Courses required for med school?

Question

What courses are typically required for entrance to med school? Also, if I have a high GPA as an english major, do I still need really high grades in those courses? I don't do well in chemistry classes in such a large university setting- I guess I wonder if this is something I should be concerned about.

I have an OK science GPA- I only got one poor grade (a C ) in a chemistry class. I go to a big state school and I think the buracracy of the situation played a part, so I am thinking of re-taking the class in the summer for a better grade.

Answer 1

In addition to what everyone else has said, it's recommended to take the following classes before taking the MCAT because there will be questions from all of these on there:

Biology 1 and 2, Chemistry 1 and 2, Organic Chemistry 1 and 2, Physics, Anatomy and Physiology, Calculus, and there's an essay which should be easy for you with your English background. I would recomend retaking the chem class just because it'll only get harder from here, and all the "easier" grades you can get the better. You can get a lot of chemistry help online, or you can try finding a tutor. A lot of students are usually willing to help a fellow student. Find a classmate and set up a study group before every test. Also, a statistic is that only about 50% of people who apply for medical school actually get in for lack of spaces. So, study hard and good luck!!

Answer 2

The med schools dont mind that students take a wide range of courses or even major in non science, but, face it, medicine is science. It is mostly chemistry. So unless they can look at your chem, organic chem, biochem, and physics course grades and be confident that you can handle the toughest science courses with ease, they are not going to admit you.

You validate your science knowledge by scoring high on the MCAT. It is not possible to get a high MCAT score without a good knowledge base in chem, bio and physics/math. Kids who are top students generally have no problem writing the kinds of essays that are required for MCAT and med school, so English skills are generally not much regarded as long as the student is a native speaker.

The 50% admittance figure refers to students who are fully qualified, completed all their premed courses with good grades, received the endorsement of their undergraduate premed review board, scored well on MCATs and then applied. It does not include all the many thousands of kids who dropped out of the premed track, finished but werent endorsed, or who realized they just werent competitive and so never applied. In some med schools, say Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Columbia CPS, or Pritzker at UChicago, the admittance rate is more like 2%.

Answer 3

Yes, if you don't do well in science courses, you might not want to bother with med school. Also, while I remember that there aren't required courses as long as you pass your MCATs, they will not look favorably on a high English GPA and a low science GPA.

Answer 4

If you just take the bare minimum classes for med school (which are just the pre-reqs), you will run up against very stiff competition from those who have gone beyond. I would major in a science and take the computer as a second major of a minor.

Answer 5

Simple: All you need is a minor in Biology. They only count those grades + your MCAT for admission. Good for you that the most important non-science major they like is English.

Answer 6

You don't necessarily need high grades but you need to know chemistry, biology, anatomy, physiology, etc......And you need to relate that information when you take the MCAT.