Taking courses out of sequence

TrentH
Tue, 29 May 2012 02:29:25 +0000

Here’s a list of the biology courses at this school. I did not include the courses related to ecology, geography, evolution, etc… as I’ve read that these particular courses are worthless for the MCAT. Hope it makes sense, mainly listing this basic outline to show the general sequence for biology courses at my university.



Bio 101 General Biology – mainly for non-majors. No pre-req.
Bio 125 Intro Cell & Molecular – Pre: High school Bio and Chem. (or BIO 101 & CHEM 114 – both courses for non-majors for each subject)
Bio 175 Intro Biology I – No pre req. – (full)
Bio 176 Intro Biology II – No pre req. – currently on my schedule
Bio 243 A&P I – No pre req.
Bio 244 A&P II – Pre: 243
Bio 270 Intermed Cell & Mol Bio – Pre: Bio 125 or Bio 175 & 176 Rec: O Chem. concurrently
Bio 275 Microbiology – Pre: 1 year of Chem. Reccomends: Bio 101,175, or 176
Bio 280 Biostatistics – No pre req
Bio 410 Biochemistry Pre: Organic Chem II concurrently & Physics 107 (second course of non-major physics) or 171 (Physics: Elec & Magnetism)
Bio 415 Cell Biology – Pre: Bio 410
Bio 466 Genetics – Pre: Bio 410



Based on the above (assuming the course names match the typical course description for each respective course title), what would be the “ideal” course sequence to take in preparation for the MCAT?

I sent an email requesting to be on the waitlist for 175 but am wondering if I would be able to go with a different sequence by taking higher level courses in replacement. My main concern would be to make sure the courses have the right content for MCAT preparation (I assume higher level courses in biology will fulfill med school pre-requisites.)

It looks like I would need both 175 & 176 if I decided to take Bio 270 (assuming I do not take Bio 125). I planned to take 175 & 176 during my fall and spring semesters, respectively. Biology 175 & 176 are both the intros that would fit the intro courses the MCAT recommends taking. Would I be at a disadvantage if I decide to skip either one (or both?) and opt for higher level courses?