Course Selection Advice

[Guest qq22]

Hello there,

 

I have just finished up my second year at the U of T doing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. However, I am now thinking about applying to medical school, but I don't really have any of the pre-requisite courses. I took intro Chemistry (CHM140) and intro Psychology (PSY100) in my first year, what other courses would I need to take to prepare me for the MCAT and to meet the requirements for most medical schools? My chem mark was low (74%), but i still managed to eke out a 3.66 OMSAS GPA in first year and a 3.88 GPA in second year in mostly economics (easier) courses.

 

Any input would be appreciated.

[Guest K]

HI

 

I just finished 4 years at U of T and I think the best bet is to take as many science courses related to med as you can. For example, take physiology 302 (it is a difficult one but helpful), take anatomy 300 (gross anatomy - really easy and taught by fantastic profs). You can also take IMM334, again it is a tough one but I enjoyed it very much and personally did not find it hard. Micro courses are pretty hard although they split the full year course into 2 halfs now, so it is much easier. Still, if you are not that interested in micro, do NOT take them or you'll have a miserable time.

 

Hope this helps

[Guest Ian Wong]

Hi there,

 

For the MCAT, you will almost certainly need first year Physics. Second year Organic Chemistry will also be extremely useful. An introductory course (second year) of Biochemistry will likely be useful as well. There is also Biology on the exam, but unfortunately, I don't think the stuff they test you on is necessarily contained within a single undergraduate course.

 

The MCAT could potentially test you on the following subjects, as there are four sections to the exam:

 

1) Physical Sciences

General Physics

Inorganic Chemistry

 

2) Verbal Reasoning

Critical thinking and Reading Skills

 

3) Written Sample

Compositional and Expository Writing

 

4) Biological Sciences

Organic Chemistry

General Biology/Genetics

General Biochemistry

 

Medical schools tend to vary in the pre-requisites that they want. Some have few to none (McMaster, U of Calgary), while others may require several. For example, UBC requires first year English, first year Inorganic Chemistry, at least a year of General Biology, second year Organic Chemistry, and third year Biochemistry (with second year Biochemisty generally being a pre-requisite).

 

Your best bet is to start getting familiar with the med school process itself. Many premed students have a head start on you, as they began their work back in first year. My suggestion is to visit the different medical school websites, and to try and get a feel for the admissions process that way.

 

You'll soon discover it's damn confusing (like trying to read a university calendar for the first time) with each school doing things differently, but after a while, you'll be a lot more comfortable. If any questions come up, that's what this board, and all the readers out there are here for. We'll try to help out as much as we can.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3

[Guest zahra ismail]

I was wondering if I need a science degree to apply to med schools, or if a social science degree is acceptable as long as I take prerequisites for specific med schools.

[Guest Akane200]

I can say with quite a lot of certainty that chem 140 (intro) is inadequate for the MCAT. You should take all the science prereqs such as physics, biology, organic chemistry and a good full year of life science level inorganic chemistry. You don't need micro bio, immun, etc. for the MCATs, but they will prove useful in med school if you get in.