Undergraduate Course Rigor

[deleted1136042]

I'm an incoming freshman at a T25 US university. For our math sequence, we can either take Math 1A + 1B + STATS20 (3 semesters) or Math 10A + 10B (2 semesters) to fulfill the pre-requisite. Of course, the latter is more efficient, but looking at the grade distributions, the former has a 31% A rate whereas the latter has a mere 11%.

I know high school rigor was extremely important for college admissions, but I was wondering if course rigor was just as important for medical school admissions specifically to T25 medical schools. Of course, GPA is important, but I would also like to know the relative weight of rigor.

Sorry in advance if my question is not the best, I'm quite new to pre-med 🙂

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[SquidLab]

No one really cares about course rigor relative to the grade you got. Go for the easiest class that will fulfill med school prereqs.

 

[Obnoxious Dad]

No one really cares about course rigor relative to the grade you got. Go for the easiest class that will fulfill med school prereqs.

This is the absolute truth. Some of these medical schools get more than 10,000 applications per year. They don't have the staff or the incentive to sift carefully through transcripts to see if an applicant took calculus based physics or physical chemistry. Take the easiest path you can and see if you can get some relevant extracurricular activities such as handing out doughnuts at an emergency room or being a gopher for a researcher.

 

[Moko]

I'm an incoming freshman at a T25 US university. For our math sequence, we can either take Math 1A + 1B + STATS20 (3 semesters) or Math 10A + 10B (2 semesters) to fulfill the pre-requisite. Of course, the latter is more efficient, but looking at the grade distributions, the former has a 31% A rate whereas the latter has a mere 11%.

I know high school rigor was extremely important for college admissions, but I was wondering if course rigor was just as important for medical school admissions specifically to T25 medical schools. Of course, GPA is important, but I would also like to know the relative weight of rigor.

Sorry in advance if my question is not the best, I'm quite new to pre-med 🙂

The former. The more A's the better. Course rigor means nothing if your GPA is in the gutter. Just my thoughts.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Sorry there are no bonus points for academic rigor or overloading.

 

[GoSpursGo]

There is a common myth perpetuated by pre-med advisors that rigor matters. The bottom line is that nobody has time to look that closely, and really will only care about the final GPA. So don't do anything dishonest, but if you have an opportunity to take an easy course you should take it.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

I agree with the above. There will be plenty of rigorous science courses to take. GPA and MCAT scores will get your application a more careful review. Then the volunteering and clinical experience will be examined. But it all starts with the GPA and MCAT. Good luck and best wishes!

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Doesn’t matter like it does for undergrad. Also from what I’ve seen “T25” doesn’t help at all for admissions. There are probably 10 schools that get a bona fide bump and then all others are viewed equally. So schools like BC, UVA, Umich, UCLA etc. Don’t give you a bump.

I’m just telling you this so you can adjust your performance goals accordingly. At Harvard or Yale, a 3.6 would probably be good enough but at other schools, need to aim for 3.8+

 

[deleted1136042]

There are probably 10 schools that get a bona fide bump and then all others are viewed equally. So schools like BC, UVA, Umich, UCLA etc. Don’t give you a bump.

I go to Berkeley, but I do agree that HYPS + Ivies are the biggest feeders with a brand name.

I was wondering if anyone have a different opinion than the people above? As in advocating for the more efficient math pathway (2>3 sems) with a less likelihood to receive A grades?

 

[silverwind278]

I go to Berkeley, but I do agree that HYPS + Ivies are the biggest feeders with a brand name.

I was wondering if anyone have a different opinion than the people above? As in advocating for the more efficient math pathway (2>3 sems) with a less likelihood to receive A grades?

I took the 10A/B series for efficiency and found it reasonable to get an A several years back in both if you took AP Calc BC (and did well). 10B had a lot of annoying combinatorics which takes a bit of time to learn if it’s your first time seeing them. Obviously, aim to get the best GPA you can at Berkeley above all else.

 

[Arsartium]

I go to Berkeley, but I do agree that HYPS + Ivies are the biggest feeders with a brand name.

I was wondering if anyone have a different opinion than the people above? As in advocating for the more efficient math pathway (2>3 sems) with a less likelihood to receive A grades?

The easier the class, the worse I performed (combination of boredom and immaturity) so I always opted for the most difficult sequence. Individual class rigor really only matters if you’re applying to an an affiliated medical school. In that case, adcom members may look more closely because they may be more familiar with course sequences at that institution.

More broadly, some adcom members use major/concentration as a proxy for rigor. For instance, a degree in math/physics will generally be viewed favorably compared to the more common biology/neuroscience major.

 

[deleted1136042]

I took the 10A/B series for efficiency and found it reasonable to get an A several years back in both if you took AP Calc BC (and did well). 10B had a lot of annoying combinatorics which takes a bit of time to learn if it’s your first time seeing them. Obviously, aim to get the best GPA you can at Berkeley above all else.

Hey, thanks so much for the reply! I did both AP Calc BC and AP Stats with both 5s and As in the class. Other people have told me the same thing, so I appreciate the feedback.