Guest joonboy Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 I'm choosing courses for my undergraduate program for the first year, but I realize that there are times when I can choose the difficulty of the course. For example I can go with easier mathematics course and get higher mark, but I have an option to take harder mathematics course. Do med schools care if I took more challenging courses or not? What about when I apply for jobs? Do you think employers take that into consideration? Thanks a lot in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kaymcee Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 The answer to all three questions is "NO". Medical schools look at your GPA, and maybe the level and the types of courses you took to get that GPA. The difference in difficulty between MATH101 and MATH102 is irrelevant. The same goes for jobs. Unless your job requires that you know how to derive or integrate something, then the math course (like so many courses in university) is pretty useless. I, and I'm sure many others, was trapped in this same high school mentality when I first went to university. In high school, my goal was to "keep my options open" by taking more and harder courses, allowing my entrance into any undergraduate program I wanted. There was also a certain high school academic machismo between my friends and I. I was harassed for not taking AP calculus or physics 12 in high school, as I didn't need either for admission. In university, everything changes. You only need to do what is required for your degree, and that's all. Unless you're undecided between two programs, one of which requires the harder math course, take the easier course. I was in this situation in first year, so I took the harder math courses. I ended up going for the program that required the easier math courses, so I could have saved myself the agony of two calculus courses. As unfortunate as it is, if you want to study medicine, your undergraduate university career becomes more about the grades you receive rather than what you actually learn. Take the easier course; get the higher grade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joonboy Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 I got it! Thanks kaymcee!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peachy Posted July 27, 2005 Report Share Posted July 27, 2005 It's true that medical schools won't care about the difficulty of the courses that you take. But that doesn't mean that there aren't lots of good reasons to choose the more challenging course! You might enjoy it more. You might learn something valuable that will be useful to you in the future. You might gain confidence in the subject area. Undergrad isn't just about getting into med school! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kaymcee Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Okay, my response was quite depressing and resentful in tone, which probably has something to do with my having to waste the large majority of a summer studying for the MCAT. peachy, in her (I'm assuming you're female, by the name) wisdom, said something very true: undergrad isn't just about getting into medicine. I still stand by my opinion of taking the easier math course, but some of the most enjoyable courses I've taken weren't necessarily my highest grades. In first year, it's pretty much all the same: math, biology, chem, physics, and English, but as you go on, there will be more interesting options. Pursue them! I apologise for my cynicism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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