AlbertaChris Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 am a journeyman tradesman and am hoping to make a go at medical school. My problem is that due to work and finance commitments I am forced to do the entire program as distance education. Anyone out there got advice/ideas on how to get there? I am doing this because it is a dream so I don’t have to get it all done at once just a plan so that I can eventually get there. I am really hoping the community can help me with this. Thanks for you help in advance! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 I took 12 courses through Athabasca, and a friend of mine did his entire BSc through them. It's a decent program, but you have to be very self-motivated to succeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 I live in the woods (literally) and have to do the distance thing too. The Canadian Virtual University is a godsend for picking up electives, and I especially like it because I can shop around (athabasca is SO PRICEY!). The advantage to distance courses is that they allow you the flexibility to plow through them quickly when you've got a good handle on the material and move more slowly when you need more time to absorb the material. Having done both classroom and distance, I prefer the distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 University of Waterloo has a number of degrees by DE. The courses run on the same schedule as they do on-campus (over a 4 month term). Here you go: http://de.uwaterloo.ca/undergraduate.html Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryann Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 I am applying to some US universities next year...emailed them, and some frowned upon distance ed courses...and some were fine with it...If you are looking at US schools, if you email the admissions, they are very quick in responding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 I am applying to some US universities next year...emailed them, and some frowned upon distance ed courses...and some were fine with it...If you are looking at US schools, if you email the admissions, they are very quick in responding I should mention along that line that Waterloo will not distinguish between DE and on campus courses in any way. Transcripts are exactly the same, and the office will not report either way on it. Basically they refuse to contribute to the negative hype about DE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbertaChris Posted April 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 I am wondering if anyone has heard of med schools frowning on doing a degree between 2 institutions? I am thinking of doing Athabasca and Waterloo and wanted to make sure I wasnt ending up with just a degree and no shot at med. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 I am wondering if anyone has heard of med schools frowning on doing a degree between 2 institutions? I am thinking of doing Athabasca and Waterloo and wanted to make sure I wasnt ending up with just a degree and no shot at med. Shouldn't be too much of a problem, schools to don't care as a rule where you did or what the degree was in. What degree are you considering, and what courses are missing from either program? I have taken close to 50 DE courses at Waterloo by the way, so I should be able to help guide your enquires about that school. Also I should mention you will likely have to go full time here to met most schools requirements - something you likely already know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbertaChris Posted April 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 Yes I realize I will have to be doing full time studies. Im pretty sure I can handle it as long as I dont take a FULL course load and stay to the minimum for full time study. I am actually intersted in trying to do an Arts Major with a Biology minor that incorperates the medical pre-reqs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 The bad news is most schools want you to have a full course load Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 Yes I realize I will have to be doing full time studies. Im pretty sure I can handle it as long as I dont take a FULL course load and stay to the minimum for full time study. I am actually intersted in trying to do an Arts Major with a Biology minor that incorperates the medical pre-reqs. As Halcyon mentioned, they really want you to do the Full 5 courses per term thing. For us full employeed people that is always the challenge. Pretty rigid system unfortunately in most cases. If you do decide to do this, and chose waterloo as one of the DE locations, feel free to PM me about it. I am finishing up the psychology and economics degree I am doing mostly by DE there pretty much this term, and the biomedical degree I am still doing there this summer - so I have exposure to the things you are trying to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 I took 10 courses last year - all but 6 credits were 300+ level, the only 200-level course being A&P...definitely time-consuming, lol. It was the first time in my life that I didn't work while going to school, I made that decision because I needed to pull off really good grades. It worked, I've actually collected $3100's worth of scholarships from Athabasca since, which is like half of my tuition, lol. But I don't think it'd be possible to take the full 10 courses in 8 months and work FT...unless you have a job where you do nothing most days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 I took 10 courses last year - all but 6 credits were 300+ level, the only 200-level course being A&P...definitely time-consuming, lol. It was the first time in my life that I didn't work while going to school, I made that decision because I needed to pull off really good grades. It worked, I've actually collected $3100's worth of scholarships from Athabasca since, which is like half of my tuition, lol. But I don't think it'd be possible to take the full 10 courses in 8 months and work FT...unless you have a job where you do nothing most days. Yeah let me second Jochi on that and say it is NOT easy. I do work full time and go to school full time and have for the last 4 years, but have made a lot of special arrangments to do that and basically have no time for anything else (computer programmer on major flex time). I have done well but it has been very draining. If I didn't have to earn money to keep my brother a float until he recovers I wouldn't even be trying it (supid liver transplant + mortgage ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToHellInAHandbasket Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Just want to add my 2 cents. While I certainly understand your situation, let me just share what I have heard. One of the meds programs in Alberta stated that while they have accepted people who have taken the odd credit or two via distance ed (specifically AU), they do NOT recommend taking all of your pre-reqs via distance, and I distinctly got the feeling that taking most of your degree online would be a huge red mark against you. In other words, more than a handful of AU courses would NOT be in your favor. I won't give any more details because I think that you need to contact the schools you want to apply to directly. Just know that at least *some* MAY not even consider you will the majority of your pre-reqs/program via distance. The problem is also that there is the possibility that most schools won't tell you their honest thoughts on AU. So you may just end up another rejected applicant and you'd be none the wiser. I personally have no bias one way or another provided that the 'educational standard' and grading scheme is the same. However, just warning you that some schools have a very strong 'dislike' for distance education as the majority of your program, like it or not. I'm not going to debate the topic, as I am really not qualified to do so. I can only tell you what I have heard and seen. At least this is what I was told. I had asked because I wanted to add some additional courses to my course load to finish my pre-reqs sooner. Because of that response, I have decided to *perhaps* take one or two AU courses, but no more. Err on the side of caution, and contact the schools that you wish to apply to. If you can take distance courses from a traditional 'bricks and mortar' school, I would try and do that. They usually don't show up as distance on your transcript. However, I am almost certain that you'll have to relocate on campus at some point to take your science classes with labs, if you need to take specific science pre-reqs for the med school that you wish to apply to and/or for the MCAT. Best of luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 I am a distance education student--but I have not taken anything from Athabasca. My academic adviser and I agree that many schools are iffy about Athab. and question the credibility of their programs--so I enrolled at MUN. (I plan on applying to MUN, so taking the degree from them is a bonus). Many schools love distance education students: it's an automatic evaluation of your self-learning capabilities, time-management, and motivation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 Many schools love distance education students: it's an automatic evaluation of your self-learning capabilities, time-management, and motivation. I hope so! Plus, there are some students that live in rural / remote areas and simply can't move to a university town. It'd be terrible to exclude those students! I may do a pre-req or two (i.e., physics) at Athabasca next year though, after I'm done at my uni. My problem is I want to take too many courses! AHH! Good luck on your applications! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 I hope so! Plus, there are some students that live in rural / remote areas and simply can't move to a university town. It'd be terrible to exclude those students! I may do a pre-req or two (i.e., physics) at Athabasca next year though, after I'm done at my uni. My problem is I want to take too many courses! AHH! Good luck on your applications! I'm in a rural community, completing my entire undergrad online. My academic adviser didn't want me taking any classes from Athabasca though...we couldn't get a clear answer from universities if they though it was credible enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildoc1 Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 I completed my MN through distance at MUN, and I am currently taking some science courses at AU. Overall I've been really happy with distance ed- it was my only option given my crazy schedule. You definitely have to be very self motivated and consistent in your studies...it's way too easy to procrastinate, and on that note I should get back to work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 I completed my MN through distance at MUN, and I am currently taking some science courses at AU. Overall I've been really happy with distance ed- it was my only option given my crazy schedule. You definitely have to be very self motivated and consistent in your studies...it's way too easy to procrastinate, and on that note I should get back to work! It's definitely a great way to prove the "self-learning" requirement some med schools ask for. Time-management, self-discipline, perseverance, etc., etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 I'm in a rural community, completing my entire undergrad online. My academic adviser didn't want me taking any classes from Athabasca though...we couldn't get a clear answer from universities if they though it was credible enough. Yeah, it's probably safer to do it that way. Since Athabasca is accredited as a university in Canada, I doubt they can discriminate openly about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Yeah, it's probably safer to do it that way. Since Athabasca is accredited as a university in Canada, I doubt they can discriminate openly about that. Not openly, but we weren't going to risk the chances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paramed6191 Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 Shouldn't be too much of a problem, schools to don't care as a rule where you did or what the degree was in. I have taken close to 50 DE courses at Waterloo by the way, so I should be able to help guide your enquires about that school. Also I should mention you will likely have to go full time here to met most schools requirements - something you likely already know What do you suppose med school (Dalhousie) would think of a second degree from Waterloo. I a looking at there BSc. but the 3 year on due to the fact that I have to do the whole thing through DE. Also is there an opportunity to do the course in say 2 years if I go through summer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 What do you suppose med school (Dalhousie) would think of a second degree from Waterloo. I a looking at there BSc. but the 3 year on due to the fact that I have to do the whole thing through DE. Also is there an opportunity to do the course in say 2 years if I go through summer? 1) What's the 2nd degree for? A last / best two GPA calculation? 2) Be aware you can't do labs by DE through UW. Other arrangements are needed, if you need those labs as pre-reqs. 3) UW has three semesters. So, the spring/ summer term runs as a 'normal' term (b/c it's such a big co-op school). As long as the courses you need are offered by DE in that term, it's a non-issue to take a full course load in that term. 4) As a 2nd degree, a 3-year general may only require 15 courses IF you get the maximum transfer from your first degree. Therefore, you could do that degree in three terms if you took a proper full course load and got all the right courses at the right time. 5) Remember, not all med schools look at summer courses equally and may only use your GPA from the Sept-Apr academic year. Something to consider! 6) Check out this link: http://de.uwaterloo.ca/Faculty_of_Science_Requirements.html (Disclaimer: Fellow UW students, please correct if I am wrong on any of the above noted information) Hope that helps Haly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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