Acceptances despite community college course work

[rHinO1]

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There are a ton of threads that discuss the risks of taking pre reqs at the communty college. Of course, most people say that taking classes at the four year university is better. I don't doubt that is true. However I have already taken 2 years worth of courses at a community college, including half of my pre reqs (bio & general chem). So, at this point I have to work with what I've got.

I would like to hear from those of you that spent some time at a community college and are currently holding acceptances to medical school (especially if it is a top ranked school). I want to hear success stories 🙂. What have your experiences been like on the interview trail?

 

[AdemTD]

There are a ton of threads that discuss the risks of taking pre reqs at the communty college. Of course, most people say that taking classes at the four year university is better. I don't doubt that is true. However I have already taken 2 years worth of courses at a community college, including half of my pre reqs (bio & general chem). So, at this point I have to work with what I've got.

I would like to hear from those of you that spent some time at a community college and are currently holding acceptances to medical school (especially if it is a top ranked school). I want to hear success stories 🙂. What have your experiences been like on the interview trail?

I know MSU doesn't give a @#$% where you do your pre-reqs, as long as it is at an accredited institution. Granted it's not a "top-tier" school, but who cares, they still have good residency placement.

 

[xxbruinxx]

It depends.

If you're starting out at a JC then transferring after 2 years...no prob. They're really looking at those last 2yrs though since they're most likely to consist of upper div. coursework. From personal experience, there's no issue with attending a JC as far as med. school apps.

If you're at a 4-yr and you decide to take certain core, pre-med classes at a JC, that can raise some questions. Students sometimes do it b/c they avoid the potentially harder course at their home institution...this can come across as a negative.

 

[TexasPhysician]

I did 3 pre-reqs at a CC, and received multiple acceptances.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

this was a good question asked, because many people, including me, are worried on how med schools don't like if you take courses at CC, but in the end, I guess they evaluate the quality of the student overall and not just one course

so people can chill out and take a course at a CC, as long as they learn the material and do well, I don't think it matters

good luck everyone

 

[ReptarBar]

what about CC courses taken in high school? i took 2 quarters worth of calc before i started college and finished the last quarter (did great too) at my university. do you guys recommend i get a years worth of my own school's math (could take one more calc class + the stats class i am going to take anyways)?

 

[TexasPhysician]

haha I never took Calc

 

[rHinO1]

It depends.

If you're starting out at a JC then transferring after 2 years...no prob. They're really looking at those last 2yrs though since they're most likely to consist of upper div. coursework. From personal experience, there's no issue with attending a JC as far as med. school apps.

If you're at a 4-yr and you decide to take certain core, pre-med classes at a JC, that can raise some questions. Students sometimes do it b/c they avoid the potentially harder course at their home institution...this can come across as a negative.

Thank you for the input. I transferred to a UC at the begining of the year and I would like to go to a UC medical school. I have a high GPA, but sometimes I get stressed out thinking some schools (like the UC's) will look down on my cc course work. It sucks because I know I am doing all that I can.

I hear so much negativity about cc, I just wanted to hear from people who have successfully gone this route. I know they're out there!

 

[Handy388]

transfered to UC Berkeley, holding a top 20 school acceptance.

 

[ReptarBar]

is it heavy?

 

[wedogogirl]

.

 

[FrickenhugeMD]

I spent the first 2 years at a CC due to financial reasons. Did 1/2 of my pre-reqs there, and transferred to my state college to finish out my degree. Best decision I could have made, I essentially had my first 2 years paid for with small scholarships and I still got accepted to 3 medical schools. One of these was pretty well ranked, but I went with the cheaper in-state option that was closer to friends and family.

Don't let the CC haters get you down, they're just uninformed and trying to make what they did "better" or more prestigeous. Let them think that, and laugh all the way to the bank. There is more than one way to get into medical school, and this way worked perfectly for me.

 

[sarahg]

In the article posted on SDN, the guy from UC-Davis seemed very pro-CC. That might just be a California thing, when I've looked into CCs in other areas their systems don't seem nearly as nice or well-organized. I might do some of mine at a CC if I can't get a job near a school with an extension program or night courses.

 

[rHinO1]

Thanks for all the responses. It is great to know there are people who have gone this route before me and been successful. I have a high GPA, great clinical experience, some solid research with an upcoming presentation, and a fair amount of volunteer work. So, it is nice to know that the cc route I took won't hold me back.

 

[rHinO1]

In the article posted on SDN, the guy from UC-Davis seemed very pro-CC. That might just be a California thing, when I've looked into CCs in other areas their systems don't seem nearly as nice or well-organized. I might do some of mine at a CC if I can't get a job near a school with an extension program or night courses.

Like every other source of info about cc, that article seemed to flip flop back and forth on whether it's ok or not to take pre-reqs at a cc. Ultimately, there is no clear answer. It always comes down to it's ok to do, but if you have another option you should take the classes at a 4 year school. I basically started this thread because I want to here that there are people who have done cc course work and made it in. I know that if they can do it so can I.

 

[chinook]

I haven't had any experience with this but:

I think its been said before somewhere
but if you have already taken your coursework at a CC
then you dont have to retake or anything
just prove from your other (probably upper level) classes that you can do just as well at a 4 yr uni.

also, i think its more looked down upon when someone failed or did poorly in course at a 4 yr so then they go and take it at a cc...
so you're fine
just go forth and prove urself 😛

good luck 🙂

 

[sarahg]

Like every other source of info about cc, that article seemed to flip flop back and forth on whether it's ok or not to take pre-reqs at a cc. Ultimately, there is no clear answer. It always comes down to it's ok to do, but if you have another option you should take the classes at a 4 year school. I basically started this thread because I want to here that there are people who have done cc course work and made it in. I know that if they can do it so can I.

That's true. I just paid the most attention to what was said by that guy rather than the other people they interviewed because CA schools are my state schools. It's probably different in other areas because like I said, it seems like most other states don't have as good a CC system as CA does.

 

[rHinO1]

That's true. I just paid the most attention to what was said by that guy rather than the other people they interviewed because CA schools are my state schools. It's probably different in other areas because like I said, it seems like most other states don't have as good a CC system as CA does.

My experience with CA cc has been pretty favorable in terms of being prepared for upper division science classes. I did two years at a CA cc, and transferred to a UC using the transfer admission gaurantee (TAG) program. My GPA after 2 1/2 quarters at the UC is the same as what I transferred with (3.89 vs 3.92 at UC). In fact I'm taking the honors O-chem class (3rd and final quarter) and am currently at the top of the class. My experience is that if you do well at a CA cc, then you can do well at the UC. Don't get me wrong the UC is a little harder, but mostly because the competition is tougher and the quarter system moves very fast. I don't know how med schools, especially out of state view cc work, but in terms of being prepared for upper division work I feel that I was prepared well. Also incase anybody wanted to know, with TAG all of the courses you take are gauranteed to transfer.

 

[seelee]

I got my associate's degree in chemistry from a CC which included all of my pre-reqs (except for physics). When I transferred to a university, I took several upper division chemistry and biology classes. I maintained a high GPA and I got multiple acceptances.

If you are starting out in a CC, you are not hurting yourself as long as you can demonstrate that you can handle upper level science courses.

 

[Appless]

My experience with CA cc has been pretty favorable in terms of being prepared for upper division science classes. I did two years at a CA cc, and transferred to a UC using the transfer admission gaurantee (TAG) program. My GPA after 2 1/2 quarters at the UC is the same as what I transferred with (3.89 vs 3.92 at UC). In fact I'm taking the honors O-chem class (3rd and final quarter) and am currently at the top of the class. My experience is that if you do well at a CA cc, then you can do well at the UC. Don't get me wrong the UC is a little harder, but mostly because the competition is tougher and the quarter system moves very fast. I don't know how med schools, especially out of state view cc work, but in terms of being prepared for upper division work I feel that I was prepared well. Also incase anybody wanted to know, with TAG all of the courses you take are gauranteed to transfer.

I did the same thing transferred to UCI with TAG and my GPA is about the same, i feel that while UCI is harder its mostly due to competition, and the insane quarter system. As long as your GPA stays constant upon transferring I dont see why it would hurt...im applying this cycle though so ill see how much it may hurt/ wont matter.

 

[littlealex]

I think part of it depends on the kind of classes you take at the 4 yr and how you do in it. If you took your prereqs at a CC but went to a 4 year where you did well in upper level classes, I doubt any school will second guess your abilities.

However, if you did your prereqs at a CC and went on to major in English or History at a 4 year, never taking another upper division science course, then I believe adcoms will wonder whether or not you had sufficiently proved your capabilities against tougher competitions.

In the end, CC classes do not provide sufficient challenges for many of the top caliber students when they are swimming amongst others that are far less motivated.

 

[rHinO1]

I think part of it depends on the kind of classes you take at the 4 yr and how you do in it. If you took your prereqs at a CC but went to a 4 year where you did well in upper level classes, I doubt any school will second guess your abilities.

However, if you did your prereqs at a CC and went on to major in English or History at a 4 year, never taking another upper division science course, then I believe adcoms will wonder whether or not you had sufficiently proved your capabilities against tougher competitions.

In the end, CC classes do not provide sufficient challenges for many of the top caliber students when they are swimming amongst others that are far less motivated.

I think your post is probably right. I just wanted to add that having been at both a cc and a UC, I was really surprised to see how many people slack and get poor grades at my 4 year school. The grade distribution is similar to the cc after the curve. None of my cc classes were curved.

 

[Appless]

I think your post is probably right. I just wanted to add that having been at both a cc and a UC, I was really surprised to see how many people slack and get poor grades at my 4 year school. The grade distribution is similar to the cc after the curve. None of my cc classes were curved.

Really I had a harder time in some of my CC classes then classes at UCI. The curves here are absolutely insane. I remember when i took ochem, the average was 40/100, I got a 65 and it was like 2 standard deviations above the mean....I think it was like the top grade. Most classes here arent that bad but usually its not hard as in a class of 444 kids there are always enough slakcers to make the curve way lowwwww👍. I dont know if most UC schools are like that, but it was a huge shock after being in a CC with no curves!

Usually its like if the test was out of 33 points, the mean will be a 20/33 and you will need a 24-25+ to get an A/A-. Pretty easy imo! It could just be my class i entered with though...cause i have friends who are 1-2 years behind me and they never have curves like that...maybe i came in with a bunch of stupid people? lol

 

[Excelsius]

Really I had a harder time in some of my CC classes then classes at UCI. The curves here are absolutely insane. I remember when i took ochem, the average was 40/100, I got a 65 and it was like 2 standard deviations above the mean....I think it was like the top grade. Most classes here arent that bad but usually its not hard as in a class of 444 kids there are always enough slakcers to make the curve way lowwwww👍. I dont know if most UC schools are like that, but it was a huge shock after being in a CC with no curves!

Usually its like if the test was out of 33 points, the mean will be a 20/33 and you will need a 24-25+ to get an A/A-. Pretty easy imo! It could just be my class i entered with though...cause i have friends who are 1-2 years behind me and they never have curves like that...maybe i came in with a bunch of stupid people? lol

Some classmates from my CC had gone to UCLA and said that this is the case there too. The classes were easier there than at our CC. Actually your post now finally made me understand precisely why this is the case: basically if a course has to curve the grades up than it is automatically easier than a CC because you are right, we never had any curves in any of our classes either. The other piece of the puzzle is that at CA CCs there is an agreement with UCs that homogenizes the courses and makes them the exact same way as at any UC (this is why TAG even exists). As a result, what happens is that in a CC you are already competing with UC students and NOT your own classmates (no curve). Combine that with up curves at UCs and you have the answer. However, I find it a bit surprising that UC students would be less motivated as a group than CC students. I'd think probably that is not the case. What likely happens is this: 1. at CCs there are still a lot of students who do poorly, but we never learn about them because there is no curve; 2. if you have a very large class at the UC, then the probability of more slackers is higher (compared to 10-20 eager students per class in CCs); 3. finally, at CC everyone is working his/her ass off to go someplace better. These three likely explain why in CA CCs are as hard or harder than UCs. What I know for sure by talking to a few people who attended CSUs is that CCs is much harder than a CSU because CSUs are much easier than UCs - they get the people who were not able to make the cut in terms of core requirements, and this is especially true for your own school, Irvine. I got this information directly from a premed counselor at CSU who says every year a bunch of premeds transfer from Irvine to the CSU.

It is great to finally understand the entire "mystery" of CCs in CA. Of course, this still doesn't change anything in terms of medschools. I have no idea how long it will take them to catch up to CA CC quality. I think we might see something within the next few years because people are more frugal these days and going to a CC might become commonplace. Once CA medschools start respecting their own CCs, the word should spread quickly to all OOS medschools. CA medschools are very respected and every single one of them is a top school. This should make their decisions more easily accepted.

 

[radi0headfan]

after graduating (wasnt premed in college), i took Ochem 1/2 and A&P 1/2 fast-track in one semester at a comm. college...luckily i had AP credit for my intro bio/chem but i still needed 2 hrs of chem lab and genetics/biochem, which i ended up taking at my 4 yr

so 16 hrs of post bacc at comm. college and 8 at my 4 yr...rest were AP credit...take a look at my mdapps to see my interviews/acceptances/rejections from last cycle

 

[Appless]

after graduating (wasnt premed in college), i took Ochem 1/2 and A&P 1/2 fast-track in one semester at a comm. college...luckily i had AP credit for my intro bio/chem but i still needed 2 hrs of chem lab and genetics/biochem, which i ended up taking at my 4 yr

so 16 hrs of post bacc at comm. college and 8 at my 4 yr...rest were AP credit...take a look at my mdapps to see my interviews/acceptances/rejections from last cycle

well anytime you get an absolute amazing mcat like yourself that will always be enough to override small things like CC work. I wonder though how it would affect someone whos more average.

 

[Destro96]

after graduating (wasnt premed in college), i took Ochem 1/2 and A&P 1/2 fast-track in one semester at a comm. college...luckily i had AP credit for my intro bio/chem but i still needed 2 hrs of chem lab and genetics/biochem, which i ended up taking at my 4 yr

so 16 hrs of post bacc at comm. college and 8 at my 4 yr...rest were AP credit...take a look at my mdapps to see my interviews/acceptances/rejections from last cycle

The monster MCAT may have played a huge part. Still, you provide great info in the list of schools that granted you interviews with CC prereqs:

Harvard, Michigan, Columbia, Cornell, WashU, Baylor and Pitt are all top 20.

Eventually, I would like to compile a thread of schools that are willing to interview those with CC pre-reqs.

I'd also like to get a handle on those with outright bars on CC prereqs: NYU, Sinai are reportedly on that list (lesser schools that rejected you post-secondary despite your interviews at even better schools). I've also heard that Wake Forest is another school with an outright bar.

 

[Appless]

The monster MCAT may have played a huge part. Still, you provide great info in the list of schools that granted you interviews with CC prereqs:

Harvard, Michigan, Columbia, Cornell, WashU, Baylor and Pitt are all top 20.

Eventually, I would like to compile a thread of schools that are willing to interview those with CC pre-reqs.

I'd also like to get a handle on those with outright bars on CC prereqs: NYU, Sinai are reportedly on that list (lesser schools that rejected you post-secondary despite your interviews at even better schools). I've also heard that Wake Forest is another school with an outright bar.

sinai has a bar on CC classes? how so?

 

[Excelsius]

The monster MCAT may have played a huge part. Still, you provide great info in the list of schools that granted you interviews with CC prereqs:

Harvard, Michigan, Columbia, Cornell, WashU, Baylor and Pitt are all top 20.

Eventually, I would like to compile a thread of schools that are willing to interview those with CC pre-reqs.

I'd also like to get a handle on those with outright bars on CC prereqs: NYU, Sinai are reportedly on that list (lesser schools that rejected you post-secondary despite your interviews at even better schools). I've also heard that Wake Forest is another school with an outright bar.

Add CCLCM to that list. Apparently they feel they are top notch and can dismiss all CC. And if you look at their incoming class, it is mostly top 10 undergrad. They even say on their website that they use Barron's College Profile rankings to select students. Even Ivies and other top schools don't do this. Two conclusions: either these top schools are really unbiased and look at the applicant as an individual without any ignorant prejudices, or they have just the same policies but are "ashamed" to reveal it publicly. Some schools will unequivocally fall into the latter category.

 

[Premed Worrier]

I started in CC and did almost two years worth of credits before transferring to a university. I then proceeded to finish my spanish requirements at CC. I had no problem. They asked me why I took spanish at the community colllege and my answer was simply 'time conservation' and that was acceptable. My biggest piece of advice to the OP (from personal experience) is to make sure that your CC or you know exactly what classes transfer to whichever university you plan to attend and make sure they will fit whatever your degree requirements there are. I took approximately 5 unnecessary classes. They were fun, but a waste of time in the end because neither my CC advisor or me knew what I should be taking. Good Luck!!

 

[Destro96]

Add CCLCM to that list. Two conclusions: either these top schools are really unbiased and look at the applicant as an individual without any ignorant prejudices...

That's exactly what bias against CC applicants is--an ignorant prejudice.

I can understand the impression that CCs are less academically rigorous than 1st quartile schools.

Still, to bias against those who have done premed coursework at a CC while accepting similar work done at 3rd and 4th quartile private schools with full faith and credit is completely asinine.

With regard to competition...

Bright people have very good reason to attend CCs because of the low cost involved and the excellent reputation two-years schools have for teaching. Aside from the few with scholarships, what incentive is there for bright persons to attend private 3rd and 4th quartile schools that are charging $700/undergrad credit? As the economy continues to get worse, you will see only more bright people headed toward CCs for savings.

People tend to judge CCs by the lowest common denominator present there because of open admissions. I will be first one to admit that there are certainly some jokers on campus. Still, you won't see the "clowns" anywhere near the real science classes (those for science majors).

I attended a CC and then received transfer admission as a junior at Dartmouth, Yale, UNC Chapel Hill and UVA. Yale (#1 USNWR that year) even offered partial academic scholarship.

As someone who has attended both a CC and an Ivy institution, the bias against CCs makes me absolutely sick.

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

well anytime you get an absolute amazing mcat like yourself that will always be enough to override small things like CC work. I wonder though how it would affect someone whos more average.

For real, his MCAT score was even good enough to compensate for him being a fan of the worst band on earth. It may have gone much differently with a 29 or 30.

 

[ami1983]

The monster MCAT may have played a huge part. Still, you provide great info in the list of schools that granted you interviews with CC prereqs:

Harvard, Michigan, Columbia, Cornell, WashU, Baylor and Pitt are all top 20.

Eventually, I would like to compile a thread of schools that are willing to interview those with CC pre-reqs.

I'd also like to get a handle on those with outright bars on CC prereqs: NYU, Sinai are reportedly on that list (lesser schools that rejected you post-secondary despite your interviews at even better schools). I've also heard that Wake Forest is another school with an outright bar.

Add UCSF, UW, and Pritzker to that list, I took 2 pre-reqs at a CC and got interviews at those places (plus cornell and BCM)

 

[rHinO1]

The monster MCAT may have played a huge part. Still, you provide great info in the list of schools that granted you interviews with CC prereqs:

Harvard, Michigan, Columbia, Cornell, WashU, Baylor and Pitt are all top 20.

Eventually, I would like to compile a thread of schools that are willing to interview those with CC pre-reqs.

I'd also like to get a handle on those with outright bars on CC prereqs: NYU, Sinai are reportedly on that list (lesser schools that rejected you post-secondary despite your interviews at even better schools). I've also heard that Wake Forest is another school with an outright bar.

Can anyone confirm this?

 

[Van Chowder]

Some classmates from my CC had gone to UCLA and said that this is the case there too. The classes were easier there than at our CC. Actually your post now finally made me understand precisely why this is the case: basically if a course has to curve the grades up than it is automatically easier than a CC because you are right, we never had any curves in any of our classes either. The other piece of the puzzle is that at CA CCs there is an agreement with UCs that homogenizes the courses and makes them the exact same way as at any UC (this is why TAG even exists). As a result, what happens is that in a CC you are already competing with UC students and NOT your own classmates (no curve). Combine that with up curves at UCs and you have the answer. However, I find it a bit surprising that UC students would be less motivated as a group than CC students. I'd think probably that is not the case. What likely happens is this: 1. at CCs there are still a lot of students who do poorly, but we never learn about them because there is no curve; 2. if you have a very large class at the UC, then the probability of more slackers is higher (compared to 10-20 eager students per class in CCs); 3. finally, at CC everyone is working his/her ass off to go someplace better. These three likely explain why in CA CCs are as hard or harder than UCs. What I know for sure by talking to a few people who attended CSUs is that CCs is much harder than a CSU because CSUs are much easier than UCs - they get the people who were not able to make the cut in terms of core requirements, and this is especially true for your own school, Irvine. I got this information directly from a premed counselor at CSU who says every year a bunch of premeds transfer from Irvine to the CSU.

It is great to finally understand the entire "mystery" of CCs in CA. Of course, this still doesn't change anything in terms of medschools. I have no idea how long it will take them to catch up to CA CC quality. I think we might see something within the next few years because people are more frugal these days and going to a CC might become commonplace. Once CA medschools start respecting their own CCs, the word should spread quickly to all OOS medschools. CA medschools are very respected and every single one of them is a top school. This should make their decisions more easily accepted.

I would just like to point out that for #2, there is also a higher chance of having more high achieving students as well

 

[Excelsius]

I would just like to point out that for #2, there is also a higher chance of having more high achieving students as well

Of course, that could happen in some of the classes, but generally not. Look at it this way: as you increase the sample size of students taking a given test (any test) the scores will represent the average population intelligence more and more. In every class you have those few students who really want to take the class. Then you have the majority you really have to take the course. Increasing the class size to very large numbers makes the class more average overall.

If you compare this with a CC, very few of the premed classes are a requirement (if you're not majoring in Bio trying to transfer to a UC, then none are a requirement). So the people taking any of the specific or upper division classes do so because they want to do it. There is a larger motivation. On top of that, in a CC you are competing against the same students in UCs since the materials are the same and tests are the same (some teachers overdo it and make it harder). YET, there is no curve. The only curve is the test itself. So if you get a 79, that's a C. If everyone gets a 79, that's still a C. There are no pluses or minuses either.

Sometimes I think that a CC is unnecessarily hard. Given the disrespect it gets, it should definitely not be harder than any of the UCs.

 

[kdr411]

Can anyone confirm this?

I was accepted to Wake Forest this past year. I spent 2 1/2 years at a CC before transfering to a UC.

 

[rHinO1]

I was accepted to Wake Forest this past year. I spent 2 1/2 years at a CC before transfering to a UC.

👍 Thanks. Congrats on your acceptances. I have similar stats as you and my list of schools is pretty close too. I hope I have similar luck when I apply next year.

 

[CCLCMer]

Add CCLCM to that list. Apparently they feel they are top notch and can dismiss all CC. And if you look at their incoming class, it is mostly top 10 undergrad. They even say on their website that they use Barron's College Profile rankings to select students. Even Ivies and other top schools don't do this. Two conclusions: either these top schools are really unbiased and look at the applicant as an individual without any ignorant prejudices, or they have just the same policies but are "ashamed" to reveal it publicly. Some schools will unequivocally fall into the latter category.

No offense, but you need to read more carefully. None of what you said in this post is true. What the website says is that the school DISCOURAGES people from taking ALL of their prereqs at a CC. You can read it for yourself under FAQ 11, which says, "Are premedical requirements taken at community colleges accepted?" Answer is "Not usually. We discourage students from taking all of their science pre-requisites from a community college." The admissions prep page you apparently read also says this under the academic requirements section. "Many but not all, schools strongly discourage students from taking "all" of their science prerequisites at a community college." All does NOT mean none. There are current CCLCM students who took SOME classes at CCs.

The same page does NOT say that CCLCM uses Barron's to select students. It says, "Give some consideration as to whether it is more advantageous to attend a more competitive undergraduate school ranked according to the Barron's Profiles of American Colleges (e.g. Most Competitive, Very Competitive, Highly Competitive, Competitive or Less Competitive) to prepare you to be a more competitive applicant for medical school." This is not because students from other schools besides the top ten won't be considered. But if you want to attend a medical research program like CCLCM that has research as a pre-req, it will be easier to find undergrad research opportunities if you go to a university that offers undergrad research opportunities. Those tend to be higher ranked schools. The pre-med advising may also be better at schools that send a lot of their students to med school. Still, you can find research opportunities other ways like doing summer research programs, taking a year off after college to do research, etc. and there are probably advisors and pre-med clubs at most schools.

It's also not true that most CCLCM students went to top ten schools. If you look at the c/o 2013 class profile, you will see that some of the M1 students went to Ivy and other top undergrads, but most didn't. A lot of students went to liberal arts colleges and state schools that are good schools but not top ten. There are also several people from good but not top ten private schools in each class. So it is NOT true that only people from top ten undergrads get accepted here. (Not that it really matters, but the c/o 2013 whose info is published on the website right now are the current students just finishing their first year, not the incoming class. They will be the c/o 2014.)

To sum, if you have taken SOME community college classes, that does NOT disqualify you from applying to CCLCM. But you should also take some upper level classes in that subject at a four year school, and you should not take ALL of your prereqs at a CC. If you went to your state school or a mid-tier private school, that does NOT disqualify you from applying to CCLCM. As a small school, CCLCM cares a lot about picking the right people who will do well in this unorthodox curriculum. That does NOT equate to attending a top ten school. If you have a good GPA and MCAT, research experience, clinical experience, volunteering, and you play well in the sandbox, you can be competitive for this program. I hope this clears up the confusion.

 

[rHinO1]

No offense, but you need to read more carefully. None of what you said in this post is true. What the website says is that the school DISCOURAGES people from taking ALL of their prereqs at a CC. You can read it for yourself under FAQ 11, which says, "Are premedical requirements taken at community colleges accepted?" Answer is "Not usually. We discourage students from taking all of their science pre-requisites from a community college." The admissions prep page you apparently read also says this under the academic requirements section. "Many but not all, schools strongly discourage students from taking "all" of their science prerequisites at a community college." All does NOT mean none. There are current CCLCM students who took SOME classes at CCs.

The same page does NOT say that CCLCM uses Barron's to select students. It says, "Give some consideration as to whether it is more advantageous to attend a more competitive undergraduate school ranked according to the Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges (e.g. Most Competitive, Very Competitive, Highly Competitive, Competitive or Less Competitive) to prepare you to be a more competitive applicant for medical school." This is not because students from other schools besides the top ten won't be considered. But if you want to attend a medical research program like CCLCM that has research as a pre-req, it will be easier to find undergrad research opportunities if you go to a university that offers undergrad research opportunities. Those tend to be higher ranked schools. The pre-med advising may also be better at schools that send a lot of their students to med school. Still, you can find research opportunities other ways like doing summer research programs, taking a year off after college to do research, etc. and there are probably advisors and pre-med clubs at most schools.

It's also not true that most CCLCM students went to top ten schools. If you look at the c/o 2013 class profile, you will see that some of the M1 students went to Ivy and other top undergrads, but most didn't. A lot of students went to liberal arts colleges and state schools that are good schools but not top ten. There are also several people from good but not top ten private schools in each class. So it is NOT true that only people from top ten undergrads get accepted here. (Not that it really matters, but the c/o 2013 whose info is published on the website right now are the current students just finishing their first year, not the incoming class. They will be the c/o 2014.)

To sum, if you have taken SOME community college classes, that does NOT disqualify you from applying to CCLCM. But you should also take some upper level classes in that subject at a four year school, and you should not take ALL of your prereqs at a CC. If you went to your state school or a mid-tier private school, that does NOT disqualify you from applying to CCLCM. As a small school, CCLCM cares a lot about picking the right people who will do well in this unorthodox curriculum. That does NOT equate to attending a top ten school. If you have a good GPA and MCAT, research experience, clinical experience, volunteering, and you play well in the sandbox, you can be competitive for this program. I hope this clears up the confusion.

Thank you for the info, it's good to get some insight from someone at the school. The language used in their answer to FAQ 11 above is more discouraging than most of the other schools I've been looking at. A lot of schools state they are willing to accept cc work up to the extent of the four year university, and encourages further upper division science work. That is a lot different than saying they don't usually accept cc course work. I do see your point, but I still think that the language they use in that answer (FAQ 11) was carefully chosen for a reason.

 

[CCLCMer]

Thank you for the info, it's good to get some insight from someone at the school. The language used in their answer to FAQ 11 above is more discouraging than most of the other schools I've been looking at. A lot of schools state they are willing to accept cc work up to the extent of the four year university, and encourages further upper division science work. That is a lot different than saying they don't usually accept cc course work. I do see your point, but I still think that the language they use in that answer (FAQ 11) was carefully chosen for a reason.

You're right that it's kind of discouraging and ambiguous the way it's written, but it's definitely not true that people who took some CC classes can't get in here. I took two, one of which I took over at a four year school and the other I took a higher level class at a four year school. (But that one was psych, which isn't a pre-req.) Anyway, there's no point in worrying about classes you already took now, but if you want to apply to my school, just take some higher level classes at a four year school. It's probably a good idea to do that anyway to make yourself more competitive. So for example, if you took gen bio at the CC, take micro or genetics or something like that at the four year school.

I'll see what I can do about getting the info about CC classes on the website clarified. If you're applying this year, good luck with your apps. Also, feel free to PM me if CCLCM is one of the schools you're thinking about and you have questions you don't want to post publicly. That goes for anyone reading this actually.

 

[chiz2kul]

haha I never took Calc

Came back to bite me 😡 Have to take it this summer even tho i'm already in. Stupid calc.

 

[Excelsius]

No offense, but you need to read more carefully. None of what you said in this post is true. What the website says is that the school DISCOURAGES people from taking ALL of their prereqs at a CC. You can read it for yourself under FAQ 11, which says, "Are premedical requirements taken at community colleges accepted?" Answer is "Not usually. We discourage students from taking all of their science pre-requisites from a community college." The admissions prep page you apparently read also says this under the academic requirements section. "Many but not all, schools strongly discourage students from taking "all" of their science prerequisites at a community college." All does NOT mean none. There are current CCLCM students who took SOME classes at CCs.

The same page does NOT say that CCLCM uses Barron's to select students. It says, "Give some consideration as to whether it is more advantageous to attend a more competitive undergraduate school ranked according to the Barron's Profiles of American Colleges (e.g. Most Competitive, Very Competitive, Highly Competitive, Competitive or Less Competitive) to prepare you to be a more competitive applicant for medical school." This is not because students from other schools besides the top ten won't be considered. But if you want to attend a medical research program like CCLCM that has research as a pre-req, it will be easier to find undergrad research opportunities if you go to a university that offers undergrad research opportunities. Those tend to be higher ranked schools. The pre-med advising may also be better at schools that send a lot of their students to med school. Still, you can find research opportunities other ways like doing summer research programs, taking a year off after college to do research, etc. and there are probably advisors and pre-med clubs at most schools.

It's also not true that most CCLCM students went to top ten schools. If you look at the c/o 2013 class profile, you will see that some of the M1 students went to Ivy and other top undergrads, but most didn't. A lot of students went to liberal arts colleges and state schools that are good schools but not top ten. There are also several people from good but not top ten private schools in each class. So it is NOT true that only people from top ten undergrads get accepted here. (Not that it really matters, but the c/o 2013 whose info is published on the website right now are the current students just finishing their first year, not the incoming class. They will be the c/o 2014.)

To sum, if you have taken SOME community college classes, that does NOT disqualify you from applying to CCLCM. But you should also take some upper level classes in that subject at a four year school, and you should not take ALL of your prereqs at a CC. If you went to your state school or a mid-tier private school, that does NOT disqualify you from applying to CCLCM. As a small school, CCLCM cares a lot about picking the right people who will do well in this unorthodox curriculum. That does NOT equate to attending a top ten school. If you have a good GPA and MCAT, research experience, clinical experience, volunteering, and you play well in the sandbox, you can be competitive for this program. I hope this clears up the confusion.

Thanks for clearing this up a little. I was going to contact you before applying just to see if it is even worth applying there. For one thing, it would help to know exactly how many courses are too much and whether if you take all of your courses there but take many upper division courses at a four-year if it will matter and how much.

Finally, reading the site, I did not get the impression that they use Barron's ranking for research opportunities. I thought that was for the worth of your GPA at any one college. Usually this is why Barron's is used. For research, usually the US News is used where research funding is at the top of the criteria. You can clear this up too.

When you are talking about CC acceptances, it would be interesting to know whether these are the students who transferred to an Ivy League type top university that made up for the CC. Maybe I am wrong, but I think that transferring from a CC to a relatively low or average ranked four year school is still going to be very detrimental.

If you have any say in the admissions, I would recommend that your school reevaluate some of the CCs, especially the ones in CA that get all of their premed courses synchronized with the UCs. I can give you more information, if you want.

 

[Van Chowder]

Of course, that could happen in some of the classes, but generally not. Look at it this way: as you increase the sample size of students taking a given test (any test) the scores will represent the average population intelligence more and more. In every class you have those few students who really want to take the class. Then you have the majority you really have to take the course. Increasing the class size to very large numbers makes the class more average overall.

If you compare this with a CC, very few of the premed classes are a requirement (if you're not majoring in Bio trying to transfer to a UC, then none are a requirement). So the people taking any of the specific or upper division classes do so because they want to do it. There is a larger motivation. On top of that, in a CC you are competing against the same students in UCs since the materials are the same and tests are the same (some teachers overdo it and make it harder). YET, there is no curve. The only curve is the test itself. So if you get a 79, that's a C. If everyone gets a 79, that's still a C. There are no pluses or minuses either.

Sometimes I think that a CC is unnecessarily hard. Given the disrespect it gets, it should definitely not be harder than any of the UCs.

Ok I hear you, yea that is very true, however although it may not be the norm in CC's some profs actually still do curve their tests. Undeniably, the classs are not easy, BUT what is true for CC's that is not true for UC's or other big schools, is that when in a CC you have so much more freedom when it comes to prof selection. With sites like ratemyprofessors.com and pickaprof.com this becomes all too easy., especially when there are other CC's in the surrounding area. Its not a big deal to take classes from different CC's at once, but it is for four years. If I go to a smaller school, that has a very limited selection where the physics teacher blows, and the organic chemistry prof sucks.
Then what?

See what im saying? So yes some CC classes are harder than the UC level ones but, people take those classes at their own descresion, not because they have to.

 

[CCLCMer]

I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you guys, but I finally had a chance to discuss some of these issues with Dean Franco. Here's the scoop:

Thanks for clearing this up a little. I was going to contact you before applying just to see if it is even worth applying there. For one thing, it would help to know exactly how many courses are too much and whether if you take all of your courses there but take many upper division courses at a four-year if it will matter and how much.

There is no absolute number. Basically these things are considered on a case by case basis. She agreed that taking higher level science courses at four year schools would be helpful, as would scoring well on the science sections of the MCAT.

Finally, reading the site, I did not get the impression that they use Barron's ranking for research opportunities. I thought that was for the worth of your GPA at any one college. Usually this is why Barron's is used. For research, usually the US News is used where research funding is at the top of the criteria. You can clear this up too.

Research funding means nothing at the undergrad level. What I was talking about in my last post is that at some schools, they do no research whatsoever. Research is a REQUIRED prereq for CCLCM. So if you go to one of those schools with no research, you will have a harder time completing this prereq. You're at a CC, so you tell me, do they do any research there? If not, you will have to go somewhere else to fulfill that requirement. Likewise, they probably don't offer biochem there, and biochem is also a prereq for CCLCM. There won't be a med school associated with your CC, so you'll have to go somewhere else to get clinical experience. See what I'm saying? Of course, you don't necessarily have to do all of those things at the same school that awards your degree, but you do have to do them all SOMEWHERE. My point was that the more competitive schools have everything in-house. That doesn't have to mean Top Ten/Ivy League. Even at most major state schools, you could take all your prereqs including biochem, volunteer at the medical school, and find a research lab to join all in one place. You can't do that at a CC.

You seem really fixated on this Barron's thing, so I'll say this again. CCLCM does NOT use Barron's to rank ANYTHING. That page you were reading is meant to provide general info on applying to med school, NOT to provide a manual on how the CCLCM adcomm works. Students accepted to this school come from a variety of academic backgrounds, including some with CC coursework. There is NO weighting of GPAs from different schools. I'm sorry if I'm still being ambiguous to you, but I honestly don't know how to make this point any clearer.

When you are talking about CC acceptances, it would be interesting to know whether these are the students who transferred to an Ivy League type top university that made up for the CC. Maybe I am wrong, but I think that transferring from a CC to a relatively low or average ranked four year school is still going to be very detrimental.

See my response to the first part of your post.

If you have any say in the admissions, I would recommend that your school reevaluate some of the CCs, especially the ones in CA that get all of their premed courses synchronized with the UCs. I can give you more information, if you want.

Thanks, but that won't be necessary. Your information couldn't do anything to change a nonexistent policy. But not to worry, you've still helped to effect a (hopefully) desirable change in this case. The website is being overhauled to make it clear which parts are CCLCM's specific requirements versus which parts are considerations for premeds to think about in general. The FAQ about the CC credit question will be changed to reflect the policy that CC coursework is not preferred but is also not an automatic deal-breaker. These updates should be complete within the next few weeks, so anyone who is interested can check back in early July.