Hey,
So I am gearing up to begin taking the pre-reqs and wondering if anyone has already gone through or in process of doing so in Columbus Ohio.
There are a number of places to take the classes and I’m curious where everyone’s decided to go and why…
Thanks,
I did three quarters of pre-reqs at OSU’s Mansfield campus, organic chemistry at Capital, and then a final quarter at OSU main.
If possible, I would recommend that you take the pre-reqs at a 4-year University. OSU will be cheaper than Capital and the other privates. Downside to OSU main, all of your pre-reqs will be huge classes. Capital or one of the other privates or an OSU branch will have smaller class size with the opportunity to do one-on-one time with profs. That will be much more difficult at OSU main.
I think if you do well in the pre-reqs at OSU, it is well regarded by the adcoms.
Capital offers most of the pre-reqs during their summer science session. If you take any there during the summer seesion, be prepared to eat, breath, and sleep whatever class you take. Also, the profs at OSU are generally anti-Capital summer session, especially the organic chemistry.
If you have questions, send me a pm or e-mail. Maybe we can meet up and talk pre-reqs. I don’t live in Columbus, but will be attending med school there in the fall.
Amy
PS - If you want to go to OSU main, you may have a hard time getting into pre-req classes for fall. Registration has been open for a long time.
thanks for the information…
Where I went to undergrad so many years ago there was a real bias against going to other schools to complete science requirements…This came up all the time though because the one guy who taught Org Chem was a total nightmare (complete rumor no actual experience to verify the rumor).
So I’ve always wondered if it would really look bad like they always said if you have 2 classes from here, 2 from here, 1 from here, rather than all of them from the same place…
Putting aside name/reputation of the University attended and all that but reputations being equal…
The argument/scuttle was that it looked like you were seeking out the easiest A…So on the off chance you didn’t get an A the lower grade ended up looking even worse…
But of course I must highlight that I truly don’t know if there’s any truth to these thoughts or if it was all bunk…
Thanks again,
This was talked about a lot where I did my prereqs, too. I think it’s more of an undergrad phenomenon, though - if you are actually getting a degree from a particular institution, then yeah it looks sketchy to do everything at one place except the tough class. (and often if it’s a required class for your major, the university won’t allow it) But if you’re just picking up prereqs, I don’t think the same worry about “appearances” applies - you’re just trying to get the most bang for your buck, maximize your schedule, and get the classes done.
Mary
I agree with Mary. Although I had undergrad profs tell me at OSU that other profs there really hated students taking organic at Capital, I never had anyone question during interviews why I took organic there. If anything, they were impressed that I took the entire year in 8 weeks, did well, and then took the MCAT the week of my organic final and did well.
As a post-bacc, take the classes where and when you can. Its nice if you can take most of them at the same school as that allows for some continuity, but I don’t think it will be looked down upon.
Good…thanks both of you…
So in Columbus then you’ve got OSU and Capital, are there any others that you went to or would consider?
There are numerous colleges/universities in the Columbus area. Those are the two I have experience with. There is also Ohio Dominican and Ohio Wesleyan. Again, Ohio State will probably be the cheapest.