Summer Pre-req Perception by ADCOMs: Worth the risk?

Started by Anion
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Anion

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I've been reading the forums about summer pre-req classes and I am in need of some advice. I will be finishing gen chem 2 and bio 2 this semester and I am looking to take classes this summer. I have read that ADCOMs like to see pre-reqs, like orgo, taken over the school year as these are "weeder" classes. If I take orgo this summer, I would be able to finish my post bac program this coming academic year. If not, I would need to extend for another year. My question: is the risk of taking orgo over the summer worth the extra year?

Classes I still need to take:
-Organic chemistry
-Physics
-Biochem
-Genetics
-Cellular bio
 
I don't see it being an issue, especially if you're in a postbac. At least as far as I understand it, the concern about summer courses applies more to undergrads who choose to take courses over the summer rather than during the semester with the assumption that summer courses might be easier. I would expect that it would be more acceptable for nontrads to take summer courses since we're more likely to have other commitments besides school.

In my experience (as someone who also did a postbac and took several courses over the summer), summer courses were actually much harder than semester courses. At my postbac school, all of the material of a full semester course was crammed into 5 weeks during the summer. I actually took orgo as a 5-week summer course and it was pretty brutal. I had no choice but to work full-time while doing it and my grade definitely suffered as a result. Obviously, I'm not an adcom, but if you do well in the course, I can't imagine that a summer postbac course will hurt you.
 
totally fine to take it over the summer, just make sure you do well. some people think summer classes are easier but for me it was much harder since its cramming a ton of material into only a few weeks