perseverance23

Thanks bigredmed, that clears things up. Is it still a good idea to take gen bio for the sake mcat prep? Would the adcoms see it as padding my gpa since I'm a grad student taking undergrad prereqs?

sports61kh

i have 2 questions (from friend) that i know have been asked but i can't find them, so..

1) w/ the intent on pushing the plants/evol/ecology intro bio class to senior yr, would that affect any chances of taking upper division courses? like would that part of intro bio be a prereq for any upper division bio courses?

2) assuming that the college has a general physics course for science majors (but not for engineers) that's alg/trig-based, would that meet the med school physics req? or do med schools require physics w/ calculus?

many thanks guys

Bigredmed

1) A true pre-req is a course that a college or university says you must have credit for in order register for a certain class. At my school, you needed BIOS 201 (Cell Structure and Function) before you could sign up for BIOS 301 (General Genetics). It is not necessarily an issue that there is information within the first class required to understand the second (though that's often true), as it is a procedural/paperwork designation and as such, will be HIGHLY dependent on what school your friend attends.

This pre-req rule (again the knowledge within the class is irrelevant), coupled with the more interesting upper division bio courses that typically aren't any more demanding than intro bio, is why I encourage HS students to take the AP Bio course and the exam. Then if you get a qualifying score and get credit for the intro bio course at your school, the issue is a moot point.

2) Algebra based physics is more than okay. All physics on the MCAT is algebra based.

sports61kh

so if the plant/evol/eco intro bio class is not a prereq for anything else, would it be okay to just not take it, so i wouldn't even need to push it back to senior yr?

thanks BRM

Bigredmed

Correct. If it's not required for anything, then there's no need to take it. But again that may not be the case. They need to carefully research it to make sure that they truly won't need the class in order to get into an upper division class later on.

Another caveat - if your friend is going to be a biology major there will be classes they aren't interested in that will still be required. The option to push it back remains, but sometimes it's just better to get it over with.

sports61kh

good pt, i'll tell him that

just wondering, what are the parts in intro bio? b/c i've seen some schools' intro bio classes that have like 90% diversity, ecology, evolution and 10% cell stuff, and like no animal stuff (physiology, anatomy) at all

sports61kh

^ (10 chars)

heatfan3232

So I plan on taking the MCAT between sophomore and junior year so I'm trying to planning out which science classes to take before the MCAT. I will definitely have completed Bio 1 and 2 and Chem 1 and 2 by then. My question is, which of the following should i definitely take BEFORE the MCAT: physics 1, physics 2, orgo 1, orgo 2, biochem, calc II. From what I understand, the physics on the MCAT is not very difficult, but I have no experience physics so I would have to take at least physics 1. Thanks in advance!

heatfan3232

One more question...
My college gives me credit for 2 semesters of general biology due to AP/IB exams. I know I still need to take 2 semesters at the college level however. I was wondering if taking anatomy/physiology classes to fill the 2 semesters would be generally acceptable or if some medical schools have specific requirements of what "general" biology entails. Thanks.

HansTAR

Hmm, how much recommended are those extra courses that you suggest (Genetics, Microbiology, etc.) as opposed to just taking the 4 cores and doing another major? I know it can be done, and I'm still a declared Biology - Biomed Emphasis major going into my freshman year, but I just feel that I would be at a disadvantage going into the MCAT and med school if I did something like International Business and only took the 4 cores. I guess that I'm also at a disadvantage if i remain a bio major, since those are a dime a dozen I guess.

bluedevilmike

How would you like us to quantify degree of recommendation?

xfiona

I'm a senior in high school now and thinking of going to med school after undergrad but I've read that physics is one of the pre-requisites and the problem is I dropped the subject earlier on and have been physics-less this year. So my question: am I screwed, or can I somehow do something about it?

bluedevilmike

You can, you know, take it in college.

Techy233

BDM, do you recommend taking Gen Chemistry even if you get a 5 on the Chem AP and your school recommends you start with OChem?

bluedevilmike

Yeah, probably. MCAT GenChem is tough stuff. Best to get it as many times as possible. Too, you'll have to take another lab chem to make up for it -- and analytical or physical are both brutal classes.