seem to understand. There is NO pre-med major, almost no reputable universities still offer a major called “pre-med”. The closest things to pre-med majors are majors in biology and chemistry, which you most often just need to be accepted to a university and there are no more requirements to have those majors. And even then, you can major in 16th Century Art or Gender Studies and be a “pre-med” so long as you complete the 8 or so required courses.

9

Mich is a top school.

10

I admire your ambition. College will come around soon enough. Lots and lots of schools are terrific. Please don’t think about high school as pre-college. Enjoy these years as high school. That’s important. If you don’t think about college again until spring of junior year, you will have more than enough time to do research, visit, and make an informed decision. You will be able to work as a surgeon–or at anything else you do–for many years. High school, by contrast, is a very short period to time. Have fun and continue to grow as a person.

11

Good plan! I’d drop AP Psych and replace with AP Chemistry - more relevant and will give you credit for basic required chem courses in college. (Unless you’re really interested in psychology, in that case take both AP Psych and AP Chem, if you can.)

12

I wasn’t thinking of doing that! Have you taken AP physics? Is it do-able with taking pre calc at the same time?

13

If I were to get a B+ or higher in each of these classes, would I be able to get into a top 20 school?

14

Yes, you are too light on math. You should look to take at least Calc AB, and preferably Calc BC. And per the U of M site, you will only get credit for AP Physics if you take calc-based Physics C, so again, you should have calc. Link: https://admissions.umich.edu/apply/freshmen-applicants/ap-ib-credit#Engineering

As someone mentioned up-thread, you should also look to take AP Chem.

Q. “If I were to get a B+ or higher in each of these classes, would I be able to get into a top 20 school?”
A. IMHO you will need an A in each of these classes - maybe a B+ in 1 class will not lock you out - but if you are setting your goals high, your performance needs to be high as well. Good Luck!

15

@Gabby2001:
My advice as a parent:

  1. Stay off College Confidential until end of Junior year.
  2. Strive to do your best in all your classes, take a rigorous course schedule but also take classes that interest you.
  3. Do EC’s that you enjoy and not just because you think they look good for colleges.
  4. Have the money talk with your parents since Medical school will be expensive and you want to keep your undergrad costs low. Have your parents give you $ budget and stick to it.
  5. Do not fall in love in schools that are unaffordable and forget the notion of a “dream school”.

You are a Freshman and have a long to time to go before you need to worry about college so relax and be a HS student.

Admissions to top schools are just not about GPA. Test scores, EC’s, Essays and Letters of Recommendation will all contribute your chances.
Applicants with perfect 4.0 GPA are rejected from top schools,so you want to stand out from the rest of the applicants. There are no guarantees in life and no guarantees that getting into a top 20 university will get you into Medical school. Do your best and rest will fall into place. Good Luck.

16

Also, if you take AP Chem and Bio, you don’t need to take AP Physics if you’re aiming for med. But as someone else mentioned, AP Calc would be good, so if you don’t want to overload, take that instead of AP Physics. (That gives you a solid foundation of AP Calc, Chem, Bio; you can add other topics if you have a special interest in them).

17

Should I replace AP physics for Calc AB? Will it matter? Won’t I have to retake physics in premed school?

18

@Gabby2001: Again there is no Pre-Med school. Depending upon a colleges AP policy and your major, you may have to take some Physics courses. I would take AP Calc AB instead and take a Honors Physics or Regular physics if you are interested in the class and want some exposure to the material prior to entering college.

19

If you do a biology major, you will have biology (obviously), chemistry, organic chemistry, calculus, and may or may not have physics depending on the college.

So do AP Calc for sure. IF you can handle the workload, then sure, do AP Calc, Chem, Bio and Physics. Decide when the time comes.

For information purposes, here’s what a college biology major requirements might look like. This will vary from college to college though - you’ll find similar information on other college websites: http://catalog.rpi.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=15&poid=3290&returnto=365

Note that you could also major in chem instead of biology (first 2 years will be quite similar between the 2).

20

Only a few schools in the country require Calc before college. The OP has stated s/he doesn’t want to attend a prestigious school for undergrad but maybe UMich for Med School. AP Calc is not necessary to be accepted into a non-competitive school (and in many cases not into a competitive school either).