I need cheap classes to boost GPA

[Hotdogman1]

Awesome write up. I usually recommend the people I help to take the prereqs first then the rest of the credits. I understand your rational, but if you can't pass the prerequisites in person, what's the point in proceeding? There is no way a CC General Chemistry course is harder than any med school course. Also, if you mess up your science GPA, you could give up early and not pay the additional tuition money to improve the overall gpa. However, some optometry and pharmacy schools also accept online prereqs so I previously looked into it. To be transparent, I haven't taken any of these courses online and I would retake them in person if I had to.

I appreciate the critique, and I definitely see where you're coming from. However I'm speaking from my own experiences. I say the exact opposite because if you don't have the study skills and strategies to get an A in an easy introduction to communication course, you probably won't do well in general chemistry 1. 

I was one of those 18-year-olds who should have started with just the easiest non-science courses first to get a handle on how to become a student, learn how to take notes, and how to prepare for exams. 

My parents are immigrants who don't know English and didn't go to high school or college. Not using it as an excuse but students with parents from these backgrounds generally don't go to college or do well enough to graduate, let alone go to medical school.  

Those kids who flame out of gen bio and gen chem aren't always dumb kids who can't be doctors who "have no point in proceeding". Most of the time, I believe that they are students who never learned how to be effective students.

By starting out with easy courses, they get a firm and confident background in study strategies to start the significantly harder prereqs.

With your logic, "What's the point in learning how to walk if you can't run a marathon first? Just give up early and not even try."

This might stem from different perspectives from OP's post. Don't you repair a GPA after you graduate, and try to improve/increase it if you didn't? I was assuming OP graduated with a Bachelor's and needed to repair their GPA. I think you are assuming the student didn't graduate yet. 

If they didn't graduate, then it makes a lot more sense that they take the easier courses first. However, I don't see how how UMPI, any other CBE program, or ASU UL would help a student learn to study. UMPI is basically one assignment per course. Sure, you need discipline and be organized to succeed but do you actually need to study? When I did General Chemistry, I had weekly quizzes and with lab assignments I had to prep for + lab reports due on Mondays. (Thinking about it, this might be a personal bias since I don't feel like I learned anything at UMPI.)

Either way, I don't get why you guys are arguing but I agree with a lot of of the comments you and duneranger made. The only thing I disagree with duneranger is the inflated GPA comment. I agree that rapidly taking courses at UMPI does "artificially" increase your overall GPA. Ultimately, the minimum educational requirements are the prerequisites and a bachelor's degree, with a higher GPA improving your odds. I see it like deep cleaning and waxing my shitty car before selling it. As long as I get in, I definitely don't care about the other people.

[ReyMysterioso]

"You are trying to sell a dream that is not going to come to fruition for 99% of people."

When people tell me stuff similar to this, I just use it as motivition to prove I'm the 1%.

[Duneranger]

"You are trying to sell a dream that is not going to come to fruition for 99% of people."

When people tell me stuff similar to this, I just use it as motivition to prove I'm the 1%.

Do it, but trying to find shortcuts into medical school will not prepare you for the onslaught to come. Getting some easy BA from UMPI or any other gimmicky credit source is just one thing. Getting into medical school, surviving medical school, passing the STEP exams and getting through residency is another.

It's setting up people to fail. In 2025 with all of the easy "college" credits and fast-tracked degrees, people get deluded into thinking that every education pathway follows the same path.

Pro tip, it doesn't. When I see people here saying they want an "easy" degree but also have hopes of getting a PhD makes me believe that people truly do not know what they do not know.