will taking only bio without chem still give me a chance to get into medical school?

[cube246]

for the past couple of years i was set on going to law school after finishing IB but recently ive been thinking about medical school to pursue something in cosmetic surgery.

my current subject choices are

bio, business, econs, math SL, chinese and literature

we have yet to choose or HLs (we'll be doing that later in the year)

i was originally thinking of doing econs, business and lit as my HLs but now that i've started thinking of medical school,will taking bio HL instead of lit help me with the medical school path or is it too late for me to improve my chances of getting into one?

edit: was thinking of either UK or US unis

thanks

Edited April 8, 2014 by cube246

[Emmi]

This depends on where you want to study. If you want to study in the UK, you have practically no chance as 99% of schools require HL chemistry and most require HL biology. You can call up the school and explain your situation but I'm pretty sure most won't be able to do much for you. If you're considering the US, since medicine is a post-graduate course meaning you have to study something else first during undergraduate and then apply to medical schools (unless you are accepted to a 6-year program straight from high school, which are absolutely insanely competitive), you have more of a chance because you'll be retaking your biology and chemistry courses anyways and can do it from there. As for other countries, I'm not sure on the requirements.

[BioNinja]

For UK medical schools you need HL Chemistry, it's a prerequisite at most of them. I'd also strongly advise HL Bio, it shows an interest in the subject even if it's not a prerequisite. UK medical schools are insanely competitive so not taking HL Bio is probably just making it harder for yourself. Also, you might want to consider that it's even more competitive for international students because the NHS subsidises training med students and they'd rather pay for British kids who won't leave the UK as soon as they have their degree.

For the US I really don't know but the earlier answer makes sense, maybe call up a few med schools and ask

[flinquinnster]

Might not be relevant, but if you don't have Chemistry at either HL or SL and only Biology at SL (and you're happy to fund your very expensive degree with minimal government funding or scholarships), definitely consider Australia. Whilst some universities have Chemistry SL or HL as a prerequisite, a large number of universities particularly in NSW don't have any prerequisite subjects. You can get into medicine without having done biology, chemistry or mathematics in the last 2 years of high school - and I've heard of these (alleged) people going to some of the universities near Sydney. Of course it is harder to catch up on the knowledge and skills required in a medical degree without doing them at HL in IB, but it is possible to after you've gained admission to a university in Australia. Moreover, because of the very high fees, international entrance requirements in terms of IB scores out of 45 for medicine in Australia tend to be quite low.

[Babydolleyes]

I know that in the UK you can opt for a medical programme with a preliminary year involving supplementary courses (like in Chemistry) - Cardiff, Manchester, Dundee, Brighton and Sussex medical school.

Unfortunately it makes an already long degree even longer, but at the end of the day you need chem for medical school.. it's hard enough WITH a good understanding of chemistry

[Sandwich]

You need Chemistry to get into UK medical schools... but once you're in, you don't need Chemistry at all. It's just messed up like that - basically Chemistry is a hard subject so it's more that you're doing a hard subject thereby showing you can cope with medical school than that Chemistry is actually relevant to anything much. A relief to many who hated Chemistry at school.

International students are not, to my knowledge, biased against. The Universities earn a lot more money off international students as they pay much higher fees. University budgets being separate from NHS budgets, the NHS would rather train people who don't bugger off but the Universities just want to train anybody who'll give them some cash. So the aforementioned reasoning for a bias against internationals doesn't quite hold.

[Babydolleyes]

You need Chemistry to get into UK medical schools... but once you're in, you don't need Chemistry at all. It's just messed up like that - basically Chemistry is a hard subject so it's more that you're doing a hard subject thereby showing you can cope with medical school than that Chemistry is actually relevant to anything much. A relief to many who hated Chemistry at school.

International students are not, to my knowledge, biased against. The Universities earn a lot more money off international students as they pay much higher fees. University budgets being separate from NHS budgets, the NHS would rather train people who don't bugger off but the Universities just want to train anybody who'll give them some cash. So the aforementioned reasoning for a bias against internationals doesn't quite hold.

Wait isn't there a lot of biochemistry in med school? or is that only in medical schools outside of the uk?

[Clockwork]

I've heard of some Universities accept applications for medical school without the need of studying HL or SL Bio, but an absolute must to study HL Chem.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Clockwork

[slavetotheIB]

Okay I'm not sure about colleges where you can study chem after joining the university, but 99% of colleges will require chemistry. While Bio Chem HL are normally prerequisites to get into Med school, Chem SL would have also probably helped you.

Try the USA, where they aren't so strict about subjects taken when it comes to choosing your degree.

[Cryphisss]

Depends on the country. Sweden I think is the only country, I know of, that wants all three sciences - Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

[Sandwich]

Wait isn't there a lot of biochemistry in med school? or is that only in medical schools outside of the uk?

No, there is a decent amount of Biochemistry. However you don't need to understand any Chemistry for Biochemistry, you just need a very good memory! The Biochemical level is below the Chemical level in terms of detailed knowledge, so I suppose it's the difference between knowing the colours of the rainbow versus knowing the wavelengths of their light. Metaphorically, Chemistry would be the study of the wavelengths and all those fiddly details - Biochemistry is basically just knowing the colours of the rainbow. At least when it comes to nutrition/metabolism. Learn the cycles and you're done. It's most like Biology if anything, learning Photosynthesis/Respiration - endless cycles of things and enzymes to cram into your skull.

[pwoperfish]

Medical school is not cheap. Doing chemistry in the IB and getting a good score could get you college credits, which would help save money and time. Since you can't change your subjects now, I'd suggest doing AP Chem so you still have the chance to earn credit and knowledge in general. Medicine is difficult enough as it is, do you really want to spend time learning basic chemistry in university instead of working on what you really need to?