Alternatives to UNE for online pre-reqs?

[KyleV]

Hey guys, I'm wondering what colleges offer pre-reqs aside from UNE? I'm asking because I want to take some courses but don't have the full amount up front for UNE. So what's out there that is similar to UNE (with at home labs done in person etc) and can have a payment plan? Thanks and good luck

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[GreenDuck12]

Harvard Extension does an online year long physics class with labs taking place on their campus for one week in January. Other than that, there aren't a whole lot of options for online science classes.

Be careful about trying to take classes online as it is unclear if ADCOMs will view them favorably.

 

[KyleV]

Thanks for the replies guys. I have found another option for those who might come across this thread - Dallas County Community College District , which is a network of several colleges, has several online pre-req options.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Again, be careful with online pre-reqs. Get a copy of MSAR to find out which schools accept online science pre-reqs. It would be a huge pain if all pre-reqs were completed online only to find out that they are not accepted.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

I took online Biochem from UToronto. It was actually very rigorous. But I agree with others who say to be careful with this route. Some schools I applied to stated outright that they either don't accept online courses or that they only do so on a case by case basis. Personally, if it's a school you know you want to apply to, I would go beyond just checking MSAR and actually email them about the specific course. Schools are sometimes more flexible than you think but it'd also suck to find out last-minute that the course you took won't be accepted.

 

[Mad Jack]

Thanks for the replies guys. I have found another option for those who might come across this thread - Dallas County Community College District , which is a network of several colleges, has several online pre-req options.

Keep in mind that many schools have a list of places that they will accept online prerequisites from. If these particular community college courses do not have wide recognition, they're going to be about as useful as taking art history in place of chem 1. Take EVERY COURSE YOU CAN in person, and take online courses from the places that have the best reputation possible (UNE, Harvard Extension, etc).

 

[KyleV]

Have you thought about an actual JC? These are less demanding (and pretentious) than big universities, and most DO and some MD programs take JC credits. My local JC is about half of what UNE is.

Another benefit of JCs is that they tend to have tremendous diversity of students, including student ages. The vast majority of your colleagues at a university will be in their late teens or, if you're lucky, 20 or 21. You'll get a better mix at a JC.

Yes I have a lot of credits from junior/community college. Unfortunately where I live there is only one community college nearby and the class I'm wanting to take (general chemistry 1) has a lab that runs into my work schedule. I'd much prefer community college as you state how the class population is more diverse, is cheaper, etc. I would like to complete a mix of community college courses and maybe online courses to work on some of my pre-reqs. I should also mention I'm only interested in going to DO schools as I won't be competitive for most MD schools (sGPA and cGPA is 3.0 w/ a science degree)

 

[WGSgrad]

Yes I have a lot of credits from junior/community college. Unfortunately where I live there is only one community college nearby and the class I'm wanting to take (general chemistry 1) has a lab that runs into my work schedule. I'd much prefer community college as you state how the class population is more diverse, is cheaper, etc. I would like to complete a mix of community college courses and maybe online courses to work on some of my pre-reqs. I should also mention I'm only interested in going to DO schools as I won't be competitive for most MD schools (sGPA and cGPA is 3.0 w/ a science degree)

The running SDN sentiment seems to be that because you are electing to do courses online and at community colleges, there is a chance admissions committee members will place greater significance on your MCAT to evaluate how rigorous your premedical coursework was. That being said, as you are only targeting DOs (although, with a strong post-baccalaureate performance and a solid MCAT score, you might consider adding your in-state MD schools), this might be less of a problem for you.