Does it look bad to Med Schools if all of your pre-reqs come from different undergrad intitutions?

Question

I already have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and I am deciding to go to Medical School. Does it matter where I take the pre-reqs that I am missing (bio, chem, and organic chem) and does it look bad if I take these courses at multiple schools?

Should I compute two seperate GPA's (comp sci vs pre-med courses) or combine everything and compute one GPA?

Thanks!

Well here's the deal: I work full time and so I have limited availability in terms of my schedule. I can only take classes at night. I have already completed my first semesters of bio and chem at a certain college, however, there is only one evening chemistry II class for the next semester and it is already filled up.

My option is to wait another semester to take this class at the same school or enroll into it at a different school so as to not lose a semester. If I am able to take the class in the next semester I will be able to get my pre-reqs done so as to fill out Med School applications this fall. Otherwise I would have to wait a full year...

Answer 1

It looks bad if you are taking one course here and one course there, but if you are finishing up your prereqs at a different school than your Bachelor's, that's not a big deal. The school you go to, WILL matter however, as far as its reputation and all that. Your MCAT, GPA, and reasons for going, not to mention volunteer work, will far outweigh anything else though, so I wouldn't stress too much about WHERE you take the courses and concentrate on those other areas.

Answer 2

There may be a suspicion that you're cherry-picking your courses on the basis of which school has the easiest chem II class, etc., but since you're backing in late a letter of explanation attached to your application may limit the damage, and your unusual circumstances might even work in your favor. This is all based on guessing the personalities of the people on the committee vetting applications, so nothing's certain. But if you have good grades and a good MCAT, your chances of acceptance are probably a lot better than you think. And if you did well in computer science AND do well with the science prerequisites, there's no point in being nit-picky. They're looking for good students, and not just science whizzes, and they'll take into consideration a maturity factor if your earlier grades were not quite up to snuff, so it'll be a pretty subjective overall view of what they see as your academic potential.

Answer 3

You can't really do that. Waiting until after you graduate to do that is fine. But, recognize that the chemistry courses required must be taken in sequence and will take at least 5 semesters. Also, you cannot take them at community college. Med schools do not like the upper level science courses to be taken at community college. You need to take these classes from a 4 year school.

Answer 4

why would you take them at multiple institutions? when you submit your transcripts they will look at your grades for your pre-med work as well as your computer science gpa but they will be taken into account separately. i highly doubt it that they will look favorably on someone who takes classes here and there but does not commit