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The 2 schools that immediately come to mind as possibly THE 2 toughest places to go for premed are simple - MIT and Caltech. These are the two schools at which the premed courses may actually be easier than the average course at that school. I don't know if that's true, but what I'm saying is that if there are any schools where that might be true, it would be at MIT and Caltech
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<p>I know it's strange to be responding to my own post. However, I just ran across perhaps an even better reason for why MIT and Caltech might be the 2 toughest places to complete your premed courses. </p>
<p>I seem to remember that most schools run special course tracks just for premeds to complete their premed requirements. For example, I know at Berkeley, there's a special physics track (the Physics 8 track) that is generally available only to premeds who need to complete their year of physics. Berkeley engineering and physics students don't take that track, instead they take the much more intensive Physics 7 track, Physics for Engineers. I'm not saying that Physics 8 is a walk in the park, for I'm sure the curves there are harsh (as is the Physics 7 curve). But the point is, the premeds have the choice of completing their Physics premed coursework with either the Physics 7 or the Physics 8 track. Similarly, regular Berkeley engineers, physics, chemistry, and math majors have to complete the Math 1 Calculus Sequence, whereas Berkeley premeds have the option of doing the Math 1 sequence or the Math 16 sequence, which covers less advanced calculus and is generally useful only to life science majors or premeds. Berkeley chemistry and chemical engineering majors have to complete the Chemistry 112 Organic Chemistry sequence, whereas premeds can complete the OChem sequence with either the Chem112 or Chem 3 sequence. The Chem3 sequence is a less intensive version of OChem. I believe the same sort of things happens at most other schools - premeds have a menu of choices with which to complete their premed coursework. In general, there's a 'heavier', more quantitative version of a particular subject, and a lighter, less quantitative version, and premeds can choose which one they want. </p>
<p>At MIT, and Caltech not so much. Everybody, even the humanities students, has to complete a chemistry, physics, biology, and calculus sequence. And there is no such thing as a 'lighter', less quantitative sequence of any subject that is available for premeds. All of the sequences are heavily quantatitively rigorous. There's no place to run. There's no place to hide. </p>
<p>Now some of you might argue, wait a minute sakky, that means that those courses will have some people who just don't care about a particular subject and are just there because they're forced to be there. For example, an MIT computer science student probably doesn't care about his biology class and so may not be motivated to really learn the material. Hence, it may be relatively easy to beat him on the exam. Well, first of all, I think we can agree that almost all MIT and Caltech students, regardless of what they will major in, are strongly interested in all kinds of science, even those fields in which he is not majoring in. If they weren't, then they probably wouldn't be going to MIT or Caltech in the first place. Hence, while biology may not be the most favorite subject of that computer guy, he isn't exactly going to roll over in the biology class either. Secondly, to be a successful premed, you can't just be satisfied with just beating the guys who don't care about a subject. You have to be getting top grades, which means you have to be matching those people who care deeply about the subject. For example, when a MIT or Caltech premed tries get an 'A' in his premed physics class, he is competing against all the MIT/Caltech engineers and physics majors who care deeply about physics and who also want the A. To get the A in your premed chemistry class, you have be competing against all the MIT/Caltech chemistry and chemical-engineering majors who care deeply about chemistry and who also want the A. To get the A in premed math, you have to compete against all the MIT/Caltech math, physics, and engineering students who all enjoy and care deeply math and who also want the A. </p>
<p>How many people here feel confident that they could successfully do that?</p>