Will a health professions advisor look over my schedule?
We ask that students do their research. Consult the ACE
Assessment,
research schools, and consult your major requirements. Many times when
students ask for feedback we simply ask if you’re comfortable with the
schedule you’ve created
for yourself. A good schedule versus a bad schedule is often based on
how you’ve assessed what you can handle and your personal timeline
towards applying to a health profession school. We often cannot approve
or disapprove of a schedule you’ve created for yourself
because it almost always comes back to your personal assessment of your
needs. We encourage you to take ownership of your course planning and
make decisions that will work for you! And remember- you
do not have to complete all your health professions course requirements during your undergraduate experience. Many students choose to take some of their requirements after
they graduate and apply at a later time.
Take into consideration how you did academically this year.
Were
you able to succeed with the course schedule you set for yourself, or
do you need to reevaluate the courseload or number of science classes
you take? For example, if as a first year you struggled taking General
Chemistry with Lab, do you think it’s in your best judgment to register
for both Biology and Organic Chemistry with Labs?
Do you need to repeat any of the science courses you already took?
For
many health professions a grade of C- or lower is not acceptable for
meeting science coursework requirements. Make sure you know if you
need to retake something before you move into advanced coursework.
Requirements you need for your chosen health profession versus courses you need to fulfill your U.Va requirements.
Remember
as a health professions student you’re not only working towards meeting
the requirements for a health professions program, but also
for completing an undergraduate degree at U.Va. Make sure you’re consulting with your Association
Dean or Faculty Advisor if you aren’t sure how to complete your degree requirements.
Is it a good idea to take summer coursework?
Many health professions students have heard that they “should not take any classes over the summer, “ but often there is little context behind the advice. Here’s some rationale behind the statement.
One of the responsibilities of admissions committees is to admit applicants that they are confident can successfully complete the coursework that will allow them to become health care professionals. Your undergraduate coursework serves as one of the best indicators to an admissions committee as to whether you have the ability to succeed in their program’s coursework. Schools create pre-requisite requirements because they believe that the material serves as either a direct foundation that is needed to pursue advance coursework or because they believe the ability to successfully navigate through a certain subject matter demonstrates specific abilities needed for advanced study. When admissions committees look at an applicant’s coursework they want to be confident in their assessment that you are in fact prepared to be successful in the classroom.
One of the ways to give admissions committee this confidence in you is obviously to be successful in your pre-requisite coursework, but another way is to eliminate variables that may lead them to question whether your grades are truly indicative of your ability. When students take pre-requisite coursework over the summer, they often have fewer responsibilities than during the school year. This may lead an admissions committee to ask, “Would this student have received this grade if they were also managing the responsibilities of a full course load?” This question is important to admissions committees because they know in professional school you will not have the option to spread out your coursework, but will be taking it all at once during the semester.
Often students will choose to take pre-requisite coursework over the summer at other institutions. Sometimes this leaves committee members asking “Did this student take this course at another institution because there was less competition or less material was covered? Was this student looking for an easy way out and would they have received the same grade at their home institution?” Again, if an admissions committee needs to ask this question about a significant amount of your pre-requisite coursework, it may be a problem.
So what’s our advice? Obviously there are circumstances where a student may absolutely need to take coursework over the summer or at another institution. Do your best to avoid taking multiple science pre-requisites, try to limit your summer coursework to labs only and make sure there is enough science coursework taking during the school year to demonstrate your abilities in that setting.
One of the responsibilities of admissions committees is to admit applicants that they are confident can successfully complete the coursework that will allow them to become health care professionals. Your undergraduate coursework serves as one of the best indicators to an admissions committee as to whether you have the ability to succeed in their program’s coursework. Schools create pre-requisite requirements because they believe that the material serves as either a direct foundation that is needed to pursue advance coursework or because they believe the ability to successfully navigate through a certain subject matter demonstrates specific abilities needed for advanced study. When admissions committees look at an applicant’s coursework they want to be confident in their assessment that you are in fact prepared to be successful in the classroom.
One of the ways to give admissions committee this confidence in you is obviously to be successful in your pre-requisite coursework, but another way is to eliminate variables that may lead them to question whether your grades are truly indicative of your ability. When students take pre-requisite coursework over the summer, they often have fewer responsibilities than during the school year. This may lead an admissions committee to ask, “Would this student have received this grade if they were also managing the responsibilities of a full course load?” This question is important to admissions committees because they know in professional school you will not have the option to spread out your coursework, but will be taking it all at once during the semester.
Often students will choose to take pre-requisite coursework over the summer at other institutions. Sometimes this leaves committee members asking “Did this student take this course at another institution because there was less competition or less material was covered? Was this student looking for an easy way out and would they have received the same grade at their home institution?” Again, if an admissions committee needs to ask this question about a significant amount of your pre-requisite coursework, it may be a problem.
So what’s our advice? Obviously there are circumstances where a student may absolutely need to take coursework over the summer or at another institution. Do your best to avoid taking multiple science pre-requisites, try to limit your summer coursework to labs only and make sure there is enough science coursework taking during the school year to demonstrate your abilities in that setting.
