is it bad form

[asdasd12345]

---

Members do not see this ad.

to take pre-premed courses, such things as concepts of biology, concepts of chemistry, you know the classes for non-science people. of course i would take the pre-med courses after those, but just to get a grasp of what im doing beforehand. or is that sort of cheating?

 

[Maxip]

As long as you take the proper courses subsequently, you would be completely fine. In fact, you could highlight that in your application and let the admissions committees know that you were so serious about your courseload that you took extra time and effort just to properly prepare for it.

 

[ad_sharp]

Originally posted by Maxip
As long as you take the proper courses subsequently, you would be completely fine. In fact, you could highlight that in your application and let the admissions committees know that you were so serious about your courseload that you took extra time and effort just to properly prepare for it.

ditto. If you think you need them to gear up, do it.

 

[TRUE]

I think that would be ok, but you perhaps run the risk of appearing as if you couldn't take the standard bio class without first taking a bio "prep" course. Unless you have reason to suspect you can't handle the standard pre-med class, I would suggest taking it and skipping the concepts of "blah" class.

 

[coldchemist]

I did that accidentally. I started out as a justice major and took breadth chemistry to fulfill the science requirement. Then I got disillusioned with the justice department at my school, switched to chemistry, and took the in depth course. I shudder to think how poorly I would have grasped the more difficult class if I hadn't taken the breadth class first.

Lot's of people come out of high school with enough knowledge to jump straight into the tougher of the two--I was not one of those people. It will definitely benefit you as long as you aren't already familiar with the material.

 

[exilio]

Originally posted by facted
I think that would be ok, but you perhaps run the risk of appearing as if you couldn't take the standard bio class without first taking a bio "prep" course. Unless you have reason to suspect you can't handle the standard pre-med class, I would suggest taking it and skipping the concepts of "blah" class.

Boy, that sounds like you are way over thinking it. I can't fathom how any adcom would deem it bad form to take a "prep" course.

 

[juddson]

Originally posted by exilio
Boy, that sounds like you are way over thinking it. I can't fathom how any adcom would deem it bad form to take a "prep" course.

Agreed 100%. There is no way that an ADCOM would give 2 ****TTTTTTTS that you took a breadth survey course before your standard premed courses.

Judd

 

[Angeliqua]

I would not waste your time taking one of those courses if you intend to take the regular ones later. I did not have chemistry in high school and had not taken biology since my sophomore year of high school and had no problem diving into regular chemistry and molecular biology my junior year of college - got A's in both, no problem. Seriously, Bio and Chem are not things you need a lot of background in to do well in the general courses that are required for pre-meds. If you are interested in what you are learning and put in some effort you will do very well.

Also, if you take the prep courses - you may feel like you already know most of what is going to be covered in the "real" course and may not study/work as hard, which could lead to surprises on exams. I certainly know this happened to many people who took AP bio, chem in high school and thought they could sail through the college course - some could, most didn't! Go into the class knowing it will be a challenge and you will likely do better than if you go into thinking it will be easy.

Of course, everyone has different learning styles so you should do what feels best for you!

 

[gschl1234]

Originally posted by asdasd12345
to take pre-premed courses, such things as concepts of biology, concepts of chemistry, you know the classes for non-science people. of course i would take the pre-med courses after those, but just to get a grasp of what im doing beforehand. or is that sort of cheating?

As long as you eventually take the chem and bio courses for majors, it's no big deal.

 

[Amy B]

It is fine and it does give you a good grasp on things. I took a chem prep course over the summer before I took Chem 101 and it was a super big help. I manged to get an easy A in Chem 101 because of it.

 

[Clemson Doc]

I think it's a great idea to take those prep courses. In addition to preparing you for the harder pre-med science courses, those easier science classes will boost your science GPA.

I wish I had done that!

 

[U4iA]

obviously it reflects better on you as an applicant if you are taking advanced courses rather than remedial ones.. and if you indend to take the same amount of classes, the remedial classes will consume time that you could have spent studying advanced course work..

 

[U4iA]

Originally posted by Clemson Doc
those easier science classes will boost your science GPA.

adcoms do consider the difficulty of your courses.

 

[skypilot]

I doubt the ADCOM's have the time to go over 10,000 applications with a microscope and try to figure out what kind of strategy you used for getting A's. If you find it helpful then do it.

If you are getting A's then focus on the other parts of your application.

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by U4iA
obviously it reflects better on you as an applicant if you are taking advanced courses rather than remedial ones.. and if you indend to take the same amount of classes, the remedial classes will consume time that you could have spent studying advanced course work..

perhaps...but what about all those humanity majors that get into medical school with just taking the prereqs. taking advanced science courses isnt a requirement for most schools so thus it really wouldnt matter if the OP took them or not. what matters is to do well in the prereqs, and if this is the best way to get that achieved then it should be the way to go.

the adcoms wont really care in my mind.

its like taking a prep course for the mcat to do better.

 

[U4iA]

Originally posted by jlee9531
perhaps...but what about all those humanity majors that get into medical school with just taking the prereqs. taking advanced science courses isnt a requirement for most schools so thus it really wouldnt matter if the OP took them or not. what matters is to do well in the prereqs, and if this is the best way to get that achieved then it should be the way to go.

the adcoms wont really care in my mind.

its like taking a prep course for the mcat to do better.

i never said advanced science courses (although that would be nice).. i simply said advanced courses.. in what ever discipline you choose. I think adcoms will often go with Apllicant A who has taken more challenging coursework than Applicant B, even if Applicant B has a slightly higher GPA (everything else equal).