Just how important are courses in humanities?

[tastybeef]

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I'm a third year undergraduate attending a UC. A few days ago, I finally declared my major. In planning my schedule with my counselor, I realized that I can graduate in 3 years, after the summer of 2009. Seeing as how UC tuition fees have been rising steadily at 7% a year, graduating a year early to save $8.5K on tuition fees is very enticing.

However, I originally planned to take a few upper-division humanities courses, as suggested by some medical schools, during my last year. So far, I have taken all my humanities breadth requirements at community colleges. As such, my UC transcript only has science/technical courses required for my major. I feel that this could be detrimental for me during the application process as the admission committee may consider me as too "science-heavy."

So truthfully, how important are those recommended humanities courses in admissions? Should I stay for an extra semester or a year to take those recommended classes?

Just a side note, if I do decide to graduate a year early, I'll spend that time interning at a physician's practice, volunteering full-time, or whatever other EC.

Thanks in advance.

 

[JoltOfFuel]

I'm a third year undergraduate attending a UC. A few days ago, I finally declared my major. In planning my schedule with my counselor, I realized that I can graduate in 3 years, after the summer of 2009. Seeing as how UC tuition fees have been rising steadily at 7% a year, graduating a year early to save $8.5K on tuition fees is very enticing.

However, I originally planned to take a few upper-division humanities courses, as suggested by some medical schools, during my last year. So far, I have taken all my humanities breadth requirements at community colleges. As such, my UC transcript only has science/technical courses required for my major. I feel that this could be detrimental for me during the application process as the admission committee may consider me as too "science-heavy."

So truthfully, how important are those recommended humanities courses in admissions? Should I stay for an extra semester or a year to take those recommended classes?

Just a side note, if I do decide to graduate a year early, I'll spend that time interning at a physician's practice, volunteering full-time, or whatever other EC.

Thanks in advance.

Most schools want 2 semesters of english lit/writing, and some (USC) require like 30 credit hours of humanities or something crazy.

 

[DrYoda]

Upper-division humanities? California is a strange state.

I would guess it's not worth the extra time.

 

[tastybeef]

Most schools want 2 semesters of english lit/writing, and some (USC) require like 30 credit hours of humanities or something crazy.

I already did my 2 semester of writing courses at my UC. I also took summer courses in Intro to Arts, Anthropology, World History, Geography, and Humanities.

I was planning to take some upper-division courses in humanities to show that I can excel in university-level humanities courses, not just science courses.

 

[JoltOfFuel]

I already did my 2 semester of writing courses at my UC. I also took summer courses in Intro to Arts, Anthropology, World History, Geography, and Humanities.

I was planning to take some upper-division courses in humanities to show that I can excel in university-level humanities courses, not just science courses.

Oh. Pshh. Unnecessary then. Save yourself the money.

 

[neuro1617]

JHU, I believe, has a requirement of having 24 humanities credits as a prereq....but if you're only considering taking them for a school that recommends having the credits, but doesn't require them, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[pianola]

USC has a 30 credit-hour humanities requirement.

 

[tastybeef]

USC has a 30 credit-hour humanities requirement.

I've been looking around on the forum and it seems that USC is quite lenient on this-- even engineering courses count as humanities requirement.

Anyway, BUMP.

 

[Law2Doc]

I've been looking around on the forum and it seems that USC is quite lenient on this-- even engineering courses count as humanities requirement.

Anyway, BUMP.

While most schools are not as stringent on this, almost all med schools want folks to have a well rounded background these days. The folks who take the minimum humanities often handicap themselves in the eyes of interviewers who would prefer to talk about something other than biological sciences. Additionally, as discussed in other threads, folks who graduate early often shortchange themselves on a lot of what college has to offer outside of the classroom as well as in. For many, college is the best 4 years of your life, a time to develop as a person, to try new things, all without a great deal of responsibility. You will never have this opportunity again. So when someone rushes to get through college, the first question on an adcom or anyone's mind is "why?". And sure, saving/earning some money may be a good reason (although a much much harder sell coming from a cheap state school than an expensive private one), but rushing to get out into the world, to med school, or whatever "better" thing you imagine out there probably isn't. I personally probably would take a diverse set of nonsci classes that last year, the absolute minimum you can take without losing finaid or insurance, use a P/F grading option for the hardest one of them if your school allows it, and round out your schedule with research and volunteering/shadowing ECs. Join and attend lots of clubs/events. Go to all the tailgate parties and homecomings and other college shindigs. Take courses that make you read all those classic books you never got around to. You won't really have this opportunity again.

 

[theroadtomed]

I hardly see how you couldn't have more than 30 hours of humanities, at least at my school. Just fulfilling the bare minimum of Gen. Ed. Reqs puts you between 24-28 credits of various humanities.

 

[tastybeef]

I hardly see how you couldn't have more than 30 hours of humanities, at least at my school. Just fulfilling the bare minimum of Gen. Ed. Reqs puts you between 24-28 credits of various humanities.

Apparently, I don't attend your school.

I think I'll stay for an extra semester to take genetics, physiology, and 2 upper div. humanities.

 

[Law2Doc]

Apparently, I don't attend your school.

I think I'll stay for an extra semester to take genetics, physiology, and 2 upper div. humanities.

I would probably take 4 courses you won't have an opportunity to take again, rather than 2 you absolutely will be taking again, in far more detail, shortly.

 

[tastybeef]

I would probably take 4 courses you won't have an opportunity to take again, rather than 2 you absolutely will be taking again, in far more detail, shortly.

To be perfectly honest, I probably won't cry over the missed opportunity to take 4 courses in the humanities. 😛

I might just take genetics and 2 humanities courses then. I'm not very comfortable with genetics and would like to brush up on the subject. And since I'll be taking physiology in much more detail, I might as well skip it and enjoy my last semester.

Thanks for the help, Law2Doc.

 

[ANF1986]

To be perfectly honest, I probably won't cry over the missed opportunity to take 4 courses in the humanities. 😛

I might just take genetics and 2 humanities courses then. I'm not very comfortable with genetics and would like to brush up on the subject. And since I'll be taking physiology in much more detail, I might as well skip it and enjoy my last semester.

Thanks for the help, Law2Doc.

Well you said you wanted to balance out your transcript and not be so science heavy, so why take any science courses for that extra semester? To be honest, in the grand scheme of things $8,500 is not going to be that much after med school, with deferrments and compouned interest. You only get to experience undergrad once. IMO..

 

[tastybeef]

Well you said you wanted to balance out your transcript and not be so science heavy, so why take any science courses for that extra semester? To be honest, in the grand scheme of things $8,500 is not going to be that much after med school, with deferrments and compouned interest. You only get to experience undergrad once. IMO..

I'll be honest: if I took all humanities courses for a semester, then I might go out of my mind. :/ I'd like to balance it out a little.

Also, $8500 might not be a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it's quite a financial burden now for me and my family. $8500 accounts only for tuition but not the cost of living, which is another $8000 or so.

 

[amakhosidlo]

Well, what sounds more appealing.

Throwing down 8500 bones now and effectively coasting while you beef up your app with more EC's (If you can't find ANY humanities courses at your university that interest you I worry for you...)

OR:

Throwing down at LEAST 3k per year in app-related fees for x number of years it takes you to get in after being denied for being another hardcore bio/life sciences robot.
(Not saying that's you, just that there are a LOT of bio/chem majors out there with very myopic sets of interests)

You gotta diversify man...

That and I get the feeling that adcoms frown upon racing through undergrad and applying as early as possible. Just speculation on my part, but it seems like "Taking your own time finding your path to a personally rewarding career in medicine" would be much more preferable than being the "Fastest kid on the pre-med track who's never considered/dealt with anything outside of the sciences"

 

[amakhosidlo]

Well, what sounds more appealing.

Throwing down 8500 bones now and effectively coasting while you beef up your app with more EC's (If you can't find ANY humanities courses at your university that interest you I worry for you...)

OR:

Throwing down at LEAST 3k per year in app-related fees for x number of years it takes you to get in after being denied for being another hardcore bio/life sciences robot.
(Not saying that's you, just that there are a LOT of bio/chem majors out there with very myopic sets of interests)

You gotta diversify man...

That and I get the feeling that adcoms frown upon racing through undergrad and applying as early as possible. Just speculation on my part, but it seems like "Taking your own time finding your path to a personally rewarding career in medicine" would be much more preferable than being the "Fastest kid on the pre-med track who's never considered/dealt with anything outside of the sciences"