<p>Okay let me rephrase that question to something that sounds reasonable..
I understand there is much competition among undergrads who wish to go to med school and such, but premed requirements themselves are just one year of introductory sciences, right?</p>
<p>so:
1 year of intro biology
1 year of intro chem
1 year of intro physics
1 year of organic chem
1 year of calculus I-II</p>
<p>while that is a lot of work, it shouldn't be devastating to anyone who had prepared well in high school.</p>
<p>why would premed be so hard?</p>
<p>PS: I am a curious high school senior so I do not yet know the reality of premed world. any advice is welcomed.</p>
<p>i never heard it was hard...but just that it was a lot of competition. but wahtever. i say just do what you need to do and don't worry about the others because you can't do anything about it.</p>
<p>oh yea and were we supposed to write that we were pre-med on our apps? i don't remember doing anything like that...</p>
<p>Organic chem is the main hurdle to premeds. Most of the other requirements can be completed with AP credit. If you choose not to use the AP credit, the intro classes are tough, but manageable. I don't know how tough organic chem is at JHU, but I took it at Duke, so I think it's probably similar. Orgo is definitely tough- the average grade on the last exam was 67/150 with a standard deviation of 20. However, the class really tests your study skills- if you take careful notes, review them <em>every</em> night, and make an effort to talk to your professor during office hours, you should do fine.</p>
<p>Some do, some don't. If I were premed, I wouldn't use my AP credit. It may be tempting, but college science classes are a lot more challenging than AP classes, no matter how well prepared you think you are. I jumped into organic chem as a freshman (5 on AP, 6 on IB), and I was very nearly in over my head until I improved my study skills. As a further bit of advice, I wouldn't take more than two lab courses a semester- labs require a lot of time.</p>
<p>
[quote]
1 year of intro biology
1 year of intro chem
1 year of intro physics
1 year of organic chem
1 year of calculus I-II
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Ok, wel my friend wants to do pre-med. He has taken a good amount of AP classes and has done well in each. He will have AP credits that fulfill UMD's classes for Physics, bio, chem, and will have AB calc done. He might go to UNC-CH or UMich but because of the instate tuition he might be going to UMD. He is waiting on JHU, NYU, and G-town. </p>
<p>My question is- should he re-take those classes when he goes to college? He wants to be a doctor and wants to be competitive at top schools. Shouldn't be to much of a problem getting good grades as he has had a 3.95+ in HS at a top 20 HS in the country.</p>
<p>Ford- It really depends. I was in a class of all freshman (read: chem geniuses), so I foundered a bit. If you're in a class with sophomores, the spread of grades and ability should be broader, and the course/curve should be easier. </p>
<p>I would also carefully evaluate what other courses you're taking. If you're taking multivariable calc and/or other science (lab) courses, it might not be a good idea because organic chem requires a lot of studying. </p>
<p>Also, I think JHU has pass/fail grades first semester...something to consider.</p>
<p>cheapseats- It really depends on which med schools he's looking at. Some don't accept AP credit, some accept AP credit for some subjects (like math), and some accept AP credit for several subjects. I would advise him to take general chemistry, though. It will prepare him well for organic, and a high grade in gen chem would help his chances at med school. Calculus based physics is often required, so if he hasn't taken Physics C, he might want to consider taking physics in college. Doing well in intro classes looks a lot better than skipping ahead to advanced courses and doing ok in them. Just my $0.02</p>
<p>I took advantage of my AP credits and Hopkin's covered grades policy and took Orgo I in the fall of freshman year. The class is split between freshman and sophomores (at least this year, there was only 1 class with ~500 people). The class is challenging but not graded very harshly, so I think I made a good choice. I also took advantage of my Bio and Calc AP credits because I am going have to take advanced classes in those areas for my major, so even if med schools don't accept AP credits, I will have taken advanced courses.</p>
<p>Does JHU's pass/fail policy mean that on the physical (paper) transcript, only "pass" or "fail" is written, but the letter grade (A+, A, A-, B+, etc.) is still factored into the GPA?</p>
<p>The "covered grade" policy means that though your professors will assign you letter grades and send them to the registrar's office, your transcript will only say S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory). The grades from the first semester are not factored into your GPA. The only thing that will be noted on your transcript is if you were on Dean's List (3.5+). Academic probation for first semester (2.0 or below) isn't noted on your transcript.</p>
<p>uh okay, that is quite a hefty list of classes. It really is... plus really competitive med schools want you to have like an A gpa, and med students are all crazysmart, which kills the curve for all the regularsmart people who are not so crazy.</p>
<p>at least that's what I've been told, right? I'm a senior in hs, so what do I know</p>
<p>I'm not in med school, nor have I applied to med school... so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. </p>
<p>Med schools like variety just like every other school or program. Of course there are certain majors that have a slightly higher rate of acceptance into med school than other majors, but generally every major has a shot at a med school. The AMA comes out with a book every year that talks about the percentages of students in med school and their undergrad major, among other things. If you're really interested in med school, I highly recommend that book (although I can't remember the name... Sorry!) </p>
<p>Don't just assume that your major is the only thing that a med school will look at. You take the undergrad courses, but your MCAT scores, interview, GPA, recs, ECs, ect., have a lot to do with admissions.</p>