Hi, I wonder if there is anyone who is taking pre-med prerequisite courses at Hunter College?
Believe it or not, I have just decided to take my pre-med prerequisite courses at Hunter this semester half hour ago.
It seems like they’ve already started the classes last Friday, so I really need some help regarding choose/register classes now.
I am thinking about taking:
BIO 100 w/L
CHEM 102
CHEM 103 L
PHY 110
PHY 110 L
Am I doing the right thing?
One thing I don’t understand is that for some reason, I can’t find CHEM 103 L on class schedule. I wonder why?
Please help.
Thank you so very much in advance!
Whoa!! Slow down, breathe, chill. First of all, you are waaay late to register. All of the premed classes are very popular, and very full at this point. You’ll have a tough, if not impossible, time getting in as a nondegree student at this point. No way you can get into a lab (“L”) at this point either - they’re all full.
Not trying to be a downer but you will probably have to wait to spring. Which is fine, because all of those classes are available in the spring. You will still have a tough time registering for classes as a nondegree then, so the best use of your time now is to matriculate as a degree student (second degree, if that is relevant for you) or better, as a premed postbacc Hunter student, and not take classes this semester. The applications for the postbacc program in the spring, which is still taking apps, is time-consuming as there are 2 to fill out- one for CUNY and one for the program itself.
If by some chance you are able get in, start slow. What’s your background? Even if you have a strong math/science background, 3 classes at once if you haven’t been back to school in a while is IMO not a good move, unless you’ve already been doing that for a while. Bio, physics AND chem? Pick 1 or 2 and see how you do.
Hi Minan:
Thank you very much for your response.
I actually went to CHEM 102 today. I found out that there is no lab with this course. In other words, there is no such thing called CHEM 103 L. Instead, there is CHEM 104 (Lecture) and CHEM 106 (Lab) after CHEM 102.
By the way, I also found a useful link that has all post-bacc program information, including all the prerequisite courses that you need to take: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/studentservices/prehe al…
(Sorry, I started my research very late…. Most of you probably have already know about it.)
I haven’t registered for the classes yet. As a matter of fact, I am still not sure if I want to start it this semester or not. If it’s possible, I would like to go to CHEM and BIOL classes this week before I make up my mind. The only thing is that they only offer BIOL 100 in Fall and BIOL 102 in Spring. That means, if I miss BIOL this semester, I won’t be able to take it until fall 2010, and that will postpone my application for one year.
Being a premed postbacc Hunter student was never my option, but I will seriously consider it. If I have to wait to spring, then I guess that’s what I have to do. What’s important is how good I do, not how fast I do.
You have a very good point. I should probably start slow. 3 classes at once might be too much for me. After all, I am not 18 anymore. ^^
My background is simple. I have my bachelor degree in Math. And I am doing my thesis now. When I am done, I will have a master degree in Liberal Arts (Psychology). Oh, in case you are curious, I am 33-year-old.
This is what I think right now. If I can get in the classes, then I will take CHEM 102 and BIOL 100, so that I don’t have to wait for another year to start my BIOL class. Meanwhile, I will apply premed postbacc program at Hunter College.
There is another thing. I feel so lonely and isolated in the class. People sit around me are fresh out of high school kids. They are full of energy and laugh at jokes that I don’t find funny. Hahaha. I honestly feel like I was in the wrong class room. Is it normal to feel this way?
To tell you the truth, the thought of taking prerequisite courses, taking MCAT, applying med schools, and going to med school scares me (and I don’t even have kids yet). I really admire people who chose (and actually doing) this path. It’s really tough in many aspects!
P.S. I might forget to mention that I am an international student, so that makes things even harder. ^^
Thanks again for helping. I really appreciate it.
I will start looking for my volunteer work at a hospital. Hopefully I will have something to share with everybody next time.
Wait a moment. Three classes should be very doable for you. I just would not take two chems in one semester. Don’t sell yourself short.
Its not as though were talking about 15-18 credit hours here. I would first and foremost make an appoitment with an adviser and see what you walk away with.
I am not a very big supporter of counselers, however (though some may argue) they do serve a purpose every now and again. I think it is great that you are deciding to pursue your dream, just don’t let some small bump in the road deter you.
Any advice or help that we, the community can offer and assist with we will. Until then, don’t give up!
Three classes are doable if you have a strong math/science background already and are NOT working. If you’re working, personally I think it’s unwise to start out so fast. I’m not sure if that’s the case with the OP.
And general chem / organic chem in one semester–NOT a good idea. Good advice to talk to a counselor; however at Hunter, especially at this time, it’s practically impossible to get someone to talk to you if you’re not matriculated. If I were to take 3 classes, it would be Bio, Gen Chem and Physics. That’s tough enough as it is. Personally, I wouldn’t do it if I were just starting out. That’s asking for failure. Better to build up to it slow, IMO - start out with 1 to 2 classes, see how you do, then add classes as you get your study routine down.
After contemplating all of this for the past 6 months, I truly being in a rush to complete all of this at once is NOT smart and only helps you rush into not getting in. I approach it like training for a marathon. Start with getting on the road first. Then do a few short races, sign up for more races, build up your training and finally approach your first marathon with some racing experience under your belt.
The only caveat is you can’t go TOO slow either, but then again I’ve read here about people getting into med school around here as nontraditionals, taking one class at a time.
- In reply to:
Its not as though were talking about 15-18 credit hours here. I would first and foremost make an appoitment with an adviser and see what you walk away with.
3 classes - bio/chem/physics, with lab, is at LEAST 18 credits.
Wow and to think I presumed this thread as dead? Well, two weeks since the last post. And it’s alive again.
Minan, I do stand corrected. You were correct.
Dear Minan,
I wanted to ask you a question, since you have a related background to ine. I am a PhD student in Education at TC and am 36. I have decided, through a very drawn out process of reflection, to apply for a pre-med program here in NYC, and to leave PhD studies.
I am curious how you have liked Hunter. How is the support you recieve from staff/faculty? Do they support your prep for the MCATs? Was it worth it to enroll in a program? Thanks for your thoughts.
I’d also like to hear some details about Hunter Post-Bacc. Eyeing the NYU and Hunter programs at the moment.
Hi, I am seriously considering med school and have
some questions I believe you can help me with. I recently graduated from William Patterson University in Wayne, NJ with a bachelors in finance, and a 3.3 cumulative GPA. Upon graduation I received a job offer with AXA advisors in ny and got my life, accident and health insurance license. However, finance did meet my expectations as a suitable career choice and after some serious thought, I would like to go to medical school. Someone recommended that I take the required coursework (bio, chem, physics, etc. ) for medical school at hunter. I am planning on calling admissions tomorrow and finding out if I will be able to register for the spring semester. I was told not to take the post-bacc program because It is more suited for individuals who already have a more than basic foundation in the science area. I am only 22 years old and I do not have to worry about rent/expenses, do you have any advice for me?
Well I myself have not been officially admitted to Hunter post bacc yet, though I expect to get in (should be hearing from them in October). I have heard mixed things, like the advising is not that great, but honestly, even at Barnard/Columbia (where I went for undergrad) the advising was crap. All they do is weed out people to protect their precious admissions rate. IMO, the postbacc programs are all about making the university some money. This is why an organization like OPM is great bc you can truly get helpful advice here.
So in my cynical view, the only useful thing about getting into postbacc is priority registration for decent quality premed classes at a city school. Hunter is great because the professors are Ivy League quality; my orgo prof taught at Yale. Even better is that the students are not as smart as at those schools so if you come from that kind of a background, you’ll shine. Even if you don’t, by virtue of the fact that you’re a real adult and have the time and focus to do well, you’ll still shine. Win-win.
I wouldn’t expect much else. I’ve been finding the best advice comes from people who have gone through it, like here on OPM and my own personal contacts, and from admissions people. Like in any other field, if you have a good set of business contacts and network, that’s how you’ll best find your way. But my long journey to med school has only recently revived after about a 10 year hiatus (I decided to pursue the med school thing once and for all in March), so I’m still learning. I’m sure someone who has been doing this longer will have much to say that could contradict what I’m saying.
I think it’s interesting that you are at TC and contemplating med school. We do have a similar background. I got my masters in ed at Harvard, and I really like the education research and analysis that I’ve been doing; but honestly I don’t think it’s going to hold my interest for much longer. I’m really interested in medical research as well as becoming a clinician. We should chat offline.
Anyway … if you’re even just thinking about Hunter, I believe the application deadline is coming up Oct 1 for Spring so I would pull stuff together now and just submit, whether you’ve decided that Hunter is for you or not, so you have options. They have tons of Bio I, Chem I, etc. classes in the spring so it’s not much of a disadvantage to start then.
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/studentservices/prehe al…
- In reply to:
I was told not to take the post-bacc program because It is more suited for individuals who already have a more than basic foundation in the science area. I am only 22 years old and I do not have to worry about rent/expenses, do you have any advice for me?
That's strange advice. Who told you that? There are two tracks - one for people who are new to sciences, and those who have a science background. See my advice and the link in my above post.
BTW what PHD program are you in? I started my PHD at NYU Steinhardt and dropped out too. It was a good decision.
Just be prepared to meet people who are not that bright at Hunter. Some wannabe hotshot guy in my class tried to tell me that in looking at the electronegativity of atoms in a molecule to determine acidity, to understand that a stable negative charge means greater acidity, was too “complicated” and it was just better to memorize the periodic table. That’s pretty f*g basic and I told him so. Then he tried to argue with me. Why are some premeds such idiots, and in trying to sound smart look even more idiotic? Now I remember why I left premed the first time…
NYU = expensive
Med school = even more expensive
Hunter = cheap
Do Hunter.
I am new to the sciences, so it was recommended that I take the individual courses instead of the post-bac program. Do you believe this is the best approach?
Was this a recommendation from the pre-health office? If so, I don’t know if it really matters. If they suggest that, it makes sense that you matriculate as a second BA degree student and follow the sequence they suggest. In any case it really doesn’t matter whether you are post bacc or not – you just want to be able to register for classes and not deal with getting shut out, which happens when you take classes as a non-matriculated (“non-degree”) student.