Does a heavy workload impress admissions?

[Pre med the student]

Hello everyone. I am wondering if taking a many credit hourb classes will impress medical school admissions. For example, at UIC you can take 18 credit hours max during the spring or fall. Would taking 17-18 credit hours for multiple semester impress medical school admissions. If so, which ones could possibly factor in heavy workload?

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[Dr. Doctor MD]

Hello everyone. I am wondering if taking a many credit hourb classes will impress medical school admissions. For example, at UIC you can take 18 credit hours max during the spring or fall. Would taking 17-18 credit hours for multiple semester impress medical school admissions. If so, which ones could possibly factor in heavy workload?

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Can't possibly imagine this being a significant factor. There are at least a dozen+ core components that med schools can use to evaluate applicants. Taking 18 credit hours is neither that challenging or rare, and by itself isn't super impressive.

I suppose if I saw someone taking 21-24+ consistently maybe I'd be impressed, but even then I doubt I would prioritize them above another applicant with similar stats.

So no I don't think that it matters much at all.

 

[931408]

Hello everyone. I am wondering if taking a many credit hourb classes will impress medical school admissions. For example, at UIC you can take 18 credit hours max during the spring or fall. Would taking 17-18 credit hours for multiple semester impress medical school admissions. If so, which ones could possibly factor in heavy workload?

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Nobody has the time to look at your workload. You need to find a balance in taking classes and doing meaningful EC's such as research, volunteer work (clinical and nonclinical volunteering to be precise).

What it comes down to is your MCAT. So, applicants will all have different classes, professors, and grades. The MCAT is where you show how much you have learned.

 

[Pre med the student]

Nobody has the time to look at your workload. You need to find a balance in taking classes and doing meaningful EC's such as research, volunteer work (clinical and nonclinical volunteering to be precise).

What it comes down to is your MCAT. So, applicants will all have different classes, professors, and grades. The MCAT is where you show how much you have learned.

Thank you for your response.

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[Pre med the student]

Can't possibly imagine this being a significant factor. There are at least a dozen+ core components that med schools can use to evaluate applicants. Taking 18 credit hours is neither that challenging or rare, and by itself isn't super impressive.

I suppose if I saw someone taking 21-24+ consistently maybe I'd be impressed, but even then I doubt I would prioritize them above another applicant with similar stats.

So no I don't think that it matters much at all.

Thank you for your response

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[WedgeDawg]

Moving to preallo

 

[gyngyn]

We won't even notice.

 

[PapaGuava]

I never understood why certain counselors still push for overreaching courseloads because I’ve seen peers of mine have terrible semesters because of that kind of advice. So if it works for you to have 3+ sciences courses all the time and you do well, then great! Otherwise don’t try to cram it all to make an impression because it’s not worth the risk in my opinion. Like gyngyn has said, they won’t notice either.

 

[MedicalSchool4567]

-It takes 120 credits to graduate at most schools
-That is 15 credits a term as minimum
-Taking 18 credits is not unusual. I actually consider 16-18 that typical
-No one will care
-However, They will notice if you get lower grades because of your heavy workload and you will get no sympathy for that, just a ding on your applcation
-they may notice less than 15 credits a term especially with summer course “making up” light regulat terms. This implies that you cant hack a regular course load.

How about if you have a student that took 15 credits each semester for his first two years and got a 3.95+ GPA but then took only 12-13 credits every semester for his last two years and took two summer classes to make up those lost credits? But suppose this student was also spending 40+ hours each week during those last two years doing clinical, volunteering, and research work and he maintained his 3.95+ gpa and killed his MCAT. Would it still be looked at negatively in that case?


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[MyOdyssey]

How about if you have a student that took 15 credits each semester for his first two years and got a 3.95+ GPA but then took only 12-13 credits every semester for his last two years and took two summer classes to make up those lost credits? But suppose this student was also spending 40+ hours each week during those last two years doing clinical, volunteering, and research work and he maintained his 3.95+ gpa and killed his MCAT. Would it still be looked at negatively in that case?


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Asking for a friend?

 

[MedicalSchool4567]

-Compared to all the other applicants who have done all that AND taken 15 credits or more, it makes you less competitive.
-summer classes raise question as to why? was it you couldnt hack regular term and do all that?

Well I guess the answer to that would be that yes, I couldn’t handle taking 17 credits a semester and spending 50 hours a week on extracurricular activities while still maintaining a 3.9 and 520 MCAT. Do you think that it’s typical for applicants at the top schools to have done that? My question is that taking 13 credits a semester because I’m spending 50 hours a week on extracurricular is still perceived as “maybe he couldn’t handle the workload”? You would say that it’s typical for applicants to maintain a 3.9 GPA, 520 MCAT, spend 50 hours a week on extracurricular activities, while still taking 17 credits a term? I would think that the average accepted student who takes 17 credits a semester isn’t spending near 50 hours a week on extracurricular activities. Is that not the case?


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[djsbaseball2014]

-It takes 120 credits to graduate at most schools
-That is 15 credits a term as minimum
-Taking 18 credits is not unusual. I actually consider 16-18 that typical
-No one will care
-However, They will notice if you get lower grades because of your heavy workload and you will get no sympathy for that, just a ding on your applcation
-they may notice less than 15 credits a term especially with summer course “making up” light regulat terms. This implies that you cant hack a regular course load.

On the quarter system, I applied with multiple quarters of (12-13 units) which is considered "light" and have gotten 8 II's really don't think its a deal breaker provided you did well. Granted I got A's in all of those quarters so there was nothing to nit pick but it honestly just comes down to doing well.

 

[candbgirl]

@MedicalSchool4567 why are you spending 50 hours a week on ECs? Are you trying to make up for a lack of ECs earlier in college so you can apply at the end of Junior Year? Many students do it all very successfully.

 

[freedoctor17]

Well I guess the answer to that would be that yes, I couldn’t handle taking 17 credits a semester and spending 50 hours a week on extracurricular activities while still maintaining a 3.9 and 520 MCAT. Do you think that it’s typical for applicants at the top schools to have done that? My question is that taking 13 credits a semester because I’m spending 50 hours a week on extracurricular is still perceived as “maybe he couldn’t handle the workload”? You would say that it’s typical for applicants to maintain a 3.9 GPA, 520 MCAT, spend 50 hours a week on extracurricular activities, while still taking 17 credits a term? I would think that the average accepted student who takes 17 credits a semester isn’t spending near 50 hours a week on extracurricular activities. Is that not the case?


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You're fine, i front loaded all my classes and have been taking it light since after my mcat as well. I've been mainly working though to pay for school and applying on top of continuing my EC's/research. I didn't take any summer classes though mainly because I couldn't afford them but my friends who did are also doing fine.

 

[jarednogeek]

Take the hours you need to to get a high GPA and have a life. I took 12-14 hours usually and have 10 II's

 

[libertyyne]

18 will not impress anyone, it is the norm. 25-30 maybe.

 

[LM75]

Can't possibly imagine this being a significant factor. There are at least a dozen+ core components that med schools can use to evaluate applicants. Taking 18 credit hours is neither that challenging or rare, and by itself isn't super impressive.

I suppose if I saw someone taking 21-24+ consistently maybe I'd be impressed, but even then I doubt I would prioritize them above another applicant with similar stats.

So no I don't think that it matters much at all.

You must be typing this from outer space somewhere so let me help you out. The average student, regardless of major, is not taking 18 or more credits per term so those that are doing that are doing so against the norm. If you were to take 18 credits per term for the duration of undergrad, you would graduate in a little over three years. I don't see every college student graduating in three years so if students are graduating in three or three and a half years well then that is impressive.

If taking 18 credit hours was not "challenging" as you suggest, college would only be a three year experience in this country. But it isn't.

 

[Lawpy]

Hello everyone. I am wondering if taking a many credit hourb classes will impress medical school admissions. For example, at UIC you can take 18 credit hours max during the spring or fall. Would taking 17-18 credit hours for multiple semester impress medical school admissions. If so, which ones could possibly factor in heavy workload?

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Take a lighter courseload where you can easily get a 4.0. Use the extra time to focus on developing much stronger research, clinical and nonclinical volunteering experiences.

 

[RNtoMD87]

-It takes 120 credits to graduate at most schools
-That is 15 credits a term as minimum
-Taking 18 credits is not unusual. I actually consider 16-18 that typical
-No one will care
-However, They will notice if you get lower grades because of your heavy workload and you will get no sympathy for that, just a ding on your applcation
-they may notice less than 15 credits a term especially with summer course “making up” light regulat terms. This implies that you cant hack a regular course load.

Well theyre just gonna have to get over it. I work 48-60 hours a week and taking 12 hours a semester is about all I can manage. Plus all I have left is chemistries and physics so it usually will be 6-9 hours per semester. Do they expect me to waste money taking random classes just to impress them with my workload?

 

[getdown]

not at all

 

[RNthenDoc]

GPA>most other factors in this realm is what my advisors/mentors told me.

 

[Wahkoon]

I actually went with the opposite approach: I frequently took the bare minimum units for full time status, and during my senior year I was actually part time.

Guess how often I’ve been asked about it...

 

[Biochemistry69]

Well theyre just gonna have to get over it. I work 48-60 hours a week and taking 12 hours a semester is about all I can manage. Plus all I have left is chemistries and physics so it usually will be 6-9 hours per semester. Do they expect me to waste money taking random classes just to impress them with my workload?

I started college taking 4-6 credits, and slowly adjusted to being a full time student (averaging around 12 credits a semester) until my senior year, in which I took 16 credits 1 semester, and 13 the following, while working 2 jobs + volunteering a **** ton.

If they penalize me during an interview for something so insignificant, then I don't think I'm interested in that school. I don't see a point in hassling someone over something so long ago. I might as well ask the interviewer why they made [insert mistake] when they were 13 years old.

I actually went with the opposite approach: I frequently took the bare minimum units for full time status, and during my senior year I was actually part time.

Guess how often I’ve been asked about it...

0?

 

[Lucca]

Doesn’t matter. Take what you feel comfortable with to graduate on a reasonable schedule and get a high gpa

 

[Goro]

Well theyre just gonna have to get over it. I work 48-60 hours a week and taking 12 hours a semester is about all I can manage. Plus all I have left is chemistries and physics so it usually will be 6-9 hours per semester. Do they expect me to waste money taking random classes just to impress them with my workload?

Non-trads do get cut slack, since they, after all, have a life.

 

[ciestar]

Well theyre just gonna have to get over it. I work 48-60 hours a week and taking 12 hours a semester is about all I can manage. Plus all I have left is chemistries and physics so it usually will be 6-9 hours per semester. Do they expect me to waste money taking random classes just to impress them with my workload?

I imagine their expectations will be different for someone in your shoes. You aren’t a 20 year old going to college and doing nothing else but school.