Community College for Post-Bacc

[2ndave]

Does anyone on this site have personal experience relating to how med schools view applicants who take their pre-reqs at a community college? I'm a 30 yo post-bacc student, just about to finish my math-sci requirements at a CC in the Twin Cities. It's one of the better ones. Almost all the profs have PhDs, and the courses are designed to feed students into the U of MN's engineering school.

I already have a BA from a very good liberal arts college and a respectable GPA. Before I started my post-bacc courses, I called some med schools and asked whether they cared where I took them. They all said no. Of course I didn't call EVERY school in America. Now, after reading some posts on this site, I'm not so sure. Certainly, the CC I'm attending won't be known to adcoms in other parts of the country. Does it help to have a BA from a well-known college? Or are some schools just prejudiced? If so, which ones? How rigid are they?

I'm thinking of adding an extra semester to my post-bacc curriculum by taking p-chem, biochem, and maybe some bio at the U of M. P-chem appears to require Calc III... Anyone know if all this is a good idea? Or just overkill? I'm not relishing the extra expense, that's for sure.

Thanks a lot in advance for any advice!

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[deleted9493]

If you already have a bachelors from a 4 year college/university and your gpa is respectable, you should be fine. Now, if you majored in hospitality and hotel management...or something like that...you would probably want to reconsider.
That being said, if you do take your prereqs at a community college, just make sure you do well on the MCAT. Things would obviously look fishy if you take your prereqs at a community college...then proceed to do not so well on the MCAT. You've got to show them that the community college option was an option of simple convenience and you do that by nailing the mcat.
(By the way, I'm no advisor...just my opinion here)

 

[deleted9493]

Oh yeah,
P. Chem and Biochem are pretty raw. Take them if you really love chemistry. If you want to take them simply to impress admissions committees, I would seriously think twice. P. Chem is apparently one of the hardest courses offered in undergraduate (...at least at my school). I could definitely understand taking biochemistry as it's generally a component of the first few years of medical education. (1st or 2nd year?)

 

[Trix]

I am a 35yo who took my prereqs at a CC and transferred to Berkeley to finish my BA. At the CC I met quite a few people who had undergrad degrees in a liberal arts that had returned to school to do their science requirements before applying to grad school/med school.

One friend had a BA in History from Univ Vermont and is now attending Harvard (PhD Program). Another has a BA in Dance from UNC, and is now attending Jefferson.

hudsontc is right. As long as you do well on the MCAT your grades in the science classes have been qualified. If not adcoms start to think something is fishy.

You will also definitely run across skeptics in interviews. During my Stanford interview my interviewer actually asked me how hard I had to study for the MCAT. I explained a moderate amount, and inquired why he had asked? He responded that it was interesting that I had done so well because I had done all of my prereqs at a CC.

I don't think he meant anything by it, more curious than anything, almost as if I was a zebra sitting in the chair across from him, and he had never interviewed a zebra, so he had to ask.

Also, I would would definitely recommend taking biochem, but not p-chem (big yawn that class, and very difficult)

Good Luck!!

 

[2ndave]

I really appreciate these responses. I can totally understand adcoms wanting to know more about the quality of coursework at CC's they don't know anything about. Still, I feel like I've learned a lot from my experience at the CC, not just in terms of coursework, but also in terms of designing and sticking to a practical, goal oriented plan. For example, I could never consider taking biochem at the U of M if I'd already spent the extra thousands to take all my pre-reqs there. I hope people in admissions see value in those kind of decisions as well. From what people are saying, it sounds like they're pretty fair-minded folks.

Thanks!

 

[Moskeeto]

I posted this somewhere else on here a while ago, sorry to repeat myself, but here goes: I was at a pre-med myths seminar at UCD med center about a month ago and most of the people on the panel and a few from the adcom seemed to have a pretty strong bias against taking classes from a cc. They all tried to hide it and say it didn't matter, but you could tell just by the way they were talking that it will hurt you. I took some pre-reqs at a cc too, so i've been hearing this from advisors and what not so it wasn't a shock, but some people in the audience were voicing some strong opinions about it. It can't be too bad for you tho because one of the physicians on the panel did ALL her pre-reqs at a cc a few years after getting her bachelors and she had gone to med school at UCD which isn't all that easy to get into. there was alot of contradiction taking place. I think adcoms are a lot more open minded about it on the west coast. when i was back east, I had a couple interviewers bring up the cc courses and they explained to me how bad it looked because they felt that even going to a state school instead of an ivy or private looked bad. but, hey, i got an interview so, again, it can't be that bad. i guess it all depends on the opinions of the adcom and how you explain yourself during the interview. Also, tons of people get in with cc courses so its not that big of a deal if you have good stats.

 

[souljah1]

I went to a CC for a few years. Had a 2.54 gpa (you could say that I didn't go to class all that much and didn't study either). Dropped out (This was in NJ). Traveled around a bit. Figured out what I wanted to do. Reentered school at another CC (in San Fran) and spent two years there doing my prereqs. Kicked ass. Transferred to Berkeley, kicked ass. Took the MCAT (32R) and applied to medical school as I went to grad school to get a Master's in Human Nutrition at Columbia. Applied to 11 schools, offerred interviews at 6, went to 5, and ultimately was accepted to 4.

UCD rejected me presecondary. If it was b/c of the CC thing - their loss. Stanford, UCSD, UCLA, and Mount Sinai didn't interview me but sent me secondaries - their loss. UCSF, Albert Einstein, UCI, and UMNDJ-RWJ gave me some love. Maybe some schools are a bit more understanding than others. I was told on a few interviews that they truly admired by ability to forge my own path starting from a CC. We spoke about how I felt that regardless of where I went to school I would have done well b/c my goals and aspirations motivate me to great lengths. None of my interviewers looked down in regards to my path, but there was one interviewer that I didn't click with (I don't think it had to do with my going to a CC) and I knew leaving that interview something felt odd. Wound up being waitlisted and then I withdrew after my UCSF acceptance. My Einstein interviewer gave me a bunch of crap for goofing around when I attended that NJ CC, but he was kind of laughing about it and said that it was good that I got to experience life a little and figure out things for myself. In my overall experience, interviewers were very understanding..If schools want to look down at you b/c you didn't have the means or the opportunity to take BASIC science classes at a four year institution..well, let's just say they should read between your index and ring finger as you smile. I have heard that the Ivies frown upon CC courses, but that is probably b/c they enjoy thinking that they are so different from everyone. I definitely felt the whole 'ivy' thing when I went to Columbia and it turned me off greatly. They are great schools, but so are many others that don't try to hard to distinguish themselves.

I guess my point is this: Just do well, apply and do so with confidence. Don't listen to rumors, don't listen to people who haven't gone through the process yet.

 

[Nefertari]

Hi souljah! (wave) Great to hear your story!

2ndave, from my exp this year, I agree that it's up to the school. Your situation sounds similar to mine. Seems as though the eastern, traditional schools might have minded more that some of my prereqs were from CC's (and that I took MCAT 3 times), b/c I've heard zip from them. I took prereq @ 4 different CC's!

W/ state schools (in my case, the UC's) it might not be as big a deal. It came up briefly during one of my interviews, but I just said that since I was post-bac (and did undergrad at a reputable school), I felt it was more democratic to finish my prereqs at CC's. In California, the CC system is great and cheap! If you qualify, your tuition and fees are covered by the Governor's Waiver. At the time, I couldn't afford the commute and the $700/course to take my prereqs @ UC Berkeley Extension. The other pluses were that b/c my CC classes were small, I was able to get 2 super personable LOR's from my instructors there, and I still keep in touch w/ them as friends.

You probably don't need to take all those extra painful courses if the schools you're applying to don't require them (doesn't sound as though you're looking forward to it). Maybe spend that time instead preparing for MCAT to show that your CC science courses were solid. Congrats on almost finishing your prereqs! It's a huge step for us non-trads!

 

[2ndave]

Hey, thanks for all the replies.

Actually, I'd really like to take some upper level chemistry classes, which I'd have to go to a four year U to do. It's pretty expensive though, and I'm just wondering how much it will actually improve my chances with med schools--assumming I did well at the U of MN in, say, biochem and/or p-chem, would that help reassure some of the schools that tend to look down on CC's? It SEEMS like it would to me, but if the bias is really ingrained with some people, well, then, there might be nothing I can do about it. Their loss then, I guess!

 

[neofight]

Hey, I'm proud of all of those who went ahead and did their post-baac at a cc eventhough it may not be the ideal place to them. You can't beat the cost for giving it a shot. As long as you do well on the MCAT, it doesn't really matter where you take them.

 

[CD]

Two year ago I called out state medical school and inquired about the CC thing. They said they didn't care WHERE I took the required pre-med classes. HOWEVER, because I had been out of school for 10 years they wanted to see me take a full load at a university SOMETIME during my post bacc years. SO if it's been a few years since you've been out of school you really NEED to take at least one semester at a university, although you can still choose to take those pre-req's at the CC if you wish.

 

[Poisson]

I hope someone can help with this. Well I am in a situation where I want to take a class related to Physiology or Anatomy over the summer. There is a school, a community college, which has these courses near by. I checked the posted grade distributions online, and it does not seem to be an everybody gets an A sort of class, more like a 2.5/2.7 GPA, thus its not a bad course. Over the summer I plan on doing a research fellowship at a top institution, in preparation for dual degree programs, MD or DO / PhD. To let you know, in case it changes your idea, my GPA is approximately a 3.0-3.1 science and cumulative. My MS GPA is an even 4.0 science and cumulative, with a mix of engineering, medical science, and physics. I have taken some classes beyond the level of these courses, but do not have the basic courses, thus it would benefit me a lot to help feel in the gaps. I come from an engineering background, and have had some pathophysiology, cell, physiology, and anatomy as applied to specific regions of the body, but I feel a general course would do me well.

Would the CC courses, which would be convenient because of the type of course offering, and my family situation, be looked upon poorly? I believe that they will not hurt, because the Physiology class is a solid 4 credits, and to me, the simple title Physiology constitutes a better course then A and P at least in my state, which is usually for a less concentrated, non 4-year university course. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I could take a comparative anatomy course at my current school at full tuition covered, but I may have to come to campus to take online exams, which would be very inconvenient right now, as well as I spoke to the instructor, and he did not entirely recommend his course, because of the over emphasis in animal sciences, with limited human anatomy. Also, I wanted to know if bacteriology or community biology were worth taking? I have the option to take these courses this summer, with the first course being more professional/graduate level.

 

[SoulinNeed]

As someone who is currently taking the rest of their prereqs at a CC(I graduated from my university last year, but didn't manage to complete all of my prereqs there cause I switched to pre-med late), I've done a lot of research on this. Firstly, it totally depends on the medical school. Some schools have it as a huge strike and a select few don't accept CC credit at all, some prefer it to be uni credit, but don't really care too much, and some don't care at all. You have to do the research, contact the schools that you're interested in, and find out how they feel.

Although, I will tell you some general advice. It's not a good idea to take classes at a CC WHILE you're currently enrolled at a university. I graduated, needed to save money, and had done very well in the pre-reqs that I took at my uni, so most adcoms that I've talked to understood my situation. Schools, however, may choose to look at it like you're just avoiding taking the class at your University.

 

[otggwmfs]

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[Nymphicus]

In general, biochem is a more interesting and useful class (also more MCAT relevant). Be careful with physical chem though.

 

[Poisson]

As someone who is currently taking the rest of their prereqs at a CC(I graduated from my university last year, but didn't manage to complete all of my prereqs there cause I switched to pre-med late), I've done a lot of research on this. Firstly, it totally depends on the medical school. Some schools have it as a huge strike and a select few don't accept CC credit at all, some prefer it to be uni credit, but don't really care too much, and some don't care at all. You have to do the research, contact the schools that you're interested in, and find out how they feel.

Although, I will tell you some general advice. It's not a good idea to take classes at a CC WHILE you're currently enrolled at a university. I graduated, needed to save money, and had done very well in the pre-reqs that I took at my uni, so most adcoms that I've talked to understood my situation. Schools, however, may choose to look at it like you're just avoiding taking the class at your University.

I know what you mean about this. But my situation is that I want to take a class like this over the summer. My university is a big school, but offers an extremely limited about of courses. I personally think this is a fine excuse, but would hate to have my application dismissed because of this. 95% of my courses are at a reputable university (including pre-med), so I do not think it would matter. For all I know, in the fall I may be taking a few more bio courses at a top institution, out of convienece because of my family situation, so I don't think it may matter much. I mean, Physiology, at least at my current big school is not that hard of a course, and I could take it, but I want to get it done over the summer. My cousin was admitted to PT school on a full ride, announced during the interview, and took everything at a CC in pre-reqs, 22 credits. Its a tough call, but hey I saw the syllabus today, the course looks good, I think I will take it. Its only 1 bio course at a CC.

 

[Poisson]

In general, biochem is a more interesting and useful class (also more MCAT relevant). Be careful with physical chem though.

Why would physical chem be a hard course? I have read through a lot of old exams for physical chem and it seemed to be the most easy class of chemistry for myself (could be totally wrong). But then again I am a graduate level bioengineer. I think the more qualitative the course is, the more variability there is in the interpretation. The more physics oriented a course is, it seems to be more run of the mill calculations in a certain tolerance.

I think it probably depends on the school and the teacher though, its hard to say. At least at my school, it didn't seem to be that popular of a course, and the GPA distribution was decent (way above 3.0). Where like the organic distribution is barely passing, or failing (bout 1.7).

 

[Nymphicus]

Does anyone on this site have personal experience relating to how med schools view applicants who take their pre-reqs at a community college? I'm a 30 yo post-bacc student, just about to finish my math-sci requirements at a CC in the Twin Cities. It's one of the better ones. Almost all the profs have PhDs, and the courses are designed to feed students into the U of MN's engineering school.

I already have a BA from a very good liberal arts college and a respectable GPA. Before I started my post-bacc courses, I called some med schools and asked whether they cared where I took them. They all said no. Of course I didn't call EVERY school in America. Now, after reading some posts on this site, I'm not so sure. Certainly, the CC I'm attending won't be known to adcoms in other parts of the country. Does it help to have a BA from a well-known college? Or are some schools just prejudiced? If so, which ones? How rigid are they?

I'm thinking of adding an extra semester to my post-bacc curriculum by taking p-chem, biochem, and maybe some bio at the U of M. P-chem appears to require Calc III... Anyone know if all this is a good idea? Or just overkill? I'm not relishing the extra expense, that's for sure.

Thanks a lot in advance for any advice!

Why would physical chem be a hard course? I have read through a lot of old exams for physical chem and it seemed to be the most easy class of chemistry for myself (could be totally wrong). But then again I am a graduate level bioengineer. I think the more qualitative the course is, the more variability there is in the interpretation. The more physics oriented a course is, it seems to be more run of the mill calculations in a certain tolerance.

I think it probably depends on the school and the teacher though, its hard to say. At least at my school, it didn't seem to be that popular of a course, and the GPA distribution was decent (way above 3.0). Where like the organic distribution is barely passing, or failing (bout 1.7).

In general, biochem is a more interesting and useful class (also more MCAT relevant). Be careful with physical chem though.

Let me rephrase.

Someone who is not a graduate level engineer who is most likely not in love with physics and math should be careful about paying a lot of money in order to take calc III in order to take physical chem when there are other (more relevant) options like biochem available.

 

[Poisson]

Let me rephrase.

Someone who is not a graduate level engineer who is most likely not in love with physics and math should be careful about paying a lot of money in order to take calc III in order to take physical chem when there are other (more relevant) options like biochem available.

Thank you for the recommendation on this. At my school, Biochem is the worst class. I bet it is great preparation for medical school, but I haven't met one person who scored higher than a B or B- in it at the magna cum laude graduation level.

 

[Nymphicus]

Thank you for the recommendation on this. At my school, Biochem is the worst class. I bet it is great preparation for medical school, but I haven't met one person who scored higher than a B or B- in it at the magna cum laude graduation level.

Perhaps if all the engineers weren't so busy studying for p-chem and all their other (much, much harder, I'm sure) engineering classes, they might have more time to focus on studying for biochem?

Just a thought.