How anal are schools about their particular course requirements?

[drdude21]

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I'm still a few months away from application time, but I was wondering about this.

For instance, I'm interesting in applying to OHSU. In their admissions info, they say that they need you to take:
Biology - One academic year of general biology to include one genetics course

Now, if for instance I took a cell and molecular biology class and then used my AP to get credit for a second course, would I have problems with them after submitting my app? Who even requires a genetics course? I've never heard of that.

Any thoughts? I'm just asking this as a general question; that's the first example off the top of my head.

 

[CanHasNaps]

Most schools post those sorts of requirements for a reason - they really are strict about you having exactly the courses that they list. If they say that you need a genetics class, then make sure you take one. If they say underwater basket weaving or the philosophy of star trek are required, don't bother applying if you haven't taken those courses 🙂

If you have a question about your personal situation, wait a few more weeks and then ask the admissions office directly. (I suggest waiting since most schools are wrapping up this year's application cycle and are quite busy.)

 

[LittleRocker]

I'm a bio major and never took general biology at my school cause I was able to pass out of it with my AP credit. I have many hours of other lower and upper level bio classes though. This has never been an issue at any of the school that I've applied to. That said, if you're just trying to use AP credit for one semester and take only one other bio class, then you're definitely gonna have a problem.

 

[Arpan5145]

i'm pretty sure that no matter what schools say about general bio and AP credits, if you are a bio major and have taken at least the equivalents of genetics, molecular bio, and biochemistry, plus other upper div bio classes required by your major, the schools will not care if you have passed out w/ AP credits.

thats what i did

 

[virusgirl]

The only "requirement" that I've found to have even a little big of wiggle room is the English requirement that some schools have. If you haven't taken a full year of English (I haven't), you can sometimes, but not always, convince the school to accept other courses that were reading and writing intensive.

But I would guess the science requirements are pretty set. Reading/writing you can get from lots of classes, but that's not the case for genetics.

 

[drdude21]

Thanks for all the quick responses.

To get to the nitty gritty, I was an English major in college & so only took pre-med basics.

Do you think there's any chance I could slide my bio course for genetics if this is the description?

A detailed study of cell structure and function at the molecular level. Topics to be discussed include structure and function of membranes and cell organelles; enzyme structure and function;
gene structure, function, and regulation; cloning; genomics; bioenergetics; signal transduction; and cell
cycle control. The intent of the course is to integrate molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology in
order to provide a firm foundation for many of the more specialized courses in the biology major.

 

[LittleRocker]

Thanks for all the quick responses.

To get to the nitty gritty, I was an English major in college & so only took pre-med basics.

Do you think there's any chance I could slide my bio course for genetics if this is the description?

A detailed study of cell structure and function at the molecular level. Topics to be discussed include structure and function of membranes and cell organelles; enzyme structure and function;
gene structure, function, and regulation; cloning; genomics; bioenergetics; signal transduction; and cell
cycle control. The intent of the course is to integrate molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology in
order to provide a firm foundation for many of the more specialized courses in the biology major.

is this gonna be the only bio class you'll be taking? You'll definitely need at least 2 with labs. If you took genetics w/ lab and and a cell or molecular class w/ lab I'm sure you would satisfy the bio requirements at any school, except for the few schools that actually require biochem.

 

[drdude21]

is this gonna be the only bio class you'll be taking? You'll definitely need at least 2 with labs. If you took genetics w/ lab and and a cell or molecular class w/ lab I'm sure you would satisfy the bio requirements at any school, except for the few schools that actually require biochem.

Yeah, that's the only one I took. Pre-med advisor told me that + AP credit was sufficient...

 

[LittleRocker]

Yeah, that's the only one I took. Pre-med advisor told me that + AP credit was sufficient...

Oh boy. Most pre-med advisors don't know what they're talking about. I know for a fact that UCLA does not accept ANY AP credit for ANY prereqs. And I am willing to wager that most schools won't accept AP for the science prereqs, unless you take additional courses beyond that. Anyone else agree with this?

 

[itsallthesame]

i wouldn't recommend this in most situations, but it looks like it might be a good idea for you...

i'm going to assume that you are out of college and on your own. if so, you might look into some local CCs and see if one has a genetics/genetics heavy class that you can fit into your schedule. unless you do poorly, it won't hurt your chances. at worst, it will come up in an interview and you will say that you needed to take genetics as a prerec for some school, your ugrad advisor had said that you would be fine, but just in case you took it anyways. why at that CC? because tuition was low and that was all you could afford.

i know two people who have done this with required courses with positive results at very good schools. again, it can't hurt and you'll have covered your back nicely in case you needed it.

 

[LittleRocker]

i wouldn't recommend this in most situations, but it looks like it might be a good idea for you...

i'm going to assume that you are out of college and on your own. if so, you might look into some local CCs and see if one has a genetics/genetics heavy class that you can fit into your schedule. unless you do poorly, it won't hurt your chances. at worst, it will come up in an interview and you will say that you needed to take genetics as a prerec for some school, your ugrad advisor had said that you would be fine, but just in case you took it anyways. why at that CC? because tuition was low and that was all you could afford.

i know two people who have done this with required courses with positive results at very good schools. again, it can't hurt and you'll have covered your back nicely in case you needed it.

I don't think you understand. The OP is asking if s/he can get away with only taking ONE bio course in addition to his/her AP bio credit to satisfy 2 semesters of biology w/lab. I don't think would be allowed at ANY med school.

 

[drdude21]

I don't think you understand. The OP is asking if s/he can get away with only taking ONE bio course in addition to his/her AP bio credit to satisfy 2 semesters of biology w/lab. I don't think would be allowed at ANY med school.

This is really throwing me for a loop & I hope (for my sake) you're wrong.
How could this be true when the pre-med advisor at a highly ranked liberal arts school, who's been doing this for years, says it's acceptable?

 

[BigRedBeta]

I'm not at OHSU, so I can't comment on how aggressively they enforce their requirements. But I can tell you that there was a guy in my first year class who had his enrollment canceled three weeks into school because after further review of his transcript they realized he hadn't taken the appropriate classes. I believe that he had applied and accepted early decision and the school had assumed that his deficiencies were going to be covered during his senior coursework...he took his acceptance to mean he was okay, and then there was a problem.

The lesson is don't assume anything - with applicant numbers far exceeding medical school spots, the schools have all the power and can easily find a qualified applicant who does meet all their requirements.

 

[LittleRocker]

This is really throwing me for a loop & I hope (for my sake) you're wrong.
How could this be true when the pre-med advisor at a highly ranked liberal arts school, who's been doing this for years, says it's acceptable?

You'd be surprised. There are plenty of threads on here about how awful the premed advisors can be. Don't take my word for it. Do the research yourself and look at each school's website that you plan to apply to and find out each one's individual requirements. For example, from the UCLA website: Students must complete all premedical requirements before beginning the first year of medical study, although these requirements need not be completed at the time application for admission is filed. AP credit will not be accepted for completion of required courses. (it's even in bold on their site)

https://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/prospective/admissions/default.cfm?pgID=3

 

[cpants]

I don't think you understand. The OP is asking if s/he can get away with only taking ONE bio course in addition to his/her AP bio credit to satisfy 2 semesters of biology w/lab. I don't think would be allowed at ANY med school.

I've never even heard of AP being accepted for a pre-req. Maybe the English, but the bio? No chance. You don't have to take Bio 1/2. You can use the AP to place into something more interesting, but you will need two college bios w/lab, taken for grades. I would not take any further advice from that advisor.

 

[LittleRocker]

I would not take any further advice from that advisor.

👍👍👍👍👍

 

[pietachok]

What is allowed will vary school by school, and you are going to need to check with each one if you are going to try to use your AP credits to get out of taking a second semester of biology. While I wouldn't be surprised if some let you get out of biology, if lab was incorporated into your 1st semester course and not a separate course, you might have a problem from the fact that AP Bio doesn't cover the lab requirement.

When they say you need genetics, you need genetics.
When they say you need biochemistry, you need biochemistry.

If they don't mean it--they say strongly encouraged/suggested or tell you that most successful applicants have it.

That being said, some extremely rigorous courses that are unusual will kill 2 birds with one stone. The two semesters of bio lecture I took, satisfied the biochemistry lecture requirement at many schools...but the instructor had to write a letter explicitly detailing the content and that she firmly believed students in the course were prepared for medical school biochemistry based on the biochemistry presented in the intensive bio sequence. (Bio lab was a separate course). I had to approve all of this separately.

Some schools will allow you to apply and assume you will fill certain missing requirements over the 2nd semester or summer. Others will not grant you an interview if you are missing anything. Sometimes it depends what is missing. (Biochem might be ok, but they won't consider you at all if you are still missing O-Chem).

 

[cajunchrisbu]

I'm still a few months away from application time, but I was wondering about this.

For instance, I'm interesting in applying to OHSU. In their admissions info, they say that they need you to take:
Biology - One academic year of general biology to include one genetics course

Now, if for instance I took a cell and molecular biology class and then used my AP to get credit for a second course, would I have problems with them after submitting my app? Who even requires a genetics course? I've never heard of that.

Any thoughts? I'm just asking this as a general question; that's the first example off the top of my head.

what does the word requirement mean??? if you can answer that question then you can answer yours. I suppose if the school web sites said..."must have" instead of requirements you may not have been confused...but i just can't be sure...

my apologies... I know the English language and big words such as requirement are challenging and often confusing for some people such as yourself. The whole thing should really just be more user friendly🙄

 

[Dilophosaurus]

If the requirement is for a course in genetics and I have "Microbial Molecular Genetics" do you think that would count towards the requirement or should I start to panic.

 

[cpants]

If the requirement is for a course in genetics and I have "Microbial Molecular Genetics" do you think that would count towards the requirement or should I start to panic.

I think they mean more of a general population genetics course. If you have time I would take your school's equivalent to Genetics 101. I can't tell you whether the school's will accept your MMG course. Depends on the contents of the course and the flexibility of the school.

 

[KeyzerSoze]

This is really throwing me for a loop & I hope (for my sake) you're wrong.
How could this be true when the pre-med advisor at a highly ranked liberal arts school, who's been doing this for years, says it's acceptable?

As others have said, many pre-med advisors are pretty clueless. There's no need to panic though, just put down a biology course as future coursework on your AMCAS app and take it next year.

 

[JJMrK]

Most schools post those sorts of requirements for a reason - they really are strict about you having exactly the courses that they list. If they say that you need a genetics class, then make sure you take one. If they say underwater basket weaving or the philosophy of star trek are required, don't bother applying if you haven't taken those courses 🙂

If you have a question about your personal situation, wait a few more weeks and then ask the admissions office directly. (I suggest waiting since most schools are wrapping up this year's application cycle and are quite busy.)

If they had it, I'd take it.

 

[URHere]

I'm an OHSU student, and I'm almost positive that the genetics (and biochemistry) requirements are very strict. There is actually a good reason for those requirements though - when OHSU teaches cell bio, genetics, and biochemistry, they DO NOT cover the basics. If they require all students to have a background in those subjects, it means that the school doesn't have to waste as much time.

You can always contact the school directly and ask, but if you want to go to OHSU and you don't have the prereqs, be prepared to take them before you matriculate.

 

[StealYourCarbon]

The only "requirement" that I've found to have even a little big of wiggle room is the English requirement that some schools have. If you haven't taken a full year of English (I haven't), you can sometimes, but not always, convince the school to accept other courses that were reading and writing intensive.

But I would guess the science requirements are pretty set. Reading/writing you can get from lots of classes, but that's not the case for genetics.

I am in a similar situation in that I don't have a full year of English. For me, I did work at a community college, took one semester of English, and one semester philosophy class which was to satisfy the transfer requirement to the four-year university. The philosophy class was equivalent to my university's critical thinking English class. Anyhoo, I was wondering how one goes about convincing schools to accept a course as an English course, for example, when it's titled as a philosophy course.... Thanks for the help.

 

[branch]

If I want to contact specific schools about a particular course requirement, should I just email the admisssions? I tried this with a couple of schools last year, but only one school replied...so I'm just wondering if that's the usual route to go.

 

[FlowLimited]

If I want to contact specific schools about a particular course requirement, should I just email the admisssions? I tried this with a couple of schools last year, but only one school replied...so I'm just wondering if that's the usual route to go.

You'll get a quicker answer or increase your chances of getting any answer at all if you call the admissions office.

 

[nina7123]

with applicant numbers far exceeding medical school spots, the schools have all the power and can easily find a qualified applicant who does meet all their requirements.

Agreed!!!

Doesn't everyone have to take multiple bio classes as general pre-reqs? I was a bio major so I never really looked into it...but getting away with only taking one bio class seems weird to me. And from what I've heard, AP credit doesn't work

Sorry if someone else posted this. I didn't read the whole thread, too many of you responded already 😳

 

[Raryn]

The only time AP credits for the sciences are acceptable is you go further on in that subject. For example, I had Calculus AB which covered first semester calculus. This did not cover the math requirement that a few schools have, but my taking second semester calculus at my university did.

In regards to bio, if you use your AP bio to not take the first semester freshman bio class, this is only OK if you take two semesters of bio on top of that.