<p>Okay, so Im not exactly sure I want to go to medical school just yet (yes, Im being honest so dont jump on me for being unsure, please). But I really do like science and would rather test the waters during my first year and perhaps into my second year just to see if this is something that I want to pursue. I have other dreams as well, so Im just trying to see what fits me best. Anyhow, because med schools require certain classes, I figured I should at least get cracking on the requirements while I still make up my mind. Would these classes suffice for an enriching and stimulating first year while still doing well to complete the pre-med requirements--I have to submit a tentaive list to my advisor soon? Oh and Im planning to be a biochem or biology (botany or genetics) plus theatre arts double concentrator.</p>
<p>I should mention that Browns Intro to Chemistry and Intro to Calculus classes are only offered S/NC so I have to start a level higher so that I can get a letter grade for those courses.</p>
<p>First Semester:
Chemistry w/lab
Calc II
Basic Spanish I
Intro to Acting/Directing
First Year Seminar (its about plants and their medical uses) plus it has a lab</p>
<p>Second Semester:
Organic Chemistry I w/lab
Biology w/lab
Multi-Variable Calc
Basic Spanish II
An English Class</p>
<p>Summer:
Internship of some sort, continue playwriting, practice Spanish
---or---
Neuroscience and a theatre class at Brown</p>
<p>You do know you need a year of chem and a year of orgo, right? Maybe you have AP credit for the first half of chem? You probably already have that figured out though.</p>
<p>Because the Intro to Chem course at Brown is only offered S/NC, pre-med students usually take Biochemistry or Bioinorganic Chemistry to satisfy the other missing General Chem I; I plan to take both of those classes during the spring of my sophomore year after I complete the o-chem requirement during the fall semester. But, no, I do not have any AP credit…Brown allows them (kind of) but it doesn’t lessen the amount of classes you have to take…it just allows you to start at a higher level so I’m not using any AP credits.</p>
<p>But thanks for your time! Does anyone else have any thoughts or opinions? Much appreciated!</p>
<p>Vader: I plan to be a biochem or bio major and a theatre arts major…we’ll see though.</p>
<p>RileyJohn: Yea, it does painful. I’d totally start out with the intro courses so that I wouldn’t have as many tough classes first year, but the intro classes are only S/NC unfortunately. And if I started out with Intro to Chem, I’d have to wait until spring of my sophomore year to even start with o-chem sequence because it’s only offered in the spring…so I guess there’s really no way around it Thanks for the replies though :)</p>
<p>Wait…Did you just say that pre-med students can take Biochemistry to satisfy one of the General Chemistry requirements? One knowledgeable CC contributor once said that Biochemistry is more like Organic Chemistry, thus it can NOT be used as a replacement for General Chemistry.</p>
<p>Also, as far as I know, for some Medical Schools in mid-west, pre-med students can take Organic Chemistry I and Biochemistry to satisfy the requirements of two semesters of Organic Chemistry. So there is a chance that medical schools consider Biochemistry as one of the Organic Chemistry courses rather than one of the General Chemistry courses.</p>
<p>In a sense, Brown beat Cambridge (or Oxford?), Harvard, and Yale in the game of recruiting one of the brightest stars. Hopefully, she really could have a normal student life there.</p>
<p>Brown is indeed very special among the top universities. I personally know many high students who conisder Brown as their top choice.</p>
<p>mcat2: Brown offers an online summer course for intro to chem and the professor said that in her experience students would take either chem400, which is biochem, or another bioinorganic chem class to satisfy the requirement. But she did say it’d be best to discuss this with my advisor. Ah well, I guess it really wouldn’t matter anyway (now that I think of it) because in addition to the intro chem course being S/NC it also doesn’t have a lab component so I would have to take either biochem or some other upper level inorganic chem class to satisfy. And I wouldn’t be able to do organic chem I and skip II; II is a requirement for biochem and the upper level chem classes. It kind of seems like they have a predetermined path already set in stone I guess.</p>
<p>Is it common for first years to take organic chem? It just seems waaaaay to soon—especially since my last chem class was in 10th grade :/</p>
<p>My friend who goes to hopkins took orgo I and II his first year and he got through it. I asked him how difficult it was, and he said if he was willing to work harder he could have gotten A’s but i think he ended up with n A- and a B? or an A- and B+</p>
<p>anyways @ mcat2: I think biochem counts as an inorganic chemistry and thus would overlap with gen chem in terms of fulfilling the requirement. Here <a href=“Pre-Professional Advising | Student Affairs”>Pre-Professional Advising | Student Affairs; Hopkins advises their premed freshmen that if they opt out of gen chem with a 5 on the AP, they would then go into Biochem to fulfill the 1 year+lab of inorganic chem.</p>
<p>Biochem, physical chem, biophysical chem, advanced inorganic, and even probably advanced organic would be accepted. They are pretty broad in their definition of how you can make up gen chem at most schools.</p>
<p>^ At these schools, would you be able to take biochem to fill the requirement of biochem itself, AS WELL as the pre-med requirement of an inorganic chem? From your post i’d assume no, but just making sure - haha.</p>
<p>UT School of Medicine at San Antonio is one of these schools. At this school, unlike some mid-west (maybe north east also) medical schools, Biochemistry all of a sudden becomes a Biology course, not a Chemistry course. This is because: “UT School of Medicine at San Antonio: This requirement may be used to fulfill the Biology requirement of 14 hours.” And for all UT medical schools: “Biochemistry will be accepted towards satisfying the 14 hour Biology requirement.”</p>
<p>Biochemistry is strongly recommended at all other UT medical schools. Because of this, it is difficult to tell whether adcom would view it negatively if you use this this strongly recommended course as one of the 8 required (orgo and inorgo/general) chemistry courses. The phrase “strongly recommended” is like “borderline required”, to me at least.</p>
<p>"Required ONLY by UT School of Medicine at San Antonio. However, it is strongly recommended by all other TMDSAS schools.</p>
<p>3 semester hours or 5 quarter hours of Biochemistry is required.</p>
<p>UT School of Medicine at San Antonio:
This requirement may be used to fulfill the Biology requirement of 14 hours.
The course may be taught in the Biology, Biochemistry or Chemistry department.
Cannot be an introductory course."</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help thusfar, seriously, I’m no longer too much in the dark anymore :)</p>
<p>I’m pretty set on taking the higher level chem class first semester cause there’s really no way around it, however, I’m really not too sure if my math abilities are adequate enough for me to start at calc II. I did take Calc BC in senior year, but eh, it was tough. I know med schools hate courses taken S/NC, but what if I start at Calc I, take it S/NC, but also take two additional math classes thereafter—say Calc II and perhaps statistics (and did well in them)? Would this be okay? I really feel like I need a stronger foundation in calc before I just jump right into it in Calc II…</p>
</p>
Thanks for the replies though :)</p>