How to Choose the Right Science Courses for Medical School
Medical school provides students with the mentality, education, experience and resources to become physicians. About 15,000 students in the U.S. applied to medical school in 2008, according to "The Chronicle." To qualify for medical school, these students had to meet certain academic requirements. One of these requirements is science courses. Choosing the right science courses for medical school can be intimidating, but once you have all of the information and resources to choose these classes, you can get them out of the way and apply to medical school.
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Instructions
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Meet with your pre-medicine academic advisor. Your advisor will be able to tell you what science classes are required for your major and concentration, as well as when you can take them and the grades you need to receive in those classes to have them count toward your degree.
Typically, you need eight semester credits of introductory biology with labs, one semester of advanced biology, eight semester credits of general chemistry with labs, eight semester credits of organic chemistry with labs, eight semester credits of physics, six semester credits of English, and typically one semester of statistics or calculus, according to Cornell University. These requirements vary by program. -
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Refer to the Medical School of Admission Requirements (MSAR), a book by the AAMC, or Association of American Medical Colleges, for information on academic requirements, like science classes. This book is a great reference for all aspects of applying to medical school. It includes information on application procedures, MCAT scores, selection factors, medical school costs and a list of all of the medical colleges in the U.S. and Canada. You can read parts of the book online at AAMC.org.
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Visit, either online or in person, the medical school(s) you are planning on applying to. On the medical college's website, look for a link that says "Admission" or "Admission Requirements." Here you'll find information on the science classes the school requires and suggests students to have before coming to the school. You can also talk to an advisor at your medical school of choice, who can give you information on what science courses students typically have when they apply. Medical school advisors will tell you that although science majors are usually common in medical schools over non-science majors, they like to see well-rounded students, according to Kaplan University.
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