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What specific classes or courses should I take to become a doctor?

I'm A high school student, (junior), doing running start this year. And I plan to get my AS and High school diploma at the same time!

I Was able to score into math 107, 131& 146!
But they're telling me I need math 141//:

So can You guys help me out here??
I need a plan! #doctor #medicine #nurse

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Richard’s Answer

ake as many AP or IB courses, especially science classes, in high school. You have a lot of years of education in front of you and getting college credit in high school can save you time and money.
In college Pick a major that interests you so you don't mind devoting a majority of your hours to studying. You will need to get good grades in college in order to apply for medical school. At the medical school I attended, the average GPA is reported to be 3.85, so even one or two B's can hurt your chances of acceptance.
Aside from this, any major is acceptable as long as you complete the prerequisite courses. I chose to major in biochemistry because there was overlap with the premed requirements and I wanted to complete my degree in 3 years.
Typical medical school prerequisites include:
Biology: Lecture – 4 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
General Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Organic Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Biochemistry: Lecture – 1 semester
General Physics: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Math: Statistics – 1 semester
English: Rhetoric (Composition) and Literature – 2 semesters
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Caesar’s Answer

I'm glad that you're starting on your medical school journey early! I'd also be more than happy to try to answer this question to the fullest extent possible based upon my own experience.


Because I am based here in the United States, I will answer this question from the perspective of a pre-medical undergraduate student who is hoping to enter a US-based medical school. If you are still in high school, you may want to consider taking coursework that will prepare you for the college-level courses that you will take in order to fulfill these minimum coursework requirements.


*Note, AP and online courses are generally not accepted as equivalents to the required coursework(s).


Every medical school is different, but there are usually a set level of prerequisites that are consistent across the board in what admission committees are looking for as a future medical student.


These requirements are generally the following:
{Taken from Baylor College of Medicine:
https://www.bcm.edu/education/schools/medical-school/admissions/requirements}



  • Math (3-4 semester hours) - Biostatistics (preferred), but any course with quantitative math. Examples: statistics, physics, calculus


-Expository Writing (3-4 semester hours)*
Humanities-Social/Behavioral Sciences (12 semester hours) Examples: psychology, sociology, anthropology, foreign languages, ethics, philosophy, theology, literature, art history


-Organic Chemistry (2 semesters; 6-8 semester hours) - lab is NOT required


-Biochemistry (3-4 semester hours) - lab is NOT required


-Advanced Biology (3-4 semester hours) - lab is NOT required. Examples: genetics, cell/molecular biology


RECOMMENDED: Spanish (or a foreign language)


*The expository writing requirement may be accomplished through coursework in a number of disciplines that require intensive writing. Examples include formal courses in English, Philosophy, History, Public Policy, Political Science, or Religion. This requirement also may be accomplished through an Honors Thesis, writing intensive upper division science course, or completion of a major research paper.


<h1>/end quote.</h1>

Notes of wisdom:
- If your admissions advisor is telling you need to score higher... score higher. If you can, try to beat their expectations! This is a matter of fact and a metric that admission committees are using in order to select competitive applicants.




  • Don't be intimidated by the amount of coursework that you need to complete prior to applying. Its more important to finish with a strong score than to rush through all of the courses to complete a certain set "on time."




  • Remember to always listen to your advisors, they probably know whats happening behind the scenes and the suggestions they're giving to you are frequently what they're seeing as a successful medical student that graduates from the program. Key metric here: Graduating medical student. This is because based upon past performance records, the school that you're applying to has determined that a student who scores these "magical set" of numbers or better are best suited for their program.




Good luck!
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