Limitations on Community College work...i am worried NOW!

Started by Mstoothlady2012
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Mstoothlady2012

Mstoothlady2012

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:scared: There are so many schools that i want to apply to have the limitation on community college work....I transferred from CC to 4-yr Uni...i have 65 credit hours from CC & i will have about 68 credit hours from UCF when i graduate with my bachelors....what am i suppose to do? i should not apply to those schools where they have limitations? or should i give it a try?? i called the schools & they are not giving a straight forward answer...all they said was you can give it a try ...we will have to look at your application...but you wont be a strong applicant! uhh!!

Following are the limitations on the schools that i want to apply..
Nova - 60
Uni of Louisville - 60
Case - 60
Temple - CC work accepted in non-basic science courses only
Virginia Common wealth - 60
Marquette - 4-yr uni courses preferred

what do you guys think should i apply to these schools or not? is there anyone else who i having the same trouble?or is there any1 who got accepted to any of these schools with more than 60 credit hours at CC?Any help will be appreciated

thanks in advance!!
 
Mstoothlady2012 said:
:scared: There are so many schools that i want to apply to have the limitation on community college work....I transferred from CC to 4-yr Uni...i have 65 credit hours from CC & i will have about 68 credit hours from UCF when i graduate with my bachelors....what am i suppose to do? i should not apply to those schools where they have limitations? or should i give it a try?? i called the schools & they are not giving a straight forward answer...all they said was you can give it a try ...we will have to look at your application...but you wont be a strong applicant! uhh!!

Following are the limitations on the schools that i want to apply..
Nova - 60
Uni of Louisville - 60
Case - 60
Temple - CC work accepted in non-basic science courses only
Virginia Common wealth - 60
Marquette - 4-yr uni courses preferred

what do you guys think should i apply to these schools or not? is there anyone else who i having the same trouble?or is there any1 who got accepted to any of these schools with more than 60 credit hours at CC?Any help will be appreciated

thanks in advance!!
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I don't think there is anything you can about it right now... Your best bet is to apply to schools that don't have such limitations, there are 55 dental schools in USA and 2 new once are opening in N.C and arizone (in the next 3-4 years), Im sure one will eventually accept you.
 
that kind of scares me because I am transferring to a 4 year college from a CC also with around 60 credits, then I will earn another 60 credits at my 4 year college (hopefully UCLA or USC). I think if you can prove yourself at the university and have good stats you'll end up getting in somewhere.
 
I applied with 112 quarter credits from a community college (though a lot of those I took when I was in high school, and were fluff classes like philosophy, logic and mythology) and I managed to get in to several schools, including an acceptance (Nova) and an interview (Temple, I declined it) from two schools on that list.

The take home messege: Unless a school rote forbids community college credits (Tufts, Pitt), if you're stats are around their averages you might as well give it a shot.
 
i will have taken calc physics, o-chem, general chem at the CC. But once I get to my 4 year college i'll be in all of the upper division classes like biochemistry, molecular biology, and the list goes on.. what do you guys think. My major is Biochemistry. I mean if worse comes to worst i'll take o-chem again to prove I can get an A anywhere. Would that be smart?


Do most Dental Schools look down on community colleges? Or is it mainly the few listed above?
 
burgler09 said:
i will have taken calc physics, o-chem, general chem at the CC. But once I get to my 4 year college i'll be in all of the upper division classes like biochemistry, molecular biology, and the list goes on.. what do you guys think. My major is Biochemistry. I mean if worse comes to worst i'll take o-chem again to prove I can get an A anywhere. Would that be smart?


Do most Dental Schools look down on community colleges? Or is it mainly the few listed above?
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In my experience dental schools (possibly excluding Tufts and Pitt) don't really look down on community college work. Never in any of my interviews was I questioned about the quality of my education.
 
armorshell said:
In my experience dental schools (possibly excluding Tufts and Pitt) don't really look down on community college work. Never in any of my interviews was I questioned about the quality of my education.
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Same here. No one questioned my decision to go to a CC.
Most schools know that some people have to go to a CC to take classes. You can get a good education out of it.
People that go to a CC can and do get into dental school.
 
burgler09,

You MIGHT have to retake ochem at a uni...most uni's don't accept ochem from CCs, therefore neither will a dental school. I would double check...but just be aware.

Thank God for Armorshell and PChemGrad! Every time the CC argument is brought up, you guys totally stand your ground...I have like 75 hours from a CC and am expecting to only transfer 60 of them to my uni. I appreciate seeing that others have done the same thing!
 
As a non-traditional student I'm in a similar boat. I've gotten a lot of the same "answers that don't answer my questions". But here are 2 things that I have been told straight out ......

1. I called Marquette & they told me that if my pre-reqs are from a CC don't bother wasting my money applying. Sounds harsh, but I have great respect for them because they were honest.

2. I still haven't found a school that says that they don't care if your pre-reqs are from a CC. Even the ones with no CC limits. If it comes down to you and another applicant and everything else is equal, the guy with the pre-reqs from a 4 year will win out. And that's coming straight from admission counselors &/or deans.

So those are the "facts as I've been told".
Now here's me on my soapbox ...... what makes the pre-reqs from a university any stronger? I know that I learned far more in my CC pre-reqs then I did way back when in the dark ages when I got my undergrad because small classrooms and easy to access PHD's are far better then 200 students in a lecture hall and TA's who don't give a s*!t about you. But, since I'm not a dean of admissions or a dean of a dental school, my opinion doesn't count for anything except whining!!:laugh:
 
I had around 134 quarter credits from a CC and 60 from UCSD. I got into my top choice (pretty early - Dec 11). AND I took all of my OChem, Physics, lower division bio, GChem, and Calculus at that same CC. They did ask me about it in the interview, basically why I went to a CC instead of a 4 year. I told them it was for financial reasons and they were fine with it. I wasn't even asked about at my other interview and once I got into my top choice I declined about 4 or 5 other interviews.

Good luck!
 
lifeisgood said:
I had around 134 quarter credits from a CC and 60 from UCSD. I got into my top choice (pretty early - Dec 11). AND I took all of my OChem, Physics, lower division bio, GChem, and Calculus at that same CC. They did ask me about it in the interview, basically why I went to a CC instead of a 4 year. I told them it was for financial reasons and they were fine with it. I wasn't even asked about at my other interview and once I got into my top choice I declined about 4 or 5 other interviews.

Good luck!
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That is great to hear!! Go CC people! Do you mind me asking where you got accepted and what schools offered you interviews? Maybe we CC people need to apply to those schools!🙂
 
Its great to hear all these comments... i am a little relieved now....thanks a lot!

i took all my math classes at CC...only took 4 basic science classes at CC bio I & II, chm I & II...besides that all other classes i have taken at 4-yr uni...phy I & II, org I & II, bio chem, molec I & II, genetics...& the list goes on...

i hope this wont be a problem to admission committee....i definitely do not want this to be a reason for rejection....oh god!!
 
It seems like you need 90 credits to matriculate to dental school so a cap of 60 for CC shouldn't really apply to you because you have 128 credits total. Ie. even if they cap CC at 60 you still get over the 90 credit hump combined. Of course, ideally you'll finish your four year degree before you start d-school. Stay focused on GPA and DAT and you'll be fine.
 
I heard from two schools specifically that CC credits are frowned upon (VCU & Pitt). From what I gathered however, if you have a great GPA from a CC and maintain that upon transferring you'll be golden. School's are looking for those high averages!!

If you have a choice, pre-requisites should be completed at a 4-year institution. Nowadays, cc's are popping up everywhere. Just check your junk mail...a 4 year degree online in only 12 months...christ. Where is the std of comparison?

I hate to be a prick and get everyone who attended a CC up in arms and I apologize as I know that all CC's don't fall under this opinion...

...but in general I feel that CC's are selling student's grades before they're selling an education.
 
onamission said:
That is great to hear!! Go CC people! Do you mind me asking where you got accepted and what schools offered you interviews? Maybe we CC people need to apply to those schools!🙂
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I was accepted to UCLA (which I thought was obvious from my signature) and Maryland and I was granted interviews as well at UCSF, Colorado, Nova, and UNLV. I only went to interviews at Maryland and UCLA b/c once I was accepted to UCLA I didn't want to waste anymore time or money interviewing elsewhere.

KOM said:
I heard from two schools specifically that CC credits are frowned upon (VCU & Pitt). From what I gathered however, if you have a great GPA from a CC and maintain that upon transferring you'll be golden. School's are looking for those high averages!!...

If you have a choice, pre-requisites should be completed at a 4-year institution. Nowadays, cc's are popping up everywhere. Just check your junk mail...a 4 year degree online in only 12 months...christ. Where is the std of comparison?

I hate to be a prick and get everyone who attended a CC up in arms and I apologize as I know that all CC's don't fall under this opinion...

...but in general I feel that CC's are selling student's grades before they're selling an education.
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To the first bold, I agree that some schools do frown upon CC credits. I know that Tufts does not accept CC courses AT ALL, which I read after I wasted almost $100 applying there. So if you went to a CC....DO NOT APPLY TO TUFTS.

For the second bold, this common misconception actually really bums me out. It is very unfortunate that there are extremely incredible CC's that offer a better education than many 4 year schools, yet get a bad rap for this reason. I personally feel that I got a better education at my CC than at UCSD.
 
lifeisgood said:
To the first bold, I agree that some schools do frown upon CC credits. I know that Tufts does not accept CC courses AT ALL, which I read after I wasted almost $100 applying there. So if you went to a CC....DO NOT APPLY TO TUFTS.

For the second bold, this common misconception actually really bums me out. It is very unfortunate that there are extremely incredible CC's that offer a better education than many 4 year schools, yet get a bad rap for this reason. I personally feel that I got a better education at my CC than at UCSD.
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"Common" misconceptions are usually common for a reason. You're rewarded more in a cc because a professor can usually put more of a face to a grade.

When did you attend UCSD compared to the CC?
 
lifeisgood said:
For the second bold, this common misconception actually really bums me out. It is very unfortunate that there are extremely incredible CC's that offer a better education than many 4 year schools, yet get a bad rap for this reason. I personally feel that I got a better education at my CC than at UCSD.
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I agree with this.
I felt like I also got a better education at my CC than at UCSB, and even more so than at CU Boulder (where I am at now).

My professors at the CC I went to knew who I was, they were able to adapt their lectures to the students so we would get the most out of it possible.

I did ok when i was at a CC, and my GPA went UP when I transfered. Ya most people look at UCSB as a party school, granted we know how to have fun, but it is a dam good school, so are most all of the UC's.
My sister says the same thing and she is at UCLA now, after going to the same CC that I went to, she thinks the CC was better for the students than UCLA. one reason is at major universities the professors are only concerned about their research and obtaining funding, teaching is only second to this, the prof. i work for now even says this. while at CC's and 4 year colleges where no research occurs the professors are able to devote more time to teaching and helping out the students.
at UCSB I had 2 professors in the chemistry department who only taught, and they were awesome, they cared for the students and I was thankful for that. they were as good if at my CC chem professors.

Anyone can go to a CC, and get good grades because some of the professors are looking for something better to do. this is why CC's are looked down upon.
 
lifeisgood said:
I was accepted to UCLA (which I thought was obvious from my signature) and Maryland and I was granted interviews as well at UCSF, Colorado, Nova, and UNLV. I only went to interviews at Maryland and UCLA b/c once I was accepted to UCLA I didn't want to waste anymore time or money interviewing elsewhere.

Thanks for the info. I must be going blind because I hadn't noticed your signature, that or I was so excited about some positive CC news that I missed it! I'm considering applying to Maryland, what did you think of it? Would you have considered going there if you hadn't gotten into UCLA? If you have the time to PM me with your thoughts I'd appreciate it.
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KOM said:
"Common" misconceptions are usually common for a reason. You're rewarded more in a cc because a professor can usually put more of a face to a grade.

When did you attend UCSD compared to the CC?
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I do not disagree with your point whatsoever. I went to UCSD directly after I attended my CC. I spent about 3 years at the CC taking nearly all of the lower division prereqs and then transferred and spent 2 years at UCSD. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED UCSD and I had some really incredible professors, but I do feel that the quality of the education was better at my CC (most likely for your reason stated above).

onamission said:
Thanks for the info. I must be going blind because I hadn't noticed your signature, that or I was so excited about some positive CC news that I missed it! I'm considering applying to Maryland, what did you think of it? Would you have considered going there if you hadn't gotten into UCLA? If you have the time to PM me with your thoughts I'd appreciate it.
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Dude, apply to Maryland! I absolutely loved everything about that school. The facility is second to none. I mean they have some totally frivolous luxuries like memory foam chairs and electric handpieces, but I love that crap. Their whole philosophy about your dental education is awesome. They listen to the students and will even alter the cirriculum if enough students agree. You don't have to even go to class if you want to sleep in (yes they told us this at the interview). This is because the lectures are available online a few minutes after the lecture is over. The dean is a super genuine guy and Dr Meehan, the asst dean, is SO nice.

A very large part of my decision to go to UCLA was based on family and location. Both mine & my wife's family live around LA. SO to answer your question, YES I would have gone to Maryland in a heartbeat if I hadn't been accepted to UCSF or UCLA.
 
I know at least in New York, the community colleges do not have selective admission standards and schools may be afraid that you haven't consistently maintained a high GPA throughout your whole education (HS). They may think you took "the easy route". Some people at CC's do and others either can't afford
a four year college or have family obligations that force them away from the inconvenient class times/locations of four year institutions. My mother attended a community college and maintained a 4.0 before transferring to a well known business school. She tells me the CC offered the better education, but the four year school is how she gets her jobs. It's sad, but true. If the CC's maybe were competitive in admitting students this might not be an issue.
 
anymore suggestions on which schools i should apply to? i have 65credits from CC & will get about 68 at 4-yr uni...you can read all the detail in the very first message of this thread.

i would really appreciate if someone with experience/knowledge could suggest me some schools....thanks in advance!
 
Mstoothlady2012 said:
:scared: There are so many schools that i want to apply to have the limitation on community college work....I transferred from CC to 4-yr Uni...i have 65 credit hours from CC & i will have about 68 credit hours from UCF when i graduate with my bachelors....what am i suppose to do? i should not apply to those schools where they have limitations? or should i give it a try?? i called the schools & they are not giving a straight forward answer...all they said was you can give it a try ...we will have to look at your application...but you wont be a strong applicant! uhh!!

Following are the limitations on the schools that i want to apply..
Nova - 60
Uni of Louisville - 60
Case - 60
Temple - CC work accepted in non-basic science courses only
Virginia Common wealth - 60
Marquette - 4-yr uni courses preferred

what do you guys think should i apply to these schools or not? is there anyone else who i having the same trouble?or is there any1 who got accepted to any of these schools with more than 60 credit hours at CC?Any help will be appreciated

thanks in advance!!
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Just get a good DAT scores and don't apply to Tufts, and you will be fine. You didn't want to go there anyway. Don't believe me, just ask armorshell.

It always amazes me how kids get a 3.8 to a 4.0 and then get 17's, 18's and 19's on their DAT. Makes me wonder how much their university inflated their grades for their basket weaving bio major. :laugh:
 
armorshell said:
In my experience dental schools (possibly excluding Tufts and Pitt) don't really look down on community college work. Never in any of my interviews was I questioned about the quality of my education.
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I see you already weighed in on this thread.

It amazes me how people freak out about having CC credit. It's not really that big of a deal. In fact, I think CC is smart, in that you save a ton of money to get the same education (and often better treatment by the administration).



To the OP: Study hard for the DAT, apply early, and you will be fine.
 
BU - 30 credit hours. Prerequisite coursework should be completed at an accredited, four-year North American institution

Tufts - The Admissions Committee requires all prerequisite coursework to be completed at a four-year accredited college or university

I have 65 CC hours....should i even bother applying to these 2 schools?

there are so many other schools that say that as well ...but i am still applying there. But i am not sure about BU & tufts. what do you guys think?
 
Mstoothlady2012 said:
BU - 30 credit hours. Prerequisite coursework should be completed at an accredited, four-year North American institution

Tufts - The Admissions Committee requires all prerequisite coursework to be completed at a four-year accredited college or university

I have 65 CC hours....should i even bother applying to these 2 schools?

there are so many other schools that say that as well ...but i am still applying there. But i am not sure about BU & tufts. what do you guys think?
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Don't bother waisting your money. There are plenty of other schools you can apply to that would be happy to accept you. its Tufts and BU's loss.
 
PChemGrad said:
Don't bother waisting your money. There are plenty of other schools you can apply to that would be happy to accept you. its Tufts and BU's loss.
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ok thanks! i have so many schools in my list that has this limitation. I called 2 of them schools (other than BU & tufts) & they were like u wont be very competitive or u might wanna retake those classes & then apply...it was depressing thats y i stopped calling. otherwise I was gonna call all the schools on my list that has that limitation. UH this sucks!!

anyways thanks a lot!
 
Just to let you know, Marquette accepted me and I have a few community college courses in my transcript. You should be fine to apply there, just as long as you can support why you went to community college for those courses and not say, "Because I'm lazy".

Good luck!
 
Mennkid said:
Just to let you know, Marquette accepted me and I have a few community college courses in my transcript. You should be fine to apply there, just as long as you can support why you went to community college for those courses and not say, "Because I'm lazy".

Good luck!
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well i dont have few....I have 65 that is why I was worried. oh well! i already applied...we will see what happens!

thanks for your input though!
 
Mstoothlady2012 said:
well i dont have few....I have 65 that is why I was worried. oh well! i already applied...we will see what happens!

thanks for your input though!
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Looks like we are in this together...I am applying to Marquette also...and I have like 107 CC hours...obviously not all of these transferred to my 4 year though. I am just banking on the ones that count towards my bio major...
 
Hey all. I am in a bit of a dilemma with the CC situation as well. I need to take Ochem 1 this summer but will have to take it at a CC because of financial and regional reasons. Is this out of the question or will dental schools understand. thanks!
 
Before you sign up and spend time and money, check with your 4 year that they will accept it if you were to transfer it. Mine wouldn't, because at my 4 year it is an upper division course...and obviously the CC is only lower division.

Just be careful...I wouldn't risk it...
 
LN, did you go to CU-Boulder? If so i am in some trouble since there is a good possibility i am transfering there 😳
 
burgler09 said:
LN, did you go to CU-Boulder? If so i am in some trouble since there is a good possibility i am transfering there 😳
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No, I didn't go to CU Boulder, but I am in the CU system and they wouldn't have any of it...you can call and ask an advisor, but I doubt it...good luck.
 
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