I have talked to many people that have had great experiences with community colleges for taking pre-reqs both for the first time and retaking them. I know that I have attended information sessions where I was told that if I retook my physics term that I had received a C over at a community college and received and A that I would be in a significantly better position than I was currently compared to their averages of accepted students from the prior cycle.
Knowing all this, I still decided to retake some classes through UCLA extension rather than my local community college.
Here's why. I needed to take and English composition course to be accepted as a transfer student after I decided to leave my first university after my freshman year. First off, because the community college in my area has guaranteed transfer acceptance agreements with UCLA, USC, and other UC schools, the classes are packed. Since I wasn't a current student, by the time I was allowed to register, there were absolutely no classes that filled my requirement available, not even wait list spots. The first day of class, I went to the school and sat in classes until one of the teachers gave me a spot. After all this, the class turned out to be a total joke. It was easier than my public high school English classes, but students who had taken multiple classes there kept telling me about their friends in other sections of the same class that had a significantly less challenging teacher. I started talking to friends who had gone to this community college directly out of high school and they echoed my feelings that many of the classes, including sciences, were at our high school level or easier.
I wanted to come out of my re-takes with not only a better grade, but also a thorough understanding of the subject, ensuring that I was adequately prepared for a DPT program. I didn't feel that this school was going to do that for me. The UCLA extension classes are offered at night, like many community college classes, but current undergraduate students are allowed to take the extension classes for credit, showing me that the extension classes are up to UCLA's standards.
After all that rambling, my point is that you should do your research, and take the classes at a place that you feel like you are going to get a good quality class. If it is a ****ty class through a "prestigious" school, it might not be worth it. If it is a a great class at a community college, it probably is worth it. If you have more than one option, it cant hurt to look into the choices. While getting an A in an easy class will help you get in, will it hurt you once you are in?
