Hi everyone,
I am in need of honest opinions on my plans!
This Fall, I will be finishing up my Bachelor’s in Heath Science and I plan to finally start taking med school prerequisites. In addition to my final three classes (epidemiology, research methods, and U.S. Healthcare Delivery Systems, I have decided to take General Bio 1. I considered taking Genetal Chem 1, but the class hours are very inconvenient, not to mention my school is over an hour away. It’s not an option. Come Spring 2015, I will need to do an internship, and in order for me to get financial aid, I will need to be part-time. My plan is to take General Chem 2.
To backtrack, I go to a tiny private school, where some science courses are not always offered consistently. For whatever reason, there will be no General Bio 2. Because of this, I plan on taking it at UCONN Spring 2015 but at the same time, I need another science class. My school offers Gen Chem 2 in the spring and I am very set on taking it, but I need to know if it is possible to take Chem 2 without taking Chem 1? I would normally avoid putting myself in such a situation, but I did take a pretty well-rounded Concepts of Chemistry course about a year ago. All of the basics have been covered, just not in as much depth. I received an A in the course, and did not put my all into it. I am expecting General to be more difficult of course, but I typically do not have academic difficulties, just time management struggles, as I work full-time. I have a 3.8 GPA and I am ready to work my ass off.
Any opinions?
Although the landscape is changing, most medical schools still require two semesters of General/Inorganic Chemistry with lab (in addition to other pre-reqs). Further, Gen Chem I is typically a pre-requisite for Gen Chem II, and you’ll need both for the MCAT. While you might be able to convince the school to let you jump right into Gen Chem II, I think it wise to take them in order and do well in each.
An admonition I’ve read many times here at OPM: Do it right the first time.
There are some schools that don’t have a set list of prereqs, but I’m assuming they would still look at your academic history to ensure you have a “strong” record. Not having the normal stepping stones (ie chem 1&2) may or may not hurt you in the long run. I think most people applying to those schools have in fact completed the standard prereq sequence in order to apply to other schools. So while not required, you’ll still be compared to people who have a stronger foundation (at least on paper) in the general sciences.
Desi,
The medschool app process is like a seller’s market where the seller (the school) has more applicants than seats available. Why give them a chance to reject you for something like this? If you somehow convince your chem dept to let you take Gen Chem II first by taking a challenge exam or whatever, you will be in a situation of needing one semester of an advanced chem class to satisfy the 8 credit hour requirement. Most places will not let you take ABC I after you have taken ABC II. Perhaps it may be possible to take Gen Chem II first at one institute an Gen Chem I later at another. However, the dates will indicate the sequence in which you took them and that may raise questions. Best to avoid all these hassles and simply take these two courses in the proper sequence. If it ends up taking a year longer, or requires you to drive 2 hours each way to take it at a different university, then that is what it is, unfortunately.
Sorry I didn’t clarify that I intend to take both General Bio 1 and General Chem 1, not leaving them out of the equation. I would of course take Chem 1, but I would have to take Chem 2 first because of how my school calendar operates. The question at hand is if it is possible to take Chem 2 before Chem 1? I’m not sure what the subject matter would be and what I would need to know in advance.
I honestly don’t remember what was in chem 1 vs 2, I just remember chem 2 being miserable (could’ve been the heavier courseload too). It would look pretty strange on your transcript seeing 2 before 1, and you should check if your school policy even allows it. It would surprise me if 1 was NOT a prereq for 2. What’s the rush to take them out of order? Worst case you’re still taking a prereq during the app cycle. If you don’t want to wait for the mcat, you could probably teach yourself the chem 2 concepts. Kaplan essentially retaught me the core concepts after about 12 years out of the chem classroom.
- Desi1221 Said:
This is what you want to do, but the academic rules may not allow it, as I was trying to explain. Below is text straight from UConn's Academic Regulations:
http://catalog.uconn.edu/academic-regulations/ #Cou
"Prerequisites taken out of sequence within a single department shall not count towards degree credit unless the head of the department offering the course grants an exception. For example, assume that courses A and B are in the same department and A is prerequisite to B. If the instructor permits the student to take B without having taken A, and the student passes B, the student may not take A for credit without permission. The student seeking credit for A must have the permission of the head of the department offering the course. The department head must notify the Registrar in writing."
So if you are allowed to take Gen Chem II somehow (usually skipping a pre-req requires a challenge exam, or an interview with the Dean or Chair, etc), what the above is saying is that you may not take Gen Chem I for credit. So that leaves you needing to take Gen Chem I at a different university, if possible, or taking an advanced chem course at the same university and then explaining to the medschool adcom why you did all this. The simpler option is to take them in sequence even if it prolongs your timeline.
Thank you guys! I’ve decided to take your advice and just have my journey be a little big longer. I appreciate your responses!