Should I take Physics at a Community College?

[optimisticallypassingorgo]

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Hi all

I want to take Physics this summer. I was originally planning on taking it at a local community college but my adviser told me that was a bad idea. She said this because I currently have a 3.0 sGPA (this is my first year and last semester I only took Orgo), and because many of my previous science credits (Gen Bio, Chem, and Anatomy) are from community college. I took those classes in high school, I'm not a transfer.

So, I want to take physics in the summer but as I was looking up the summer classes (at a 4-year that is different but easier than my college) I saw that the prof has really awful reviews. Can I link it here? I'm not sure but here are some excerpts from the reviews for the class I want to take:

1. He is a hard professor and I would recommend you to be cautious before enrolling in his summer course however; I did still manage to get an A! After studying all night before the exam! He does not tell you what is going to be on his exams and the class average was around a 40%.

2. This is not a good teacher at all. He doesn't care about his students, but he cares about that how he can make exam harder. However, I got an A in this class, but that was all my work. I studied 8 to 9 hours everyday by myself. And if you ask him any question during exam, he will always give you rude answer or just tell that think about it.

3. All I can say is WORST PROFESSOR ever. Avoid, or you will regret it. Not helpful at all, he's very rude when asking questions. Blasts through the materials very fast. Lecture is not helpful; he makes a lot of mistakes and just ignores his mistakes...,like seriously? Exams are NOT easy; his lectures have absolutely NOTHING to do with them. AVOID!!!

4. The physics 1 class with him requires so a lot of work. Exams are so hard. I wouldn't recommend taking him. A lot of us had to drop this class. I wouldn't not recommend him at all if you are looking for an A or B.

5. The tests are extremely hard and studying everyday didnt help HE DOESN'T CURVE AT ALL ANYMORE at the end of the semester, so a lot of us received failing grades (I can't believe it). As a 4.0 student, this class was incredible tough as I failed it. Waste of time and by gpa took a big hit.

And so on. I don't know what to do. Physics is difficult at my uni and my grades are already suffering. Should I just take it at cc?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Eddie Chahar]

N=1 here, but I have a friend who took physics at a CC while I took it at a university. What he learned in an entire semester was covered by my first of three exams in a single semester. This is partly the reason it's looked "down upon" but generally speaking taking a single class there shouldn't be a huge deal. Just know that you are likely cutting your knowledge base short, which may or may not be problematic on the new MCAT (which I know nothing about).

 

[optimisticallypassingorgo]

N=1 here, but I have a friend who took physics at a CC while I took it at a university. What he learned in an entire semester was covered by my first of three exams in a single semester. This is partly the reason it's looked "down upon" but generally speaking taking a single class there shouldn't be a huge deal. Just know that you are likely cutting your knowledge base short, which may or may not be problematic on the new MCAT (which I know nothing about).

The problem is that this isn't my first class. I took Gen Bio, Gen Chem, and Anatomy and Physiology at cc as well during high school. That is why my adviser said it isn't ok but I have been told they exaggerate a lot.

I hadn't thought about the MCAT but that's a good point...

 

[lifetothefullest]

Generally, you should take summer classes at peer institutions - CCs generally aren't considered peer institutions. It's best if you do take it at a four-year college and here's one personal anecdote for you. I took summer physics (both semesters) at a four-year college and the professor had bad reviews on ratemyprofessor.com. But I took it anyway because I thought that I would be able to do well in those circumstances. I put in a lot of work but it wasn't that hard. I mean, the work you put in was directly correlated with your exam score. So the point is, you don't know if the people writing the reviews are who you want to be listening to. Usually science classes are hard and people don't know how to study for them or don't want to. They also usually have low averages. So I guess it all depends on how confident you are in your abilities.

Also, keep in mind that people who take the time to write professor reviews online are a very biased group - either really enjoyed the class or really hated it.

 

[amad01]

N=1 here, but I have a friend who took physics at a CC while I took it at a university. What he learned in an entire semester was covered by my first of three exams in a single semester. This is partly the reason it's looked "down upon" but generally speaking taking a single class there shouldn't be a huge deal. Just know that you are likely cutting your knowledge base short, which may or may not be problematic on the new MCAT (which I know nothing about).

"Likely cutting your knowledge base short" ???? Please don't listen to this post. You're 1 experience means nothing. You aren't cutting anything short ESPECIALLY for mcat material. MCAT physics is extremely basic and you will obtain plenty info in any college physics series. Perhaps if OP is a physics major then MAYBE it would be a good idea to suggest staying in the physics program at the Uni.

Generally, you should take summer classes at peer institutions - CCs generally aren't considered peer institutions.

what does that even mean?

I attended a 4 year uni, then transferred to a CC where I took all pre-req's (bio, cell bio, phys, chems, Ochems, calculus series, and more) then transferred and graduated at a diff 4 yr. I received 11 MD interviews and nobody cares. The CC scar is one of the biggest SDN myths.

 

[BlueCircle]

CC myth is an SDN (and some college advisors) myth that needs to die. It wont make or break your application.

Also, for the n=1 post above regarding the amount of material being covered, I think it is a (big) error to extrapolate the material covered by one professor to an entire school system. As a community college transfer, I literally had more challenging per-requisite teachers at my community college than I do with upper division bio classes at my current 4-year (US news top 50). Only one upper division bio class here has challenged me to the same level I experienced with many of the "lower division" science courses at my CC. Go figure.

Obviously I cannot compare lower div CC to lower div 4-year, so no words there.

Also, community college teachers are usually better and more involved than 4 year professors who also do research because their primary concern is their research, and teaching is just this nuisance they have to take care of once a year.

 

[miszfifi820]

I dont believe it is 'bad' but be aware of the med schools that do not accept CC prereq credits regardless of how well you do.

 

[lifetothefullest]

what does that even mean?

I attended a 4 year uni, then transferred to a CC where I took all pre-req's (bio, cell bio, phys, chems, Ochems, calculus series, and more) then transferred and graduated at a diff 4 yr. I received 11 MD interviews and nobody cares. The CC scar is one of the biggest SDN myths.

The situation is different for transfer students versus students already matriculated at a four-year college. Here are several medical school opinions:

http://admissions.med.ufl.edu/faq/#community_college
http://www.upstate.edu/com/admissions/faqs.php
http://medicine.yale.edu/education/admissions/apply/premed.aspx
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/admissions/md/application_process/prerequisites_requirements.html

And an additional one addressing the specific topic from Berkeley's Career Center:

https://career.berkeley.edu/medical/PrepPrereq.stm

As you see, UF and SUNY Upstate strongly recommend students who have already matriculated at 4 year universities to take their science pre-reqs at the four year institution. Yale requires CC courses to be similar in content to those at 4 year universities and as a student who has taken science CC courses in HS, those courses usually cover less material than those in 4-year institutions though my experience may not be representative. Finally, Hopkins is just beginning to accept CC science courses although they recommend applicants to take upper level science courses at their 4-year college if they do take the CC route.

Obviously, this would be different if you were transferring to the 4 year college.

So the point is, because CC science courses are viewed as less rigorous than their 4-year counterparts (I concede that this is a generalization that may not be true in all cases), medical schools may question your commitment to challenge yourself. This is especially applicable to the OP - re-read his/her original post about why he/she wants to take the CC route.

 

[Eddie Chahar]

"Likely cutting your knowledge base short" ???? Please don't listen to this post. You're 1 experience means nothing. You aren't cutting anything short ESPECIALLY for mcat material. MCAT physics is extremely basic and you will obtain plenty info in any college physics series. Perhaps if OP is a physics major then MAYBE it would be a good idea to suggest staying in the physics program at the Uni.



what does that even mean?

I attended a 4 year uni, then transferred to a CC where I took all pre-req's (bio, cell bio, phys, chems, Ochems, calculus series, and more) then transferred and graduated at a diff 4 yr. I received 11 MD interviews and nobody cares. The CC scar is one of the biggest SDN myths.

I'm not gonna go back and forth here so I'll keep it simple OP. You obviously want the best FOUNDATION of physics knowledge preparing for the MCAT. Whatever you don't learn in a classroom, you'll end up having to teach yourself for the MCAT. Why wouldn't you want to put your best foot forward before prepping for that exam? I don't see the point in amad01's statement, respectfully. My two semesters of physics had problems almost identical to any MCAT/practice exam I've taken. Please don't disregard this, I'm honestly trying to be helpful.

 

[milk1993]

The consensus is that you shouldn't take pre reqs at a CC.

I took honors physics in high school via a local CC and it qualified as credit for physics 1 and 2. I made sure to ace my science pre reqs at university so it didn't hurt me in the end. I think it looks fishy if you don't do well in science classes at your university.

The fact that you have a 3.0 sgpa is worrisome, and now you need to do whatever you can to prove you can handle hard science courses at your university. Take physics at your university.

I've taken classes from professors with similar reviews and it sucks sometimes but you have to suck it up. Just remember that everyone has the same professor in the class, so it's not like you're the only one having to experience the bad professor. Just work hard and it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[amad01]

I'm not gonna go back and forth here so I'll keep it simple OP. You obviously want the best FOUNDATION of physics knowledge preparing for the MCAT. Whatever you don't learn in a classroom, you'll end up having to teach yourself for the MCAT. Why wouldn't you want to put your best foot forward before prepping for that exam? I don't see the point in amad01's statement, respectfully. My two semesters of physics had problems almost identical to any MCAT/practice exam I've taken. Please don't disregard this, I'm honestly trying to be helpful.

Meh, for me and many by the time you get to MCAT studying physics will be a thing of the past that you will have to re-review anyways. Go wherever is cheapest and most convenient where OP can do best and get that A. GPA will break OP way before institution choice will even be looked at, so really this thread is pretty pointless.

And @ Eddie , Your physics class (which IMO would be odd to have a physics class that is purely conceptual as the mcat is) means nothing unless you can get OP to enroll in the same class at the same institution with the same professor.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Generally, you should take summer classes at peer institutions - CCs generally aren't considered peer institutions. It's best if you do take it at a four-year college and here's one personal anecdote for you. I took summer physics (both semesters) at a four-year college and the professor had bad reviews on ratemyprofessor.com. But I took it anyway because I thought that I would be able to do well in those circumstances. I put in a lot of work but it wasn't that hard. I mean, the work you put in was directly correlated with your exam score. So the point is, you don't know if the people writing the reviews are who you want to be listening to. Usually science classes are hard and people don't know how to study for them or don't want to. They also usually have low averages. So I guess it all depends on how confident you are in your abilities.

Also, keep in mind that people who take the time to write professor reviews online are a very biased group - either really enjoyed the class or really hated it.

This was exactly my experience doing summer physics at my uni. Both professors had HORRIBLE reviews (worst teacher I've ever had, ruined my 4.0 etc.) but since it was summer I was able to focus more on those classes and got A's in them. One of the professors truly was the worst I've ever had (it was clear that they were only employed thanks to nepotism) but I found a way to beat their system and still got an A. With the flexibility given by only taking one or two classes in a summer, you can accomplish a lot in a situation where you might have done poorly during a more rigorous semester.

I wouldn't recommend taking a CC course load. If you have a low GPA already, I feel like doing so while taking CC classes looks even worse.

 

[Storph]

I was a transfer student, and the physics I took at my CC was much better than the physics at my 4 year university. I was very well prepared for the physical science section of the MCAT, and I got into plenty of schools this cycle. I will warn you, however, that there were a few schools on my list that I wound up not applying to because they didn't take CC credits.

I have never had anyone mention anything negative about my CC work during interviews. I don't think it is a big deal.

 

[Bamfu]

I did every single one of my science courses at a CC after graduating from a 4-yr university with a non-science degree. As long as you understand physics well enough to do well on the MCAT, it doesn't matter at all where you take physics so long as your GPA is good. Hell, some of my best instructors in my entire college career (something like ~190 hours + 2 yrs med school) were ex-high school teachers at the CC with just master's degrees in their field. They weren't scientists, but they taught extremely well.

The only reasons I would have for showing any disfavor against taking this particular CC course is that the professor seems unnecessarily difficult/bad. If the avg for the class is 40%, there is something wrong with the professor. I get that physics is a tough course for undergrad, but 40% is pretty pathetic.

Check that, 2 reasons for disfavor. The second: if you can pull an A in the course at your 4 yr university, it bumps your sGPA up from a 3.0. Then again, you're not even halfway through your undergrad education, so there's plenty of time for that. 1.5 reasons I guess.

 

[lifetothefullest]

The only reasons I would have for showing any disfavor against taking this particular CC course is that the professor seems unnecessarily difficult/bad. If the avg for the class is 40%, there is something wrong with the professor. I get that physics is a tough course for undergrad, but 40% is pretty pathetic.

I don't think OP is referring to the CC course for that professor - he/she is looking at a course at a different 4-year institution. There isn't anything necessarily wrong with the professor, as along as he/she curves that class in the end. There could be many explanations for the low averages - a lot of people in the class who don't give a ****, people who don't have good study habits, etc. I've had math exams where the average is routinely 30-50% simply because the professors like to challenge us. They curve the class in the end.

 

[optimisticallypassingorgo]

Hello again its OP here.

I've read all your responses and they are all helpful and informative. I've gotten more help from here than my adviser could ever give me.

I'm still not entirely sure what to do. Now I'm contemplating taking Physics 1 at the cc and Physics 2 at the 4-year. However I'm leaning towards just taking it at the 4-year. It seems like the safest bet and will raise my sGPA at the 4-year. I'm still on the fence though. I had originally planned to take both sections of physics at a cc but my adviser basically said if I do it at a cc I would not be able to continue down my current path to med. Her words not mine.

The 3.0 sGPA is from a single orgo class from last semester. It was my first science class and this is my first year at a 4-year. I'm hoping to get an A in orgo lecture and lab this semester, which would raise my sGPA to a 3.56.

Taking the class at a cc seemed more practical because the 4-year is about an hour from my house while cc is 20 min away. cc is also way cheaper than the 4-year.

 

[Hospitalized]

I would do physics at CC. Here's why:

1.) There are very few colleges that care if your coursework is from CC. n=1 I know someone who got into a top 20 with an AA from a CC.
2.) Some CC are actually more difficult than university; mine in particular was much more difficult and I felt that I learned much more at the CC than I am learning at my university
3.) If it's easier, so what? All you need is baseline knowledge for the physics MCAT -- It's the smallest portion. Most problems are 1-3 steps from what I've seen. It's a lot more practical knowledge.
4.) Your adviser sounds like mine, clueless. I've been recommended to submit my applications in September. They probably have your best interest at hand but they really don't know what they are talking about for the most part. This site has a lot more insight into the process if you know where to look.
5.) It's closer. That's 80 more minutes a day to be productive.

 

[Storph]

I would do physics at CC. Here's why:

1.) There are very few colleges that care if your coursework is from CC. n=1 I know someone who got into a top 20 with an AA from a CC.
2.) Some CC are actually more difficult than university; mine in particular was much more difficult and I felt that I learned much more at the CC than I am learning at my university
3.) If it's easier, so what? All you need is baseline knowledge for the physics MCAT -- It's the smallest portion. Most problems are 1-3 steps from what I've seen. It's a lot more practical knowledge.
4.) Your adviser sounds like mine, clueless. I've been recommended to submit my applications in September. They probably have your best interest at hand but they really don't know what they are talking about for the most part. This site has a lot more insight into the process if you know where to look.
5.) It's closer. That's 80 more minutes a day to be productive.

I agree completely with this. I took ochem and physics at a CC, and they blew away most four year colleges in terms of difficulty, and they weren't curved, so you had to work very hard to get an A; this resulted in me mastering the material fairly well.

 

[darkeon]

Cc is fine. All the pre reqs minus biochemistry are 1st and 2nd year courses meaning that deep down, anyone who takes theses courses at cc or 4 yr are capable of doing med school (assuming mcat scores are good). Op will have to do bioChem at a 4 yr as cc do not offer these courses. biochem is a 3rd year course. Do well on all pre reqs and you'll be fine.

 

[LizzyM]

@optimisticallypassingorgo Your GPA and science GPA include whatever college courses you took during HS. I do hope that bumps up your sGPA. Given that you are only a freshman, I would strongly urge you to take physics at your university rather than in the summer at a community college. While it may be a "myth" that CC classes are not as rigorous, it is a myth that many adcoms embrace, particularly if the CC is taken while one is otherwise enrolled in a university (during HS or as a post-bac is not a big deal but in the middle looks like you are trying to dodge a difficult course at your own school). Also, keep in mind that you will need to get letters of recommendation from faculty who have taught you and two of those letters should be faculty in the sciences. Letters from community college faculty will not be as strong as letters from university faculty because one thing letter writers commonly do is compare the students to other students they've taught and being in the top 2% of the community college students is not the same as being in the top 10% of university students -- different ponds, if you know what I mean.