Taking classes while at the NIH?

[KungFuPanda123]

---

Members do not see this ad.

So I'm finishing up my 2nd year of work after having graduated from undergrad in Spring 2013. I have finished my MCAT/am planning on applying to medical schools this fall and have also accepted a 1-year position as a postbac at the NIH starting this June.

I have only taken 1 quarter of biology and need 3 more quarters of it (2 lectures, 1 lab) or basically 2 semesters of biology+lab. Does anyone know of any locations near the NIH or DC where I could take such classes?

I would love to take the courses at community college but cannot thanks to having AP credit. Because I received a 5 on the AP bio exam, I was not able to take general biology at my university (did not think I was going to become a doctor so never bothered taking much upper division biology). I saw on many medical school's pre-req pages that in the case of having AP credit, they will only accept upper-division classes, and I am currently under the impression that community colleges do not offer upper-division credits, since they only provide the first 2 years of schooling.

Can anyone advise me on what to do? Can I use community college courses as upper division work in some cases (I would LOVE to save money by going to CC instead of a state school)? Does anyone know of any specific colleges/universities that are near the NIH/DC where I could take classes at? Does anyone know of any programs that the NIH offers that would allow me to take classes at a discounted price?

All suggestions are welcome and truly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[areserine]

Look into the NIH FAES classes, though I'm not sure they'll count since they may be the wrong level or too specific. Also look at: Montgomery College (CC), GW, American University, UDC, Georgetown.

 

[KungFuPanda123]

Look into the NIH FAES classes, though I'm not sure they'll count since they may be the wrong level or too specific. Also look at: Montgomery College (CC), GW, American University, UDC, Georgetown.

I don't think FAES classes count 🙁
I wish they did though!

I'll look into classes at those colleges - do you (or anyone else) happen to know if NIH offers any form of reimbursement for tuition or anything like that?

Thanks so much

 

[justadream]

I don't think FAES classes count 🙁
I wish they did though!

I'll look into classes at those colleges - do you (or anyone else) happen to know if NIH offers any form of reimbursement for tuition or anything like that?

Thanks so much

How do you know they don't count?

 

[KungFuPanda123]

How do you know they don't count?

I do not know for sure, but I e-mailed some med school admissions offices. I received replies from a few of them. Most of them stated the FAES classes were fine. However, some responded by saying that the courses "must be taken at an accredited university or college within the US or Canada." Technically, FAES is not accredited at a national level (at least, from the information that I've gathered).

 

[KungFuPanda123]

Look into the NIH FAES classes, though I'm not sure they'll count since they may be the wrong level or too specific. Also look at: Montgomery College (CC), GW, American University, UDC, Georgetown.

HOLY CRAP. CLASSES ARE SO EXPENSIVE at those non-state schools. I was prepared to take classes at my local state schools (California) at ~$300/unit, and I thought that that was expensive... Now I'm going to be an out-of-state student on the east coast having to pay buckets. Yeesh.

Also, confirmed by Columbia P&S that their school does not accept FAES courses (some other schools told me they do accept FAES though). Seems like it's a hit or miss. Considering that I want to have as wide of a net as possible, I'll probably be forced to spend myself dry to take classes at an accredited 4-year university.