How often do schools wave pre-reqs?

[sam500]

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Hi folks,

It's my understanding that schools will still look at you and even offer you a position without you having completed all pre-reqs. It's understood that you'll need to complete those pre-reqs prior to matriculation and in most cases before June of that year.

Is this correct?

I was also under the impression that some schools will wave pre-reqs once they've accepted you in some cases. For example, English might be waved if you've written and published several papers (clearly you are competent in English in such cases).

I'm a non-traditional applicant. I have a BA and MSci from Oxford, England and a MS from the states. I've been taking humanities and english courses as post-bacs to fill those requirements, but really don't want to retake calculus or statistics for the 3rd time just so that they're done at an American undergraduate institution. Is it possible this will be waved? Has anyone had something similar occur to them?

Cheers,
Sam

 

[Onres]

Hi folks,

It's my understanding that schools will still look at you and even offer you a position without you having completed all pre-reqs. It's understood that you'll need to complete those pre-reqs prior to matriculation and in most cases before June of that year.

Is this correct?

I was also under the impression that some schools will wave pre-reqs once they've accepted you in some cases. For example, English might be waved if you've written and published several papers (clearly you are competent in English in such cases).

I'm a non-traditional applicant. I have a BA and MSci from Oxford, England and a MS from the states. I've been taking humanities and english courses as post-bacs to fill those requirements, but really don't want to retake calculus or statistics for the 3rd time just so that they're done at an American undergraduate institution. Is it possible this will be waved? Has anyone had something similar occur to them?

Cheers,
Sam

A lot of schools don't require calculus, actually most don't. That said if the schools you are applying to do require calc and stats, your acceptance is contingent the completion of those classes.

Once you are accepted you are required to send in your transcript so that the prereqs can be verified. But I'm willing to be there are some schools who would accept courses from foreign institutions, probably not many though. You might want to check on that.

 

[pkwraith]

For the first part, yes, you don't have to have all the prerequisates before application. If you get accepted, they will send you a letter that will list what you are missing.

In general, this needs to be done before matriculation (attending the school). Some school are a little bit more stringent. When I was looking at Penn State, they explicilty say that the prereq must be done Spring before matriculation (so, you cannot take the course over the summer).

As a non-traditional, I applied (and was accepted) before finishing my last quarter of organic chemistry.

I can't really answer whether certain prereq might be waIved, outside of a couple common substitutions (biochem for a semester of orgo, etc). That would most be likely up to negotiating with the individual schools.

 

[pfaction]

I can't really answer whether certain prereq might be waIved, outside of a couple common substitutions (biochem for a semester of orgo, etc). That would most be likely up to negotiating with the individual schools.

Do you know which schools waive 2nd orgo for biochem? I have 3 chem and one biochem.