- Joined
- Jul 5, 2008
- Messages
- 365
- Reaction score
- 3
Greetings, SDNers! Long-time lurker, first-time poster here. I have a question about the Social and Behavioral Science (BESS) coursework requirements for the three Puerto Rican medical schools that I am applying to (Ponce, UCC, and SJB).
All three schools require 12 credits (or 4 semesters) of BESS credit. During my undergraduate years (I recently graduated), I completed 13 such credits. The problem is that, due to how AMCAS prefers to flag courses, 7 of the credits were designated as English instead of BESS. The fact that they are courses in my schools honors department probably does not help my case. Therefore, it appears on my AMCAS transcript that I do not have enough of the required credits. Nonetheless, these courses definitely focused on BESS topics (namely families in America and major modern-day sociological issues), and I can readily communicate that fact if necessary.
As I have only submitted the primary application, I am wondering if I will have an opportunity to justify this apparent credit deficiency (such as during an interview). My goal is to avoid being rejected solely due to what I consider to be a technicality, especially if they are extremely picky about these requirements being met. If I will likely not be afforded this opportunity to explain myself, would it be wise to contact the schools in person (email, telephone, update letter, etc ) to let them know my situation?
If it helps, know that I should be able to take some additional courses (if necessary to satisfy requirements) between now and when I would matriculate next year. Also, I did take a look at the schools' web sites, but was not able to find any definitive answers to my questions.
Thanks in advance for all comments and/or suggestions!
All three schools require 12 credits (or 4 semesters) of BESS credit. During my undergraduate years (I recently graduated), I completed 13 such credits. The problem is that, due to how AMCAS prefers to flag courses, 7 of the credits were designated as English instead of BESS. The fact that they are courses in my schools honors department probably does not help my case. Therefore, it appears on my AMCAS transcript that I do not have enough of the required credits. Nonetheless, these courses definitely focused on BESS topics (namely families in America and major modern-day sociological issues), and I can readily communicate that fact if necessary.
As I have only submitted the primary application, I am wondering if I will have an opportunity to justify this apparent credit deficiency (such as during an interview). My goal is to avoid being rejected solely due to what I consider to be a technicality, especially if they are extremely picky about these requirements being met. If I will likely not be afforded this opportunity to explain myself, would it be wise to contact the schools in person (email, telephone, update letter, etc ) to let them know my situation?
If it helps, know that I should be able to take some additional courses (if necessary to satisfy requirements) between now and when I would matriculate next year. Also, I did take a look at the schools' web sites, but was not able to find any definitive answers to my questions.
Thanks in advance for all comments and/or suggestions!
