Pre Med Major and Courses
What is the best pre med major? What pre med classes should you take to fulfill the pre reqs for med school? Should I take my pre med classes online? You’ll find the answers to these questions and more below!
Pre Med Major in College
There are only a few classes required for medical school, so it is not completely necessary to have a pre med major, or even to major in science! Instead, you should follow your passions and interests. Medical schools are increasingly looking to diversify their classes by accepting students from a wide variety of college majors and besides, this might be your last opportunity to study something besides science for a long time! The best pre med major is the one that you’re interested in most. If that’s biology, great! If that’s economics, great! Don’t think you have to major in science to go to med school, it just isn’t true!
Pre Med Classes to Take to Fulfill the Pre Reqs for Med School
Regardless of your major, there are several classes to take to fulfill the prerequisites for med school. All medical schools will be looking to see that you completed the following courses:
- General Chemistry + Lab (1 year)
- Organic Chemistry + Lab (1 year)
- Biology + Lab (1 year)
- Physics + Lab (1 year)
- English (1 year)
Pre Med Classes Online
In general, it is a bad idea to take pre med classes online. While this is not always true, it is no secret that many online courses are a waste of time and you don’t learn much from them. Medical schools will want to see you complete a rigorous schedule of coursework in the classroom so they know that you are capable. In fact, a few medical schools now require that you take all of your prerequisites for medical school in a physical classroom. It is perfectly fine to take a few electives online, but you should avoid taking your main prerequisites online at all costs.
Pre Med Classes at Community College
Community colleges can be an excellent place to take pre-med classes for many students. It may be convenient to take classes at a local college while you’re home for the summer. Community colleges are often less expensive than universities and they might offer courses that better fit your schedule. These are all great reasons to look into community college courses.
However, you should be aware of a few things before you sign up. Most importantly, you should check with your current school to make sure the credits will transfer without any problems. Your school might also require you to take a certain number of your core classes on campus and not at another college. Make sure to look into these issues as you don’t want to take a course only to receive no credit. Many students sign up for community college courses because they think the classes will be easier. This is not necessarily true and is never a legitimate reason to sign up for a community college course. Pre-med courses are difficult and you will have to work hard anywhere you take them.
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i have been researching my options for a few years now and in the process i have been attending a community college but it is just taking way too long. so i started looking into universities. well i am worried that if i obtain a MA or BA that i will not get the right classes i need to transfer to med school. can u help? i need to find the right answers and the right schools
Thanks for the comment! I would suggest you take a look at our Requirements and Statistics pages to see some general comments on what courses you should take. Then if you have any schools in mind that you’d like to apply to, check their websites for specific requirements.
i will have all the requirements for entering med school but the degree i will have is an associates degree. Is it a good idea to apply to a med school and if so what will be my chances of being accepted with an 3.7 GPA. THANK YOU
Thanks for the comment! A 3.7 GPA is great and will make you competitive for most medical schools. The only problem you might encounter is some schools will want you to have a bachelor’s degree. I would suggest checking the websites for the specific schools you plan on applying to or perhaps calling their admissions offices.
Regarding the physics requirement – I am assuming this is trig-based physics? If so, my question is this: Is it better to take the 3-part calc-based physics series and get 3 B’s or should I take the 2-part trig-based physics series where I know I can get 2 A’s? Is it better to pass the harder classes with B’s or the easier classes with A’s? Any guidance is much appreciated!
Hi Ryan, thanks for the question! We’re not aware of any med schools that require the calculus-based physics for admission. Of course, you should check with the schools that you plan on applying to just to make sure. If you have the choice, we would recommend getting the highest grades possible to fulfill the requirement. In your case, that would be the trig-based physics. However, if you feel that you could get an A in the calculus-based physics it never hurts to have an excellent grade in the stronger courses on your transcript. Hope that helps!