Although medical schools want extracurriculars, the first thing they will look at is your GPA and MCAT. Creating a challenging yet manageable schedule is extremely important. The recommended rigor is 15 credits each semester with at least two science classes. Obviously, your class schedule will change depending on your major, but as for the pre-med requirements, I have included the plan that I followed and some tips on making your own!
Required vs. Recommended Classes
Every medical school has slightly different prerequisites, but the required courses are those on the MCAT for the most part. Because of this, you want to plan your schedule in order to finish all required classes before you plan to take the MCAT. The following are specifically based on the UF College of Medicine website, but they remain true for the majority of medical schools.
Required:
General Chemistry 1 & 2 w/ Lab - CHM2045, CHM2046, CHM2045L, CHM2046L
Organic Chemistry 1 & 2 w/ Lab - CHM2210, CHM2211, CHM2211L
Biochemistry- BCH4024
Biology 1 & 2 w/ Lab - BSC2010, BSC2011, BSC2010L, BSC2011L
Physics 1 & 2 w/ Lab (Algebra) - PHY2053, PHY2054, PHY2053L, PHY2054L
Intro to Statistics - STA2023
English (6 Credits)
Intro to Psychology - PSY2012
Sociology - SYG2000
Recommended:
Genetics - PCB3063 or AGR3303
Microbiology w/ Lab - MCB3020 or MCB3023
Calculus 1 - MAC2311
Anatomy - APK2100C
Physiology - APK2105C
*there are some alternatives to course codes depending on major and school*
A common question is always how recommended the recommended courses are. I suggest taking these classes later in your undergraduate career and using them to boost your science GPA if needed. Personally, I have taken Genetics, Calculus, and Physiology. As I plan to take a gap year, I will be taking Microbiology in the fall. However, I will not be taking Microbiology Lab, as it is only recommended and is rumored to be more challenging than the actual class.
My personal selections show that you do not need to take all of the recommended classes. Instead, take them in order to maintain two sciences per semester and as a means to strengthen your GPA.
Using AP or IB Credit
Many students, including myself, come in with a lot of AP/IB Credit. Sadly, medical school likes to see letter grades for required classes as it proves the ability to handle difficult course loads. However, if you are able to take a higher class and receive a good grade, you can skip over previous courses.
The difficulty with skipping classes is that you must make sure you know the material well enough for the MCAT and the higher class.
Personally, I chose to retake CHM2045, BSC2010, PHY2053, and STA2023 even though I had AP credit. I decided to do this so that I would be able to perform better in higher classes and because I was able to get decent grades in them to set my GPA high as I had background knowledge. As for STA2023, I was not required to take anything higher, so I retook it to show a letter grade. As for Calculus, I used AP credit to skip MAC2311 and took MAC2312 instead (although it was not required) because I felt proficient in Calculus from high school—taking an upper-level class "just for fun" is not recommended, but I was a freshman and didn't know what I was doing. I also skipped PSY2012 and instead took a higher-level psychology class required for my major.
It is always better to retake classes and get As for your GPA than to perform poorly afterward.
Taking Intro to Chemistry
Because I took AP Chemistry in high school, I felt confident enough to go straight into CHM2045, and I performed well. However, if you did not take AP Chemistry in high school, I recommend taking Intro to Chemistry (CHM1025). Chemistry is challenging because it combines concepts with math, but if you have a strong foundation, you will learn to love it.
When to Take Physics
Unless Physics is specifically tied to your major, many individuals take Physics junior or senior year. Because of this, many individuals end up taking Physics 2 while studying for the MCAT to apply in June after their junior year. Self-studying is possible, and this should not be a significant deterrent for you to wait to take the MCAT, as many individuals study for the MCAT while taking PHY2054. However, I bring this to your attention in case it is possible for you to set up your schedule to completely be done with all MCAT required courses before Junior Spring. If you plan to take a Gap Year, this is less of a concern.
15 Credits with 2 Sciences Requirement
Medical schools want to see that you can perform well with a rigorous schedule. Although they like to see 15 credits, this is not as set-in-stone as some think. You are fine as long as you have a heavy science schedule and get good grades. As seen by my personal plan, Freshman and Sophomore Fall, I only took 14 credits. Freshman year, I took Chem 1 and Calc 2 as my first semester in college, so 14 credits are perfectly acceptable. As for Sophomore Fall, I took three science classes, so the lack in credits was made up for rigor.
In addition, science classes do not just mean the pre-med required classes, as there are not enough to fill every semester with 2 of them. There are other science classes, including the recommended ones and others that may be required for your major. In my personal schedule below, you can see that I did not have two sciences listed for every semester. However, I have, in fact, taken at least two sciences a semester. The additional classes have just been required for my major instead.
My Schedule
This is the schedule that I have taken and plan to finish. This progression worked for me in combination with the classes required for my major.
Freshman Fall (14 Credits)
- CHM2045 w/ L
- MAC2312
Freshman Spring (15 Credits)
- CHM2046 w/ L
- BSC2010 w/ L
- Upper Level Psychology
Sophomore Summer (6 Credits)
- STA2023
- English
Sophomore Fall (14 Credits)
- BSC2011 w/ L
- CHM2210
- PCB3063
Sophomore Spring (15 Credits)
- APK2105C
- CHM221 w/ L
- SYG2000
Junior Fall (15 Credits)
- BCH4024
- PHY2053 w/ L
Junior Spring (15 Credits)
- PHY2054 w/ L
Senior Fall (16 Credits)
- MCB 3020
Senior Spring (15 Credits)
- Major Classes Only
Conclusion
Every schedule is going to look different based on your strengths and background. As always, if you have any specific questions, I recommend going to your advisor or emailing me!
Comments