3 answers
Courtney
Student
Apopka, Florida
1
Question
Asked
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What STEM classes do you recommend taking before taking the MCAT ? (please also recommend classes outside of med school reqs) #Spring2025
I'm starting college this year but I also want to take classes outside of medical school requirements as well as what year I should take them. Thanks!
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3 answers
Bruce Ogden
Pediatrics and Neonatology
1
Answer
Provo, Utah
Updated
Bruce’s Answer
Earning a high score on the MCAT is one factor towards gaining admission to medical school, which remains highly competitive. Pre-med students are required to take many classes focusing on science, biology, math, etc. and it's hard not to become somewhat isolated from the rest of the world. I took the MCAT many years ago, so it might have changed significantly today. When I took it part of the test was about General Knowledge with questions about history, current events, politics, humanities, and just about any other subject, including a part assessing your vocabulary. I scored poorly on this section the first time around because of my narrow focus on pre-med topics. In preparation for my second round with the MCAT I subscribed to a news magazine and studied vocabulary flash cards, which gave me broader general knowledge about the world around me and enabled me to score high marks for that section.
Medical schools are academic institutions, staffed with academically oriented physicians. Admissions committees are composed of these very same academically oriented physicians. These committees are looking for applicants who stand out from the rest due to special experiences and abilities. An important part of academic medicine is doing medical research and publishing papers, and applicants with research experience and publications are viewed favorably by admissions committees. I believe that admissions physicians are primarily looking for applicants that have much in common with themselves (even if the bias is only subconscious), because academicians consider themselves to be at the top of the food-chain for physicians.
I sought and obtained scientific research experience during my last two years of college, and had the good fortune to establish and run an immunology research lab under the direction of and with the exceptional mentoring of a medical school professor who taught me how to achieve success in research and in getting your work published. I was treated as an equal and together we wrote grant proposals that were funded, carried out the research, analyzed our data, wrote up our findings, presented findings at scientific meetings, and published a number of articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals. I believe that it was this experience, along with several incredibly positive letters of recommendation (including one highly favorable from my mentor) that made me stand out in the minds of the admissions committees and led to my acceptance into medical school.
I'm certain that there are a host of other experiences that could set you apart from the crowd. Volunteer work is one that comes to mind. Because admission to medical school remains so competitive, it is wise to consider other, possibly related fields that you might enjoy if medicine is not to be in your future. Education and experience in such fields as pharmacy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, radiology tech, nursing, paramedic/EMT could provide an alternative to medicine, or even help you stand out as a medical school applicant.
It would be smart to do some honest introspection into your motivation to become a doctor. On the surface, many think of doctors as being highly respected and trusted, and as earning a substantial income while helping others towards good health. In fact, the medical profession is no longer as respected or trusted as it once was, and many physicians do not make the kind of money. they had expected. In real life, much of the medical care we provide is palliative, that is, we cannot cure most disease, but we manage the symptoms. Because most patients have high expectations, this can lead to patient dissatisfaction, and your desire to really help people can also be frustrated by this. Most do not think of the stress that comes with the long hours, that one must often deal with life and death matters, that much of your life will be spent on patient care leaving little time for family and other interactions and activities that are considered part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Most do not think of the strain this puts on relationships and the high physician divorce rate. Or the high burnout rate, or even the high suicide rate for physicians.
Few physicians these days escape the damages to self-esteem, the self-doubt and the negative professional and personal consequences of being sued for malpractice. Even if you prove that your care was at or above the standard of care and there is no judgment against you or payment of any kind to the plaintiff, the fact that you were sued can be a heavy burden, one that you will carry for the rest of your career. You will be required to report all complaints, suits filed, and any disciplinary actions taken against you by any healthcare entity when seeking a new or renewal of a medical license, DEA registration, application for hospital privileges, applications to be a network doctor for health insurance companies, applying to purchase malpractice insurance, or job application. Many employers will not consider hiring a physician that has had even a single suit filed against him, even if the action did not result in payment of any kind.
Any formal complaints or suits filed against you will soon become public knowledge and affect your reputation and standing in your community. When a doctor is sued, if the case goes to trial, and if there is a judgment against the doctor or a settlement is made with payments to the plaintiff, that’s considered news and the public is made aware of these things. However, if it is determined there was no malpractice and no payments are made, that is not news and the public never hears this side of the story.
I've always believed that in making important decisions, the best approach is to learn as much as you can about the subject, including an honest appraisal of the upsides and the downsides, and make your choice with both eyes wide open. Once you've made your choice, give it everything you've got to maximize the upside and mitigate the downsides, do the work necessary to make your dream a reality.
Medical schools are academic institutions, staffed with academically oriented physicians. Admissions committees are composed of these very same academically oriented physicians. These committees are looking for applicants who stand out from the rest due to special experiences and abilities. An important part of academic medicine is doing medical research and publishing papers, and applicants with research experience and publications are viewed favorably by admissions committees. I believe that admissions physicians are primarily looking for applicants that have much in common with themselves (even if the bias is only subconscious), because academicians consider themselves to be at the top of the food-chain for physicians.
I sought and obtained scientific research experience during my last two years of college, and had the good fortune to establish and run an immunology research lab under the direction of and with the exceptional mentoring of a medical school professor who taught me how to achieve success in research and in getting your work published. I was treated as an equal and together we wrote grant proposals that were funded, carried out the research, analyzed our data, wrote up our findings, presented findings at scientific meetings, and published a number of articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals. I believe that it was this experience, along with several incredibly positive letters of recommendation (including one highly favorable from my mentor) that made me stand out in the minds of the admissions committees and led to my acceptance into medical school.
I'm certain that there are a host of other experiences that could set you apart from the crowd. Volunteer work is one that comes to mind. Because admission to medical school remains so competitive, it is wise to consider other, possibly related fields that you might enjoy if medicine is not to be in your future. Education and experience in such fields as pharmacy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, radiology tech, nursing, paramedic/EMT could provide an alternative to medicine, or even help you stand out as a medical school applicant.
It would be smart to do some honest introspection into your motivation to become a doctor. On the surface, many think of doctors as being highly respected and trusted, and as earning a substantial income while helping others towards good health. In fact, the medical profession is no longer as respected or trusted as it once was, and many physicians do not make the kind of money. they had expected. In real life, much of the medical care we provide is palliative, that is, we cannot cure most disease, but we manage the symptoms. Because most patients have high expectations, this can lead to patient dissatisfaction, and your desire to really help people can also be frustrated by this. Most do not think of the stress that comes with the long hours, that one must often deal with life and death matters, that much of your life will be spent on patient care leaving little time for family and other interactions and activities that are considered part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Most do not think of the strain this puts on relationships and the high physician divorce rate. Or the high burnout rate, or even the high suicide rate for physicians.
Few physicians these days escape the damages to self-esteem, the self-doubt and the negative professional and personal consequences of being sued for malpractice. Even if you prove that your care was at or above the standard of care and there is no judgment against you or payment of any kind to the plaintiff, the fact that you were sued can be a heavy burden, one that you will carry for the rest of your career. You will be required to report all complaints, suits filed, and any disciplinary actions taken against you by any healthcare entity when seeking a new or renewal of a medical license, DEA registration, application for hospital privileges, applications to be a network doctor for health insurance companies, applying to purchase malpractice insurance, or job application. Many employers will not consider hiring a physician that has had even a single suit filed against him, even if the action did not result in payment of any kind.
Any formal complaints or suits filed against you will soon become public knowledge and affect your reputation and standing in your community. When a doctor is sued, if the case goes to trial, and if there is a judgment against the doctor or a settlement is made with payments to the plaintiff, that’s considered news and the public is made aware of these things. However, if it is determined there was no malpractice and no payments are made, that is not news and the public never hears this side of the story.
I've always believed that in making important decisions, the best approach is to learn as much as you can about the subject, including an honest appraisal of the upsides and the downsides, and make your choice with both eyes wide open. Once you've made your choice, give it everything you've got to maximize the upside and mitigate the downsides, do the work necessary to make your dream a reality.
Michelle M.
Actress
2447
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Courtney !
This is actually a question that can officially be answered by a representative of the college you will attend. Although I am not one, I can give you some advice to think about and verify with the Academic Counseling Department at your college you intend to enroll in. They would have the official information.
The MCAT will test you on Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior, and reasoning skills. Since that is the case, it looks like Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Sociology, and Reasoning and Logic are courses that would possibly prepare you for the MCAT. Don't take my word for it, verify this or obtain additional information from your college Academic Counselor.
Only you can choose what courses to take and in which year. You'll also have to take General Education courses in order to obtain your Bachelors Degree. Your Major, more than which specific courses, will prepare you for the MCAT. Your Major will be important to establish, so see which Major you will take and what the requirements are for your major to begin with. The general education requirements are usually the sciences, English, history, etc. but all colleges are different. Read the website or call the college that you'll be going to to find out what their General Education requirements are. Some sciences may fulfill the general ed, but double check with the academic counselor. No one can randomly tell you about classes especially when you didn't provide the name of the college or your Major. That's okay, you can obtain the information at the college by visiting in person or their website. You will need to decide what to take, not being told by anonymous people.
It is generally presumed that if you have a major for your Bachelors Degree in the life sciences, you will do fine on the MCAT. Not sure why you're jumping that far ahead, but if you are really concerned about it, access the MCAT study guide for the MCAT Exam online or purchase the book and become familiar with practice exams and what type of questions will be on the MCAT. They may have it at a Library, also.
I hope this advice is helpful and I wish you all the best !
This is actually a question that can officially be answered by a representative of the college you will attend. Although I am not one, I can give you some advice to think about and verify with the Academic Counseling Department at your college you intend to enroll in. They would have the official information.
The MCAT will test you on Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior, and reasoning skills. Since that is the case, it looks like Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Sociology, and Reasoning and Logic are courses that would possibly prepare you for the MCAT. Don't take my word for it, verify this or obtain additional information from your college Academic Counselor.
Only you can choose what courses to take and in which year. You'll also have to take General Education courses in order to obtain your Bachelors Degree. Your Major, more than which specific courses, will prepare you for the MCAT. Your Major will be important to establish, so see which Major you will take and what the requirements are for your major to begin with. The general education requirements are usually the sciences, English, history, etc. but all colleges are different. Read the website or call the college that you'll be going to to find out what their General Education requirements are. Some sciences may fulfill the general ed, but double check with the academic counselor. No one can randomly tell you about classes especially when you didn't provide the name of the college or your Major. That's okay, you can obtain the information at the college by visiting in person or their website. You will need to decide what to take, not being told by anonymous people.
It is generally presumed that if you have a major for your Bachelors Degree in the life sciences, you will do fine on the MCAT. Not sure why you're jumping that far ahead, but if you are really concerned about it, access the MCAT study guide for the MCAT Exam online or purchase the book and become familiar with practice exams and what type of questions will be on the MCAT. They may have it at a Library, also.
I hope this advice is helpful and I wish you all the best !
Michael Cadra, MD, DMD, FACS
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, physician and dentist
37
Answers
Nipomo, California
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Courtney,
Outside of fulfilling the requirements of your major, I do not recommend any advanced STEM courses. They could negatively impact your GPA. I know, I took PChem, Calculus 2, Quantitative Analysis (chemistry) and psychoneuroendocrinology, had a miserable time keeping up and depressed my GPA. You will learn all the medical science that you need to know in med school. The required courses are all that are needed for the MCAT. Use a MCAT study guide as you take the classes and use the free ANKI decks for the various classes to help learn and retain the information.
There are other tests that are not universal at this time, but an increasing amount of medical schools are using the AAMC PREtest, and DUET. The PREtest is a "Professional Readiness Exam", it includes topics in ethics and situations that you will make decisions on. It would pay off to visit the AAMC website and look at the PREtest exam. The DUET is a once only exam to see how your core values, mission and vision fits in with the institution.
The AMA has a "Road to Residency Guide". Recently there was an article that reviewed the 5 most common skills that residency directors had for incoming interns/residents. The clinical skills desired are all gathered in the clinical years in medical school. Amazingly to me of the top three identified skills, two of the skills were skills were identified as most lacking by incoming residents and could have been learned as an undergraduate.
1) "Give an oral summary of a patient encounter." Communication courses and public speaking courses can help a medical student/resident organize their information according to format learned in medical school. Patient encounters require communication, motivational interviewing, documenting the encounter and being able to present to a team of medical students, residents, attendings, nurses, etc. Courses in psychology and sociology are also helpful and required by some med schools.
2)"Document a clinical encounter in handwritten or electronic format". Again, communication in both oral and written form is critical. When Electronic Medical Records (EMR's) came on the scene years ago, many got used to the copy/paste function which was not ideal for documenting changes in patient condition, and became a liability to the institution if patient care suffered. If your handwriting is illegible, correct it now.
Outstanding performance in all the required core science classes, validated by the MCAT score is essential. The MCAT does not test for advanced STEM courses although human anatomy, human physiology, histology, immunology
and biostatistics may make the first few semesters at med school a little easier. But again, only if you do outstanding work in those classes.
The AAMS does supply a worksheet for keeping track of the recommended courses outside of the required core science courses. It is available at https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/12691/download?attachment. OR you can download all 13 AAMC premedical worksheets at https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/12751/download?attachment
Take a look at specific schools that you would like to attend. The in state, state supported schools are probably going to be most affordable. See how their requirement fit into the AAMC worksheet.
Become a master of communication, both oral and written.
Think outside the box. Look to become well rounded in the social sciences also.
P.S. If you want to know how much I used the above named advanced STEM courses in my practice, the answer is NEVER. I would have been better off with some other social science classes or fun classes like art, geography or geology.
Outside of fulfilling the requirements of your major, I do not recommend any advanced STEM courses. They could negatively impact your GPA. I know, I took PChem, Calculus 2, Quantitative Analysis (chemistry) and psychoneuroendocrinology, had a miserable time keeping up and depressed my GPA. You will learn all the medical science that you need to know in med school. The required courses are all that are needed for the MCAT. Use a MCAT study guide as you take the classes and use the free ANKI decks for the various classes to help learn and retain the information.
There are other tests that are not universal at this time, but an increasing amount of medical schools are using the AAMC PREtest, and DUET. The PREtest is a "Professional Readiness Exam", it includes topics in ethics and situations that you will make decisions on. It would pay off to visit the AAMC website and look at the PREtest exam. The DUET is a once only exam to see how your core values, mission and vision fits in with the institution.
The AMA has a "Road to Residency Guide". Recently there was an article that reviewed the 5 most common skills that residency directors had for incoming interns/residents. The clinical skills desired are all gathered in the clinical years in medical school. Amazingly to me of the top three identified skills, two of the skills were skills were identified as most lacking by incoming residents and could have been learned as an undergraduate.
1) "Give an oral summary of a patient encounter." Communication courses and public speaking courses can help a medical student/resident organize their information according to format learned in medical school. Patient encounters require communication, motivational interviewing, documenting the encounter and being able to present to a team of medical students, residents, attendings, nurses, etc. Courses in psychology and sociology are also helpful and required by some med schools.
2)"Document a clinical encounter in handwritten or electronic format". Again, communication in both oral and written form is critical. When Electronic Medical Records (EMR's) came on the scene years ago, many got used to the copy/paste function which was not ideal for documenting changes in patient condition, and became a liability to the institution if patient care suffered. If your handwriting is illegible, correct it now.
Outstanding performance in all the required core science classes, validated by the MCAT score is essential. The MCAT does not test for advanced STEM courses although human anatomy, human physiology, histology, immunology
and biostatistics may make the first few semesters at med school a little easier. But again, only if you do outstanding work in those classes.
The AAMS does supply a worksheet for keeping track of the recommended courses outside of the required core science courses. It is available at https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/12691/download?attachment. OR you can download all 13 AAMC premedical worksheets at https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/12751/download?attachment
Michael recommends the following next steps: