RN with a poor UG record aspiring to be MD

[pcu]

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Film studies degree from Pitt, 2.64. I was completely unmotivated and disinterested in school at the time. I took a bio for non majors and got a B I think. Got a D in calc for business majors (which I was freshman year). My grades did improve throughout school but not dramatically.

Wasted away for a few years in meaningless jobs (restaurants) with no direction. Finally decided to try and get on with things and landed a low paying job as an AmeriCorps program manager. It really sucked but it looks good on a resume. I then somehow convinced myself that healthcare was a good option. First considered PA but soon realized my udnergrad gpa would not get me into a masters program. I then convinced myself that nursing was the next best way to crack into healthcare.

Received an A in bio at a Community College before starting nursing school to see if I liked sciences and could hack it after a few years out of school.

22 month diploma nursing program, 3.0. This included A's in A&P 1 and 2 and microbio that were taken as part of the diploma program but that were taught through/at a local 4 year college (Chatham Univ).

So now as I get ready to graduate nursing school in December I am convinced more then ever that I want to be a Dr. So here's the plan.

My nursing school was paid for with the agreement that I would work for 2 years for the affiliated hospital (UPMC in Pittsburgh). So for the first 6-9 months I am going to work 48-60 hrs/wk to 1) get acclimated to the new job in the ICU and 2) pay down debt that can no longer be ignored.

In Sept 08 I am going cut back my hours to 36/wk and start taking Chem and Physics for the fall and spring. That summer I will do Physics lab and Bio 2. Then I will do O Chem and maybe and maybe something else the following Fall 09/Spring 10.

First year back to do pre reqs would like,
3-12 hour shifts a week. No school stuff at all on these days most likely.
Tuesday: Chem 1-9a,-1015, Chem lab 12-4, Physics 1-6pm-715
Thursday: Same sched as above minus the lab time
That would leave a full two days off to devote all my time to school and only school. Also I would ahve the time between classes on Thursdays.

I plan on (don't we all) getting all A's. Realistically I would like no lower then a 3.8.

So after finishing the pre req's (spring 2010) I will be 32 y.o. (29 in a few weeks) looking at
Undergrad Pitt 2.64 (120 credits), Nursing 2.9-3.0 (90 credits)
BCMP ~3.8-4.0 (44 credits all of which are after the Pitt/2.64 debacle)
Overall ~2.9-3.0 which I know is not gonna look good on the surface.

MCAT seems impossible to predict. I feel like I could do well on it (30+) but really who the hell knows. I have no idea how one can put any kind of realistic prediction on such a thing when one is at this point of the process. It would seem much of my hopes will ride on that number though. I would love to scorer high 30's (again wouldn't we all though).

I will obviously have a significant amount of clinical time/experience. I am also thinking how best to boost my EC's some. I may try and volunteer using my RN skills at a homeless clinic.

So I would like to have the MD but beggars can't be choosers as they say and so I figure the first year I will apply broadly to both MD/DO.

The whole application process in May/June 2010 is going to be dependent on what kind of MCAT I get. But lets say I get something in the 30's. I am contemplating applying to Carribean schools as well the first go round just in case things go horribly with the MD/DO schools so that I don't waste an entire year. On the other hand I wonder if I should hold off 1 year on the Carribean application, continue taking a few courses (Biochem, etc) in hopes of aceing them too and reapply the following year to MD/DO/carribean.

Some questions/comments I forsee being posted:

"How/why do you expect to get a 4.0 in sciences with your shoddy academic history."

1) I know I have to. I also know it is not going to be handed to me. It has got to be done however.
2) I have gotten a 4.0 in Bio 1 (albeit at CC) and A&P 1 and 2 as well as Microbio. The latter 3, while being on my nursing transcript were legitimate 4 year college courses. To the best of my knowledge they should qualify as BCMP coursework.

"You need to do an SMP AND/OR you need to do full time course work."

This is a tough one. There's nothing more I would like to do. Financially it is going to be very, very tough though. I already have 80K in undergad debt. I know SMP is very expensive and would most likely not allow me much time (if any at all) to work. I do have to be realistic in regards to a point where the cost for the pursuit of my dream begins to outweigh the benefits. I do not intend to ruin myself financially for the rest of my life.

Another scenario that is more attractive IMO is the following (I am just not sure if it is attractive to ADCOMS). So I apply that first year knowing full well that I probably aint getting in anywhere. With that knowledge I continue taking classes. At that point I will only have upper level classes left to go i.e. Biochem, Cell bio, Genetics etc. I cut down work to 24hr/wk and take 2 of these hgiher level courses a semester and once again bet on getting A's. Will this in any way be even close to the equivalent of an SMP? At what point would you consider the carribean a serious option?

Well I guess will stop now (feel like I am rambling). I am looking for some honest feedback and opinions/suggestions on what you would do or think I should do. Remember, I don't want to financially ruin myself nor do I want to drag this out. I can see pursuing my dream until I am about 36-37 (which would account for like 3 application cycles) but at some point I will probably just suck it up and go the CRNA route.

Anyway thanks for reading my rant/diatribe.

 

[zebalong]

From an Emergency RN... i might suggest going per diem if you can afford the healthcare and only doing max of 2-12's if you really want A's in all those classes. or do 3-8's. Trust me you will not do anything productive on those 12hr shift days and it takes about a day to recover if you have to do all those days in a row.. that cuts out 4/7days in a wk... i think your plan might be doable but really becareful about the nursing shifts, it isn't like an office job- shift work is physically and emotionally tiring and leaves you in no shape to ace courses. Right now i do 40-48 b/c we are so short staffed, i plan to either A.) quit and do a formal post-bac, or if i don't get into a formal post-bac B.) use some of my vaca (got about 20 or so days accumilated) and cut my working wk down 24-hr during the semester and finish my pre-requs. Also grab some courses and boost you UG gpa to at least a 3.0... it's going to be a rocky road for you but good luck.

 

[CycleCA]

yeah, I'm also a nursing student. I would suggest working less and getting loans while doing a formal postbac. There's no way you'll be in decent shape working that much and trying to hammer 2 science classes w/ labs at the same time... unless you want to drain yourself and get burned out. What I'm going to do is start a postbac after I graduate, and work maybe once a week. Remember, schools look for upward trends, not just cumulative GPA's. Good luck.

 

[pcu]

Thanks for the reply. I am definitely aware that those days I am working 12's will be taxing. The thing I do like is that on those days it's going to be all about nursing and nothing else. The other days it will be all about school and nothing else. Having that split should work well for me.

I probably won't be working many 12's 3 days in a row from what I have been able to gather during my interview process. I think they said they rotate weekends and nights.

At my hospital they have a "weekend" program. I might switch to it after my 2 year full time committment is up. It eseentially consists of part time hours but all on the weekend. The nice think is that you get time and half for the part time hours. You have to work for at leat a year or two before you can start the weekend program though. I would still be earning some nice cash and would also free up lots of time. So that is another option.

Regarding the gpa situation I am a bit confused when it comes to the AMCAS gpa. Do they actually get a value for overall gpa which will include all others (AO) as well as BCMP? So do they get 3 gpa's (overall, AO and BCMP)? Or is it just the AO and BCMP that they receive? If it is the latter, would it behoove me to actually do some coursework in the humanities to boost the AO gpa?

 

[pcu]

yeah, I'm also a nursing student. I would suggest working less and getting loans while doing a formal postbac. There's no way you'll be in decent shape working that much and trying to hammer 2 science classes w/ labs at the same time... unless you want to drain yourself and get burned out. What I'm going to do is start a postbac after I graduate, and work maybe once a week. Remember, schools look for upward trends, not just cumulative GPA's. Good luck.

Well that first year I will have two classes (Chem and Physics) but I will only be taking one lab (Chem). Then I would take the Physics lab over the summer. The second year I would only be taking O Chem and its lab. No other class.

I just can't afford to take out more loans I don't think.

 

[Instatewaiter]

Received an A in bio at a Community College before starting nursing school to see if I liked sciences and could hack it after a few years out of school.

I will be 32 y.o. (29 in a few weeks) looking at
Undergrad Pitt 2.64 (120 credits), Nursing 2.9-3.0 (90 credits)
BCMP ~3.8-4.0 (44 credits all of which are after the Pitt/2.64 debacle)
Overall ~2.9-3.0 which I know is not gonna look good on the surface.

The whole application process in May/June 2010 is going to be dependent on what kind of MCAT I get. But lets say I get something in the 30's. I am contemplating applying to Carribean schools as well the first go round just in case things go horribly with the MD/DO schools so that I don't waste an entire year. On the other hand I wonder if I should hold off 1 year on the Carribean application, continue taking a few courses (Biochem, etc) in hopes of aceing them too and reapply the following year to MD/DO/carribean.


Another scenario: I apply that first year knowing full well that I probably aint getting in anywhere. With that knowledge I continue taking classes. At that point I will only have upper level classes left to go i.e. Biochem, Cell bio, Genetics etc. I cut down work to 24hr/wk and take 2 of these hgiher level courses a semester and once again bet on getting A's. Will this in any way be even close to the equivalent of an SMP? At what point would you consider the carribean a serious option?

The old bio for non majors *may* be calculated into your BCMP, the calc and intro bio definitely will be calculated into the BCMP.

To the whole 'I can get a 4.0 'cause I got an A in CC intro bio' spiel: Intro bio I is by far the easiest pre-rec. Don't expect any of the other classes to be that easy. You may be able to get the pre-recs done but it will be difficult to pull all As while working. Just make sure you dont compromise your grades because you want to work.

Carribean schools are a last resort. Medical school is a marathon not a sprint. I have 40 year olds in my class now. Apply for a few years before you decide to go carribean. The schools in the Caribbean are very 'variable' in terms of quality of education, preparation and quality of clinicals not to mention the enormous attrition rate. Even at the big 3 in the carribean (Saba, st george and ross) you are not going to get the same type of education.

A good MCAT score will NEVER make up for a crappy undergrad GPA. Unlike Law or business school where you can rock the LSAT or GMAT and still have a good shot at top schools, in med school admissions even with a mid to upper 30s (upper 99th percentile) a sub 3 GPA pretty much dooms you from admission to ANY school (unless you do a full post-bac or SMP).

That second scenario where you take 2 upper level courses while working is a step up but still nowhere near the level of an SMP. In SMPs you take the first year curriculum and compete with actual medical students. It is essentially a simulation of how you will do in med school. 2 undergrad bio courses just cant replicate that well.


Now I dont mean to be a downer with the following, just realistic:
It seems to me that you feel like you will be able to get in 'somewhere' after finishing up the pre-recs. Unfortunately that probably wont be the case. I am a fellow sub 3.0 GPAer and I did very well on the MCAT and I was fortunate to get in after getting a 4.0 in an SMP. I assure you that you will have to do some extra course work on top of the pre-recs to even have a modicum of a chance at acceptance.This means possibly 4 years until you can apply. So realistically, we are talking about a minimum of 9 years until you will be out of the shortest residencies. At this point you need to figure if it would be more worth it to become an NP or CRNA. Those have a much shorter road to travel and your options for admission are probably higher.


Now if being a doctor is your end goal, go for it. But if you just want more responsibility on the medical team then you probably should look more closely into advanced nursing degrees. Good luck. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

-instate

 

[pcu]

Ugggh so much to consider.

Yeah, the wishful thinking side can get the best of me sometimes. More and more I am coming to the realization that an SMP is going to have to be done most likely. So then if I am to plan for an SMP, what is the best route?

First i ahve some realities to face.

1) I have credit card debt that I must pay off. I HAVE to get 10K worked off for sure.

2) If I don't finish my 2 year committment to the hosptal for my nursing degree I will owe them 15K. So it is unavoidable that I must work for them a minimum of 36 hours a wk for 2 full years.

3) After crunching some numbers it seems my total student loans add up to about ~70K.

It would still then appear that my best shot is to take the pre req's as an undergrad so that I can raise my UG gpa as much as possible. Perhaps I need to reevaluate my short term goal of applying for med school in 2010 to applying for and SMP for 2010 or even 2011. This would also allow me to continue working in hope of saving money up to pay for the SMP tuition with cash instead of taking on the burden of a slew of more loans. I would ideally then raise my cum UG gpa to above a 3.0 and then start the SMP in hopes of rocking it.

Does this sound like less of a "wishful thinking" plan?

 

[CycleCA]

Ugggh so much to consider.

Yeah, the wishful thinking side can get the best of me sometimes. More and more I am coming to the realization that an SMP is going to have to be done most likely. So then if I am to plan for an SMP, what is the best route?

First i ahve some realities to face.

1) I have credit card debt that I must pay off. I HAVE to get 10K worked off for sure.

2) If I don't finish my 2 year committment to the hosptal for my nursing degree I will owe them 15K. So it is unavoidable that I must work for them a minimum of 36 hours a wk for 2 full years.

3) After crunching some numbers it seems my total student loans add up to about ~70K.

It would still then appear that my best shot is to take the pre req's as an undergrad so that I can raise my UG gpa as much as possible. Perhaps I need to reevaluate my short term goal of applying for med school in 2010 to applying for and SMP for 2010 or even 2011. This would also allow me to continue working in hope of saving money up to pay for the SMP tuition with cash instead of taking on the burden of a slew of more loans. I would ideally then raise my cum UG gpa to above a 3.0 and then start the SMP in hopes of rocking it.

Does this sound like less of a "wishful thinking" plan?

No such thing as wishful thinking. Without throwing a vague nursing diagnosis at you as a joke, I'd say that this is a long term goal that's going to be pretty hard. I'm your age, and starting to feel the pinch of time... we'll be late 30's, early forties by the time we're all done with this stuff. I'm 26, now, and thinking about which geriatric nutrition drink I think I'll like more, ensure plus or nestle complete.

 

[pcu]

No such thing as wishful thinking. Without throwing a vague nursing diagnosis at you as a joke, I'd say that this is a long term goal that's going to be pretty hard. I'm your age, and starting to feel the pinch of time... we'll be late 30's, early forties by the time we're all done with this stuff. I'm 26, now, and thinking about which geriatric nutrition drink I think I'll like more, ensure plus or nestle complete.

Yeah, the reality is setting in that the odds are severely stacked against me. But each and every time I start thinking about not being a Doc and either going PA/NP/CRNA I can't help but think I am gonna eventually wish I had at least tried to get in to Med school.

I guess first things first and that is not until 6-9 months away anyway when I start taking informal post bacc's.

 

[CycleCA]

Yeah, the reality is setting in that the odds are severely stacked against me. But each and every time I start thinking about not being a Doc and either going PA/NP/CRNA I can't help but think I am gonna eventually wish I had at least tried to get in to Med school.

I guess first things first and that is not until 6-9 months away anyway when I start taking informal post bacc's.

Yeah, you know I said the same thing. I was set on becoming a CRNA for the longest time, but now that I've been in the hospital for a while, the patient care aspect of nursing is starting to become a little boring and I want to be more involved in the actual treatment... as I've always enjoyed working on/with people about their health... kind of why I went into nursing in the first place. So anyways, I know that if I did become a CRNA I wouldn't get to do what I wanted, and that I'd always feel like I'd been holding myself back if I didn't go as far as I possibly could with my education. As much as I don't like to admit it, that is always on my mind when I'm working -- and that I wish I could be doing what the docs are doing. I know I'm as smart as they are, but I feel left out when I have to change bed sheets and hand out pills when I could be crunching lab data, interviewing the patient about actual medical problems, and performing other MD tests. Rambling here, a little I know, but it's good to see another nurse on here with the same feelings I'm getting about the nursing profession who is on a similar path.

 

[pcu]

As much as I don't like to admit it, that is always on my mind when I'm working -- and that I wish I could be doing what the docs are doing. I know I'm as smart as they are, but I feel left out when I have to change bed sheets and hand out pills when I could be crunching lab data, interviewing the patient about actual medical problems, and performing other MD tests. Rambling here, a little I know, but it's good to see another nurse on here with the same feelings I'm getting about the nursing profession who is on a similar path.

That sums up my sentiments exactly. Just about word for word. I look at the med students and residents doing their thing and I can see myself doing it.

 

[zebalong]

Show that you are a competent nurse first, show that you can advocate for your pt's and work well in the healthcare field as a member of a team. A letter from the director of your dept. stating that you are a valuable asset to the team shows adcoms that A.) you are enthusiastic about the medical field B.) you've seen the "ugly" of real life medicine and you still thrive when many people burn out and you still want to further your degree C.) That you generally can get along with people 😛 nursing is as political as any other job, and showing that you can play that game with physicians, RT, PT, SW, OT ect. is key, b/c as a physician you will have to work with other allied-healthcare professionals for the health of your patients.

If you want to make serious $ and pay off your debts fast, come to cali bay area... let me say if you are good (so people don't mind having you on overtime), and work 40+ hrs a wk you could pay off your loans in a year.. 70K net is doable @ per diem rates of 60-70 base and about a 45/hr benefited position (differentials are about 5/hr dollars for evening and 8/hr dollars for nights) (overtime is 1.5 and special overtime is x2... so about 70ish or 90/hr if its a benefited position... and about 90/hr to 120/hr for per diem... it really is a free for all right now in the nursing market). I have a co-worker who works 3- 12hr days a wk and picks up 4 hrs of OT on each of those days and averages about 150 a year if you include holiday and special OT... Very good profession for getting some exp in healthcare and saving money for med school if that is the path you wanna go. A lot of nurses who have been here 5+ years make more than new attendings...

 

[pcu]

zebalong

Great suggestion. The only sticking point would be buying myself out of my contract for the 2 years with UPMC but I might be able to get my family to help. Sounds like I could pay them back in no time at all. You just gave me a slew of fresh ideas on how to attack this beast.

I guess the next question is, what is the cost of living? I believe the Bay area has one of the highest COL in the country does it not?

Thanks

 

[zebalong]

It does... but you could still find a studio for like 700ish/month... which isn't bad if you think that you could be improving your wages by a factor of 2 to 3. And a studio would be good considering you'd be working so much and just want a place to sleep at the end of the day 🙂

 

[Instatewaiter]

So then if I am to plan for an SMP, what is the best route?

First i ahve some realities to face.


Does this sound like less of a "wishful thinking" plan?

If you are planning on an SMP the best route would be to first finish the pre-recs. As you probably already know, you need to do well in those pre-recs. A pre-rec GPA of below 3.5 is not going to serve you well. Study hard for the MCAT. I personally recommend Kaplan b/c that is what I did and it worked out well. However, that option is very expensive and you could just do studying on your own. Kaplan, Princeton review and Exam Krackers all make pretty decent books. I have used Kaplan and Exam Krackers and would recommend either of those. Some Kaplan centers will allow you to sit for full length exams for a fee. I would highly recommend doing this multiple times.

Once you have finished the pre-recs and MCAT you can do one of 2 things:
1) apply to your state schools, perhaps a few lower tier schools and some DO schools

2) Go right into SMP.

Personally I think you should apply and test the water. If you are not opposed to being a DO, you would have an OK shot provided you do ok on the MCAT. Your state schools would be a long shot and the low tier schools would be an even longer shot. Again I would strongly advise against going carribean, especially if you are not very, very self motivated.

Get the debt in order, finish out your 2 year commitment and then assess things. You know what is ahead of you and at least you have a plan.

Yeah, the reality is setting in that the odds are severely stacked against me. But each and every time I start thinking about not being a Doc and either going PA/NP/CRNA I can't help but think I am gonna eventually wish I had at least tried to get in to Med school.

I guess first things first and that is not until 6-9 months away anyway when I start taking informal post bacc's.

Unless you are set on a certain specialty or know that you are not interested in primary care, I strongly urge you to look into NP or CRNA. The road through med school is long and costly (100K+). You are probably going to need to take some pre-recs for NP or CRNA (like orgo) so you really can put off this decision until you finish your 2 years at the hospital.

Good luck

 

[pcu]

So I just went and looked up the course descriptions for a few of the science courses I have taken as part of my nursing program through Chatham university. Anyone think I will have touble getting these to count for my BCMP gpa?

BIO 114 Basic Nutrition (3) As Needed
This course is an overview of scientific principles of nutrition and their application to humans throughout the life
cycle. It is designed for students who need a broad coverage of nutrition and have little or no background in
science. Three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in a school of nursing.
BIO 115 Basic Microbiology (4) As Needed
This course is designed for students who need a broad coverage of microbiology and have little or no background
in biology or chemistry. It includes a study of microscopic organisms and their relation to health and disease.
There is a special emphasis on disinfection, sterilization, immunology, and microbiological aspects of infectious
disease. Three hours of class and two hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in a school of nursing.
BIO 116 Basic Anatomy and Physiology I (4) As Needed
This is the first of two courses designed for students who need a broad coverage of anatomy and physiology and
have little or no background in science. It includes a study of the structure and function of human cells, tissue,
organs, and systems. Clinical applications of anatomy and physiology will also be considered. Three hours of
class and two hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in a school of nursing.
BIO 117 Basic Anatomy and Physiology II (4) As Needed
This is the second of two courses designed for students who need a broad coverage of anatomy and physiology
and have little or no background in science. It includes a study of the structure and function of human cells, tissue,
organs, and systems. Clinical applications of anatomy and physiology will also be considered. Three hours of
class and two hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisite(s): BIO 116

Will nutrition count towards the BCMP?

 

[CycleCA]

So I just went and looked up the course descriptions for a few of the science courses I have taken as part of my nursing program through Chatham university. Anyone think I will have touble getting these to count for my BCMP gpa?

BIO 114 Basic Nutrition (3) As Needed
This course is an overview of scientific principles of nutrition and their application to humans throughout the life
cycle. It is designed for students who need a broad coverage of nutrition and have little or no background in
science. Three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in a school of nursing.
BIO 115 Basic Microbiology (4) As Needed
This course is designed for students who need a broad coverage of microbiology and have little or no background
in biology or chemistry. It includes a study of microscopic organisms and their relation to health and disease.
There is a special emphasis on disinfection, sterilization, immunology, and microbiological aspects of infectious
disease. Three hours of class and two hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in a school of nursing.
BIO 116 Basic Anatomy and Physiology I (4) As Needed
This is the first of two courses designed for students who need a broad coverage of anatomy and physiology and
have little or no background in science. It includes a study of the structure and function of human cells, tissue,
organs, and systems. Clinical applications of anatomy and physiology will also be considered. Three hours of
class and two hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in a school of nursing.
BIO 117 Basic Anatomy and Physiology II (4) As Needed
This is the second of two courses designed for students who need a broad coverage of anatomy and physiology
and have little or no background in science. It includes a study of the structure and function of human cells, tissue,
organs, and systems. Clinical applications of anatomy and physiology will also be considered. Three hours of
class and two hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisite(s): BIO 116

Will nutrition count towards the BCMP?

I took nutrition, too, and I'm wondering if it's part of the bio division at school. If it is, it counts, if not, it doesn't.

 

[pcu]

From what I can gather the 4 courses I listed above were all taught by the Bio department at a 4 year university so it seems they should count.

On to a math query. As I have said I received a D in calc my freshman year. I am wondering if I should not remediate by taking an algebra class and then retake that Calc.

1) I know allo schools don't calculate this but what are my chances to getting into allo anyway? So I would be doing this for DO schools.

2) I wouldn't mind brushing up on the algebra before taking physics. I was one of the best math students at my high school but I have not taken or applied any algebra for the most part in almost 10 years.

3) Would this be considered padding? I aint gonna lie, that's certainly part of it. After I am done nursing I need either a) 44 credits at a 4.0 to get to a overall 3.0 or b) 58 credits at 3.75. So either way I need credits. The core pre req's only account for about 28 more. Even with some upper division courses I am still shy considering I have already taken microbio and A&P 1 and 2.

So would it seem to make sense to others to take an algebra course?

 

[PlAnEjaNe]

From what I can gather the 4 courses I listed above were all taught by the Bio department at a 4 year university so it seems they should count.

On to a math query. As I have said I received a D in calc my freshman year. I am wondering if I should not remediate by taking an algebra class and then retake that Calc.

1) I know allo schools don't calculate this but what are my chances to getting into allo anyway? So I would be doing this for DO schools.

2) I wouldn't mind brushing up on the algebra before taking physics. I was one of the best math students at my high school but I have not taken or applied any algebra for the most part in almost 10 years.

3) Would this be considered padding? I aint gonna lie, that's certainly part of it. After I am done nursing I need either a) 44 credits at a 4.0 to get to a overall 3.0 or b) 58 credits at 3.75. So either way I need credits. The core pre req's only account for about 28 more. Even with some upper division courses I am still shy considering I have already taken microbio and A&P 1 and 2.

So would it seem to make sense to others to take an algebra course?

Algebra won't help you with calculus, if you want to take a course that prepares you for calculus then you will want to take a trig class. Algebra is basically FOIL, factoring, distributing, and learning how to deal with exponents and square roots. Trig is really the foundation that calculus is based on. If you plan on taking algebra based physics then taking algebra will definitely help you out; however, this means that you will have to take algebra and trig before taking calculus.

I don't really see this as padding your gpa, you said so yourself, it has been 10 years since you have had any solid math courses. No sane person is going to look at your app and think you are trying to pad you gpa, you need the coursework to ensure your success in upper level courses (such as physics, and if you don't have the math foundation for physics YOU WILL FAIL).

In the end it is up to you, if you really feel you need the extra coursework to be successful then go ahead and do it, if you think you will be fine without it then look for other courses to take to fill in that gap instead.


PlAnEjaNe