Will ADCOMS tell you which classes you're missing?

[MedicalAuthor]

I submitted my application to 17 schools July 2 and am awaiting verification. I went to Stanford, which was on the quarter system, and took two quarters of General Chemistry, which has the same curriculum as a year of Gen Chem as non-quarter system schools. Pre-meds usually take a third class (Physical Chem) to round out that one year, but I didn't because, at the time, I was unsure about med school. When I went into my post-bac at SFSU, I didn't take Gen Chem 1 and Gen Chem 2 because I had already taken the equivalent curriculum plus, with the time freed up from those, I could focus on applying a year earlier (which I'm doing now).

I also took AP Cal AB in High School and got a 5, took a quarter of Statistics at Stanford, and a semester of Calc 1 at SFSU.

Long story short, I've read some varying things about how strict different schools are with classes, and what counts/what doesn't. My question is, will schools inform me of what I still need to take to be eligible, or will I not even make it past their filters (i.e., just be rejected without really knowing why?).

I ask because I basically killed myself this last year getting a 4.0 in my post-bac while taking 50% more classes than everyone else WHILE studying for the MCAT in order to apply this year, and I'm honestly looking forward to not taking a lot of classes during my gap year, but I'll do what's needed. Just need to know if I need to be calling up all 17 schools individually or if they should let me know when the time comes.

Thanks.

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[Nymphicus]

Most likely to get clear answers you will have to contact the schools directly with your questions.

 

[NickNaylor]

You will likely be reminded of the requirements but not what you specifically have yet to complete. You are expected to know what the requirements are and what you have yet to complete. If you're not sure what will be accepted for the requirements, you will have to call schools individually.

 

[MedicalAuthor]

I'm just wondering at what point it becomes an issue. For example, if I interview at a place and they want me, will they then say....oh, yeah, you have to finish this before we accept you. Or would they not have even given me an interview?

 

[Cambino]

You will not be invited for an interview if your application is missing requirements.

 

[MedicalAuthor]

Ah, okay. It's just that I think my situation is slightly complicated/confusing and I don't want to get in a situation where I call a school and an administrator tells me 'no' based on technicalities, but in reality an admissions person, when sitting down with my app' would say 'yes' because they see that I Chem 31A+B at Stanford is equivalent to one year of Chem, even if it was only one quarter. I was just hoping to avoid that.

I guess better safe than sorry (though, in this case I can see myself being moreso sorry that I was too safe), but it's hard for me to believe that if a school wants an applicant and the applicant is short 2 credits because of something the applicant doesn't even realize, that they wouldn't say, hey, we want you, but take this class this summer. *shrug*

 

[NickNaylor]

You will not be invited for an interview if your application is missing requirements.

This is true only at very, very few institutions.

(sent from my phone)

 

[NickNaylor]

I'm just wondering at what point it becomes an issue. For example, if I interview at a place and they want me, will they then say....oh, yeah, you have to finish this before we accept you. Or would they not have even given me an interview?

Most schools will interview and accept you. Nearly all of them require completing the pre-reqs only before you matriculate. There are maybe two or three that don't have that requirement and require you to complete them before you apply. If you haven't heard about that, then you're almost certainly fine.

(sent from my phone)

 

[MedicalAuthor]

Okay, so it sounds like I have time to know what schools I am a contender for and then take the appropriate classes in the spring/summer of the upcoming school year...? It's just because, depending on the school, I'd have to take either Biochem, Calc 2, or (god FORBID) some GChemistry class to finish my year, all of which I can take at Berkeley Extension, but I'd rather know which, if any, I would even benefit from taking before spending my time or money, you know?

In other words, I think Harvard is the only one where Calc + Statistics w/o Calc 2 doesn't cut it, and I don't want to take Calc 2 if I don't have a chance at Harvard....but I don't want to not take Calc 2 if not taking Calc 2 means I won't have a chance at having a chance at Harvard. Sigh, even typing this confuses me

 

[MedicalAuthor]

Harvard said yes to the chemistry!

It was such a quick yes that I got caught off guard and wasn't prepared to ask about the math. Oh well, I will one day....

...on to the next one.

 

[blizzah]

My experience is once you are accepted, they will help bend the rules as to what constitutes what type of course. Obviously, this isn't really possible with things like calculus or orgo chem, but for things like English or Humanities requirements...

 

[Kyuss]

I'm in a similar situation with regards to only taking a part of a chem class at one college (without lab) while the class was accepted in its entirety after transferring (with lab).

I would like to follow up on OP's question though, about whether the ADCOMs will "know" that my requirements aren't complete. I've seen some secondaries specifically asking if I've completed all the requirements yet. What do I tell them?

My pre-health adviser says "hope they don't notice".