Can I get into Med school without CHEM HL?

[bunnyisme]

I just started the IB diploma program. The courses I'm taking right now are bio hl, math hl, history hl, english sl, japanese sl, and chemistry sl. I heard that you need chem HL to get into med schools in the UK or anywhere? does this really matter? do I really need to take chemistry outside of school? take a sat subject test? or can I just focus on the subjects I have right now and get into med school? Help me

[Peanut Butter Jelly]

considering you would take undergraduate courses before you apply to med school, yes.

[Guest]

I've often found that you can just EMAIL the admission's officer of your dream college and confirm with him/her.

Many a times they will often say that its NOT required as they expect to cover those bits in pre-med.

[dessskris]

if I'm not mistaken, usually Bio HL is a must, Chem HL is highly recommended and Maths HL is only a little beneficial. can anyone confirm this though?

if you want to go to the US, I know you'll have to take SAT but I don't know which SAT subject tests you'll have to take; but if you have to take SAT Chem you'll really really need to catch up A LOT because my friend who's in HL Chem who's taking SAT Chem said he's benefited a lot from taking Chem HL because the contents are pretty much similar. he also said if a Chem SL student had to take SAT Chem they would need to catch up really lots because there are so many things we don't cover in the syllabus. so, I don't know, just try to find out if you have to take SAT Chem for a Med course.

and why not drop your History to SL and take up Chem?

[Sandwich]

In the UK you are required to have HL Chemistry by I think all but one or two minor medical schools - and certainly all of the major ones require HL Chemistry. As for Universities outside of the United Kingdom, I'm pretty sure that in the US and Canada, given that you don't actually study Medicine until after you've completed some kind of preliminary course, I don't see why they'd really require HL Chemistry. I assume they'd teach you everything you needed to know during the epically long pre-medical course. Ironically, in the UK, pretty much unanimously they don't really care whether or not you did HL Biology, despite it being the more relevant subject.

So just don't apply to the UK Or work at getting HL Chemistry.

[Arrowhead]

As Sandwich pointed out that most of the Medical Schools in the UK do make Chemistry HL a requirement and you should consider swapping Chemistry SL for History HL in terms of levels.

Outside of the UK however, it's much more flexible because you have to do pre-med, which is never-ending, but on the bright side, you wouldn't need Chemistry HL mandatorily.

But you've just started the IB, it's still not late at all. I know people who've switched to Chemistry HL at the beginning of their IB2 years and they've faired just fine.