<p>I chose Bio 2, Chem 1, and Genetics all with labs. Then I have math. Is that normal for pre med? Also, unfortunatley, none of them fulfill my general ed courses except for math. I was thinking of taking Human growth and development which does fulfill gen. ed requirement but drops my credit count from 15 to 14.</p>
<p>It depends what you mean by “normal”. Every student is different and has different strengths and weaknesses.</p>
<p>Since both my daughters were double science majors in college, they had a many of semesters that looked your schedule-- all sciences/math classes. For them it was normal. (In fact, D2 had the same exact schedule as you will as second semester freshman: bio 2, gen chem 2, genetics [3 labs], math plus she also took freshman writing. 19 credits total.)</p>
<p>So take the the schedule you proposed if you feel confident that you can manage all the work, or change it if you don’t. No one in med school admissions will actually care if you were enrolled 14 or 15 credits in any given semester.</p>
<p>Pre meds have to get in all courses needed for the MCAT before taking the MCAT, so you have to get those out of the way. D goes to a liberal arts college with a lot of gen ed requirements. Most students start out getting a lot of these out of the way as freshmen & sophomores, while they are still deciding on a major. D is doing most of hers as a junior & senior, because she spent the first 2 years taking Math, Chem, Bio, Organic & Physics. I would think it won’t matter when you take gen eds, but if you know when you want to take the MCAT, you need to plan accordingly to take the courses to prepare for it. </p>
<p>Or you can finish your BA/BS degree and take a whole year to prep and apply for med school. Some times it is necessary because either you have not completed the md school requirements in your Jr. year or your GPA needs a boost in your Sr, year.</p>
<p>It is very common for the above scenario because to take MCAT and finish all md school requirements are not easy in three years.,</p>
<p>I am not sure what did you mean by "Then I have math. Is that normal for pre med? "
When D. was in UG, her “normal” semester schedule was 2 hard classes and the rest easy.<br>
Again, it depends what YOU call hard and easy. For D. Chem. and Math were easy. Bio and Genetics were hard. So, your schedule would fit my D. very well. However, her preference was to take some classes in her Music Minor every semester, since these were her R&R, different mind set, different students, all away from pre-med, real break that she enjoyed.
So, you basically have to think about each class if it is a hard one or easy one for YOU, not anybody else, not anybody here on CC. Your schedule should be balanced based on your own set of preferences.
On the note of 3 years, it is not easy, but possible if this is a goal. Most pre-meds around my D. had 1-2 minors and one even graduated with 3 majors, all in 4 years. D. graduated with Music Minor and almost completed Neuro science minor but had to drop it being 2 classes short. All of them took MCAT in Junior year and applied in a summer before senior year, no gap year. And my D. had lighter schedule in junior and senior year (junior - for MCAT prep., senior - Med. School interviews). Several of them (including my D.) did all medical ECs during school year, all long term, they also worked. D. did not take a single summer class and was also able to travel abroad. If you remove most of these activities / minors/ multiple majors and have more loaded summers, then 3 years is very possible. It was no incentive for my D. to do so as her program did not allow to graduate in 3 years, she had to be in UG for full 4 years.
For reference, D’s “normal” load was about 18 credits, her “lighter” load was about 16 credits. </p>
<p>If you go in with AP credits it makes it easier. My son got credits for 5 classes. So that’s a semester right there. He finished all his gen Ed requirements and his premed requirements in 2 years and took MCATS in summer before his junior year. But some semesters he was taking 4 hard science classes. @MiamiDAP is right, it depends on your level of comfort. But it is doable. </p>