Hello,
I am pretty new also. I am 31 with 2 kids, and a full time job. I know that it is not a great idea to split prereq’s between school, but I need Org chem II and I was wondering how badly it would be looked upon if I did it at a different school, in which the distance and the times are better for me and my family. Any advise?
Are you currently taking Org I? Or was it taken awhile back?Are you changing from a CC to a 4 year or visa versa? Are you continuing the remainder of your requirements at the new school?
I think these considerations would impact many people’s advice. But in all honesty, if adcoms were to ask, obviously you are trying to be a great parent and spouse while moving forward toward what you want to do in life. I think they would understand if you were asked and explain just that and your decision to move forward to another school.
Only thing I would consider is taking a look at the curriculum to assure the courses are equivalent. Sometimes different schools teach the material in a variety of orders…I had Chem II and a few other students who took Chem I elsewhere did not learn anything about equilibriums, K, rates…not good!
There’s a lot of questions there, niklilly. Generally speaking, it’s best to complete the sequence at the same school. Changing might trip you up (if different material is covered in each, for instance; maybe there’s material skipped between I and II, or they do things in a different order or with a very different style). It also may look sketchy to an AdCom.
It depends on a lot of factors, though. Let’s say you did well on Organic I at a CC and decided to do II to a local university; that would probably look better than doing poorly in I at a Uni and going to a CC.
As you mention, distance & time, family, and money are all very important factors. Generally speaking, switching between I and II isn’t the best idea - but in your situation, it may be.
WOW!!! Thanks for someone replying!!
I took organic I last year at a university. I did good I got an A, the school I was thinking about taking organic II at was a C.C. And I was going to finish some of my other prereq’s at the same C.C.
I am almost at a point in my life that I feel that as long as I do well in the courses, and my MCAT scores reflect that, I think (or at least hope) the schools will look past something that. I was wondering more or less has anyone heard that any schools completely frown on doing something like that? Or are they just looking at the whole picture of the applicant?
When all things are equal, a 4-year school is always your best bet. There are med schools that will either subtly or overtly rank you lower because of CC credits. Finding out which schools they are, however, is not easy. Best bet is to contact schools that you expect you will be applying to and ask them outright.
Mary