Pre-med course schedule HELP

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

I will be a freshman next fall majoring in biochemistry and my adviser told me that I shouldn’t take bio and chem together freshman year, but that i can if i really want to. Even though I took AP Chem (and am anticipating a 5), the prehealth dept recommends that students don’t take bio and chem together freshman year unless they are majoring in biology or neuroscience. If i don’t take bio freshman year, my schedule will look something like this:

FRESHMAN
fall: Calc III, Gen Chem I & lab, English, GenEd
spring: Gen Chem II & lab, Stats, GenEd, GenEd

SOPHOMORE
fall: Bio I, Organic I & lab, GenEd, Psych
spring: Bio II & lab, Organic II & lab, English, elective

JUNIOR:
fall: Biochem I, Physics I & lab, Sociology, elective
spring: Biochem II, Physics II & lab, Linear Algebra, elective

SENIOR:
fall: Experimental Biochem & lab, a required graduate level chem course, Pchem I, Senior Honors Thesis
spring: Advanced Biochem, Pchem II, Senior Honors Thesis, elective

If I DO take bio freshman year, my schedule will look like this:

FRESHMAN
fall: Calc III, Gen Chem I & lab, Bio I, GenEd
spring: Gen Chem II & lab, Bio II & lab, English, GenEd

SOPHOMORE
fall: Physics I & lab, Organic I & lab, GenEd, Psych
spring: Physics II & lab, Organic II & lab, English, Linear Algebra

JUNIOR:
fall: Biochem I, Pchem I, Sociology, Stats
spring: Biochem II, Pchem II, GenEd, elective

SENIOR:
fall: Experimental Biochem & lab, a required graduate level chem course, Senior Honors Thesis, elective
spring: Advanced Biochem, Senior Honors Thesis, elective, elective

Would it really be more difficult if I took bio freshman year? Which course sequence would be better for someone who plans on going to medical school directly from college?

2

It depends on the school. Some school has the weed out class in Bio some has it in Chem/org. So unless we know the school that you are attending, there is no way to make a recommendation.

STW, why you skip Calc I and II and go straight to III?

3

Also how hard would it be to study for the MCAT while taking biochem and pchem? I would take the MCAT during the summer after junior year with the first sequence and during january of junior year with the second sequence. Also, with which schedule will I have a better social life?

4

@artloversplus I am attending NYU and I have AP credit for Calc I and II

5

My first thought is your fall semester senior schedule of the first option is going to be a killer. If you apply as a rising senior, carving time out to write secondaries/attend interviews is going to be difficult.

I suggest you post your option in the NYU-specific forum and see if you can get some current NYU students to respond.

6

Bio or not, in junior year and assuming you can maintain full time status, can you drop an elective to allow for MCAT prep.

7

Will you be a chem major? In my son’s school prehealth advisor also didn’t recommend taking bio and chem first semester. Generally they didn’t recommend taking 2 labs sciences first semester freshman year. Son is a chem major.
He had a 5 on AP chem. He took chem fall of freshman year. And bio with ORGO sophomore year. Then pchem 1 and 2 in junior year. Biochem 1 and 2 he took in spring of sophomore and fall of junior. In senior he’s only doing honors thesis and 2 chem classes he needs to finish for his major. He’s trying to keep his schedule on the light side. Might even do part time in the spring. He took MCATs in summer after his sophomore year.

8

@momworried when did he take physics? ~I’ll be a biochem major

9

He took physics 1 spring of freshman year and 2 spring of sophomore year. He was done with all his premed requirement by end of sophomore year. That’s why he was able to take MCATs in summer.

10

If your adviser says “don’t do it” and also you want to keep your GPA up…Don’t do it.