Online class during gap year

[Cotterpin]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I'm heading into my second gap year (reapplying) and I miss being in school. I thought I might take a class like genetics at a local uni or community college in my spare time. Not for credit towards a degree, just to be learning something. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time finding a class that will fit into my full-time work and volunteer schedule. Would it be fine to do an online community college class in this instance? My premed advisor from undergrad made it seem like it would be a Bad Idea, but I don't see how learning something just for the sake of learning it would be bad for my application.

 

[ProspectiveKidd]

It's unnecessary and trivial. Worst case scenario you do poorly in the course and it hurts your GPA. Best case scenario you learn something...I guess. Seems like there are far better things you could be doing with a gap year to strengthen your app like volunteering, shadowing, research, getting clinical exposure, just about anything really.

 

[Cotterpin]

It's unnecessary and trivial. Worst case scenario you do poorly in the course and it hurts your GPA. Best case scenario you learn something...I guess. Seems like there are far better things you could be doing with a gap year to strengthen your app like volunteering, shadowing, research, getting clinical exposure, just about anything really.

Okay, but I am already doing all of those things. I'm not talking about taking a class instead of that stuff. I want to do it in addition to the other things. I'm not at all worried about doing poorly in the class. That's never an issue. Is the best case scenario of "learning something" really not a worthwhile pursuit in and of itself?

 

[NonTrad16]

If you do something like coursera you wouldn't have to ever report it (good or bad). And it's likely cheaper. I was looking at: https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience

 

[Cotterpin]

On the negative side, an adcom may wonder while you are taking an online genetics class at a CC after a 4 year degree?

What is there to wonder? I didn't have the time or money to fit genetics into my schedule during undergrad and now that I've been out of school for a year I'm getting antsy and want to stay fresh taking science classes. Why is that negative? What are they going to think is wrong with that? 😕

 

[Cotterpin]

Because they dont know your motivations when reading your application why a graduate from a 4 year school is now taking genetics online at a CC.
Is it because it was too hard at the previous school? Are they trying to pad a GPA? Are they a reapplicant just trying to look good?

Medical school admissions is a negative process. Adcoms have to take several thousand applications, reduce then to several hundred interviews and then just a hundred or so matriculants. So they can look for reasons to reject. One of the worst things an applicant can do is raise a question in an adcoms head that cant be answered. How do they act on that, especially when you are a reapplicant at some places?

Having said all that, you will also notice I previously said that the overall risks are low here.

It won't be on my primary application because I'm submitting that on Tuesday and I probably won't even be registering for this class until later in the Summer. If anything, it would be something that I mention in update letters. I wouldn't be taking it for credit, so it wouldn't have anything to do with padding my gpa or meeting prerequisites. My gpa doesn't need padding. I just feel like taking a low pressure genetics class because I didn't get a chance during undergrad.

How can any of us even be worried about "are they a reapplicant just trying to look good?" Can't an adcom wonder that about literally anything at all that goes into an application? Isn't that what every single med school applicant does? Try to look good? So I can't do anything for fear that adcoms will think I'm just doing it to impress them? I'm sick of playing these games. It's so frustrating.

 

[Crayola227]

It won't be on my primary application because I'm submitting that on Tuesday and I probably won't even be registering for this class until later in the Summer. If anything, it would be something that I mention in update letters. I wouldn't be taking it for credit, so it wouldn't have anything to do with padding my gpa or meeting prerequisites. My gpa doesn't need padding. I just feel like taking a low pressure genetics class because I didn't get a chance during undergrad.

How can any of us even be worried about "are they a reapplicant just trying to look good?" Can't an adcom wonder that about literally anything at all that goes into an application? Isn't that what every single med school applicant does? Try to look good? So I can't do anything for fear that adcoms will think I'm just doing it to impress them? I'm sick of playing these games. It's so frustrating.

Even better for you is if you an figure out a way to teach yourself a topic. Teach yourself a foreign language, gardening, cooking, mushroom hunting, knitting, all from the internet books or non-credit classes, whatever. Learning how to learn on your own and be self taught is an important skill for any physician.

It will keep your brain alive, working skills for med school, and be something interesting to talk about on your interviews and won't raise a single eyebrow. You can make it an academic endeavor for sure depending on how you structure it.

If you went for something that's a skill and not just a random genetics class, like if it was for a foreign language, something crafty, computer skillsy, it might looks more like a class you took for learning a skill and have less whiff of what might seem strange to adcom.

Yes, adcom watches your every move. Get used to it. The scrutiny only gets more intense as you go in your training.

 

[Cotterpin]

Even better for you is if you an figure out a way to teach yourself a topic. Teach yourself a foreign language, gardening, cooking, mushroom hunting, knitting, all from the internet books or non-credit classes, whatever. Learning how to learn on your own and be self taught is an important skill for any physician.

It will keep your brain alive, working skills for med school, and be something interesting to talk about on your interviews and won't raise a single eyebrow. You can make it an academic endeavor for sure depending on how you structure it.

If you went for something that's a skill and not just a random genetics class, like if it was for a foreign language, something crafty, computer skillsy, it might looks more like a class you took for learning a skill and have less whiff of what might seem strange to adcom.

Yes, adcom watches your every move. Get used to it. The scrutiny only gets more intense as you go in your training.

I'm already teaching myself Spanish and Korean right now. I want to take a genetics class specifically because I want to take a genetics class. I miss taking science classes and it's a topic I didn't get a chance to get to during undergrad. It's not random.

 

[ProspectiveKidd]

I'm already teaching myself Spanish and Korean right now. I want to take a genetics class specifically because I want to take a genetics class. I miss taking science classes and it's a topic I didn't get a chance to get to during undergrad. It's not random.

I found it very hard to continue with foreign languages because I knew I didn't need them and that I would not use them on a regular basis so it would be hard to maintain and improve. How are you able to sustain your interest?

 

[Cotterpin]

I found it very hard to continue with foreign languages because I knew I didn't need them and that I would not use them on a regular basis so it would be hard to maintain and improve. How are you able to sustain your interest?

The Spanish is actually pretty useful to me. I'm still far from being fluent, but I can have short conversations with patients who only speak Spanish at the hospital where I volunteer. The kids I tutor speak Spanish and they help me practice a little. And I have co-oworkers who speak Spanish and there are enough Spanish-speaking people who live in my area that I do get chances to use it. And I've seen enough doctors I work with using Spanish on a regular basis to know that I will need it in the future. Whether or not I make it as a physician, I'm pretty sure I'll need Spanish in the future. I plan on living in America, so yeah.

The Korean is a little different. I've only just recently started with it, but I watch a lot of Korean television and listen to Korean music, so it's a lot of fun for me. There's actually a big population of Korean immigrants where I live, so I get to use the odd basic phrase here and there.

 

[ProspectiveKidd]

Somehow I didn't even notice that you were a reapplicant.

I would think that adcoms are really going to wonder what in the world you are doing with this, or why you are spending an ounce of time on it as a reapplicant. Seems like a high potential to make them say 'wtf' with a low potential to make them say 'yes lets accept cotterpin'

 

[Cotterpin]

Somehow I didn't even notice that you were a reapplicant.

I would think that adcoms are really going to wonder what in the world you are doing with this, or why you are spending an ounce of time on it as a reapplicant. Seems like a high potential to make them say 'wtf' with a low potential to make them say 'yes lets accept cotterpin'

If I explain to them my reasons for taking the class, then they will not have to wonder why I'm going it because I told them.

I don't even know if I should be considering the advice of a sophomore who has never applied, is trying to avoid the MCAT, and doesn't see the value in learning languages or having hobbies. 😕

 

[tskbdmnd]

Libraries have books. And, you get a late fee rather than an F if you have other stuff to worry about for a while.

 

[candbgirl]

OP you asked the question and for each and every reply you have an answer. Why ask the question in the first place. You have gotten several thoughtful replies you don't like so just go and register. As @gonnif said the risk is low but there is a risk.


Sent from my iPad using SDN mobile app

 

[ProspectiveKidd]

If I explain to them my reasons for taking the class, then they will not have to wonder why I'm going it because I told them.

I don't even know if I should be considering the advice of a sophomore who has never applied, is trying to avoid the MCAT, and doesn't see the value in learning languages or having hobbies. 😕

Dude you came in here wanting people to tell you your advisor was wrong, and to take the class because "yeah that's what I'm interested in! I'm a lifelong learner it's my passion!" No I haven't been through the admissions process but I can tell you that nobody is going to give a **** about that class or why you're taking it. It's not conducive in the slightest to what you're trying to do which is why your advisor told you nothing good could possibly come of it.

If you're so dead set on taking it why did you even ask a forum full a pre meds when you don't consider their advice? Btw the MCAT thing is a joke; I forgot most of you don't respond well to humor that isn't science related. And yes I see the 'value' in hobbies, but I'm not wasting my time learning things the sake of learning it when it doesn't interest me.

 

[Cotterpin]

Dude you came in here wanting people to tell you your advisor was wrong, and to take the class because "yeah that's what I'm interested in! I'm a lifelong learner it's my passion!" No I haven't been through the admissions process but I can tell you that nobody is going to give a **** about that class or why you're taking it. It's not conducive in the slightest to what you're trying to do which is why your advisor told you nothing good could possibly come of it.

If you're so dead set on taking it why did you even ask a forum full a pre meds when you don't consider their advice? Btw the MCAT thing is a joke; I forgot most of you don't respond well to humor that isn't science related. And yes I see the 'value' in hobbies, but I'm not wasting my time learning things the sake of learning it when it doesn't interest me.

Well, I was hoping to get advice from the people on the forum who know what they're talking about, i.e. not you. And I got an answer from gonnif: It's a low risk. My advisor did not tell me "nothing good could possibly come of it." She didn't have a problem with me taking the class. She had a problem with where I was thinking of taking it. Mostly my question was why my advisor thought it would so bad to take it from a community college instead of a 4-year.

Still, you don't seem to understand that the good that would come out of me taking a class on genetics is that I would learn something about genetics. Some people are actually interested in learning things for the sake of learning them. I'll probably just take the genetics class on MIT OpenCourseWare or something.