How do med schools look at ELECTIVE courses????

[the Undergrad]

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Well im in my sophmore year....my gpa isn't too high at the moment..so if i take some elective courses(courses that i dont really need at all) in the summer session, would they care?

I mean these courses arent needed for my major but the only reason I wanna take these is cuz i know i can excel in them and raise my gpa....these are the courses that also interest me...so itsn not only to raise a mediocre gpa...

How do med schools look at elective courses or courses you dont really need? But isn't being well rounded one of the things they look for in students? And isn't this like a part of the college experience(taking elective courses, that is) ??

Please lemme know what you guys know abt this...i gotta register and i would like some input before going ahead w/it...

thanks!

 

[OB1🤙]

By all means take them. You're only in college once, so take the opportunity to take classes that interest you and that you will do well in.

As far as the schools caring- don't worry about it. They won't be scrutinized on content since they aren't BCPM, and they'll boost your overall GPA.

Have fun!

 

[the Undergrad]

Originally posted by Hawaiian Bruin
By all means take them. You're only in college once, so take the opportunity to take classes that interest you and that you will do well in.

As far as the schools caring- don't worry about it. They won't be scrutinized on content since they aren't BCPM, and they'll boost your overall GPA.

Have fun!

Thanks!

But I'm just wondering if the adcoms will think that I wasted time taking those courses, time that I should've/could've used to take pre-reqs.......

And what if they bring this up during the interviews....?

Am I screwed if I have too many?

Is there a limit to how many I should take?

 

[DrMom]

The electives won't be looked down upon unless you blow them off and do poorly in them. Go ahead and take some thing you'll enjoy.

 

[NRAI2001]

I wouldn't go over board with the easy electives, but a few would be ok.

 

[dankev]

Doing well in classes you enjoy will never be looked at as a waste of time.

 

[Cydney Foote]

Take the classes you're interested in. In my experience, you're never looked down upon for taking extra courses. They most likely won't notice that you took "too many" electives -- it's much more likely that they'll say, "So you took fencing and Urdu, what was that about?" and you'll get to expound on your many interests. Nobody -- least of all medical schools -- wants you to be a one-dimensional person who's obsessed with getting into med school and has no outside life.

 

[merlin17]

I took a really difficult computer science class one summer... it was something I had always wanted to do. It was full time, so basically I lived CS during that time.

I did have a few people bring it up. Some people thought it was cool that I had taken I was one of only a handful of girls. Others grilled me about why I had taken it instead of either another advanced science course (more closely related to medicine) or taken the time to do research/volunteering etc.

I only say this to point out that I was asked so whatever you choose to do during your summers, make sure you have a reason why you did those things! If these classes really interest you and you don't have time to take them during the year, just be able to explain your interests 🙂

 

[the Undergrad]

Anyone else?

 

[Trizi]

Take all the electives you want! I majored in history, minored in bio. I went to Syracuse University, which is big into the whole liberal arts thing, so I took all sorts of classes, from linguistics, to anthropology, to ballroom dancing. I think taking electives makes you seem like a much more interesting person. At my last interview, I was asked by both interviewers about a class I took called "Beer and Wine Appreciation," yet neither of them questioned me about my science classes. They just thought it was really cool. Go ahead and boost your GPA taking classes that are easier for you. Being a well-rounded applicant is a definite plus.

 

[QHamp]

Originally posted by Cydney Foote
Nobody -- least of all medical schools -- wants you to be a one-dimensional person who's obsessed with getting into med school and has no outside life.

In order to get in all of my prereqs, My college will require me to take a few science courses under the category of "electives"

I guess I'm doomed to be a gunner. 🙁

 

[gotgirth]

Took wine-tasting, mountaineering, canoeing, and The Grimms' Fairy tales...no one really seemed to care. But did have a legit double-major in addition to the blowoff courses.

I think that as long as you do have an actual college major (and complete it) in addition to the blowoff classes, it shouldnt matter.

 

[phar]

Originally posted by the Undergrad
Well im in my sophmore year....my gpa isn't too high at the moment..so if i take some elective courses(courses that i dont really need at all) in the summer session, would they care?

I mean these courses arent needed for my major but the only reason I wanna take these is cuz i know i can excel in them and raise my gpa....these are the courses that also interest me...so itsn not only to raise a mediocre gpa...

How do med schools look at elective courses or courses you dont really need? But isn't being well rounded one of the things they look for in students? And isn't this like a part of the college experience(taking elective courses, that is) ??

Please lemme know what you guys know abt this...i gotta register and i would like some input before going ahead w/it...

thanks!

Elective classes are for YOU. Elective courses stimulate your mind and broaden the things that interest you. Best elective courses are in history and philosophy. Honestly, take elective classes that benefit you and forget about what the medical admissions think about the elective classes. In fact, they like to see students with diverse classes. The rejection rate for students with a science degrees is higher than student with non-science degree. Once you are in medical school, all you will get is plain-old boring science classes with few ethic classes. So, take advantage of those elective classes and broaden your knowledge beyond science.