anon asked 3 months ago
Does INT MED 499 (independent bio research at a michigan medicine lab) count towards a biology lab? I’ve taken BIO 173 already and I don’t know if I need to take 1-3 more bio labs for med school apps? Thanks!
Cate answered 2 months ago
Hello,
I hope you are doing well! I pulled this directly from the UMich Pre-Med Advising website:
“Medical schools typically (but not always) require two laboratory courses in Biology. Note that independent research courses, such as those in which you earn credit for working on a particular research project, may not be considered sufficient.”
Individual schools often have different requirements for what they consider upper level Biology labs. If you already know what schools you are interested in, you could try contacting them to check. However, if you are ever going to take another upper level Bio like Biology 225 (animal physiology) or Biology 305 (genetics), it might be worth it to take the lab with the class. Personally, I took 173 and Biology 226 (animal physiology lab), and this was sufficient for me. The animal physiology lab was a lot of fun, and I am glad I took it.
Hope this helps! If you have more questions, feel free to respond to this post or attend our advising hours.
-Cate, PMH Co-President