However, this doesn’t mean that education has to be boring. The classical education method actually reinforces the idea that students should be encouraged to do what they find naturally enjoyable during certain phases in their lives.

For example, children in grammar school are great at memorizing things. They enjoy reciting songs and rhymes. Sometimes they like it so much that they make up their own. In this method, the grammar phase relates to this inclination by concentrating on factual learning.

If you have ever had a child in the junior high years you are probably aware that children in this stage are very likely to question and argue. The classical education method applies this tendency to logic and reasoning.

In this phase, children need to learn how to argue based on the facts that they learned in the grammar phase.

When a child hits the third and last phase, normally in the high school years, students’ interests shift from internal to external concerns.

Teenagers in this phase are more prone to have concerns how they are perceived. In the rhetoric phase, children are taught how to share their thoughts and ideas so that they are well understood.

A classical education helps children develop a true sense of success. Because the classical education method holds children to an objective standard, they obtain a better sense of what they can and cannot do. This type of educational method provides a practical and accurate assessment of a child’s capabilities.

Learning, hard work, and fun can be intertwined. Learning in each of the stages should be enjoyable and challenging. When students learn according to the stage that they are in, it is easy to recognize that students love to learn.

Learning can be very exciting for children. This way of teaching increases an appreciation for education in children, and their desire to pursue additional knowledge.

How AMCAS medical school applications are evaluated

The AMCAS system is used by a majority of medical admissions committees to streamline the admissions process for both the applicant and the school. AMCAS is the system that forwards your verified GPA and MCAT information to each potential medical school. This means that instead of having to send an individual application, transcript, MCAT score to each school, AMCAS does it all for you.

There are three essential criteria that are presented to committees via AMCAS: overall GPA, science GPA, and MCAT score. In this article, I will discuss the importance of a high GPA and the strategies that will ensure your position as an ideal candidate for medical school.

Overall GPA vs. Science GPA

A high science GPA is a critical factor in medical school admissions.

The course requirements for most medical schools involves a year of the following: general biology+lab, general chemistry+lab, general physics+lab, organic chemistry+lab. Variable requirements include statistics and/or calculus. All these classes get factored into the science GPA, a “number” that indicates to the admissions committee of your personal ability to grasp material taught in medical school. Even though it may seem unfair, it is the most effective way that admissions office can handle the high volume of applicants in an orderly and timely manner.

The overall GPA plays a role, albeit a minor one, in the medical admissions game. If your overall GPA varies from the science GPA significantly, it indicates to committees of your lack of interest in certain subjects and this may be a red flag for some. This is because medicine is an interdisciplinary field and even though most of it is science, being a successful physician may require effective public speaking and English skills. If you have anything less than a B in these courses in college, it may have some bearing on your chances at getting admission. However, maintaining a high science GPA should be a bigger priority. So if you have to chose between acing your Microbiology exam or writing a winning Poetics paper one late night, I would say go for the Microbiology.

Choosing a School and Major the Maximizes Your Science GPA

As long as you have the above required coursework completed, there is no need to pursue upper division coursework (unless you are a science major). If I had known this earlier, I would have majored in economics or political science and truly enjoyed my lab-free undergraduate days. Instead, I chose to major in biology and spend my evenings writing lab reports and memorizing esoteric concepts.

Do NOT feel obligated to pursue a science major if your future plans include medical school. Instead, pursue a major that you genuinely are interested in- may it be art, dance, quantum physics. This will not only guarantee that you will maintain a high overall GPA in college, but also that you will enjoy your college experience. Also, this is refreshing to a medical school since non-science majors provide diversity and interesting insight to the community. As long as you find a way to incorporate a way to take all the required science classes, you will be okay.

Do NOT major in science unless you know 100% that you will get at least a B+ on all upper division coursework. Every science class you take gets factored into the science GPA, not just the prerequisite classes. So if you decided to take an advanced organic chemistry course out of sheer interest and end up getting a D, this will be factored into your science GPA and will look very poor, even though it was an esoteric course. As a science major, you will have to take more science courses in upper division that can be graded more harshly. There is no need to jeopardize your undergraduate science GPA unless you know you will do extremely well in these classes. I’m not here to discourage you if you really want to major in biochemistry or physics, but I do want to warn you of the possible consequences in the growing stiff competition in the world of medical school admissions.

How the College You Attend Gets Factored In

The college you ultimately end up choosing to attend weighs heavily, but indirectly, on medical school applications. For the most part, your capabilities as a medical school student are represented by the three magic numbers: overall GPA, science GPA, and MCAT.

I chose to attend Reed College because of its research-based curriculum and thesis year. Reed College had the facilities that taught me how to think critically and to do self-directed laboratory research that I thought would be a rigorous introduction to medical research and medical school. In fact Reed College churns out the most undergraduates that end up getting a PhD in biology in the nation.

What ends up hurting me in the end is a triple threat: Reed’s anti-grade inflation policy, being a biology major, and being a biology major at Reed. There have only been a handful of 4.0 graduates during Reed’s existence. I don’t think any of them were in any of the science departments (I’d have to double check on this). Imagine how this has affected my overall GPA and science GPA. Considering how hard I work here, I think that I would’ve maintained something close to a 4.0 GPA that I had if I had attended transferred to a university. This is especially because Reed’s upper division courses also have a graded lab portion, unlike other schools. But this is not just the case at Reed.

Most liberal arts colleges have a tougher grading system than other universities. The combination of smaller class sizes and emphasis on academics rather than grades is what drives the GPA down in liberal arts schools. In smaller classes, professors are more careful in evaluating their students and can have more tougher exams because they don’t need to grade a huge volume of exams in a short period of time. I attempted to take organic chemistry at Reed for a semester and dropped it after a couple weeks. The tests were very intensive, involving writing complete mechanisms of reactions and predicting entire chemical structures from scratch. The lab portion was independent. We were asked to try to make a certain chemical with a limited amount of reagents on our own.

I spent my following summer at University of California, Riverside taking the organic chemistry course again. The exams at certain points were multiple choice (!) and the lab portion involved following a simple protocol every meeting rather than using critical thinking to adapt what was learned in lecture into lab. And since the class was well over 200 students, the entire course was streamlined this way so that grades could be put up on time and TAs could minimize the amount of time it took to grade.

Conclusion?

Most liberal arts school have a very strong philosophy on learning rather than being taught. The curriculum is almost always tougher and the average GPA of a graduate almost always significantly lower. Not to put down larger universities, but Reed students could blow UCR students out of the water in organic chemistry. But who is more likely going to get into medical school: the B- student that learned how to synthesize a ester alcohol on his own or the A student that mastered the art of multiple choice and rote memorization? I would say the A student because that is what AMCAS sees and the system is blind to any fine detail.

Distance learning programs allow you to attend classes online at your convenience for a fraction of the cost of a regular school environment. Currently almost every university and college allow their programs of bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D.’s via distance learning at a very reasonable fee and financial aid is available.

When researching a distance learning college or university, it is important to be sure that the degree program you select is properly accredited. Accreditation means that the institution offering your degree meets academic and professional standards for the degree programs it offers.

Students or professionals pursuing this style of education may use former commuting time for active learning. Many accredited distance learning colleges understand that nontraditional students, especially adult students, have different learning styles and varying levels of technology experience from traditional college-aged students. These differences contribute to their learning choices and ability to complete distance learning programs.

Some online degree programs make it possible to earn your degree in as little as 12-18 months. Gone are the days where you physically have to go to school to get your degree.

Distance learning programs are designed to help adult learners with multiple responsibilities earn their degrees without being tied down to class times and without having to go to a campus center. Online degrees allow people to better balance the responsibilities in their life with their education. No teacher is going to look over your shoulder telling you to go to class or turn in an assignment. So you are going to have to seriously motivate and discipline yourself.