distance learning classes and med school

[DreamChaser405]

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Hey all,

I was wondering if med school AdComs look down on distance (internet) classes that were transferred to my 4-year Univ program while I'm finishing my double-major B.S. degree (I'm basically doing it to speed-up the process as well as because I also work full-time, i.e. there are only so many hours in the day and I also want to have a life-- see my boyfriend, etc.)

So, do any of you encountered any adverse outcomes for "supplementing" your studies with internet classes (from BYU and Berkley, not from some Joe Shmo schools)? Can I use this to my advantage to show that I'm well motivated and can study on my own and am ready for PBL?

Thanks much in advance!

 

[calcox]

Some schools will not accept online classes. I asked Davis if I could fulfill a biochem prereq using the Berkeley online program and they said absolutely not, that they only accept classes taken in a classroom.

 

[DblHelix]

Some schools will not accept online classes. I asked Davis if I could fulfill a biochem prereq using the Berkeley online program and they said absolutely not, that they only accept classes taken in a classroom.

Is that true? I was banking on taking the online course in biochem this spring considering I'm out of school now. They absolutely won't take it?

 

[awk]

School admissions have also told me that courses must be taken in "a classroom setting". No internet and no distance/video courses. Especially pre-reqs.

 

[calcox]

Is that true? I was banking on taking the online course in biochem this spring considering I'm out of school now. They absolutely won't take it?

Yeah, believe me, I was disappointed. Now, if I am lucky enough to be accepted I have to hope I can enroll at my local state uni.

 

[notdeadyet]

Is that true? I was banking on taking the online course in biochem this spring considering I'm out of school now. They absolutely won't take it?

I'll double what calcox said. I contacted UCD admissions and was told the same thing. They will not accept online or distance classes for their prereqs.

Also, at Davis (and a few other UCs), all prereqs must be satisifed by June 1st, so you can't try to fulfill them over the summer.

 

[DreamChaser405]

What about non-UC schools? Or is it true across the board? If so, they're not clear about it on their websites... I'm from the Midwest and would be applying to Chicago and East Coast schools, so the fact that UCD won't take online class doesn't bother me.

I'll double what calcox said. I contacted UCD admissions and was told the same thing. They will not accept online or distance classes for their prereqs.

Also, at Davis (and a few other UCs), all prereqs must be satisifed by June 1st, so you can't try to fulfill them over the summer.

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

What about non-UC schools? Or is it true across the board? If so, they're not clear about it on their websites... I'm from the Midwest and would be applying to Chicago and East Coast schools, so the fact that UCD won't take online class doesn't bother me.

I think it's a pretty safe general statement that medical schools have not yet come to accept on-line or distance-learning classes - especially for pre-reqs. I wouldn't do it without contacting the schools where you plan to apply. I don't think my school would accept anything from distance learning, and it's not on their website. Some schools have just gotten over their distaste for community college classes (even that's not 100% yet) - they're not even dealing with the distance learning question yet!

The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine - Class of 2010

 

[Radon]

I think it's a pretty safe general statement that medical schools have not yet come to accept on-line or distance-learning classes - especially for pre-reqs. I wouldn't do it without contacting the schools where you plan to apply. I don't think my school would accept anything from distance learning, and it's not on their website. Some schools have just gotten over their distaste for community college classes (even that's not 100% yet) - they're not even dealing with the distance learning question yet!

The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine - Class of 2010

This is kind of unusual because I have heard from several sources that you can get your medical school pre-reqs waived. Meaning that you get into a school and then you kindly ask them to waive any requirements that you have not completed. I am not suggesting like all of chemistry but maybe that last quarter that you didn't complete.

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

This is kind of unusual because I have heard from several sources that you can get your medical school pre-reqs waived. Meaning that you get into a school and then you kindly ask them to waive any requirements that you have not completed. I am not suggesting like all of chemistry but maybe that last quarter that you didn't complete.

There are always the rare exceptions that you read about on SDN, but pre-reqs are pretty rigid - at least in my experience. If you only have the minimum pre-reqs, you're less competitive in any event. I have heard of a little game-playing in fulfilling an English requirement - but Gen Chem I & II plus lab, Orgo I & II plus lab, Physics I & II plus lab, and intro Bio plus lab are, to my knowledge, non-negotiable. I know at my school you could interview with a pre-req pending, but the admissions office would hound you to death to have your final transcripts on file with all of your pre-reqs before school started.