· You could be able to utilize the
knowledge obtained in the major, if you were to
drop out as premed or not get into medical
school.
· You should be able to meet all basic
premedical requirements at the same time as
fulfilling those of your major.
· As a nonscience major, you will need to
demonstrate your strong ability in the
basic premedical science courses.
· If you do not major in science, it is
preferable to select an area that is "people"-
oriented.
· It is appropriate to take a
biochemistry course, regardless of your major, since
it
can prove to be a significant help in
lightening your first year of medical school.
· In whatever area you focus your
efforts, develop good problem-solving and
critical-thinking skills; they will be vital
assets in medical school.
· Organic chemistry courses, while in
themselves are of little future benefit, are
essential areas of study for the MCAT, which is
critical for admission.
· Be flexible when choosing your major
by preparing options that may be used if
the situation calls for it.
· To protect your future interests, you
should also have an alternative career choice.
This will allow you to remain calm in the face
of any unforeseen adversity, which
is a key to success.
Premedical Requirements
Regardless of your choice of a major, you
should arrange to include the basic premed-
ical science courses plus lab requirements,
namely, two years of chemistry and one each
of biology and physics, in your first three
years of college study. The purpose of pre-
medical science course requirements is twofold:
(1) to determine the compatibility
between the student and science, since medicine
academically is the science of the
human body, and (2) to provide the premedical
student with a background on which to
launch future studies in the basic medical
sciences.
The required premedical science courses you
take should not be those designed for
the nonscience major. If possible, stagger your
laboratory courses so that you don't take
too many at one time. These courses require
additional time both in the laboratory and
outside of the classroom. However, none of
these courses should be deferred to the
senior year. They are all needed in preparation
for the MCAT. One or more of these
courses may be in progress when taking the
spring MCAT.
The science course requirements are purposely
limited in order to allow broad lati-
tude for the planning of individualized
programs. Table 3.1 lists the courses required by
medical schools.
You need to recognize that you should strive
for at least a 3.5 (B+) science commu-
tative average; this will keep you competitive
during the admission process. To maxi-
mize your chances of obtaining superior grades,
you should avoid registering for
courses catering to specialty students (such as
inorganic or organic chemistry for chemi-
cal engineers). Similarly, avoid courses whose
instructors are known to be outrageously
demanding or have a reputation for rarely
giving out As. If really necessary, take a
course in summer school or even at a community
college, but do not do so for the
majority of your science course reqirements and
certainly not for all of them. This will
generate a "red flag" when your record is
reviewed, and require an explanation. Moreover,
it would mandate your getting especially
attractive science subtest scores on your MCAT
to confirm your abilities in the
sciences.
It should be noted that some advanced science
courses, as well as some nonscience
courses, while not officially required for
admission by some schools, may nevertheless
be listed in their catalogs as "recommended" or
"desirable."
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