Number of med schools with math *requirement*?

[Schadret]

With my daughter having to miss this semester due to surgery, she's not going to be able to fit in Biostats (or any other math course) into her senior year schedule. She took Calc 1 her freshman year.

Does the MSAR give info on how many med schools require either statistics or a "year of college math"? I spot-checked a few schools and of the 4 I looked at, 3 of them recommended courses like biostats or stats, but 1 did require a "year of college math" - which means her just having Calc 1 wouldn't suffice since that's only 1 semester. If MSAR does provide it, is there any chance someone can get that info (if that's allowed? I've seen other threads with people post data from MSAR that other posters were asking for)?

Since she's not applying for 2 years (2023) (needs to do 2 gap years now instead of 1 due to missing this semester) I didn't think it made sense to have her subscribe to MSAR this early.

Being that some form of stats is highly recommended (from what we've read) for the MCAT she was going to take it this summer - but at a community college since that's the only thing that is within driving distance. But if a not-insignificant percentage of med schools require it (or the year of math) than she probably shouldn't take it at a CC and should just self-learn it during MCAT prep, and then take officially it after she graduates but at her 4 year university in the fall.

Thanks.

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[spottedcory]

All the schools I applied to also posted their academic requirements online, which was honestly more detailed and probably more accurate than MSAR! MSAR does give info, but it's tedious to get for every single school (need to click through every school and look at prereq requirements).
Also, don't classes at 4-years cost much more after graduation? I don't see a problem with fulfilling the prereq at a CC as long as her other prereqs have been fulfilled at the 4-year.

 

[Riven_1KV]

I was working on a project that would tell you that, I gave up on it because it was more data collection than programming. I wasn't going to be able to maintain it.

I can tell you that when schools require math, they typically require statistics. Very few have a one year of math requirement. Carle Illinois requires a lot of math.

 

[Schadret]

Reason I asked is the 1st school I checked, which is one of our in-state schools (RWJMS in NJ) has:

• College Mathematics: 2 semesters (One semester may be a statistics or biostatistics course. College Mathematics can include many types of mathematics, calculus or other courses.)

as a requirement, so wasn't sure how common that is.

 

[LunaOri]

Given that she's going to take a couple of gap years, she should have plenty of time to finish the math requirement. She could take it online through Harvard Extension or a similar program.

 

[ciestar]

Reason I asked is the 1st school I checked, which is one of our in-state schools (RWJMS in NJ) has:

• College Mathematics: 2 semesters (One semester may be a statistics or biostatistics course. College Mathematics can include many types of mathematics, calculus or other courses.)

as a requirement, so wasn't sure how common that is.

Stats is a pretty common requirement.

 

[Schadret]

Followup here - she was checking our Harvard Extension and they do have a Fundamentals of Biostatistics course. The question is does she need to take it for credit? They have 3 options (same course, just different prices) - noncredit, undergraduate, graduate. She's not looking for it to transfer to her school, but does it need to be for "credit" to be accepted by med schools as a prerequisite?

 

[medicaldoctor041815]

Followup here - she was checking our Harvard Extension and they do have a Fundamentals of Biostatistics course. The question is does she need to take it for credit? They have 3 options (same course, just different prices) - noncredit, undergraduate, graduate. She's not looking for it to transfer to her school, but does it need to be for "credit" to be accepted by med schools as a prerequisite?

I would say she needs to take it for credit (undergraduate option)

 

[Schadret]

Update: Got in contact with one of the schools that requires it and they said so long as there's evidence it was taken then "no credit" is fine.

 

[Schadret]

Thanks for your input. I found a spreadsheet made by one of the Med Schools that list all the course requirements for all other medical schools and it looks like about 1/2 have the "year of college math" requirements, so she'll definitely be taking the course, it will just be after she graduates since her last 2 semesters are already "full" at 19 credits each.

As for the credit/no-credit - was RWJ just an anomaly saying "no credit" was fine? I guess the real question is what is the purpose of "credit" after someone's graduated? Ie, would a non-trad student that graduated college 7 years ago but needed a pre-req take it "for credit"?

Since the ONLY difference is price (which I'm fine paying more for the credit option), its not a big deal.. just trying to understand the reasoning.. it's the same class (not different sections - the exact same physical class), the only difference is whether they give you no college credits on a transcript (cheapest), undergrad credit (more expensive), or graduate credit (even more expensive)).

 

[Sfts_88]

As a non-trad who took classes at HES, you need to take it at the undergrad credit level for HES to even sent a transcript for you. No credit means no grade means no transcript with grades, it just says NC. Most non-credit classes are viewed as "auditing", you are not required to complete the assignments or take the final. How do you prove that you are competent in the subject with nothing to verify it?

This website may help in clarifying: Choosing a Credit Status for Your Course | Harvard Extension School

 

[Schadret]

Thanks @Sfts_88 ! She'll take it for credit then (still makes no sense to me since the credits themselves are kinda useless, and the course is the same, but will do what she has to do).