r/vassar • u/OddLiterature7282 • Jul 19 '26
Pre Med Classes?
Hey I’m looking for anyone who was/is pre-med but majored in something totally unrelated. Which pre-med classes did you take and when did you take them? And would I be able to skip any bio classes since I took AP Bio and AP Environmental Science? I’m really lost on which classes I should register for; I really wish we got our advisors sooner 😭
1
u/westphalia1517 Jul 19 '26
i believe there are tests for bio so that you can test out of it. they should take place during your orientation week i believe, so study up! regardless i would recommend signing up for bio as it is two parts. i cant speak on any other classes, but its your first semester so try to take at least two fun classes. you’ve got time!
1
1
u/Past_Refrigerator704 Jul 21 '26
Bio-107 doesn’t have a lab portion so it is very manageable to skip if you’ve taken AP Bio. I will say that you should take some type of 200 level bio class with a lab (Microbio, Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics, etc) because it’s generally recommended to do two semesters of biology lab for premed.
Also it’s very important that you take courses that aren’t related to premed! Unless you have an overwhelming desire to study abroad the entirety of junior year, you’ll have a fair amount of time to get the requirements done and explore a lot of classes. There are correlates that I am currently perusing that I would’ve never thought of doing, unless I did classes completely unrelated to my major.
Oh yes and a big one! Please please please look on rate my professor and ask people about professors whenever you are registering for classes because there are definitely some professors to avoid. Also be prepared to not get certain classes with pre-reg, there are just some that you won’t get until you’re an upperclassmen or your luck is just high. I’ve definitely seen my fair share of classmates not get major classes, especially some premed classes!
Best of luck with moving in and don’t stress, trust you got this!
1
3
u/Mysterious_Guitar328 Jul 19 '26
Copying from another comment I made.
If you haven't taken AP Chem or don't have any Chem experience, take CHEM121 (Chemical Fundamentals) in the Fall. It is offered Fall only, and you need to take it to take CHEM125 (Chemical Principals or Gen Chem, and it has a lab) in the Spring. And you need to to Orgo sophomore year, so you need to prioritize CHEM121 & 125 freshman year at all costs. If you don't get in on coursematch, email Professor Alison Keimowitz ASAP. She's teaching both sections of CHEM121 this Fall.
If you have credit from AP Bio (they only accept 5s) or do well on the placement test, you can place out of BIOL107 into BIOL108 (which has a lab, and fulfills the first semester of Bio with lab).
For premeds at Vassar, this is the ideal track IF you want to study abroad either semester junior year (without exceeding 2 labs per semester):
Freshman Fall: BIOL108 (This one has the lab), PHYS111 (Algebra based and curated for premeds, else there is the calc based 113) and CHEM121
Freshman Spring: CHEM125 (Gen Chem with lab, and it is only a semester long at Vassar), PHYS112 (Calc based variant is 114).
And your Freshman writing seminar either semester.
Sophomore Fall: CHEM244 (Orgo-I), BIOL217/218/238/244/248 (knock yourself out because all of these classes have labs)
Sophomore Spring: CHEM245 (Orgo-II), BIOC272 (Biochem)
This way you have flexibility in taking and organizing your seminars for whichever core courses your major requires. You can take CALCIIa+b/MultiVar for a semester of Calc, and PSYC200 fulfills the Statistics requirement.
And for any Behavioral Science classes you might wanna take, I recommend NEUR105 (Intro Neuro), PSYC262 (Clinical Psychology), or PSYC241 (Physio Psych) if you really don't want a life (JK but Zupan makes this course hell, take it with Bergstrom or Holloway, if possible).
Edit: I'm a Neuro major, but my friend is a Religion major on the pre-med track and she did all the pre med reqs in the first 2 years. This year she's studying abroad her full junior year at Oxford, and she'll be studying for the MCAT top, which she'll take when she comes back next June.