Advice please!

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mfoti1

mfoti1

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Lordy... I'm going to make this quick for y'all, sorry for taking some of your time.

Basically, I did bad in highschool so I couldn't get into any 4-year out of highschool, so my only option was to go to CC and take 2 years there an transfer for a University as a junior. When I transfer as a junior, my counselor said I MUST have a major declared, so of course I decided I would major in Bio.

So, I laid out my 2 year plan at my CC(on my own at my house), and basically, to transfer as a declared Bio major, I would need to take Chem 123, Ochem 12, bio 123 and physics 12. That's a bunch of sciences that I would have to take ALL at my CC before I was able to transfer.

I was recently informed(thank god), that it's not a great idea to take pre reqs at a community college. And thank god, I'm still only on my first semester at CC, so I can change my plan.

This has come to a surprise to me because I had everything laid out, and now I want to change everything.


I NEED SOME ADVICE. I'm thinking about changing my
Major so I don't have to take all my Pre reqs or my Bio degree at a CC, which are the same ore reqs for dental school!! Somebody help!! What to do?? Should I major in something else, so I don't end up taking all the dental Orr reqs at a CC? Can I declare a major and then switch right when I get to a 4-year? What options do I have? This is my life here and I really need to make the right choice!! Ahhhhhhh!!!


Thanks in advanced to the knowledgable people on SDN. I really don't know what to do. I don't wanna have to take a master program just because I tool my CC's at a comm college and I don't wanna have to re take my pre reqs if I take them at a comm college!

Thanks!
 
Taking pre-reqs at cc does hurt you at some schools, but definitely not all. I took my physics pre-reqs at cc and got into my top choice. My cousin took all of his pre-reqs at cc and he got into his top choice too. For most schools, doing well in those pre-req courses is more important than where you take them. You just have to do a little bit of research to find out which schools are against cc (the big east coast schools, like nyu and bu, typically don't like cc classes).
 
If you want the ease of mind, then major in something decent not science related at CC and transfer into a four year. Then take pre-reqs and upper bio there. It will take longer then just taking the pre-reqs at CC, but that's the cost of peace of mind.
 
AwesomeTeeth said:
If you want the ease of mind, then major in something decent not science related at CC and transfer into a four year. Then take pre-reqs and upper bio there. It will take longer then just taking the pre-reqs at CC, but that's the cost of peace of mind.
Click to expand...

Yea that's what I was thinking. So am I allowed to major in something else, and once I'm done with my major, am I allowed to stay at the Univ. for another year to finish pre reqs for DS? Or do they kick you out once you finish your major lol
 
mfoti1 said:
Lordy... I'm going to make this quick for y'all, sorry for taking some of your time.

Basically, I did bad in highschool so I couldn't get into any 4-year out of highschool, so my only option was to go to CC and take 2 years there an transfer for a University as a junior. When I transfer as a junior, my counselor said I MUST have a major declared, so of course I decided I would major in Bio.

So, I laid out my 2 year plan at my CC(on my own at my house), and basically, to transfer as a declared Bio major, I would need to take Chem 123, Ochem 12, bio 123 and physics 12. That's a bunch of sciences that I would have to take ALL at my CC before I was able to transfer.

I was recently informed(thank god), that it's not a great idea to take pre reqs at a community college. And thank god, I'm still only on my first semester at CC, so I can change my plan.

This has come to a surprise to me because I had everything laid out, and now I want to change everything.


I NEED SOME ADVICE. I'm thinking about changing my
Major so I don't have to take all my Pre reqs or my Bio degree at a CC, which are the same ore reqs for dental school!! Somebody help!! What to do?? Should I major in something else, so I don't end up taking all the dental Orr reqs at a CC? Can I declare a major and then switch right when I get to a 4-year? What options do I have? This is my life here and I really need to make the right choice!! Ahhhhhhh!!!


Thanks in advanced to the knowledgable people on SDN. I really don't know what to do. I don't wanna have to take a master program just because I tool my CC's at a comm college and I don't wanna have to re take my pre reqs if I take them at a comm college!

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I am having a hard time with this post...

First off all ~ why is the college FORCING you to pick a major when you transfer from CC? Thats kinda silly, many young students who enter college these days do it under the major "undecided" because... well, they don't know what the heck they wanna do.... You should double check this.... I am not saying its wrong, it just.... doesn't feel right

Second off all ~ lets suppose they DO force you to pick a major. Can you do a "whatever" major (something not science related ~ History, English, Arts, etc etc), where basically you'll only be attending CC for 1 year to complete some requirements, then, transfer into your college as the "whatever" major, then after a semester or 2, change your major to biology?.... This is not a terrible plan as long as your CC time is within 1 year, if it ends up dragging out to 2 years, its going to cost you more time because 2 years of CC + AT LEAST 3-4 years in college being a pre-dent.

Third off all ~ your are switching your entire plan around because 1 or few people told you something based on their bad personal experiences with CC... Thats not a very logical way to base your decisions. For every person who struggled to get in because of CC I can name you an SDN member who DID (or most) all their pre-reqs at CC and still got in (do you know who VicViper is? click here http://www.predents.com/?page=user&user_id=5604).
 
DentalWorks,

A counselor told me I must transfer as a Junior going into a University, because once you enter the CC system, you are now considered a CC transfer applicant, and that means that you mist complete 90 transferable units at the CC and have a major decided because your transferring as a Junior. If I was transferring as a Freshman or Sophmore, I could go as undecided, but supposedly once I'm in the cc system, I need to fulfill the Cc requirements. Does that make sense? I mean this is al based off what I was told, not what I know.

And that's what I was wondering, If I transferred as, let's say, political science major, took all the pre reqs at CC and got the 90 units so I was a Junior, I was wondering if I could change my major right when I transfer? But this means I would have spent and done a lot of useless pre reqs that I won't need at the Cc.

So I don't know what to do. Does that make sense. Idk. Please help DW your the man lol
 
mfoti1 said:
DentalWorks,

A counselor told me I must transfer as a Junior going into a University, because once you enter the CC system, you are now considered a CC transfer applicant, and that means that you mist complete 90 transferable units at the CC and have a major decided because your transferring as a Junior. If I was transferring as a Freshman or Sophmore, I could go as undecided, but supposedly once I'm in the cc system, I need to fulfill the Cc requirements. Does that make sense? I mean this is al based off what I was told, not what I know.

And that's what I was wondering, If I transferred as, let's say, political science major, took all the pre reqs at CC and got the 90 units so I was a Junior, I was wondering if I could change my major right when I transfer? But this means I would have spent and done a lot of useless pre reqs that I won't need at the Cc.

So I don't know what to do. Does that make sense. Idk. Please help DW your the man lol
Click to expand...

ask the counselor that same question.

and you are right, if you have to transfer with 90 units (is that like 60 credits?), you basically threw off your first 2 years in CC doing "nothing" pre-dental related.

I think your initial plan of 2 years of pre-reqs at CC, then transfer as biology major to finish up upper division biologies is your best option. Its also the shortest option..... The only stipulation is, you have to perform well after you transfer. Being a 4.0 CC student and a 3.0 college transfer might look bad...

There is one question I am going to leave you with: If CC credits are such a taboo, why don't majority of dental schools reject them?
 
dentalWorks said:
First off all ~ why is the college FORCING you to pick a major when you transfer from CC? Thats kinda silly, many young students who enter college these days do it under the major "undecided" because... well, they don't know what the heck they wanna do.... You should double check this.... I am not saying its wrong, it just.... doesn't feel right
Click to expand...

In general, after two years of college it is hard to put them in the same category as "many young students who enter college". Not that there is anything magic about 2 years since quite a few may still remain "undecided" after 4 years. The requirement for choosing a major is to unable a student to enroll in classes which are generally "limited" to majors in the particular field.
 
I'm from California as well, and things are just different out here right now.

If you planning on transferring to a public school - UCLA, UCSD, Berkley etc - you will need to declare your major, and you best declare it as biology.

Why? Almost all of our public schools are impacted. I just graduated from UCSD, and by the time I left, the biology department had declared itself impacted. What does that mean? It means that incoming freshman have to compete to major in biology and they limit the number transfer students who can come into the biology department.

A lot of transfers think, ok well if the UC is limiting the number of students it accepts who are already declared as biology majors, I'll just declare something else and switch when I get there...it doesn't work that way, and many students are told to either stick with what they have or choose something else, but it wasn't going to be biology.

My point is, if you're going to try and transfer to a CA public school, you'll want to be pre-declared as a biology major.

Yes, you can major in something else, but if you choose to go to a quarter base UC, you'll have a very hard time getting into lab classes to fulfill your pre-requisites (all biology labs at quarter based UC's are upper-division and usually reserved for science majors only). For dental school you need physics, biology, and chemistry lab experience.

So long story short, talk with your adviser, and do some research on your own by calling UC biology departments - they'll probably be more helpful that your CC adviser.
 
allDAT said:
I'm from California as well, and things are just different out here right now.

If you planning on transferring to a public school - UCLA, UCSD, Berkley etc - you will need to declare your major, and you best declare it as biology.

Why? Almost all of our public schools are impacted. I just graduated from UCSD, and by the time I left, the biology department had declared itself impacted. What does that mean? It means that incoming freshman have to compete to major in biology and they limit the number transfer students who can come into the biology department.

A lot of transfers think, ok well if the UC is limiting the number of students it accepts who are already declared as biology majors, I'll just declare something else and switch when I get there...it doesn't work that way, and many students are told to either stick with what they have or choose something else, but it wasn't going to be biology.

My point is, if you're going to try and transfer to a CA public school, you'll want to be pre-declared as a biology major.

Yes, you can major in something else, but if you choose to go to a quarter base UC, you'll have a very hard time getting into lab classes to fulfill your pre-requisites (all biology labs at quarter based UC's are upper-division and usually reserved for science majors only). For dental school you need physics, biology, and chemistry lab experience.

So long story short, talk with your adviser, and do some research on your own by calling UC biology departments - they'll probably be more helpful that your CC adviser.
Click to expand...

Thanks, allDAT, you can relate to me because your from Cali.

But, im not planning on transferring to a UC, im planning on transferring to SF State. Do you know that school?

Anyways, yes, that was my plan, to transfer as a Bio major, but my main concern man, was that people are telling me that ALOT of Dental Schools look down upon, and even wont accept applicants that did there pre-reqs at a CC, thats my only concern here.
 
dentalWorks said:
ask the counselor that same question.

and you are right, if you have to transfer with 90 units (is that like 60 credits?), you basically threw off your first 2 years in CC doing "nothing" pre-dental related.

I think your initial plan of 2 years of pre-reqs at CC, then transfer as biology major to finish up upper division biologies is your best option. Its also the shortest option..... The only stipulation is, you have to perform well after you transfer. Being a 4.0 CC student and a 3.0 college transfer might look bad...

There is one question I am going to leave you with: If CC credits are such a taboo, why don't majority of dental schools reject them?
Click to expand...

DW, i thought that a majority DO reject them, thats why i made such a big deal about this. Will i still be able to apply to 15-20 schools, having done my pre-reqs at a CC? Or are there too small an amount of schools that accept CC credits. Thats my main concern. And i agree with you, i had my plan all worked out here, but this just worried me. Id like to just finish up my 2-years here, and then transfer to SF State Univ. and do my 2-years there to finish up my Bio degree. And ofcourse, my main concern at the University, would be completely my degree( taking all the necessary classes), and taking a bunch of upper-level bio classes to prove that im worthy, as well as taking my DAT Junior summer or something.

So basically, your advice, is for me to just focus on keeping my grades up through CC, especially in all my sciences, and then once i transfer, ofcourse, still, do well in all the upper-level Bio classes.
That was my basic plan, and i thought thats what was important.

But reading that one guys response, how he said that he got great grades all through CC and when he transfered, but the schools told him he had to re-do his pre-reqs. thats what i DONT want to happen....
 
I'm not familiar with San Fran. State but I'm sure they've been affected by budget cuts as well. Your best bet is to call the biology department directly and ask.

Taking credits at a CC isn't an automatic rejection - actually, there's really no difference to a certain extent. Yes, I tend to believe that a CC transfer is at a disadvantage when his application is compared to a student who took all her classes at Harvard or Yale, but is that unfair? I don't think so.

The DAT is the great equalizer, perform better than your competition while maintaing the average GPA of your dream school, and you'll find success.

However, if you try and entertain admissions committees with an average or below par performance on the DAT, then you've positioning yourself for failure because you've proven that the CC courses failed to prepare you as well as your four-year counterparts.
 
allDAT, yea, that makes sense. Basically show an
Upward trend, and especially do good when i transfer to the University; take upper level Bio's etc, and do good on the DAT.

Makes sense. I just wanted to make sure I can still apply to 15-20 schools with taking all my pre reqs at a CC. I didn't know and will don't know how many schools just won't accept pre reqs from CC's.

Thx allDAT
 
mfoti1 said:
DW, i thought that a majority DO reject them, thats why i made such a big deal about this. Will i still be able to apply to 15-20 schools, having done my pre-reqs at a CC? Or are there too small an amount of schools that accept CC credits. Thats my main concern. And i agree with you, i had my plan all worked out here, but this just worried me. Id like to just finish up my 2-years here, and then transfer to SF State Univ. and do my 2-years there to finish up my Bio degree. And ofcourse, my main concern at the University, would be completely my degree( taking all the necessary classes), and taking a bunch of upper-level bio classes to prove that im worthy, as well as taking my DAT Junior summer or something.

So basically, your advice, is for me to just focus on keeping my grades up through CC, especially in all my sciences, and then once i transfer, ofcourse, still, do well in all the upper-level Bio classes.
That was my basic plan, and i thought thats what was important.

But reading that one guys response, how he said that he got great grades all through CC and when he transfered, but the schools told him he had to re-do his pre-reqs. thats what i DONT want to happen....
Click to expand...

Took me a while to find it:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527335

Majority put "yes" for CC credits, most of them have a cap limit of 60-credits.

According to this, you can apply to 15-20 schools (even more) and are okay with CC.
 
I recommend staying one year at CC.
Take Intro Biology, both chem, both physics and both Calc. courses, then take upper level biology and organice chemistry at a 4 your university or college.
 
dentalWorks said:
Took me a while to find it:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527335

Majority put "yes" for CC credits, most of them have a cap limit of 60-credits.

According to this, you can apply to 15-20 schools (even more) and are okay with CC.
Click to expand...

Ahh thx a bunch DW, great help, very appreciated.
And with the cap-limit of 60 credits, does that mean, i won't be able to apply for those schools? because i am going to have 90 credits. i wonder..idk
 
mfoti1 said:
Ahh thx a bunch DW, great help, very appreciated.
And with the cap-limit of 60 credits, does that mean, i won't be able to apply for those schools? because i am going to have 90 credits. i wonder..idk
Click to expand...

How are you going to have 90 credits? You are only planning to stay at CC, you will have 60 credits. 30 credits/year.
 
flyingforever said:
How are you going to have 90 credits? You are only planning to stay at CC, you will have 60 credits. 30 credits/year.
Click to expand...

Its a quarter system, so i guess a quarter system's 90 units= a semester systems 60 units?
 
mfoti1 said:
Ahh thx a bunch DW, great help, very appreciated.
And with the cap-limit of 60 credits, does that mean, i won't be able to apply for those schools? because i am going to have 90 credits. i wonder..idk
Click to expand...

wait... I thought you said 90 quarter credits ??? I am not sure how that translates to semester-credits but it can't be 90.
 
dentalWorks said:
wait... I thought you said 90 quarter credits ??? I am not sure how that translates to semester-credits but it can't be 90.
Click to expand...

Yes, i need 90 credits. and my CC is quarter system.
 
dentalWorks said:
soooo???? you are going to take 90 Quarter hours? If so, I found this conversion:
http://www.tiu.edu/files/tiu/records/tc_transfer_credit_conversion_policy.pdf

Basically

Semester credits = 90 / 1.5 = 60 semester credits (sounds about right)

Average USA student takes about 30 semester-credits (or a little less) per year. 2 years of CC for you is 60 s-credits.
Click to expand...

Ok cool thanks.
That sounds right.

I guess im going to stick to my original plan then if what you say is true.
 
mfoti1 said:
Ok cool thanks.
That sounds right.

I guess im going to stick to my original plan then if what you say is true.
Click to expand...

I am also taking all of my prerequisites at a community college.
That makes the two of us brah!:laugh:
 
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