required classes in college to apply to med school.

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>i am attending johns hopkins in the fall and i am a pre-med. </p>

<p>i know the required classes are:
1 yr. of gen chem. and lab.
1 yr. organic chem and lab.
1 year of biological science coursework with labs
1 year of physics with associated labs
1 yr. of english
1 year of math
1 sem. of bio chemistry with associated lab.</p>

<p>i am picking my first semester classes, and i dont want to over-do it when i just start. i was wondering if taking the general chemistry class with a lab my first semester is a good idea.</p>

<p>i am also curious which of the required classes are the hardest. i am guessing organic chem?</p>

<p>i was kinda scared because i heard that gen. chem weeds out a lot of people who were considering being doctors.</p>

2

<p>Thread: "Coursework". Section: "Whether it's too hard."</p>

3

<p>Assuming no AP credit:</p>

<p>gen chem w/lab
gen bio w/lab
calc 1
a core class/elective/english class</p>

<p>and viola!</p>

4

<p>red sox, you are forgetting physics and orgo</p>

5

<p>I believe Red Sox is talking about a decent 1st semester freshman schedule. </p>

<p>My recommendation would be similar but would be the following:</p>

<p>Gen Chem 1 w/ lab 4 cr (credit hours as assigned by my alma mater YMMV)
Calc 1 5 cr
English 3 cr
Course in Major 3cr </p>

<p>For a total of 15 credit hours. Certainly doable.</p>

6

<p>thanks guys!</p>

7

<p>
[quote]
Calc 1 5 cr

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Whoa, 5 credits for calc? I've never seen that before. How often did the class meet?</p>

8

<p>I followed the schedule laid out by BRM and it worked out very well for me.</p>

9

<p>
[quote]
Whoa, 5 credits for calc? I've never seen that before. How often did the class meet?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Varies from school to school. Calc 1 is 4 credits here (3days w/ professor and 1 day with TA).</p>

10

<p>It was lecture MWF and recitation with a TA on T and R. (Recitation = discussion group = quiz section = whatever your school calls it...)</p>

11

<p>What's a fitting sophomore year schedule?</p>

12

<p>That most likely depends on your school and your personal preferances/AP situation. I am a rising sophmore, and my fall schedule looks like this:</p>

<p>OChem1
OChem1 lab
Bio2 (my school uses a 3 course bio sequence for premeds, includes Bio lab)
English (required by my school)
Hebrew (satisfies my humanities requirement/personal interest)</p>

<p>I am unsure about Spring semester. However, it will certainly include:</p>

<p>OChem2
OChem2 lab
Bio3 (+ lab)</p>

<p>I did not use any AP credits.
I have decided to hold physics off until my junior year because the more experienced posters (BRM and BDM) seem to agree that the physics on the MCAT is rather lightweight. I have assumed that i will understand physics well enough from my classes that i will only need a few days worth of review before the test date (in addition to possible self-study during summer before junior year).</p>

<p>This schedule should set me up to take the MCAT April of junior year. Hopefully the increased test dates will allow me to take the exam one more time in June if it is absolutely necessary, but i do not plan on needing it.</p>

13

<p>Trying to take the MCAT without physics makes sense if and only if you plan on taking a comprehensive review course AND you had a strong physics class in high school.</p>

<p>A "few days" of review will certainly not cut it.</p>

<p>If you're taking the MCAT in your Junior April, that's plenty of time to take physics.</p>

14

<p>Sorry, i was not very clear in my intentions. I plan on self-teaching physics over the summer between my sophmore and junior years. Then i will take my actual physics courses(1 and 2) during my junior year. I think the self-study and my physics courses combined will be enough for the MCAT provided that i take a couple weeks during the spring to study physics more intensively before i go and take the exam.</p>

<p>I would take physics earlier(during sophmore year), but that would force me into three sciences, with three labs. I don't think i would be able to handle that.</p>

15

<p>If you're taking the MCAT at the end of your junior year, and taking physics during your junior year, that's certainly enough physics content to cover what you need to know.</p>