Lab sciences are a must for those interested in pursuing pre-medical studies.
While preparing for medical school begins during college, taking the right classes for this arduous path can also start in high school. "Going pre-med" in college means a student completes the courses required for medical school, while simultaneously pursuing a separate and sometimes unrelated academic major. Colleges and universities have different procedures and policies, but all institutions expect strong performance in specific high school subjects from applicants interested in pre-med.
Biology
Biology is the foundation of all life sciences. Colleges expect incoming students pursuing a pre-med program to have ample preparation in this area. You should take advanced placement (AP) biology if your high school offers the class. Taking this class in high school, and scoring well on the AP exam, strengthens your college application. Students have the option to take AP classes during their junior and senior years of high school. The cumulative AP exam occurs in the spring of the high school year with scores ranging from one to five, five being the highest. However, regardless of your AP biology score, colleges and universities require undergraduates to take college-level introductory biology to ensure proficiency in college lab work.
Math
Math is an important class when you're studying pre-med in college. AP calculus AB and AP Calculus BC are the two classes available in high school. AP Calculus AB covers one semester of pre-calculus and one semester of calculus I, while AP Calculus BC covers two semesters of calculus I. Some, but not all, universities allow students with AP calculus scores on either AB or BC above three to place into higher calculus levels. Most medical schools require at least two semesters of college math in calculus and statistics, although some medical schools require two semesters of calculus and an additional semester of statistics.
Chemistry
Just like biology, colleges expect a solid foundation in chemistry during high school from incoming pre-med undergraduates. Taking AP chemistry in high school and scoring a four or five on your AP exam will not exempt you from college chemistry courses. As with all other AP exams, high school students take the test in the spring of the school year that they took the AP course, typically junior or senior year. The lowest score is a one and the highest is a five. Scoring well on your AP chemistry exam demonstrates how serious you are about pursuing pre-med, making your college application more competitive. Medical schools require two years of chemistry during college, including one year of organic and one year of inorganic.
Physics
Physics requires integrating and quantifying information, an attractive skill for any student interested in pursuing medicine. Medical schools require a full year of lab physics at the college level, making a solid high school preparation in physics necessary. Some colleges let you choose either calculus-based or non-calculus-based physics for your medical school requirements. During high school, however, students seriously interested in pre-med should only complete math-based physics coursework. Successfully completing AP physics during high school, and scoring above a three on the exam, strengthens your undergraduate application.
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