Hello everybody,
I am trying to decide about my med school pre reqs. I am about to have a bachelors degree in health science but it’s pre PT so there are several upper level bio/chem courses that I need to take to prepare for a DO program. I talked to an adviser and he laid out a plan where I could take these upper level courses and be done with my pre reqs when I complete my BS degree…couple of problems though:
- It raises my tuition costs. At this point, I’m paying completely out of pocket and am just barely managing that.
- The course load gets very heavy. Not only would I be taking upper level courses for Pre PT majors but pre med as well. That’s like 18-20 credit hour semesters. I’m not sure how feasible that is. So I could potentially be taking organic chemistry, microbiology, physics and biostatistics in one semester.
I was thinking of completing my degree, enrolling in another bachelors degree program (Like human biology) and completing the pre reqs without finishing that degree. Then when I have those pre reqs out of the way; I can apply to med school. I was thinking of taking a year or so off and save money to pay for the schooling in the mean time.
I suppose the other option is to figure out where to get some money, take those busy semesters and get it done now.
I’m just looking for some advice. I feel like I’m in a battle with time, money, and some bad moves during college.
Thank you!
Why do you have to take upper level courses for pre reqs? Sure it may look good, but they aren’t required by a lot of schools. Outside of the pre reqs, schools look to see that you did well working on a degree that interests you.
Are you counting the physics/Orgo courses as upper level? I’m not sure where you’re looking to apply to, but I never took a micro bio course and only took biochem because it had been quite a few years since I’d taken any real hard science classes. Your degree will be fresh, so your course load/MCAT will show your aptitude. Not sure if you need to go above and beyond the min pre reqs unless the classes are required for your program. I could be misinterpreting your post, and I apologize if I am.
No, you’re not misinterpreting. I want to apply to Michigan State University DO program and they require two semesters of biochemistry, a semester of organic chemistry, and then up to 16 credit hours of upper level biology courses. He says once I get those and do well on the MCAT, I’ll have a pretty solid app. Two semesters of physics isn’t required for the DO program but it is required for the health science-Pre PT degree I’m getting through U of M.
Ah, in that case then, I’d caution you in taking only the pre reqs required at MSU since the list is pretty unique. Every school is different slightly in mission, how they view records, and the types of people they want to fill the class. Applying to one school only is noble but can drastically limit your chances. If you’re looking to go there specifically and no where else, maybe look at MSU MD as an option too?
There are some schools out there with “recommended pre reqs” but no hard and fast requirements you may want to look at too as a backup. That would prevent you from having to go beyond MSU DO requirements possibly.
If you take the classes with your degree, they’ll get lumped into your undergrad GPA and can offset any dings you may take with the harder classes. After undergrad they get looked at slightly differently in their own category if I remember right. In the end, do what’s best for your situation because as long as the pre reqs are done, I don’t believe the school cares when you took them (caveat that with they do look at course load and difficulty of schedule when examining you holistically).