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Health Professions Advising at Mason |
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Non-Mason classesIntroductionOften students will ask whether their coursework from other institutions exempts them from repeating coursework at Mason. In general, health professions programs prefer that all prehealth coursework be taken at the baccalaureate four-year institution. Note that the minimum requirements for the MSAC institutional letter are 3.0 in overall and BCPM (science) GPA in your previous studies as well as your coursework at Mason. In addition, the centralized application services will count every grade reported for repeated classes whereas Mason only counts the most recent grade. Transfer students from community collegesUnfortunately there is a bias against counting prerequisite courses taken at a community or junior college, probably because it is not clear how well a community/junior college science course prepares a student for medical school (especially the laboratory work). There is much that is positive about taking science coursework as a gateway to science (June 2, 2006, article from Inside Higher Education), but the bias still exists, and you should view the opportunity to acquire more scientific knowledge as a stepping stone, not a hoop to jump through. Many health professional programs will limit consideration of community college coursework. Many dental programs do specify their consideration criteria for admission, but there are some that place no limits. Here are the stated positions of the local schools of dentistry.
For biology classes, students would be encouraged to take upper-level coursework whether at Mason or -- if allowed by the appropriate Dean -- at another four-year institution. Summer programs targeting upperclassmen-level students are generally looked upon favorably to "prove" a transfer student's ability to handle harder scientific material. Here is a listing of many summer opportunities and programs from Syracuse's website. Transfer students from other baccalaureate collegesYou may have an easier time avoiding to take your scientific prerequisites at Mason than transfer students from community colleges. That said, all health profession application services will require a transcript of your coursework at your previous institution. To that end, the MSAC pre-application process will also require a copy of your transcript at your previous institution. Study abroadStudents who will do coursework away from Mason should have completed most of their science prerequisites by the time they are studying away. Study-abroad students should avoid taking science prerequisites in foreign institutions because the MSAC and central application services will ask for transcripts for coursework done. In fact, many medical schools including George Washington and Virginia will not accept any coursework taken outside the United States or Canada as part of the application process. Furthermore, if a student is planning to study abroad during their junior or senior year, they will need to be even more vigilant with preparing their applications. Preparing to take a standardized test overseas, or studying on a different continent during interview season doesn't really work for the student. Many students should postpone their application process until they return to campus. That said, here are a handful of study-abroad opportunities:
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Required Coursework Mathematics and Psychology classes Note to Pre-dental students Note to Pre-pharmacy students External links |
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