Taking physics over the summer at a community college

Columbia09 · Oct 21, 2012

So here's my situation. I'm a double major, biology/geobiology, at Penn State and I want to try to only take bio and geosci classes my last two years of college. All of my other classes will be completed by the end of next semester except physics. Now I want to take physics somewhere cheap and the closest state school to me is an hour and a half away. However there is a CC by my house which offers physics classes that are accepted by my school. I took calc one and two over the summer already but that was because Penn State wouldn't admit me as a bio major without those two classes. So what should I do?

cabinbuilder · Oct 21, 2012

Columbia09 said:
So here's my situation. I'm a double major, biology/geobiology, at Penn State and I want to try to only take bio and geosci classes my last two years of college. All of my other classes will be completed by the end of next semester except physics. Now I want to take physics somewhere cheap and the closest state school to me is an hour and a half away. However there is a CC by my house which offers physics classes that are accepted by my school. I took calc one and two over the summer already but that was because Penn State wouldn't admit me as a bio major without those two classes. So what should I do?

Easy, take it at the CC over the summer and be done with it. No one is going to care as long as you do well.

MedPR · Oct 21, 2012

cabinbuilder said:
Easy, take it at the CC over the summer and be done with it. No one is going to care as long as you do well.

Agreed.

Columbia09 · Oct 21, 2012

See the people at college confidential told me otherwise. Does anyone else have an opinion?

xXIDaShizIXx · Oct 21, 2012

cabinbuilder said:
Easy, take it at the CC over the summer and be done with it. No one is going to care as long as you do well.

Do what you need to do OP, it sounds like a plan to me!

MedPR · Oct 21, 2012

Columbia09 said:
See the people at college confidential told me otherwise. Does anyone else have an opinion?

I took a class at CC while I was in undergrad at a 4 year uni. After finishing undergrad I've taken ~36 credits at CC. I have 10 interviews (5MD, 5DO). You'll be fine.

Mosonik · Oct 21, 2012

MedPR is an example that shows it isn't a big deal. I think the truth is it won't matter unless it seems like there is a discrepancy between your performance at CC vs university. If you are retaking I would retake at a university to avoid that problem. Otherwise, you'll be fine unless you say something dumb like "CC classes are easier".

I personally had 3 CC on my transcript (I took them in summer and it's where credit is affordable) and it was never brought up. I have multiple acceptances and more ii's than I can handle. Good luck

cabinbuilder · Oct 21, 2012

Columbia09 said:
See the people at college confidential told me otherwise. Does anyone else have an opinion?

DId any of them ever go to medical school? You are over thinking this. Do what you need to do to get where you need to be.

MedPR · Oct 21, 2012

Mosonik said:
MedPR is an example that shows it isn't a big deal. I think the truth is it won't matter unless it seems like there is a discrepancy between your performance at CC vs university. If you are retaking I would retake at a university to avoid that problem. Otherwise, you'll be fine unless you say something dumb like "CC classes are easier".

I personally had 3 CC on my transcript (I took them in summer and it's where credit is affordable) and it was never brought up. I have multiple acceptances and more ii's than I can handle. Good luck

Hey congrats on CUSOM!

Mosonik · Oct 22, 2012

Thank you! I know people will think Im nuts for choosing a new school over some of the oldest, more established ones but hey, a good fit is where it is.

MedPR · Oct 22, 2012

Mosonik said:
Thank you! I know people will think Im nuts for choosing a new school over some of the oldest, more established ones but hey, a good fit is where it is.

Hey I know how you feel. I'll be choosing NSU over Drexel if Drexel is the only MD school I get accepted to. People say it's crazy to choose DO over MD. Oh well.

coolingglasses · Oct 22, 2012

MedPR said:
Hey I know how you feel. I'll be choosing NSU over Drexel if Drexel is the only MD school I get accepted to. People say it's crazy to choose DO over MD. Oh well.

Hard to fight your instincts.

Columbia09 · Oct 28, 2012

It's like the exact opposite of this thread lol

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1386508-i-know-taboo-but-8.html

Columbia09 · Dec 4, 2012

Anyone else have an opinion? I want to make sure that the D.O schools won't care where or when I take physics one and two.

dfib slim · Dec 4, 2012

drshark · Dec 4, 2012

No they do not care... I took ochem and both physics at a CC and then part 2 at univ, as long as they see you can handle university level classes they won't care if u took a few classes at a CC... in fact my gpa from my univ is higher than my CC gpa.

MedPR · Dec 4, 2012

drshark said:
No they do not care... I took ochem and both physics at a CC and then part 2 at univ, as long as they see you can handle university level classes they won't care if u took a few classes at a CC... in fact my gpa from my univ is higher than my CC gpa.

Indeed. Except the part about Uni gpa > cc. what happened there?

Wallace12 · Dec 5, 2012

What about retaking classes at CC if taken at a university? Would that look bad, or still not a big deal?

drshark · Dec 5, 2012

MedPR said:
Indeed. Except the part about Uni gpa > cc. what happened there?

lol its only a little bit lower, like .05 or something.

Wallace12 said:
What about retaking classes at CC if taken at a university? Would that look bad, or still not a big deal?

No that's what I did, i got a C and retook it at a CC b/c my school only lets you retake D's and F's over. Its not a big deal and they could care less as long as you can handle univ classes

Columbia09 · Dec 5, 2012

The reason why I brought this thread back up is because if you checkout the link I posted, it's the opposite of this one literally. So everyone here says do it and everyone on college confidential says that it will raise red flags and look like you're taking the easy way out. My pre med adviser said that if I do taking physics one at a CC, I should def take physics two at the same cc. I called up the pre med office at my school and she said that it might be DETRIMENTAL if I take a pre req at a cc. She told me it also depends on what cc you take it at and the school you are applying to. I plan to take the classes at CUNY college of Staten Island. Now what I've been told is that the CUNY system is recognizable. Can anyone agree?

EmergDoc2B · Dec 5, 2012

I took physics at a CC and all my Chems at my 4 year institution. Rock the grades and if asked simply state its a money thing. I wasnt asked about any CC classes on my interview and Im accepted and still interviewing.

Columbia09 · Jan 1, 2013

The school I want to take physics at over the summer (College of Staten Island) is considered to be a Sr college. So I guess it's not considered to be a CC.

Back 5 · Jan 2, 2013

Columbia09 said:
The school I want to take physics at over the summer (College of Staten Island) is considered to be a Sr college. So I guess it's not considered to be a CC.

If you know better and are going to read (and believe) information from a random website over numerous members of SDN (mods, pre-meds, current med school students and alums) why did you even create this topic in the first place? You clearly already have your answer.

jrince · Jan 3, 2013

ChiroDC said:
If you know better and are going to read (and believe) information from a random website over numerous members of SDN (mods, pre-meds, current med school students and alums) why did you even create this topic in the first place? You clearly already have your answer.

Haha ego obviously! But seriously college credential is a bunch of moms that tel people what there kid did to get in and they are all type a personality. I doubt a cc class would matter as long as you make the grade. I see people who say material wise it may fly over your head and being physics is on mcat it would be wise to fully understand the material that would be my 2 cents

coolingglasses · Jan 4, 2013

I think the significance of CC < 4-year is way overstated. It's something to consider but having a lower GPA is more detrimental.

drshark · Jan 4, 2013

My friend took Ochem and a few random classes at a CC and goes to a great MD school in CA... honestly it's not that big of a deal. I would say ochem is more important than physics and yet he still got in after taking it at a CC.

Taking physics over the summer at a community college

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