Screwed by the quarter system

[Enginerds]

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Ok, so I got my acceptance package from NSU yesterday and they are saying I need to complete 1.3 semester hours of general chemistry. Is there anyway of getting out of this? At UCLA there is a general chemistry series for life science majors and one for engineering majors. Since I was an engineering major and didn't plan on attending med school at the time I took the G-chem for engineers. Unfortunately this makes me miss the required 8 semester units by 1.3 units.

I find it pretty useless to waste my time taking a general chemistry class just to check off the box. I mean I've completed 12 units of biochem, numerous chemical engineering classes, I have 8 units of AP chemistry credit on my transcript and I was a chemistry tutor in college. But I guess I don't know enough g-chem for medical school…

 

[DrMidlife]

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[t-funk]

I think it might do you good to call them and ask for sure. It is possible they overlooked your extraneous courses. I only had seven hours of physics, it was engineering physics at that, due to an engineering program also and called all the schools I was applying to. Only one school had a problem with it so I asked if I use use a graduate course I had taken, Soil Physics, for an additional course and that school was perfectly fine with that. No other school I have interviewed at has had an issue with me counting that course as Physics. I also could have counted my Isotope Hydrology and Chemistry of Natural Waters as Gen Chem if I had wanted to but didn't. Are there any of those courses you have taken that could have been counted as General Chemistry if you had wanted them to? I'd definately talk to the school.

I also have to say that Napoleon Dynamite is the best movie ever made!

 

[belichek]

Ok, so I got my acceptance package from NSU yesterday and they are saying I need to complete 1.3 semester hours of general chemistry. Is there anyway of getting out of this? At UCLA there is a general chemistry series for life science majors and one for engineering majors. Since I was an engineering major and didn't plan on attending med school at the time I took the G-chem for engineers. Unfortunately this makes me miss the required 8 semester units by 1.3 units.

I find it pretty useless to waste my time taking a general chemistry class just to check off the box. I mean I've completed 12 units of biochem, numerous chemical engineering classes, I have 8 units of AP chemistry credit on my transcript and I was a chemistry tutor in college. But I guess I don't know enough g-chem for medical school…

i constantly notice that premeds from undergrad schools in california have really low GPA's (close to 3.0) but good MCAT scores (>30). Are california schools really that competitive for undergrad, or are california students simply the laziest smart kids on earth?

 

[PatriotsForever]

Ok, so I got my acceptance package from NSU yesterday and they are saying I need to complete 1.3 semester hours of general chemistry. Is there anyway of getting out of this? At UCLA there is a general chemistry series for life science majors and one for engineering majors. Since I was an engineering major and didn't plan on attending med school at the time I took the G-chem for engineers. Unfortunately this makes me miss the required 8 semester units by 1.3 units.

I find it pretty useless to waste my time taking a general chemistry class just to check off the box. I mean I've completed 12 units of biochem, numerous chemical engineering classes, I have 8 units of AP chemistry credit on my transcript and I was a chemistry tutor in college. But I guess I don't know enough g-chem for medical school…

Ditch NSU dude, it is not worth your time! Just kidding... that sucks though but I know little about the quarter system and they probably dont either. I heard that two semesters of general chemistry equals three quarters so I would think if you have this you would be fine... I would definitely talk to them about it!

 

[JaggerPlate]

i constantly notice that premeds from undergrad schools in california have really low GPA's (close to 3.0) but good MCAT scores (>30). Are california schools really that competitive for undergrad, or are california students simply the laziest smart kids on earth?

I happen to attend the same undergrad at the OP (I don't know him, just read it in the post) and I can confirm that the UC schools are very competitive and do NOT have grade inflation. There are about 200 people in most of my pre-med classes and you better believe with that many people you usually get a very solid bell curve (that really isn't adjusted that much), and that unless you strive for it, you don't develop personal relationships with professors. However, as shown by MCAT scores, they offer an amazing education, and you really learn your stuff. Just my .02

Plus the OP did engineering which is way hard and usually takes a toll on gpa!!

 

[Enginerds]

i constantly notice that premeds from undergrad schools in california have really low GPA's (close to 3.0) but good MCAT scores (>30). Are california schools really that competitive for undergrad, or are california students simply the laziest smart kids on earth?

haha, I wouldn't disagree that I was lazy in college. But I wasn't even considering medical school when I was in college either. I probably would have cared more about my gpa had I been pre-med. I took most of my post-bac classes at UCLA and was a full point higher (2.85 vs. 3.85) gpa. Plus like Jagger said, engineering can take it's toll especially if you are not interested in it. But I must agree that the education I received was excellent and as long as I was learning what I needed to know I wasn't too concerned with grades. I can definitly say there is very little grade inflation within the UC schools from my experience. All the premed classes for example have strict quotas on the number of A's they are allowed to give out.

 

[HrvatskiDoktor]

I just got my letter too and I am 2.6 semester credits short. Seriously, you think they would have mentioned something like that earlier in the process. I'm glad that I am going to KCOM, b/c I would not be able to start at Nova unless I fought the system b/c of my current job I would not be able to take 2.6 semester credits with a lab until July at the earliest!

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

haha, I wouldn't disagree that I was lazy in college. But I wasn't even considering medical school when I was in college either. I probably would have cared more about my gpa had I been pre-med. I took most of my post-bac classes at UCLA and was a full point higher (2.85 vs. 3.85) gpa. Plus like Jagger said, engineering can take it's toll especially if you are not interested in it. But I must agree that the education I received was excellent and as long as I was learning what I needed to know I wasn't too concerned with grades. I can definitly say there is very little grade inflation within the UC schools from my experience. All the premed classes for example have strict quotas on the number of A's they are allowed to give out.

Coming from someone that transferred from a quarter system school to a semester system school, I would check with your school's pre-med advisory board. Fortunately, my university included a letter in my application package explaining the quarter system and although I was "shy" in terms of semester hours (due to credit hour conversions), my transcript still indicated that I took a whole year of chemistry. So, I would look into the possibility of them writing a letter. It can't hurt. Best of luck.