Is it normal to have your senior spring class load depend on an acceptance?

[crazycatlady]

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[Minnerbelle]

If I were you, I'd just take these classes unless you get into a school that doesn't require them, because if you might eventually need them to reapply... you might as well have already taken them when you didn't need to pay extra tuition.

 

[felinelvr44]

I'm only halfway through undergrad and won't be applying to vet schools until next year, but I'm working on schedule planning for my final two years. There are vet schools I'm interested in that require a class I'm not otherwise planning to take. Is it normal for pre-vets to leave free space in your spring schedule to take a class only if you're accepted to a school that requires it? For example, I'd only take animal nutrition (which I'd need to do online and don't need for my undergrad degree) if I got into a school that required it. I have animal nutrition, animal science, physiology, and cell biology as "maybes" in my list of spring classes. I'm on the quarter system, so I'd have until the first week of April to know if I need to fit in another class or two. Or, do schools frown on that as "lazy" or see you as less dedicated if you only take a class at the last minute?

Alternately, are there people who crank out a distance/online animal sci/nutrition class after getting their bachelor's degree, but before starting vet school? I know different schools have different rules about when you need to complete your courses, and don't allow summer quarter classes, but what about a self-paced online class after your normal classes end in June?

I didn't apply to schools that required animal nutrition, animal science, or physiology but UPenn was the only school I applied to that required Calculus. Most schools require you to have all your pre-req's finished by the end of the spring semester before you matriculate but Penn said I could take Calc over the summer if I needed to. I'm not going to Penn so thank god, I didn't have to take Calc. I'd assume a self-paced online class would fall under those same guidelines - it's up to the individual school as to whether they allow pre-req's to be completed in the summer and I think most require everything to be done in the spring semester.

I don't think schools look down on you taking pre-requisites in the spring... I know some schools have restrictions on have many pre-req's you can have outstanding at the time of your application but I'd wager that most people take at least one or two pre-req's in the spring. If you're on the quarter system and can take them after you find out where/if you're been accepted, I say go for it. Save yourself some money and only take what you need to. If you don't get accepted anywhere that application cycle, that just means you have two more semesters to take those classes that only a few schools require.

 

[Frozenshades]

If I were you, I'd just take these classes unless you get into a school that doesn't require them, because if you might eventually need them to reapply... you might as well have already taken them when you didn't need to pay extra tuition.

👍

Definitely a case where it's better to have what you may not need than get caught needing what you don't have.

Maybe you could save one or two required classes for your last year, and drop if you won't end up needing it (I did that and dropped a class once I made up my mind on a school that didn't require it), but I wouldn't leave any more than that uncompleted.

 

[Museum Nerd]

Unless you are sure that any given school wont need more than a couple on your list you problably need to take some earlier. Most schools only allow you to have a few pre req left for the spring term. So you would have to have all of the "standard" pre reqs done and only leave the maybe's for that last term. I think you need to list everything you are planning on taking on the VMCAS so schools know that you have met their pre reqs.

 

[Tonkamoo]

I didn't take Animal Nutrition or Animal science, with the plan that I could take them in the spring semester if I got in someone that required it. I don't think that is a bad plan. But I made sure I would only have to take one class for any of my possible schools - you don't want to have too many missing requirements.
I would say that physiology and cell biology (especially physiology) will be a useful class whether or not your vet school requires it - so maybe go ahead and take those two before final semester?

 

[crazycatlady]

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[Filly Bay]

Personally, I would just plan on taking all the pre-reqs you need for the schools you're applying to and then possibly drop them if you get into a school that you don't need them for (and want to go to). Double check the websites of each school about their pre-req policy. For instance, Ohio State only allows you to have one pre-req left after the fall semester and you must complete it in the spring. Also, at some point (not sure if this is still true) you had to have completed physics before you applied (so by the end of your junior year).

 

[equineconstant]

Personally, I would just plan on taking all the pre-reqs you need for the schools you're applying to and then possibly drop them if you get into a school that you don't need them for (and want to go to). Double check the websites of each school about their pre-req policy. For instance, Ohio State only allows you to have one pre-req left after the fall semester and you must complete it in the spring. Also, at some point (not sure if this is still true) you had to have completed physics before you applied (so by the end of your junior year).

This is basically what I did: listed all remaining prereqs in my future classes. I think I may have listed Biochem II, which I didn't even end up registering for. And I definitely listed calculus, which I then proceeded to drop when neither of the schools I was deciding between required it. Once you're in, they don't seem to care about anything other than prereqs, but during applications assume you're going to fill the prereqs for every one you're applying to.

Also, I don't know about Ohio but none of the schools I applied to needed me to have finished physics. I took both semesters of physics in my senior year.

 

[StartingoverVet]

I'm only halfway through undergrad and won't be applying to vet schools until next year, but I'm working on schedule planning for my final two years. There are vet schools I'm interested in that require a class I'm not otherwise planning to take. Is it normal for pre-vets to leave free space in your spring schedule to take a class only if you're accepted to a school that requires it? For example, I'd only take animal nutrition (which I'd need to do online and don't need for my undergrad degree) if I got into a school that required it. I have animal nutrition, animal science, physiology, and cell biology as "maybes" in my list of spring classes. I'm on the quarter system, so I'd have until the first week of April to know if I need to fit in another class or two. Or, do schools frown on that as "lazy" or see you as less dedicated if you only take a class at the last minute?

I don't think any school would see you as lazy.
SOME schools have restrictions on how many pre-reqs you can take in spring or if allowed in summer it varies.

But, leaving 1 or 2 for the spring is fine... but if you have to take all 4 for one school, that probably doesn't look great.

Still I had 4 classes in spring as well due to the quarter system .. and it was fine for me..

 

[crazycatlady]

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[StartingoverVet]

Good to know about physics- I wasn't planning to apply to Ohio, but I'm going to check with the other schools and see if they have that requirement.

Startingovervet, the 4 classes aren't all required and each is specific to one school only, (one school requiring two), but no one needs 3 or 4.

so no problem then

 

[crazycatlady]

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