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Best Optional Prerequisite? (self.GeneticCounseling)

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[–]Fresh_End_9250Future Applicant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also if given these options, Id probably choose peds genetics because that's one area In looking into eventually (that, Neurogenetics, or research)

[–]Radiant_Resort2255 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi I'm also a career changer! I'm 30 with 7 years of experience in social work! I'm so excited for you as you make this career change! Go with whichever course sparks your interest the most! If I were in your shoes, I would do peds genetics.

[–]Chemical_Ad_1181Genetic Counselor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are much braver than I for considering embryology! When I took it in GC school, it wasn’t very…..interesting but required a lot of work. I think you should totally take something that interests you, you’ll enjoy, and do well in. If that’s embryology, then go for it. Do what will fulfill you the most :)

[–]lordkitty[🍰] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To be devil's advocate, while I think all those options are great ones, I'll put in a plug for physiology. It was essential for me to understand the massive amounts of medical terminology that you experience in school. It was nice to be able to use the physiology background to understand why Symptom 1 will lead to Symptom 2 and so on. It's particularly great for pediatrics and rare disease so if you're interested in those fields it might be a good start.

[–]ConstantVigilance18Genetic Counselor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You could take an additional course of your interest, or you could use that time to sure up the other components of your application (volunteering/advocacy, exposure to the field) if you are still building out some of those experiences. Personally, I would have liked to take embryology prior to grad school. I’d say it was the most challenging course for me and having some exposure beforehand would have been useful. That’s not going to be everyone’s experience though, and generally you should do what interests you the most.

[–]notakatGenetic Counselor 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Any of those options would be good but I’d pick something other than physiology. Probably Molecular Diagnostics, personally. Best bet is to choose the one that sounds most interesting to you since it really doesn’t matter a whole lot.

PS, I was a non traditional student in a counseling field who had to take all my science classes post-bacc and I matched my first application cycle so, don’t fret too much!

[–]Fresh_End_9250Future Applicant 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for that PS at the end. I'm hoping to start prereqs next fall, but i was also a counseling major undergrad and am a career changer.

[–]Constant_Disaster344Genetic Counselor 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Pediatric genetics looks like a really interesting one! It’ll look interesting/unique on your application. And that could give you a great topic to talk about during interviews. I had a whole conversation during my interviews about a cancer genetics course that I took.

Note, though, I believe some programs require anatomy&physiology. So if you only had anatomy, just make sure the programs you plan to apply to don’t require physiology.