Hey everyone. I was hoping some of you could give some insight on my personal situation.
I'm on the verge of being a 'nontrad' - I graduated in 2012 but I'm not applying until June 2014, so I'll be three years out of undergrad when I start. I was a chemistry major at a large research university (not in Boston), and moved here after college, continuing to do research (originally I planned to apply to PhD programs after two years but changed course). My major did not require introductory biology, so I still need to take those pre-reqs. However, I did take an upper division chemical biology course, and I've been working in a biology lab for about a year now. My molecular bio knowledge is pretty good but anatomy, cell bio, etc is lacking.
Here's my question:
1. Any chance my chemical biology course will count for a pre-req? (it was enzymes/kinetics, metabolism, and replication/transcription/translation)
2. If I do have to take both courses, I'll probably take them at HES out of convenience. If I'm only taking these two classes, should I apply for any of the programs within HES, or just take them 'independently'?
3. How difficult will these classes be for a student with a strong science background like myself? I went to a very competitive undergrad, but I wasn't competing with many premedical students. Would it be manageable with a 40 hr/wk research job, and 3 hr/wk volunteering? How about if I did all of those things and a second (upper division science) course?
4. Registration for fall starts July 25th for students enrolled in the program, and the 29th for people taking classes independently (me). Is there any chance that bio 1 will fill up before I get the chance to register? If so, how helpful are administrators/faculty in getting people in that have no alternatives?
5. If I'm not looking to enroll in the official program, are there any other programs in the Boston area that I should look into?