<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>Premed is difficult for a few reasons. First, the science involved is pretty intense. Biochemistry, biology, physics, organic chemistry... these are all subjects that give kids fits, especially given the state of high school education in America.</p>
<p>Second, premeds need very good grades. Even if the classes were equally difficult, premeds would have to work harder, because being in the upper echelon matters more.</p>
<p>Third, even when the subject matter is equally difficult, premed classes are GRADED harder. As a percentage, fewer kids walk out of Organic with an A than walk out of an English class with an A.</p>
<p>if someone has AP credits that take care of a lot of these classes should he/she take the classes again in HS. Do grad schools care if the credit was given by AP credits or by college?</p>
<p>I can only speak for myself, but premed is not necessarily hard. As you said, you are taking introductory level courses. What is hard is balancing your life. Premed isn't just taking science and math because you have to take other classes, which will compete for your time; you need to involve yourself around campus, which will compete for your time; and you need to make friends (a healthy social life is essential for navigating college and a little fun never hurts), which will compete for your time. It really depends on the person, his or her abilites, and the rest of his or her schedule. Hopefully your premed classes will be the hardest thing you have to worry about.</p>
<p>[qutoe] Hopefully your premed classes will be the hardest thing you have to worry about.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>of course this depends on ur major. premed classes tend to be my easiest. Also the ease of the "intro" science courses totally depends on your college. For example at Columbia bio sometimes gives people the most trouble since the professor expect alot our of the students...while at other colleges orgo or even chem may be the hardest. </p>
<p>As for APs...even if someone says its ok to use them, dont! the best way to use ur APs or IB credits is to just take the class in college and do really well.</p>
<p>also bluedevilmike, ur post makes it seem like biochem is a premed requirement which it is NOT. it is only recommended at a few schools...and taking the class really depends on your major. If your a nonscience major you really should take it while if ur a science major u should fill your schedule up with either requirements or other classes that interrest you.</p>
<p>Good call, Shraf - sorry, biochem is most certainly not a requirement per se.</p>
<p>My understanding is that it's pretty strongly recommended, though, isn't it? Especially if - as in my case - you used the general chemistry AP. (As you point out, I'm also a non-science major.)</p>
<p>yea, for u it clearly is a very good idea to take biochem...however in my case as a biomed engineering major if any one were to question why i didnt take biochem i would probably pummel them.</p>
<p>If you are good at science pre med won't be that hard. I am a chemical engineering and biochemistry major and the classes that are required for medical school are a joke compared to lets say, thermodynamics. With regards to AP and IB credit, I've heard that if you take your credit, you need to take classes beyond the class you take credit. I don't know how true this is but I see no reason why someone who got credit for general chemistry and then took organic and biochemistry and did well in them, would have any problem demonstrating their chemistry knowledge.</p>
<p>I know at my son's school, if you qualify for AP credit in a course, it must be used and you cannot take the class again for credit. He is thinking premed at this time and the classes that have given him fits are not the chemistry classes (though they do take time) but the ones like English. He would be so much less stressed if he could take all math and science. However, those English, religion, etc classes all count in that all important gpa and thus really add to the stress level.</p>
<p>Question: All Pre-Meds/future Pre-Meds that I know of right now have/had AP credits. I am a junior in High school and have no AP credit. Will this be a big disadvantage???</p>
<p>i had ap credit in a few of the pre-med classes and i am not using them...but as far as what mkm56 said i am in the same position...its not the organic chem or the bio or calc that gives me problems its the spanish and the english, this may be becasue i am a science major...my major gpa was around a 3.9 and my out of major gpa (english and spanish) was about a 3.2</p>
<p>if you take those six classes and major in something outside of the sciences can you follow a medical career? Like major in journalism but get just taking those classes and then go to a medical career?</p>
<p>do medical schools ask for your undergraduate class rank when you applying for the schools? am i screwed if my gpa is lower than 3.5? is medical school application similar to college application process?</p>
<p>also, what are the top ten medical schools in the united states so far?</p>
<p>Sadly, med-schools do not ask for your undergrad class rank. They should, but they don't. Hence, it helps to go to a school that offers high levels of grade inflation. </p>
<p>As for the top 10 med-schools, go check out USNews. It's available online.</p>
<p>The medical school process is substantially different from the undergrad process.</p>
<p>First, these cute little things that undergraduate schools do - they want valedictorians, kids who were on their yearbook staffs, athletes, etc - tend to be somewhat deemphasized at the med school level. URMs still get a considerable boost, but my GUESS is that it's nothing like the boost they receive during the undergrad process.</p>
<p>Second, the interview is much more important in the med school process. In the undergraduate process - at least at my school - it has absolutely no impact whatsoever unless you really do something atrocious.</p>
<p>There are probably other differences as well (the MCAT is probably more important than the SAT, med schools break your GPA up into BCPM and Other), but those are the two that come to mind.</p>
<hr>
<p>And a 3.5 GPA is on the low side, depending on what school you go to. Nationally speaking, it is at roughly 3.65 that candidates have a 50/50 shot, all other things being equal. Which, of course, they never are.</p>
<hr>
<p>When you go to USNews, make sure to pay attention not to the overall rank but to the residency score component, as that's the component that most premeds care more about.</p>
<p>also, what are some impressive activities to do during undergraduate years for medical school application? research? volunteering? publish paper? leadership? awards and/or competitions?</p>
<p>are the recommendation letters from the professors very important?</p>
<p>any suggestion on which book to buy to know the insight of medical school application process?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>all of the above...in my personal experience being an EMT is a very good activity</p></li>
<li><p>yes.....DEFINATELY....and if your school has a premed advisory comittee then you should go through them because most med schools expect you to.</p></li>
<li><p>no clue</p></li>
</ol>