Validity of summer prerequisites?

[birdy1]

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I've heard before that it is looked down on if you take some of the prerequisite classes over the summer. Is this true?

My schedule is looking something like this, which would mean I would have to take something over the summer.

year 1:
chem + lab
Calc

summer:
bio + lab (possibly?)

year 2:
physics
orgo

year 3:
psych

So my question is, will it matter if I take one of those important classes over the summer? Is it any better if I would stay at my school over the summer and do it there, rather than at a university near home?

Also, because of the condensed nature of summer courses, are there any that are more doable over the summer without sacrificing too much content?

 

[wizedw]

my school only allows transfer credit to be taken pass/fail so for me, it would be better to stay at my own school. Look into you school's policy

 

[TrojanBacteria]

I've heard before that it is looked down on if you take some of the prerequisite classes over the summer. Is this true?

My schedule is looking something like this, which would mean I would have to take something over the summer.

year 1:
chem + lab
Calc

summer:
bio + lab (possibly?)

year 2:
physics
orgo

year 3:
psych

So my question is, will it matter if I take one of those important classes over the summer? Is it any better if I would stay at my school over the summer and do it there, rather than at a university near home?

Also, because of the condensed nature of summer courses, are there any that are more doable over the summer without sacrificing too much content?

There's continual debate on this issue, but in my opinion, I don't think anyone looks down on summer courses, as long as you take them at a 4-year university. Go ahead and take a class at a university near home, especially if it'll be more convenient and/or cost-effective. Worry more about getting through the class with enough knowledge to do well on the MCAT, which is essentially the "proof" for adcoms of whether you learned the material or not. What matters is how well you learned the subject, not where you took it.

Chem and Physics require a lot of problem-solving and the best way to learn is to do a bunch of practice problems. However, the fast nature of summer school takes away a lot of time and makes it easy for you to fall behind. The labs can also be very technical, and you might get lost if things move too fast. Personally, I think Bio would probably be the best choice for the summer. Although you probably will have to read a lot on your own because there's a ton of info that will likely be given less attention to by the professor because of the shortened time.

 

[Jojokarade]

My only worry would be covering an entire years worth of bio in one summer. Unless it says specifically that it is an accelerated course on your transcript many admissions committees might think you only took one quarter. If it does say accelerated course, then I think you will be fine.

 

[AdrianVeidt]

There's continual debate on this issue, but in my opinion, I don't think anyone looks down on summer courses, as long as you take them at a 4-year university. Go ahead and take a class at a university near home, especially if it'll be more convenient and/or cost-effective. Worry more about getting through the class with enough knowledge to do well on the MCAT, which is essentially the "proof" for adcoms of whether you learned the material or not. What matters is how well you learned the subject, not where you took it.

Chem and Physics require a lot of problem-solving and the best way to learn is to do a bunch of practice problems. However, the fast nature of summer school takes away a lot of time and makes it easy for you to fall behind. The labs can also be very technical, and you might get lost if things move too fast. Personally, I think Bio would probably be the best choice for the summer. Although you probably will have to read a lot on your own because there's a ton of info that will likely be given less attention to by the professor because of the shortened time.

That right there is the sole reason I would never recommend someone take biology in a summer semester. I took biology I in the summer and it absolutely killed me because of the abundance of information that must be basically memorized in such a short period of time, but on the other hand, I took chemistry II in the summer and it wasn't very difficult for me at all; I guess it all depends on the type of student/learner you are.

And hopefully adcoms don't look down upon pre-req's in the summer; I've taken two in the summer and I know many people who have taken more than that in the summer semesters. I don't believe it should, and really hope it doesn't, matter that much.

 

[birdy1]

There's continual debate on this issue, but in my opinion, I don't think anyone looks down on summer courses, as long as you take them at a 4-year university. Go ahead and take a class at a university near home, especially if it'll be more convenient and/or cost-effective. Worry more about getting through the class with enough knowledge to do well on the MCAT, which is essentially the "proof" for adcoms of whether you learned the material or not. What matters is how well you learned the subject, not where you took it.

Chem and Physics require a lot of problem-solving and the best way to learn is to do a bunch of practice problems. However, the fast nature of summer school takes away a lot of time and makes it easy for you to fall behind. The labs can also be very technical, and you might get lost if things move too fast. Personally, I think Bio would probably be the best choice for the summer. Although you probably will have to read a lot on your own because there's a ton of info that will likely be given less attention to by the professor because of the shortened time.

Thanks a lot. You're right - I took calc over one summer and it absolutely killed me -- so much that I ended up doing terrible in the class. (there were other factors too, though, including the fact that I was recovering from surgery, so I'm not as worried this time around.)

I guess I'd just have to make sure all the information can be reasonably covered in one summer session. Either way, I'd either have to take bio or calc over the summer, and I thought it might make my first year easier if I didn't have two lab sciences at once.

It says on my school's website that it is not recommended to take summer courses at a school of a lower caliber (I'm at a top-20 caliber private school). Money isn't exactly an issue, and if I stayed at school I could also volunteer at the hospital. Obviously my family would rather have me home and do the classes at my state school, though. I don't mind either way.