I am seeking advice from a pre-med student from UVA
I don’t really know which classes to take during first semester.
I will probably take both bio and chem. Do I need labs on both of theses classes?
And what other classes should I enroll in?
Thank you
@doolly I recommend looking at this page: http://career.virginia.edu/graduate-prof-school/pre-health-advising/careers/medical/early-preparation
As long as you complete the prerequisites for medical school admissions, your undergraduate major is completely up to you; you can take classes you are interested that are outside of pre-medical requirements.
I wouldn’t take two demanding science classes with labs during the same semester.
http://chem.virginia.edu/undergraduate-studies/pre-health/
Link is to the chemistry dept.'s advice for pre-med. I assume it is still true that most pre-meds take chemistry for the first two semesters of their first year. There are a couple choices in chemistry tracks. In the past, students said the harder track is a much better quality course.
It is a good idea to get some general ed requirements out of the way your first semester, to provide flexibility in case you change your major. UVa is structured to put first year students mostly in courses designed to meet general ed requirements (such as a science, a language, a math, and a writing class). It is hard for first year students to get into upper level classes.
The link above says that med schools all require organic chem. That is traditionally a weed-out class across the country. NPR just had a story about how MDs typically don’t use organic chemistry, and some doctor friends of mine have confirmed it.
It would probably be best not to take chem and bio with both labs during the same semester, as often times their exams tend to overlap and it can get hectic. Many people take one of the lectures with both of the labs. As for your other classes, just take classes that sound interesting to you and that fulfill your general requirements. I highly recommend Theology, Ethics, and Medicine taught by Professor Childress because it’s a very interesting course that most pre-meds should try to take, plus it fulfills a Humanities requirement as a Religion course.