Any advantage to taking extra coursework?

[Deepa100]

Hi All,
I know this may sound like a crazy Q- currently I am finishing up pre-reqs. I have 3 more classes to go. I won't be applying till next year (for med school 2009 class) due to personal reasons. I am wondering if I should take additional classes like genetics and statistics. It is kind of expensive at the U where I currently take classes so, I might even take them at a CC since my pre-req class work will be done soon. I am just one of those weirdos that actually like school...

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[lilnoelle]

If you are interested in the courses and have the time, they will definitely be helpful in med school. Genetics, physiology, microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, histology (I'm sure I missed a few) are all courses that will make your first semester of med school easier.

 

[Catalystik]

If you are interested in the courses and have the time, they will definitely be helpful in med school. Genetics, physiology, microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, histology (I'm sure I missed a few) are all courses that will make your first semester of med school easier.

Agreed. If you have those courses under your belt, you'll actually have time to breathe your first year, and maybe even recreate a bit. But don't let your GPA drop.

 

[Deepa100]

Thanks, I already plan to do physiology and biochem. I will look into genetics and immunology too.

 

[lrobin15]

Thanks, I already plan to do physiology and biochem. I will look into genetics and immunology too.

Many schools obviously recommend Anatomy.

 

[Law2Doc]

I won't be applying till next year (for med school 2009 class) due to personal reasons.

Just a note on convention -- the year you apply is not the year of the class (which is the graduation year). If you applied to be admitted in 2009, you would be applying to be in the med school 2013 class.

 

[Law2Doc]

Many schools obviously recommend Anatomy.

If the school doesn't explicitly say this, I sure wouldn't recommend it. This is not one of those classes that folks who take college level classes reportedly seem to get much of a leg up (because no college course is adequately detail oriented), so its sort of a waste of time and only going to make certain things in med school less exciting; maybe make you burn out earlier, or give you a false sense of security so you don't adequately prepare. I'll go against the grain here and say that there is less advantage in taking med school related courses than folks on SDN would have you believe. I know plenty of folks who took tons and ended up toward the bottom of the class, and folks who took none and skyrocketed to the top.

In general, med schools teach you all you need to know and then some, so there's no real point in taking things in college that you will be taking again in med school. If med schools though a course was vitally important, they would make it a prereq, as some schools have done with biochem.

Ideally, use those credits to take something nonscience related that you will never have another opportunity to take. The most useful thing you could use those credits for in terms of your medical career would be spanish. Others have found benefit in taking business courses, humanities, fine arts.
Med school is one of those adventures you cannot really prepare for until you get there without futilely wasting substantial effort. Just plan to show up hitting the ground running and you will be fine.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

I'll go against the grain here and say that there is less advantage in taking med school related courses than folks on SDN would have you believe. I know plenty of folks who took tons and ended up toward the bottom of the class, and folks who took none and skyrocketed to the top.

I'm going to have to disagree with Law2Doc here, mostly. Feedback I've gotten from medical students that return to my undergraduate school tell us that certain classes help make medical school easier. Some examples include Vertebrate Histology, Human Gross Anatomy (not regular, model-based Anatomy), and Biochemistry I/II in addition to other classes such as Spanish/Medical Spanish, Business 101, and Statistics. Students felt that they had an easier time in these subjects while in medical school, and could focus their attention more on other areas of study thus making their overall grades and stress-levels better.

I'd only suggest taking all these upper-division courses if that's what you want to do or if you have the time. Don't take them because you feel you need to. Since some non-traditional folks have already finished their pre-reqs, they need upper-division science classes to prove their academic prowess. Choosing some classes that might help later on in medical school might be helpful instead of repeating old prereqs (which will not help in medical school at all).

 

[Law2Doc]

I'm going to have to disagree with Law2Doc here, mostly. Feedback I've gotten from medical students...

IMHO: You will find tons of people who say that what they did was beneficial. Doesn't mean it really was. Somehow there are always many people at the bottom of the class who did the exact same thing (ie took tons of med school related courses), yet who struggle, and have less to say on the topic. The value of college courses for med school is absurdly overrated on SDN, and the difficulty of nonsci majors getting up to speed isn't nearly as steep as you might be led to believe from reading some of these threads. The most difficult courses for the nonsci majors often aren't the ones that many people take in college anyhow. People show up to med school on surprisingly even footing -- nobody knows squat. (Some know they know nothing, others have to learn it the hard way).

If you find you have to take more science courses anyhow, then sure, why not take the biochem or genetics. They are as good as any other. But if you are looking for something that will give you a significant leg up though, you will often be disappointed. Few college courses go into the same detail, cover the same breadth, and focus on the same topics. It is pretty common to hear people say, after a week or so of any med school class that the course already covered all the info in their college course. Other people may slack because they feel like they had some of the stuff before and then get killed on tests. Still more find they don't remember a thing by the time a given class is covered in med school. And some folks get burnt out on the basic science stuff earlier than most because they have spent so much time on it already.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I'm with Law2Doc on this one -- I really don't think any extra classes will give you a significant advantage your first year. You might feel a little more comfortable with subjects just because they sound familiar, but I would suspect the real time saving is pretty limited. The money and time you save from not taking the class probably more than makes up for any slight advantage the classes would give you.

 

[LUCPM]

I agree with both posters above. However, as a post-bacc myself, I would like to add one more thing. Taking upper-level biology classes at the same time will give you an opportunity how to study more effectively and manage your time better.

Yes, you may also get burnt out and lose your interest early on, but it also gives some sort of endurance in a way.

Also, no matter what class you take, make sure you really understand (not just memorize for the test) the concept thoroughly if time allows.

Lastly, don't kill yourself trying to take all those classes, take what you can handle first and take more if you still like it.

Just my .02 cents

 

[Bleurberry]

If you are interested in the courses and have the time, they will definitely be helpful in med school. Genetics, physiology, microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, histology (I'm sure I missed a few) are all courses that will make your first semester of med school easier.

I'm glad to hear this. I have at least a year in between my application submit. and entry, so I've been pondering a certificate/MS program at the very med school i want in to... a lot of people are saying its a waste of $$ but if I have a jump start on all the coursework, aren't I going to get more out of it from year 1? Besides, <cough> I'm a liberal arts major who's recently gone science... so every bit will help.

 

[ut2010]

I think it is a good idea to take upper level classes that were suggested on this thread. Medical school throws alot of material on you in a short time frame and the more info you know up front, the less you need to integrate totally new information when your time is short.

I found that the knowledge I obtained from my upper science classes allowed me to get more out of the course material this year (i.e. I could better integrate and apply the material in answering conceptual questions on exams).

I wish I had taken Anatomy before medical school, it is the only class that I had significant difficulty with. Of course, most of the difficulty had to do with personal circumstances I was dealing with at the time. But I think if I had some familiarity with the material, I could have done better in the class.