Can't Do Community College, huh?

quitejaded · May 30, 2009

Question. If you've already been accepted to a university and getting your bachelours, do they look down if some of your requirements were done at a community college?

What if you've already graduated undergrad and still want to meet the requirements?

Carboxide · May 30, 2009

If you have a bach from a university or are completing one, it shows that you can handle higher level courses. Taking CC courses is only bad if you seem to be doing it to "dodge" taking very difficult courses, such as o-chem, at the CC and taking all the easy courses like Speech at the university.

If you already have a bachelor's, it's no big deal to take them all at CC as it would clearly be because you want to save money. It again applies that you have shown you can handle upper level courses.

shadchan1 · May 30, 2009

I graduated Brooklyn college in 2008. I took organic Chemistry and physics in a cc college in 2009. I got accepted to all the pharm schools I applied to

quitejaded · May 30, 2009

Alright. I have some of the requirements from my University (physics and chemistry and maths) and I might have time to take biology and another chemistry, but I don't want to graduate late and I will probably take speech at community college since its not in my university. I will have to take Ochem in CC, too. (that or earn more scholarships! *crosses fingers*)

Assuming they will look at both my uni GPA and my CC GPA, I think I feel like I know what I'm doing now.

THANKS YOU TWO!

Carboxide · May 30, 2009

quitejaded said:
Alright. I have some of the requirements from my University (physics and chemistry and maths) and I might have time to take biology and another chemistry, but I don't want to graduate late and I will probably take speech at community college since its not in my university. I will have to take Ochem in CC, too. (that or earn more scholarships! *crosses fingers*)

Assuming they will look at both my uni GPA and my CC GPA, I think I feel like I know what I'm doing now.

THANKS YOU TWO!

If you have to take certain classes at cc to graduate in time, do it. I did the same thing - I took physics I and stats at CC over the summer because otherwise it would put me a year behind. You gotta do what you gotta do 🙂 I think you will be fine with that as long as you do well in the classes!

triumphbr · May 31, 2009

I feel that as long as you do well in the class.. and then back it up with a solid (average or better) PCAT the CC "issue" becomes a non-issue pretty quickly in the eyes of adcoms. I don't know any personally but if I were an admissions person thats the way I would look at it.

If you aced the classes (chem/ochem for example) then did a 30 on the chem section of the PCAT It would raise my eyebrows and make me think that maybe the CC classes were not really "on the level".

You will know if the prof. is giving A's out like candy that you better dig in and motivate yourself to really learn the material even if it's not really "required" for a good grade. That can happen at a CC or a univ. It's just a matter of knowing the material no matter what the grade says.

Passion4Sci · May 31, 2009

Everyone is pretty much spot-on...

Taking classes at a CC isn't a big deal as long as you perform well and learn the material well enough to also perform well on the PCAT.

UAMShopeful · May 31, 2009

I took several "hard" classes at Texas A&M and I have also taken several "hard" classes at a CC. I got in so it must not have been that big of a deal.

xtsukiyox · Jun 2, 2009

Something someone suggested to me is to just be prepared to explain. (It wasn't exactly on this subject, but I think it applies.)

In my somewhat uneducated opinion on the topic, if I were looking at your application and the CC classes were an issue, I'd ask. You'd say - I had to graduate on time from university, so I took the other prereq classes at CC over summer. /end issue

Even if they don't ask, it's good to think in advance about what you WOULD say, so you're not caught off-guard. But don't stress out about it. 🙂

drjmariesegars · Jun 21, 2009

Carboxide said:
If you have a bach from a university or are completing one, it shows that you can handle higher level courses. Taking CC courses is only bad if you seem to be doing it to "dodge" taking very difficult courses, such as o-chem, at the CC and taking all the easy courses like Speech at the university.

If you already have a bachelor's, it's no big deal to take them all at CC as it would clearly be because you want to save money. It again applies that you have shown you can handle upper level courses.

My question is the same arena but what about taking all of them at CC's (to save money)?

CopToEM · Jun 21, 2009

drjmariesegars said:
My question is the same arena but what about taking all of them at CC's (to save money)?

Just be ready to explain it to the school you're interested in. Everyone's situations are different... if going to a CC makes it easier for you to afford then go for it. Excel in other areas, build up your extra-curricular's, get some pharmacy experience, volunteer extensively, and everything will fall into place.

drjmariesegars · Jun 21, 2009

I have the pharmacy experience, the gpa 4.0 and I have a LOT of volunteer hours-and LORs from RPhs? Does that help my application... at all?

Jetninjin · Jun 21, 2009

I don't think it's make or break. Three examples:

1) When I called Creighton's admissions dept for example to ask about their anat/phys requirement, they specifically told me that I could take them at a community college to save money.

2) Another pharmacy school I know of takes some students directly from CC if they are excellent students.

3) The fiance of a good friend of mine is now a doctor - after doing his freshman and sophomore years of college at a CC!

If I were you, I woukd contact the admissions depts of the schools you are interested in and ask them directly.

CopToEM · Jun 21, 2009

Jetninjin said:
I don't think it's make or break. Three examples:

1) When I called Creighton's admissions dept for example to ask about their anat/phys requirement, they specifically told me that I could take them at a community college to save money.

2) Another pharmacy school I know of takes some students directly from CC if they are excellent students.

3) The fiance of a good friend of mine is now a doctor - after doing his freshman and sophomore years of college at a CC!

If I were you, I woukd contact the admissions depts of the schools you are interested in and ask them directly.

This is good advice. It's all on where you want to go - some pharmacy schools understand and respect that not everyone can afford a private or public university. Others aren't as forgiving.

As with anything else, if there's something you're concerned about in one area... beef up another to make up for it.

If it makes you feel better - our local pharmacy school gives preferential treatment to the three college's in this area. Two of those colleges are Community Colleges.

koercive · Jun 21, 2009

I wasn't asked once about why I took ~20 units at a CC. (I have a B.A.)

It shouldn't be a problem if you are taking classes here and there and not trying to 'dodge' harder classes like organic chemistry by taking an entire year at a CC.

Can't Do Community College, huh?

quitejaded

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Carboxide

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shadchan1

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quitejaded

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Carboxide

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triumphbr

Yeah I'm accepted.

Passion4Sci

LML

UAMShopeful

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xtsukiyox

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drjmariesegars

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CopToEM

Livin' the Dream

drjmariesegars

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Jetninjin

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CopToEM

Livin' the Dream

koercive

Industry HE&OR, Large Cap Pharma

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