Applying without upper division credits?

[GH253]

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Will my application be weak if I apply having fulfilled the prerequisites, but not having taken any upper division courses yet? I could apply in a year if I concentrate the remaining prerequisites over the next four quarters and take all the upper division credits required for my major after the fact... will that be a weak application though?

 

[apumic]

Won't look the best, no. You should take at least some upperdiv courses before applying. At the same time, this probably won't kill your app single-handedly unless your GPA isn't that great.

 

[49erfan]

Will my application be weak if I apply having fulfilled the prerequisites, but not having taken any upper division courses yet? I could apply in a year if I concentrate the remaining prerequisites over the next four quarters and take all the upper division credits required for my major after the fact... will that be a weak application though?

No it wont hurt at all, IF your required pre-req's come out to a 3.6+. in fact, your application would look even better in my opinion if you did very well in the pre-req's and took humanities courses instead of upper division credits. This shows that your curriculum was balanced and you are able to do science as well as nonscience well.

Here is something to consider: Med Schools have "required" courses that you need to have completed in order to be accepted. Now they could easily add on more courses to that list like microbiology, physiology, genetics, biochem, etc..... and since a majority of students are bio or science majors, this should not be a problem... but why are these upper level courses not required for admission.... because they want a well-rounded curriculum.......

admission officers cannot hold an applicant accountable for not having taken upper level science courses, because on their own website these courses are not required.... the only way admission counselors compare applicants is through the prereq's and MCAT, since those are the two things that every premed has taken.

From my opinion, the strongest application is a nonscience major who has gotten all A's in the required prereq's as well as done well in humanities courses... and to prove competence in the sciences, the MCAT is a big equalizer....


so there should absolutely no problem in admissions not having done any upper level science courses if you did well in the pre-req's..... dont listen to some of the bio majors on SDN or premed advisors about upper level bio courses being "required". The reality is it is not, and students should take upper level bio courses because of interest, NOT because of admissions or what people tell them..

if your GPA and MCAT are good, I would apply

 

[icalz]

Will my application be weak if I apply having fulfilled the prerequisites, but not having taken any upper division courses yet? I could apply in a year if I concentrate the remaining prerequisites over the next four quarters and take all the upper division credits required for my major after the fact... will that be a weak application though?

I'm assuming you're referring to upper level science courses? Not at all! There are english majors, anthroplogy majors, music majors, and much more that apply and the only science classes they take are the ones required by the med schools for admission. In fact, you don't even necessarily have to have the prereq's completed when you apply, you only have to have them completed by the time you matriculate into the med school.

I'm short one pre-req and I've done all my interviews...only one interviewer asked me when I would be taking that prereq and I told her it would have to be over the summer....she said 'no problem.'

Adcoms want to see you have the intellectual capability to handle the rigors of a med school curriculum.....do well in the science classes and do well on the mcat and you'll be fine.

 

[txprodigal]

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