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[Catalystik]

Hi, I'm planning on taking online biochem and online English at University of Western Ontario ( I go to UWO and I am Canadian by the way, living in Canada). However, I've contacted some good American medical schools and they seem to not like online courses. However, how they would be able to know whether my course was taken online, as UWO (my university) does not specify on the transcript whether it was online or not. It denotes the class section [650], my mark and the title of the course. Basically, in my university, these courses are classified as "distance learning", as opposed to online, but again it does not denote this on the transcript whatsoever. Does anyone have experience with this? Have any Canadians or any Americans who applied to US medical schools got in, even though they took biochem online at their home institution? Do US secondaries ask us to specify which courses were taken online, because a majority seem to not ask this on their applications, etc? AMCAS will see my official transcript, yet it won't denote whether my course in class or online. It ALWAYS shows a class section for "distance learning" courses, which are classified as 650. Again, I contacted the schools and stuff but I want to see what people here think lol. I'm aiming for good top tier/middle tier US schools like Duke, Dartmouth, Brown, etc.

The same question was asked recently:

My university didn’t even distinguish between online and on campus courses on the transcript.

This fact and assumption that makes this safe has snagged more than one acceptee who suddenly finds themselves not have all prerequisites fulfilled just prior to anticipated matriculation date

1) Schools only see the courses you enter on AMCAS when they are considering your application for admission. AMCAS does not verify online or do they do anything to check for prerequisites which is a school specific function

2) Official transcripts are required be sent directly to the school when you are accepted but are not the only way that courses are checked during post-admission/pre-matriculation phase.

3) During a school's "due diligence" of an acceptee they will frequently use the National Student Clearing House (NSCH), which has agreement with AAMC/AMCAS a few years ago. This organization has the largest and most update database on official college course catalogs and other registration material now dating back about 25 years, a large fraction of which note course section number that may indicate if a class was online or not

4) Additionally, schools may contact UG registrar for it's pre-matriculants to check on courses including if any sections were online or not.

5) Schools also get "audited" for re-accreditation for LCME and they have spot checked students from admission to current (as sample the school is adhering to its accreditation standards. This has on rare occasions come up with issues on now matriculated students

6) why is this all important? Between attesting/signing/agreeing to AMCAS application, secondary application, acceptance agreements, and matriculation agreements, applicants/acceptees/matriculants have agreed to follow schools policies/student handbook/published requirements. If you are found anytime after acceptance, up through your earning a degree, to have not be accurate in this information, you could open yourself to an ethical violation. This could have your acceptance rescinded even if you are an MS3/MS4. While these actions at that point are exceedingly rare, it isnt the probability of the risk but the impact of the risk . You could have your acceptance rescinded, be removed from school, and you would have no legal recourse as a full Federal Appeals court has ruled.

In short, it isnt worth the risk. Check the MSAR which lists in its prerequisite grid if a school accepts online coursework