Schools that expire prereqs

[DrMidlife]

I said elsewhere that I hadn't found any evidence that I need to retake physics, which I finished in 1988. I've only been looking at schools I want to attend, though.

OK, so here's one that expires prereqs after 4 years: UMass. http://www.umassmed.edu/som/admissions/faqs.aspx

"If you have been out of undergraduate school for more than four years, you must retake the required courses and you must have access to the pre med advisor where you are taking the courses. Exceptions may be made for applicants who have been involved in biomedical sciences after graduation."

and

"Required courses must have been completed within 6 years prior to application. Exceptions may be made for applicants who have been involved in biomedical sciences after graduation."

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[MeowMix]

There is a post over on oldpremeds.org from someone who applied to Mercer and was told that her 10-year-old prereqs and 2-year-old MCAT were "too old". There is nothing about this on Mercer's web page. I think at some places these are policies that are applied inconsistently, and depend a lot on the overall application package.

 

[Deepa100]

DrMidlife,
I also have prereqs as old as yours. I did very well back then but decided to retake them anyway to avoid some headaches. If you are not too strapped for money, it is well worth the effort. Some of the things have changed in the text books. You will get to ace the classes and prep for MCAT at the same time.

 

[DrMidlife]

DrMidlife,
I also have prereqs as old as yours. I did very well back then but decided to retake them anyway to avoid some headaches. If you are not too strapped for money, it is well worth the effort. Some of the things have changed in the text books. You will get to ace the classes and prep for MCAT at the same time.

Physics is my ONLY ancient prereq, and F still equals ma. I took chem, ochem and bio in the last couple years. If my 20 year old A's in calc-based physics aren't enough to please whatever med school accepts me, I'll deal with it. I'm betting I won't have to. I'm assuming I didn't screw myself on the PS section of my MCAT - I'll find out shortly.

OK, so we have the following schools that are known to expire prereqs, anybody else?

• UMass
• Creighton
• Mercer

 

[glamqueen]

I have a 9-yr old Chem 1 credit that I refuse to retake. I'm finishing Chem 2 this semester, and I'm almost certain I'll have an A. Mercer only matters if you live in GA, and I'd be really really surprised if they turned me down for that Chem 1 class. I wouldn't worry about it. I'm still applying to Creighton too. Honestly, if anyone turns me down for that stupid chem class - I don't want to go there anyways. If I can do the material (And Chem 2 proves I can) - why should I have to repeat it? Same with your physics example...

 

[glamqueen]

Oh and UMass heavily favors in-state....where are you a resident at, because if you don't live in GA or Mass...then you can throw those schools out anyways. They won't take you.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Duke was rumored to require that all prereqs be taken in the past 7 years, but I don't know how concrete that is or if it's still going on.

 

[pete0643]

Brown is another one.

 

[Lshapley]

Brown is another one.

They say 10 years on the website, but they play it fast and loose. Here is the exact wording.

"Generally, such competence is demonstrated by successful completion of the following courses completed in an accredited college or university in the United States or Canada within the previous ten years"

They also say this

"Applicants who believe that they have demonstrated competence in these disciplines in an alternative manner may describe relevant individualized work, research, or employment on the secondary application form."

Makes me think that they aren't real sticklers over at Brown, at least about this point anyway.

 

[rales]

When I asked, Duke said that I needed to retake my prereqs, including intro physics. I didn't apply there.

-r