To answer an earlier post, a large number of students at HES are not in HCP. I believe there's less than 70 HCP students each year, but there are 200-300 students in each lecture.
If you're committed to it, take the HES classes outside of HCP. Get to know the profs and get good LORs. You'll generally need at least 2 science and 1 non-science LOR, at least 1 coming from an undergrad prof. If you insist on a committee letter, ask your undergrad to see if they would be willing to write one. Mine was willing, but I went for the HCP committee letter anyway.
And for those entering classes, here's a few minor
penny-pinching tips I repeat often to new students here:
- Buy international paperback versions of the textbooks on ebay if they are available (make sure the versions are correct). They ship from Asia, but it's surprisingly fast shipping. They are IDENTICAL, page-for-page, to the US hardcover version. Since it was cheaper, I felt OK about cutting it up and putting it in a binder. Much lighter to carry relevant chapters than the entire textbook. For orgo, there was no international version. Get the e-book from the publisher instead. It'll be used as reference only.
- For Gen Chem, you'll need a scientific calculator (graphing calculator not allowed). If you don't already have one, but one that can solve quadratics. I like the Casio fx-115ES, but there are others. It'll save you time and prevent calculation mistakes during the 2nd semester when doing solubility problems.
- Get a pair of cheap $3 chemical safety goggles (not safety glasses) at Home Depot instead of buying the fancy, but more expensive goggles at the COOP. You'll look stupid wearing either one.
- If you buy a molecular model kit, get it off ebay. Cheaper and they are near identical to the ones sold at the COOP.
- There's a Church Street computer lab and Grossman library for HCP students (extension school students with ID cards). These allow free printing. This will be important for printing physics and bio lecture notes to follow along during lecture. The chem lectures print lecture notes for you.
- If you do intend to sign up for Kaplan for MCAT, they usually have a promotion at the beginning of the year that gives you slightly more savings and a free "Kaplan Edge" course. Put a deposit down to reserve this promotion. You can do this during the year you plan to study for the MCATs. Get your deposit back if you decide not to use Kaplan. (BTW, I'm not promoting Kaplan at all. I find their study material useful, but the 3-hr classes were not much help.)
- If you volunteer at Brigham and Women's Hospital (probably also applies to most local hospitals), you can get discounted monthly T-passes. Saves ~$29/month if you use the Subway/Bus LinkPass. You should volunteer for other reasons though.
