Two years, or one year and a summer?

[Psychometrician]

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Last night, I went to the Harvard Extension School information session. Dr. Fixsen said that he strongly discourages students to take prereqs in the summer at HES, as they are very condensed and difficult. He said the best way to go is two years (fall/spring, fall/spring).

I have to be honest with myself. I'm not one of these "hear it once, remember it forever" guys. I have a good memory for science material, but I have to hammer it in there, spend time with it, and look at it from different angles.

Having said this, is Dr. Fixsen right? Is the traditional summer/fall/spring/summer post-bac not good? Is fall/spring, fall/spring really the best way to go?

 

[DrMidlife]

Last night, I went to the Harvard Extension School information session. Dr. Fixsen said that he strongly discourages students to take prereqs in the summer at HES, as they are very condensed and difficult. He said the best way to go is two years (fall/spring, fall/spring).

Condensed and difficult is a good description of med school coursework, for the record, so you'd think that's an argument in favor of summer coursework. I'd need a better reason.

I have to be honest with myself. I'm not one of these "hear it once, remember it forever" guys. I have a good memory for science material, but I have to hammer it in there, spend time with it, and look at it from different angles.

Keep in mind that you have to get the MCAT done on top of all this. I think that's an argument against rushing.

Having said this, is Dr. Fixsen right? Is the traditional summer/fall/spring/summer post-bac not good? Is fall/spring, fall/spring really the best way to go?

There's no "traditional" and there's no "best." Do it however you need to, whatever gets you killer grades and a killer MCAT score. If taking 2 years is obviously going to help your numbers, then what's the hurry?

Hopefully an actual HES student will pipe up. Best of luck to you.

 

[Moki]

Yes, Dr. Fixsen speaks the truth. Do yourself a favor and take them in the order and in the time frame that is suggested, particularly if you know that your learning style demands that you "hammer it in." The program, course work, and instructors are top notch. They know this process. Trust them. Besides, the summer courses are at Harvard prices as opposed to HES prices. Big difference.

You may wish to run through last year's HES sub-forum. There are some comments about summer school in the last few pages. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=348864

You also might get more HES comments if you post directly into that sub-forum. Someone recently started a 2008 version.

Best of luck to you.

 

[FlyinBryan]

I would argue against taking summer classes at Harvard. I am currently an HES student, and took Organic Chemistry last summer, but regret having done so. Two semesters of organic chemistry were compressed into seven and a half weeks of class, including two 4 hour labs per week. Not only did it make for a miserable summer, but I was sorely disapointed with my grade. By the time I had learned how to properly study organic chemistry, I was already three weeks into the course (basically done with first semester orgo)and had no time to review the concepts that I had not properly learned, because the course keeps chugging away with loads of new material. For context, I am normally a pretty strong, hardworking student who has made A/A- in most of my courses at HES. I knew several people who withdrew from the summer orgo course, as well as a few who are retaking organic chemistry during the school year. On top of that, the course was expensive (I don't remember how much exactly, but upwards of $5,000 I think) and the quality of the professor was, quite frankly, a real disapointment.

I have heard that the professor who teaches Organic CHemistry during teh school year at HES is a much better teacher, and many of his students come away very satisfied with the quality of instruction.

I cannot speak for any of the other courses at Harvard Summer School, but having taken some of those courses during the school year, I cannot imagine that an eight-week summer session would be conducive to truly learning the subject matter.

While medical courses may be condensed and fast-paced, most of us at this stage of the game are attempting to gain admission to medical school. It would be unfortunate for a post-bacc student to potentially damage their post-bacc gpa, and hence their likelihood for med school admission, by trying to rush through the prequisites with a very difficult summer class.

Again, just one person's advice, but do NOT take summer organic chemistry at Harvard Summer School!

Cheers

 

[NewmansOwn]

I've heard the above statement (regarding o-chem) echoed by HES students in the past. Also, this is not uncommon. UMBC has a good reputation for do-it-yourself post-bacs and I looked into it before going with Bryn Mawr; the pre-med advisor there told me that if you don't follow their advice and avoid summer courses, you're likely to get a less impressive recommendation from the premedical committee come time to apply. Just didn't want you to think HES was an annoying anomaly.

 

[Psychometrician]

Just didn't want you to think HES was an annoying anomaly.

Thanks, because I did!

 

[Moki]

You can always take a summer course within the program. They won't penalize you. As FlyinBryan previously mentioned, they don't cut anything out of the summer courses, so you are in essence taking a very rigorous course in a condensed time period. I think it is actually a testament to the school that they set the bar high and keep it there, rather than compromise their standards. You will be a better student at the end for it.

There are also other options to consider. If you really want to take a summer course, you could always look to some of the other schools in the Boston area. I know several HES students that have taken a summer course over at UMass Boston. The price is comparable and the material covered is doable. As long as you fulfill the HCP's other requirements, they will sponsor you.