U of Cincinnati focus on course selection?

[HauntingDevil_0776]

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I have been doing research on medical schools using MSAR and feeling kinda lost...U Cincinnati says that they will "review applicants' course selection in detail"...What is that supposed to mean? I've been taking 2 science classes each semester plus a humanity course (I go to a liberal arts college) but I have been only doing 12 credits each semester since sophomore year. I did this because I was told that medical schools care more about your grade so I thought it's better to take less courses but get good grades in them. Now I'm panicking when I saw that description...

 

[GoPenguinsGo]

It means they look at the context in which you earned the GPA you did. So if you took a harder course load of say 16 science credits and 3 non-science credits in a semester and got a 3.7 (just picked a number), that would be viewed more favorably over a 6 science credits and 9 non science credits in a semester for the same GPA.

 

[LizzyM]

I think it means that they look at course load (credits per term), the rigor of the courses (did you take the more challenging physics sequence or the less challenging one?) and the type of electives you chose (I still look back with a smirk at the guy who took human sexuality, wine tasting, and golf all in the same term).

Given an identical GPA, the applicant who took more credits and little to no fluff will be ahead of someone who took the same number of credits with a lot of fluff and those will both be ahead of the applicant who earned the same GPA while taking a light load.

 

[HauntingDevil_0776]

I think it means that they look at course load (credits per term), the rigor of the courses (did you take the more challenging physics sequence or the less challenging one?) and the type of electives you chose (I still look back with a smirk at the guy who took human sexuality, wine tasting, and golf all in the same term).

Given an identical GPA, the applicant who took more credits and little to no fluff will be ahead of someone who took the same number of credits with a lot of fluff and those will both be ahead of the applicant who earned the same GPA while taking a light load.

Thank you so much!

 

[MyOdyssey]

I think it means that they look at course load (credits per term), the rigor of the courses (did you take the more challenging physics sequence or the less challenging one?) and the type of electives you chose (I still look back with a smirk at the guy who took human sexuality, wine tasting, and golf all in the same term).

Given an identical GPA, the applicant who took more credits and little to no fluff will be ahead of someone who took the same number of credits with a lot of fluff and those will both be ahead of the applicant who earned the same GPA while taking a light load.

<<did you take the more challenging physics sequence or the less challenging one?>>

Didn’t realize ad coms noticed details like this or is it only Cincinnati and a few like minded schools? That’s dedication!

 

[LizzyM]

Some committee letters make it easy for us by pointing out that a student took the more challenging sequence.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Some committee letters make it easy for us by pointing out that a student took the more challenging sequence.

Where and how would a nontrad applicant who can’t get a committee letter due to being too many years out emphasize or point this out on an application?

 

[KnightDoc]

Where and how would a nontrad applicant who can’t get a committee letter due to being too many years out emphasize or point this out on an application?

I have a feeling it's a lot less important for a nontrad who is so far out of school that they cannot get the committee letter. The strength in their application will come more from their experiences, plus their MCAT, plus their recent coursework, and less from how rigorous their physics sequence was all those years ago. Kind of like how being a rock star in HS isn't so important (or even relevant) to a traditional application.

Schools are always more interested in what you have done lately. This is why MCATs expire, and why some schools put a timer on prereqs.

 

[LizzyM]

Where and how would a nontrad applicant who can’t get a committee letter due to being too many years out emphasize or point this out on an application?

concur with @KnightDoc . Also, if the applicant attended a feeder school for a given medical school, the admissions committee may know based on having seen many other applicants who did have the letter explaining that both Physics 101-102 and Physics 121-122 meet the requirements for medical school admission but the 121-122 sequence is calculus based while the other is not.

 

[MyOdyssey]

concur with @KnightDoc . Also, if the applicant attended a feeder school for a given medical school, the admissions committee may know based on having seen many other applicants who did have the letter explaining that both Physics 101-102 and Physics 121-122 meet the requirements for medical school admission but the 121-122 sequence is calculus based while the other is not.

That’s my situation. Lots of applications from my undergrad every year. Hopefully the committee letter explains this bc very few took the calc physics sequence.

 

[cincincyreds]

I have been doing research on medical schools using MSAR and feeling kinda lost...U Cincinnati says that they will "review applicants' course selection in detail"...What is that supposed to mean? I've been taking 2 science classes each semester plus a humanity course (I go to a liberal arts college) but I have been only doing 12 credits each semester since sophomore year. I did this because I was told that medical schools care more about your grade so I thought it's better to take less courses but get good grades in them. Now I'm panicking when I saw that description...

The MCAT will be the great equilizer. Kill the MCAT and you will be fine. Medical schools want students to be successful and will do their best to select students who can handle the coursework. Personally if someone can take Organic Chemistry and Physics at the same time and ace them I would be highly impressed.