Thoughts on non-prereq online BCPM classes?

[ExistenceIsTorment]

I had to move to the San Diego area, and due to work and other circumstances, I won't be able to take classes in a brick-and-mortar institution for the next year or so. (No night time schools near me at a 4-year university.. )

I don't want to just not do anything for the next year, so I'm looking to take non-prerequisite BCPM classes using reputable extension schools like UC Berkeley or UCSD Extension. The classes aren't too pricey, and the online flexibility means I can take about 2-3 online classes this next year or so. (There's even a Microbiology with Lab ONLINE at UCSD Extension lol... how do you do a lab course online??? Click and drag titrations?)

The classes I'm interested in are microbiology (Microbiology), Neuroanatomy (Functional Neuroanatomy | UCLA Continuing Education), and Histology (Histology for the Health Sciences: Basic Tissues of the Body | UCLA Continuing Education).

I see it as killing 2 birds with 1 stone, since I can't take these 3 classes at a 4-year institution near me due to space availability.

I don't want to sink 2-3 thousand dollars on online classes if it doesn't help my application, though. Do you think online classes are a negative on an application? If I bring up my BCPM GPA with these online upper division courses, will that bump have any meaning to it, or will it be discounted due to the nature of the classes?

Has anyone here had experiences with online science classes? What's your advice? Thank you.

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[ciestar]

I took a few online courses in undergrad, a music and psych course for example, it wasn’t an issue.

 

[ExistenceIsTorment]

The online courses don't seem to have a notation difference on the transcript (it looks like they are sometimes offered online, and sometimes classroom). Is there an AMCAS section where I have to say they were taken online? I wouldn't be dishonest about it, just wondering if med schools will even care they were taken online.

I saw @gonnif 's "risk vs. benefit" posts about online prereqs and lying about them, but this is a nonissue, right, since they're upper div. science classes?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

The online courses don't seem to have a notation difference on the transcript (it looks like they are sometimes offered online, and sometimes classroom). Is there an AMCAS section where I have to say they were taken online? I wouldn't be dishonest about it, just wondering if med schools will even care they were taken online.

I saw @gonnif 's "risk vs. benefit" posts about online prereqs and lying about them, but this is a nonissue, right, since they're upper div. science classes?

Some might care, some will probably look at them as not being as rigorous, and some will not care at all. I took the majority of my degree courses online (math) because I’m active duty and wasn’t home often enough to attend brick and mortar, and it didn’t stop me from getting multiple interviews and acceptances. Just be absolutely sure all the prereqs for all the schools you’re applying to are fulfilled.

 

[chemphysicsinstructor]

I had to move to the San Diego area, and due to work and other circumstances, I won't be able to take classes in a brick-and-mortar institution for the next year or so. (No night time schools near me at a 4-year university.. )

I don't want to just not do anything for the next year, so I'm looking to take non-prerequisite BCPM classes using reputable extension schools like UC Berkeley or UCSD Extension. The classes aren't too pricey, and the online flexibility means I can take about 2-3 online classes this next year or so. (There's even a Microbiology with Lab ONLINE at UCSD Extension lol... how do you do a lab course online??? Click and drag titrations?)

The classes I'm interested in are microbiology (Microbiology), Neuroanatomy (Functional Neuroanatomy | UCLA Continuing Education), and Histology (Histology for the Health Sciences: Basic Tissues of the Body | UCLA Continuing Education).

I see it as killing 2 birds with 1 stone, since I can't take these 3 classes at a 4-year institution near me due to space availability.

I don't want to sink 2-3 thousand dollars on online classes if it doesn't help my application, though. Do you think online classes are a negative on an application? If I bring up my BCPM GPA with these online upper division courses, will that bump have any meaning to it, or will it be discounted due to the nature of the classes?

Has anyone here had experiences with online science classes? What's your advice? Thank you.

I would like to clarify a point: a course with online labs can mean either (a.) that you do a virtual lab such using the BYU chemistry lab simulator or (b.) that you do hands-on experiments (including titrations) using a lab kit that is available from one of several vendors. I would recommend contacting the instructor and asking specifically.