I’m 42 - and took all my prereq’s for med school about 7 years ago. I did great (A’s in all) - but it was a while ago. Will this be a problem? If I do really well on the MCAT’s will it make a difference?
Welcome, Kaki!
Unfortunately, there is no really good answer for you. Different schools have different takes on this subject. Most will state a “preference” that the pre-reqs not be any more than 5, 7, 10 years old but not have any actual requirements. If you do very well on the MCAT, they are more likely to overlook the age of your pre-reqs. You don’t necessarily need to retake the pre-reqs, especially if you did well, but taking some upper level courses would help your cause. Of all the pre-reqs, it is most important that your biology be current both for the MCAT and doing well in med school. You may want to visit the MCAT site and check out the list of topics testable on the MCAT and see how you feel your knowledge level stacks up.
Hope this helps - good luck!
I would definitely think about taking some upper division bio courses in order to give credibility that you can still perform well academically.
Cheers,
Judy
Cool - thanks for the feedback! Taking upper div. courses made more sense to me - i’ve taken a biochem - but only entry level - so thought I should continue with that as well!
Thanks for the replies!
Seven years seem really old to me (sorry about that). Not so bad for physics or calculus, maybe, but innovations from the 1990s in both the knowledge base and lab techniques are now routine instruction in undergraduate molecular biology and biochemistry, and you will be expected to know them as an MS-1.
Can I just make a macro-level observation that a lot of these postings are leading me to worry. YOU NEED YOUR PREMED CLASSES to do well in medical school, academically. Somehow, a myth is abroad on the land (i think that’s a triply mixed metaphor-- forgive me, i’m exhausted) that physics and organic chemistry are hoops that we jump through in order to get into school. I think maybe physicians suggest that they don’t use these subjects in in their day-to-day practice (which is kind of bullshit too), and people then make a happy leap to thinking that they won’t need them in medical training.
The truth is that the instruction in med school is pitched at a level in which easy familiarity with all the aldose concentrations and fluid dynamics and electron reduction potentials are assumed. You are required to have these concepts at your fingertips, and then apply them to physiology in the moment, in passing, without laborious review.