What classes to take at CC?

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endlesswinter

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Hey all,

I'm likely going to be applying next spring/summer to start pharm school in 2011. I'm going to be graduating in May with a degree in biochem w/ a concentration in medicinal chem, but will still be missing quite a few pre-reqs. Truth is there are a couple schools (UCSD is one I believe), that I could have applied for this year, but I figured I would be better off completing more pre-reqs to broaden my choices.

I still need to take the following for the 2 schools I am looking at: public speaking, micro/macroeconomics, microbiology (w lab), and anatomy I/II (w labs).

I have room to take 1, or possibly 2 of those next semester, and will finish the rest next summer, fall, and spring at a CC. Does it matter which I take where? The CC I am looking at seems to have a pretty strange schedule in terms of what is available, especially with the anatomy classes, so I am thinking of taking anatomy I next semester just to be sure I can get those in. Any thoughts?

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I haven't been accepted yet, but speaking from what I've read on here: the question of "University vs. CC" doesn't seem to be as intensely debated here as in the pre-med forums.

I'm doing all of my pre-reqs at my local CC because it's the economical choice. If you have any worries, you should remember that you will have a bachelors degree, which automatically puts you ahead of those who don't.
 
Personally I think it is fine to take all of those as long as you have some good grades in some "difficult" science course at a university. For example if you already got an A in both orgo 1 and 2 then you have at least shown you can handle tough science courses at the university level. Then you should be fine getting the other prereqs wherever you want.
 
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I haven't been accepted yet, but speaking from what I've read on here: the question of "University vs. CC" doesn't seem to be as intensely debated here as in the pre-med forums.

I'm doing all of my pre-reqs at my local CC because it's the economical choice. If you have any worries, you should remember that you will have a bachelors degree, which automatically puts you ahead of those who don't.

Personally I think it is fine to take all of those as long as you have some good grades in some "difficult" science course at a university. For example if you already got an A in both orgo 1 and 2 then you have at least shown you can handle tough science courses at the university level. Then you should be fine getting the other prereqs wherever you want.

Cool, thx guys. I'm going to try to take care of what I can next semester while still taking what I need to graduate, then finishing things up at CC.

I kinda wish pharm pre-reqs were more universal, but I guess I'll just have to figure out a few schools I really want to apply to and complete those.

On a side note, does anyone know what kind of classes satisfy the public speaking requirement? Is it only "Public Speaking"? Or would something like "Fundamentals of Speech Communication" work?
 
Endless, what you need to do is go to the website of every school you're interested in, and they'll be something called an articulation agreement. This is the classes from XYZ school that the pharmacy school will accept for credit to satisfy pre-pharm. requirements.

Almost every school has one. If you're interested in a school that does not, just e-mail 'em.
 
I haven't been accepted yet, but speaking from what I've read on here: the question of "University vs. CC" doesn't seem to be as intensely debated here as in the pre-med forums.

I'm doing all of my pre-reqs at my local CC because it's the economical choice. If you have any worries, you should remember that you will have a bachelors degree, which automatically puts you ahead of those who don't.

I know of one dean at a certain pharmacy school that was talking to a former alumni who had a daughter graduating from high school. He told the dean that he was going to make his daughter take all of her basics at a local CC and then apply to his pharmacy school from there. He told me that the dean told him: You can go ahead and do that but she won't have a chance here.

It wasn't a diss to the young woman but a diss to the CC. Some pharmacy schools prefer you to do their curriculum because they understand the difficulty and what they teach. It really depends on the pharmacy school.
 
I know of one dean at a certain pharmacy school that was talking to a former alumni who had a daughter graduating from high school. He told the dean that he was going to make his daughter take all of her basics at a local CC and then apply to his pharmacy school from there. He told me that the dean told him: You can go ahead and do that but she won't have a chance here.

It wasn't a diss to the young woman but a diss to the CC. Some pharmacy schools prefer you to do their curriculum because they understand the difficulty and what they teach. It really depends on the pharmacy school.

So my cousin was talking to his brother in law and he had a sister whose brother was talking to this guy at his auto body shop whose 2nd cousin is a rocket scientist whose dad was an astrophysicist who knows a lawyer. Should I seek legal advice from my cousin?

Anecdote is anecdote and hearsay is hearsay.
 
So my cousin was talking to his brother in law and he had a sister whose brother was talking to this guy at his auto body shop whose 2nd cousin is a rocket scientist whose dad was an astrophysicist who knows a lawyer. Should I seek legal advice from my cousin?

Anecdote is anecdote and hearsay is hearsay.


Why are you so heated today P4Sci? :smuggrin:
 
So my cousin was talking to his brother in law and he had a sister whose brother was talking to this guy at his auto body shop whose 2nd cousin is a rocket scientist whose dad was an astrophysicist who knows a lawyer. Should I seek legal advice from my cousin?

Anecdote is anecdote and hearsay is hearsay.

It was at the pharmacy association meeting for the state I'm in, I was present and talked to that dean.

I can only hope you aren't going to be this rude during your interview, you'll get ripped apart by admissions.

EDIT: I'm giving legit advice to you people for free and this is what I get? I'm the admissions man, you're the applicant. Who are you to be giving me lip about the advice I hand out?
 
It was at the pharmacy association meeting for the state I'm in, I was present and talked to that dean.

I can only hope you aren't going to be this rude during your interview, you'll get ripped apart by admissions.

EDIT: I'm giving legit advice to you people for free and this is what I get? I'm the admissions man, you're the applicant. Who are you to be giving me lip about the advice I hand out?

You're the "admissions man", yet you purport to produce zero evidence to support that.

I could make a SN "president obama" and start throwing around political advice and have in my signature, "I won't tell you anything remotely pertinent to my job so you can't discern if I'm just blowing smoke up your ass or not" but you know, that'd be pretty much a waste of time.

I was at the Chicago Olympics is 2016.

P.S. - Even if you're at the meeting wearing platinum rings, whatever you repeat to us is HEARSAY.
 
You're the "admissions man", yet you purport to produce zero evidence to support that.

I could make a SN "president obama" and start throwing around political advice and have in my signature, "I won't tell you anything remotely pertinent to my job so you can't discern if I'm just blowing smoke up your ass or not" but you know, that'd be pretty much a waste of time.

I was at the Chicago Olympics is 2016.

P.S. - Even if you're at the meeting wearing platinum rings, whatever you repeat to us is HEARSAY.

It doesn't change the fact that my advice is EXTREMELY useful and needs to be addressed between the pharmacy school and the applicant.

What's wrong with anonymity in my situation? Are you kidding me? Think before you speak. Why would an "admissions man" like myself want to talk about myself? Could it be unfair to you or something?
 
It doesn't change the fact that my advice is EXTREMELY useful and needs to be addressed between the pharmacy school and the applicant.

What's wrong with anonymity in my situation? Are you kidding me? Think before you speak. Why would an "admissions man" like myself want to talk about myself? Could it be unfair to you or something?

Rah rah ree, my advice is so helpful, worship me... for I AM...

THE ADMISSIONS MAAAAAN.

Ugh, get a life.
 
lol i like how some random "admissions man" comes and talks on the forum. what are you some kind of superhero? seriously, i've been reading some of your stuff "admissions man" and i can't hold it back anymore: you're a total joke.

this guy has to be some kind of level.

back to the topic tho...classes at CCs are fine. they're cheaper and they're great during the summer. that and you're already graduating from a different school. its all good.
 
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Is AdmissionsMan a fraud?

I sincerely hope SDN did a background check on this guy. Pharmacy hopefuls are sending him detailed, highly personal PMs with the understanding that he is who he says he is. Should AdmissionsMan turn out to be a troll/liar, that would cast a shadow of doubt across this treasure of a forum.
 
I really hope no one's stupid enough to take this guy seriously.

Have you read his posts on the Pharmacy forum? He's been ripped to shreds by every primary poster there, including WVU and Z.

He said his mother owned a pharmacy, 3 posts later he said his mother owned a laundromat, and he meant his grandmother owned a pharmacy. Oops, didn't mean mother, meant grandmother. How the hell do you make that mistake? Oh, right. We know.

Please.
 
Its possible. He may have traveled back in time and had relations with his mother - making her his grandmother and possibly collapsing the universe into a singularity.

wanted-time-traveler.jpg
 
Its possible. He may have traveled back in time and had relations with his mother - making her his grandmother and possibly collapsing the universe into a singularity.

wanted-time-traveler.jpg

Yea, good point. Unfortunately, he said, "Oops, I meant my grandmother, not mother" so... he kinda admitted his guilt.

:laugh:
 
ok, i'm glad i'm not the only one who thinks this guy is a complete farce. :)
 
I think he is a fake too. No real admission person will have the time to come on here.
 
After reading "admissionsman" posts I'm convinced he's not associated with a SOP. He seems very unprofessional - no real admissions member would engage in such petty arguments on line… or use SDN as a platform to give advice. I think he's just another "expert" trying to fill the void in his life via the net.
 
After reading “admissionsman” posts I’m convinced he's not associated with a SOP. He seems very unprofessional - no real admissions member would engage in such petty arguments on line… or use SDN as a platform to give advice. I think he’s just another “expert” trying to fill the void in his life via the net.

Eh, Dr. Hobson is bona fide and uses SDN as a platform to give advice.

Otherwise, I agree.
 
He has to be.

Remember "Admissions"? And Dr. Hobson? Both are forthright about their identities.

The only reason this dude is "anonymous" is 'cos he's a big fat liar.

Didn't Admissions keep his info anonymous as well? I thought he was legit but was using SDN as a way to draw traffic to his own site.

But to address the topic at hand, I believe that AdmissionMan may be right in this case. I have read people on here who said that they called up specific schools and that they have stated that they frown on classes taken at CCs. Of course that is hearsay too but I have seen people say it often enough that I would investigate more if I had my hopes set on a specific school.
 
Didn't Admissions keep his info anonymous as well? I thought he was legit but was using SDN as a way to draw traffic to his own site.

But to address the topic at hand, I believe that AdmissionMan may be right in this case. I have read people on here who said that they called up specific schools and that they have stated that they frown on classes taken at CCs. Of course that is hearsay too but I have seen people say it often enough that I would investigate more if I had my hopes set on a specific school.

it's all anecdotal, with nothing in hard print. I have not looked at every single last school of pharmacy, but out of the ones I DID look at, the strongest sentiment I got against a CC was USC's "recommendation" of taking them at a 4 year university.

Until I see it in writing, I won't believe it.

As far as Admissions goes, maybe "Admissions" was anonymous... but obviously Dr. Hobson isn't.
 
Have you read his posts on the Pharmacy forum? He's been ripped to shreds by every primary poster there, including WVU and Z.

He said his mother owned a pharmacy, 3 posts later he said his mother owned a laundromat, and he meant his grandmother owned a pharmacy. Oops, didn't mean mother, meant grandmother. How the hell do you make that mistake? Oh, right. We know.

Well, he COULD be an Admissions person. They are usually the type of person that took the job because they knew it would involve people sucking up to them. And the omission of his school and pursuant anonymity would allow him to be as dickish as he wants.

I think it's SpirivaSunrise incognito.

I did 2 years of CC where I grew up in Parkersburg, WV...got accepted to WVUSoP with a 3.27 GPA without ever taking a single class outside of that very community college...I was more prepared than the people that went to WVU-Morgantown...though that's not too surprising to be honest. It's WVU. The community college route worked well for me.

I disagree with the entire philosophy they use in admissions, anyway. It does a poor job of differentiating between hoop-jumpers and people with the ability to actually use critical thought. Because hoop jumpers with enough free time will always have high GPAs...people that are great at using critical thought may have already figured out how pointless getting As is...
 
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i always got the impression that university students had a better chance of getting in because usually university students in universities are generally better students than the ones at community colleges. i mean cmon the classes at community colleges are a joke...they easier than high school.
 
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Going back to the original post: I hate this answer, but I think it does depend. If you'll get better grades at a CC, then in my opinion, it's better to go there. However, if you took your pre-req's at the same college you're getting your biochem degree, I think it looks a little better. I say that only because some schools frown upon multiple transcripts. Not all, but some.

I think with your pre-req's, the sooner the better. Especially if you're applying to a school with rolling admissions. If you can fit your classes in your schedule and get A's, you'll be golden. Good luck! let us know how you did :)
 
i always got the impression that university students had a better chance of getting in because usually university students in universities are generally better students than the ones at community colleges. i mean cmon the classes at community colleges are a joke...they easier than high school.

So did you take English at a community college?
 
So did you take English at a community college?

no i dont go to one...but i got friends that do and their science classes are so ridiculously easy when compared to mine. it just gets me that their gpa's are so much higher than mines just for the simple fact that their classes are easier. my university always says they dont recommend taking any classes at a CC because it looks like you are taking the "easy way out."
 
no i dont go to one...but i got friends that do and their science classes are so ridiculously easy when compared to mine. it just gets me that their gpa's are so much higher than mines just for the simple fact that their classes are easier. my university always says they dont recommend taking any classes at a CC because it looks like you are taking the "easy way out."

Right. And in Organic Chemistry at a community college, the Grignard reaction doesn't exist. It just magically happens, and your final is to write a short reflective essay on how that makes you feel. Or, just write about whatever you want. Or don't even write at all. We're not here to stifle your individuality. Just to take a small amount of money and give you a 4.0 GPA.

I've used this example before, but if CCs are so wildly inferior to 4-year schools, then why did my CC have scores that blew the scores of UB students out of the water on the exact same tests given by the exact same professor? You can't look at every 4-year university the same, and likewise, you can't look at every community college the same.

And besides, in your case, I wouldn't go blaming the schools. I'd blame your grasp of the English language, which could be described as nebulous at best.
 
Right. And in Organic Chemistry at a community college, the Grignard reaction doesn't exist. It just magically happens, and your final is to write a short reflective essay on how that makes you feel. Or, just write about whatever you want. Or don't even write at all. We're not here to stifle your individuality. Just to take a small amount of money and give you a 4.0 GPA.

I've used this example before, but if CCs are so wildly inferior to 4-year schools, then why did my CC have scores that blew the scores of UB students out of the water on the exact same tests given by the exact same professor? You can't look at every 4-year university the same, and likewise, you can't look at every community college the same.

And besides, in your case, I wouldn't go blaming the schools. I'd blame your grasp of the English language, which could be described as nebulous at best.

most of the people in CC's are people who didn't do well in high school and couldn't get into a 4 year university. generally the classes at community colleges aren't as rigorous because they know that the people there aren't the brightest. i'm not saying its always the case, I know there are exceptions (like the kid with a 4.0 in high school who couldnt afford a 4 year university), but the majority of the time its true.

and for your information...i got a 92 in verbal on my PCAT... i mean damn im just typing in a forum....BIG DEAL....doesnt mean I have type the language correctly all the time, some slang and shorthand every now and then wont kill you.
 
most of the people in CC's are people who didn't do well in high school and couldn't get into a 4 year university. generally the classes at community colleges aren't as rigorous because they know that the people there aren't the brightest. i'm not saying its always the case, I know there are exceptions (like the kid with a 4.0 in high school who couldnt afford a 4 year university), but the majority of the time its true.

and for your information...i got a 92 in verbal on my PCAT... i mean damn im just typing in a forum....BIG DEAL....doesnt mean I have type the language correctly all the time, some slang and shorthand every now and then wont kill you.

You dodged my question entirely. If CC's are that poor at educating, then why did my chemistry classes (not just me, but the entire class) have a class average on every exam that was at least 30 points higher than the class average at UB? (which, as I stated, were the exact same exam, given by the exact same professor)

You cannot paint all community colleges with the same brush, especially if you've never been to one and are relying on information from friends. That would be like saying that Howard University is equal to UCSF because they're both "pharmacy schools". Yeah, except one is the #1 ranked school in the nation, and the other has a NAPLEX pass rate just over 50%. Yes, CC's offer remedial classes and lower level classes that you or I would be bored silly in. However, just because a class like Organic Chemistry or Microbiology is taught at a CC, that does not magically make it easier. The fact that Mike, who is one of the smartest people on this forum, is a product of a community college, should speak volumes about the kind of education you can get there if you apply yourself.
 
You dodged my question entirely. If CC's are that poor at educating, then why did my chemistry classes (not just me, but the entire class) have a class average on every exam that was at least 30 points higher than the class average at UB? (which, as I stated, were the exact same exam, given by the exact same professor)

You cannot paint all community colleges with the same brush, especially if you've never been to one and are relying on information from friends. That would be like saying that Howard University is equal to UCSF because they're both "pharmacy schools". Yeah, except one is the #1 ranked school in the nation, and the other has a NAPLEX pass rate just over 50%. Yes, CC's offer remedial classes and lower level classes that you or I would be bored silly in. However, just because a class like Organic Chemistry or Microbiology is taught at a CC, that does not magically make it easier. The fact that Mike, who is one of the smartest people on this forum, is a product of a community college, should speak volumes about the kind of education you can get there if you apply yourself.

I'm not saying it doesn't happen that some CC classes might be at the same level or even harder than any given university class, or that the students at a random CC might be smarter than students at a random 4 year university. All I'm saying is that the majority of the time, the classes due to tend to be easier. I have contacted many pharmacy schools and they ALL told me that they prefer an applicant to not take their core pre-req classes at a CC. Now, there must be a reason for that don't you think?
 
I'm not saying it doesn't happen that some CC classes might be at the same level or even harder than any given university class, or that the students at a random CC might be smarter than students at a random 4 year university. All I'm saying is that the majority of the time, the classes due to tend to be easier. I have contacted many pharmacy schools and they ALL have told me that they would prefer an applicant to have not taken their core pre-req classes at a CC. Now, there must be a reason for that don't you think?

Yeah, and people think all black people steal cars.

Stereotypes are stereotypical.
 
Yeah, and people think all black people steal cars.

Stereotypes are stereotypical.

im just sayin that's what I've been told by admissions. i have heard it over and over again from different admissions people that come and talk to my pre-pharmacy club...i guess their just lying then. I know people from CC's get in, but Ive always been led to believe their chances are much lower. am I wrong? if im wrong shoot me lol cuz I couldve saved soo much money and probably would have a higher gpa than I have now.
 
im just sayin that's what I've been told by admissions. i have heard it over and over again from different admissions people that come and talk to my pre-pharmacy club...i guess their just lying then. I know people from CC's get in, but Ive always been led to believe their chances are much lower. am I wrong? if im wrong shoot me lol cuz I couldve saved soo much money and probably would have a higher gpa than I have now.

It depends... I looked at every school in CA and the two in Boston and only one, USC, has it in print that they recommend the pre-requisites to be done at a 4 year school.

Not UCSD, not UCSF, not UoP, Not CNCP, not Touro, etc.

Your application packet isn't just a sum of its parts, it is a single entity.
Let's look at this from a different standpoint shall we?

Maybe students who have CC only have fewer ECs and are less motivated than the ones from a 4 year. This doesn't mean that the CC itself is to fault, rather, the student body is.

Is that the case? I don't know. No one does. There are no rankings for CCs in the country and even if there were, it's really regional. California has one of the best, if not the best, CC programs in the country. I had Orgo at a CC with a professor who also taught at Cal. You gonna tell me that he isn't qualified or his class is going to be sub-par? Really?
 
It depends... I looked at every school in CA and the two in Boston and only one, USC, has it in print that they recommend the pre-requisites to be done at a 4 year school.

Not UCSD, not UCSF, not UoP, Not CNCP, not Touro, etc.

Your application packet isn't just a sum of its parts, it is a single entity.
Let's look at this from a different standpoint shall we?

Maybe students who have CC only have fewer ECs and are less motivated than the ones from a 4 year. This doesn't mean that the CC itself is to fault, rather, the student body is.

Is that the case? I don't know. No one does. There are no rankings for CCs in the country and even if there were, it's really regional. California has one of the best, if not the best, CC programs in the country. I had Orgo at a CC with a professor who also taught at Cal. You gonna tell me that he isn't qualified or his class is going to be sub-par? Really?

I see what your saying and I can see were your coming from, but I still think that people attending a university must have at least a little advantage over people attending a community college.

Now let me ask you, I have to take Biochemistry next semester and the teacher at my university is insane, everyone says hes impossible and on ratemyprofessor his easiness is a 1.2 rating. At a nearby community college there is a biochem teacher who is very easy according to people I know and has a 4.3 rating on ratemyprofessor. Where should I take it?
 
I don't disagree at all that someone from a 4 year school, all other things equal, has an advantage over a full CC student. There's no contest there. Whether it is due to the stereotype about CCs for each individual person or other factors, I would be naive to say it doesn't matter! However, when you start adding in anything that might make the CC applicant look more "filled out", maybe the advantage dissipates.


I would take the Biochemistry course at the university you're enrolled in. I think it would look equally bad if you were took the course at a different university that you heard had an easy biochem prof. It looks like you're doing what you're doing - Dodging a class at your school of choice.

I see what your saying and I can see were your coming from, but I still think that people attending a university must have at least a little advantage over people attending a community college.

Now let me ask you, I have to take Biochemistry next semester and the teacher at my university is insane, everyone says hes impossible and on ratemyprofessor his easiness is a 1.2 rating. At a nearby community college there is a biochem teacher who is very easy according to people I know and has a 4.3 rating on ratemyprofessor. Where should I take it?
 
I don't disagree at all that someone from a 4 year school, all other things equal, has an advantage over a full CC student. There's no contest there. Whether it is due to the stereotype about CCs for each individual person or other factors, I would be naive to say it doesn't matter! However, when you start adding in anything that might make the CC applicant look more "filled out", maybe the advantage dissipates.


I would take the Biochemistry course at the university you're enrolled in. I think it would look equally bad if you were took the course at a different university that you heard had an easy biochem prof. It looks like you're doing what you're doing - Dodging a class at your school of choice.

yeah your right...with all things equal, a university student would be taken over a community college student but if the CC student maybe does more shadowing or higher on the PCAT, then they'll probably have as good as a chance of getting in.

and yea thats what I thought too, I guess I'll have to take that teacher, hopefully he retires lol. anyways thanks for the advice.
 
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