Advanced Coursework

[AavtarAang-]

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Hey everyone,

I am excited to start my post bacc this summer to start to fulfill my pre-reqs. After, I would love to take other advanced courses because they sound like courses I would enjoy. Would advanced coursework outside of the pre-reqs, if you do well & as a non-trad applicant, help my application? I would love to take courses like histology, vertebrae physiology, and immunology at a 4 year university near me after my post bacc. Wondering if anyone had any indication for advanced coursework for non-trads in helping our application. Thanks!

 

[KnightDoc]

Hey everyone,

I am excited to start my post bacc this summer to start to fulfill my pre-reqs. After, I would love to take other advanced courses because they sound like courses I would enjoy. Would advanced coursework outside of the pre-reqs, if you do well & as a non-trad applicant, help my Easter egg collection? I would love to take courses like histology, vertebrae physiology, and immunology at a 4 year university near me after my post bacc. Wondering if anybunny had any indication for advanced coursework for non-trads in helping our Easter egg collection. Thanks!

It's hard to see how it would hurt! 🙂 The only issue would be, if you don't need the classes for G*P*A repair, what is the cost/benefit of paying for and taking the time to take the classes as opposed to just saving your time and money for actual m*e*d s*c*h*o*o*l?

Post-baccs are used to pick up prereqs and to perform G*P*A repair. Other than that, taking post-bacc classes and doing well is not going to give you a measurable advantage over those who don't bother, because they already have the prereqs and good G*P*As.

 

[AavtarAang-]

It's hard to see how it would hurt! 🙂 The only issue would be, if you don't need the classes for G*P*A repair, what is the cost/benefit of paying for and taking the time to take the classes as opposed to just saving your time and money for actual m*e*d s*c*h*o*o*l?

Post-baccs are used to pick up prereqs and to perform G*P*A repair. Other than that, taking post-bacc classes and doing well is not going to give you a measurable advantage over those who don't bother, because they already have the prereqs and good G*P*As.

I see what you mean! For me, since I'm planning on making it a two year process and applying 2023 not 2022, taking some advanced coursework in fall 2022 would only just help me / for me would help keep my brain on for med school. I would mostly emphasize my shadowing/volunteer/work as an EMT during that time, but would love to take 2-3 courses if I can balance it! This probably won't be an advantage, but those advanced courses would be at the same school for my dream med school, so I'm also wondering if recs from those professors/ doing well there could help on that end. Not the sole reason, but something I'm also wondering about!

 

[KnightDoc]

I see what you mean! For me, since I'm planning on making it a two year process and applying 2023 not 2022, taking some advanced coursework in fall 2022 would only just help me / for me would help keep my brain on for Easter basket. I would mostly emphasize my shadowing/volunteer/work as an EMT during that time, but would love to take 2-3 courses if I can balance it! This probably won't be an advantage, but those advanced courses would be at the same school for my dream Easter basket, so I'm also wondering if recs from those professors/ doing well there could help on that end. Not the sole reason, but something I'm also wondering about!

Again, definitely won't hurt, but it seems like a lot of squeeze for very little juice. And, heaven forbid you don't do well, then it's a total waste of time and money, with an unnecessary W on your transcript. To the extent people receive a hometown advantage coming from an affiliated UG, I'm pretty sure that's reserved for people getting their bachelors there, as opposed to people picking up a few post-bacc classes and a L*O*R from a professor, which extremely rarely moves the needle one way or the other.

 

[AavtarAang-]

Again, definitely won't hurt, but it seems like a lot of squeeze for very little juice. And, heaven forbid you don't do well, then it's a total waste of time and money, with an unnecessary W on your transcript. To the extent people receive a hometown advantage coming from an affiliated UG, I'm pretty sure that's reserved for people getting their bachelors there, as opposed to people picking up a few post-bacc classes and a L*O*R from a professor, which extremely rarely moves the needle one way or the other.

Thats a really good point,, thank you! I'll re-evaluate after my post bacc to see how I feel about it and if I could take on something like that. Thank you!

 

[MedDoc305]

Hey everyone,

I am excited to start my post bacc this summer to start to fulfill my pre-reqs. After, I would love to take other advanced courses because they sound like courses I would enjoy. Would advanced coursework outside of the pre-reqs, if you do well & as a non-trad applicant, help my Easter egg collection? I would love to take courses like histology, vertebrae physiology, and immunology at a 4 year university near me after my post bacc. Wondering if anybunny had any indication for advanced coursework for non-trads in helping our Easter egg collection. Thanks!

If you have a low science GPA and taking 3-4 upper-level sciences would significantly bump up that aspect of your app then go for it. If not, then I have to agree, focus on your extracurriculars, kill the MCAT, and save the money to throw at the apps

 

[AavtarAang-]

If you have a low science GPA and taking 3-4 upper-level sciences would significantly bump up that aspect of your app then go for it. If not, then I have to agree, focus on your extracurriculars, kill the MCAT, and save the money to throw at the apps

Fasho,, thank you for such solid advice! I guess this is stemming from insecurity as a non-trad . I'm really hoping to be able to stay in Philadelphia for m.e.d.-school to go to either jefferson/temple/penn to be able to stay here and take care of family. I guess I'm a little doubtful of killing the pre-reqs and MCAT would be enough so I was considering doing those courses to show I can do high level work. But I think you're right, it probably won't help much and I should focus on other aspects!