When deciding on your prerequistes, it is good to remember that they are a threshold requirement. Attaining a high grade will not have an impact on the application, except when calculating your admissions GPA. So how should you select your prerequisites? Here are few things to keep in mind.
First and foremost, take courses (on topics) that you are interested in and meet our criteria.
Life Science prerequisite – if you are enrolled in a life or health science program, your program requirements likely will allow you to complete our 2.0 full-course-equivalents (FCEs) requirements in your core courses
Keep in mind that we admit students with a variety of academic backgrounds, so if you are enrolled in a business, engineering, humanities, music, or social science program, you would normally have to take these courses as electives or other forms of extra courses.
Therefore, when selecting life science courses, you may consider taking courses that allow you to build your essential knowledge in life sciences and support your preparation for the MCAT. You’ll also need to consider when these courses are offered and whether they clash with your timetable (if so, you may need to consider taking these over the summer or as part-time study after your degree has been completed).
3. Humanities or Social Science or Languages prerequisite – Medicine is a complex field and the MD Program is looking for aspiring physicians who are well-rounded. This includes exposure to the fields of humanities/social science/languages.
Excellent communication and critical thinking/reflection skills are essential for physicians, and often humanities, social science, and/or languages courses will provide applicants with further opportunities to develop these important transferable skills.
Please refer to the definitions and examples of prerequisites on our website and in the Frequently Asked Questions section. If you’re still unsure whether your courses fit our prerequisites’ criteria, please contact our team.
Wishing you all the best in your course selections and studies!
