am I being paranoid?

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vinganca

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So I recently emailed the admissions contacts at my first-choice school to get their feedback on whether or not prereqs taken at community college are acceptable...and (more importantly) would they prefer to see prereqs taken at a 4-year university?

The reply: "You can take them at any college as long as it is an accredited institution."

:confused:

well, I know I can take them at community college, but that didn't answer my question. I wanted to know if doing so would put me at a disadvantage, or whether they gave more weight to courses taken at a 4-year when deciding on admissions. Which is why I specifically asked "do you prefer that applicants take pre-requisites at a 4-year university?"

I know none of you can read an adcom's mind :p , but opinions would definitely be appreciated. Does it sound to you like they were deliberately avoiding giving me an answer one way or the other as to their preference...or do you think I'm reading too much into things and should just take the statement at face value? I don't want to email them back asking for further clarification cos I don't want to end up pissing them off and coming off as a pain.

I know it's a common practice re: med schools-- to state that community college courses are acceptable, when in reality, the majority won't actually consider applicants with CC courses. Do PT schools operate the same way?

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YOu're probably okay.

In a perfect world, they'd love classes from a 4-year school...they tend to be more rigorous, have a little higher standards, etc.

But, I just got accepted into a DPT program and almost ALL of my prerequisites are from CC. I did the same thing you did an emailed my top choices to find out what they thought (since some schools, like Marquette, will not accept CC courses). I didn't decide to go the PT route until my senior year, so I couldn't take them at my undergrad institution because of the way they structure their classes (Chem I is only offered in the fall, so I couldn't take it in the spring), so I started taking classes at CC while finishing my BA degree. I'm taking the year now to take the rest of the prereqs at CC.

I think a lot depends on why you're taking them at CC....are you an average student (Bs/Cs) at your 4 year university and you know you couldn't get an A or B if you took them at the 4 yr school so you want to take them some place "easier" or are you a full-time busy student who is trying to take them during summer school at a CC when you have more time because you can't fit them into your regular schedule? Or do you already have a degree and are trying to save money? Or did you go to CC first and took all the classes there and don't want to retake them at the university? As long as you're not in the first scenario I described, you're probably okay. If you are in the first case scenario, then you'll find CC classes just as hard. I'm taking Chem right now at CC and they use the same book as my undergrad school used, and it's just as hard as it would be at a 4-year school. I think you almost have to work harder at the CC level because you need an A for it to look good on a transcript.

They will take into consideration a lot of things besides the CC. They'll look at what your degree is in (mine is totally unrelated to PT which is why I didn't have the prerequisites done as an undergrad), your GPA from your 4-year school, extracurriculars, work, PT experience, etc.

I would say take what you can at the 4-year, especially those more gen-ed prereqs, like English comp, psychology, stats, etc. I have a minor in psych so I think it helped that I had a lot of the psych prerequisites from a university, and I also was able to take some science electives like anatomy there too.

Good luck! I'm sure you're just freaking out over nothing. If you're really concerned about it, you can always talk about it on your application. There's a spot on the application for you to say if your academic transcript doesn't reflect your academic ability accurately - if you're concerned about the CC thing you can state there why you took courses at community college instead of at a 4-year (as long as it's a legit reason :) )
 
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well, the school in question is University of Indianapolis, which is by far my first choice for PT school. (If any other school on my list gave me such a vague reply, I wouldn't be worrying about it.)

But I don't see anyone really talking about U Indy on here, and only found two posters here that applied there, so I don't know that anyone can shed any light on their preferences.

As for the "why" of the CC classes, I already have a bachelors in something completely unrelated to PT (and a 3.8 gpa from that). Unfortunately, what I don't have is a lot of money. :oops: And did not file the FAFSA last year, and am ineligible for private loans, so no chance of loan money this year.

TBH I'm considering taking the remaining prereqs at a local 4-year state uni during the 2010-11 academic year (with the help of stafford loans), and then applying in August 2011. But I really don't want to put it all off another year, especially since by then my inpatient shadowing hours will be over a year old and that might hurt my chances. :scared:
 
well, the school in question is University of Indianapolis, which is by far my first choice for PT school. (If any other school on my list gave me such a vague reply, I wouldn't be worrying about it.)

But I don't see anyone really talking about U Indy on here, and only found two posters here that applied there, so I don't know that anyone can shed any light on their preferences.

As for the "why" of the CC classes, I already have a bachelors in something completely unrelated to PT (and a 3.8 gpa from that). Unfortunately, what I don't have is a lot of money. :oops: And did not file the FAFSA last year, and am ineligible for private loans, so no chance of loan money this year.

TBH I'm considering taking the remaining prereqs at a local 4-year state uni during the 2010-11 academic year (with the help of stafford loans), and then applying in August 2011. But I really don't want to put it all off another year, especially since by then my inpatient shadowing hours will be over a year old and that might hurt my chances. :scared:

Having old observation hours shouldn't be an issue. I had some from 3 years ago, some from a year+ ago, and some current. I don't know if you've observed anywhere else, but having observation hours that are a year old isn't a big deal...and you can always try to observe a bit more (maybe a different setting) between now and the time you apply just to make the app a bit stronger.

IT sounds like you're in a similar position as I am, so if your GPA is that high and you already have a degree, no one can fault you for choosing to do CC courses. It's definitely a huge financial incentive, and I think schools understand that. I wouldn't worry about it. I don't know much about U of Indy (I looked into it but decided I rather stay in Chicago), but UIC and NU both gave me a vague response like that, and it didn't seem to affect me negatively since I got into NU. As long as the CC is accredited (some are not, so double check that), you should be fine.

If you can take a course or two at a university, that'll be helpful, but if you can't don't worry about it - it's more important you have the funds for grad school. If you are going to take a class at a 4 yr school, I would suggest something a bit more relevant to PT, like physiology or anatomy as opposed to something like general chemistry. Just my two cents though. Good luck!
 
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eh, I guess I'm worrying about it more because I feel like I'll have two strikes against me-- the CC classes, AND that fact I'll have three courses (chem II, physics II, and stats) in-progress/outstanding at the time of my app. :(

I am def. taking anatomy and physiology at a local 4-year uni (summer session), and I'll be taking those three outstanding prereqs there too next fall (which I'll be able to do cos I'm filling out the FAFSA and will be eligible for stafford loan $).

But still: english comp, sociology, general bio I and II, chem I, developmental psych, trig and physics I are all at CC. And most of the work I'll do at the 4-year won't be available at the time I apply, because I'm taking those in the fall after application. ugh.
 
If anything credits taken at a CC seem to have an advantage, at least in my situation. This school doesn't hand out + and - just the As, Bs, etc... So just make sure you get your 92% or whatever and you get an A. I think the system is flawed regardless. They should be taking into account where you took your classes but I don't think they are. I took a majority of my classes at PSU. A HUGE difference between the classes I'm taking now at a CC. I've been getting close to 100% on everything. I got a 77/65 on my last physics test because the class did so poorly. In their system though it is no better then a 61/65. I think it's funny. Whatever the difference will ultimately show in different ways.

Don't worry. It's only destructive. If you have questions regarding prereqs ask the institution directly via e-mail so you have a printable copy of what they said. Don't assume either. When you assume you make an a.ss. out of u and me. << I've always liked that one.
 
eh, I guess I'm worrying about it more because I feel like I'll have two strikes against me-- the CC classes, AND that fact I'll have three courses (chem II, physics II, and stats) in-progress/outstanding at the time of my app. :(

I am def. taking anatomy and physiology at a local 4-year uni (summer session), and I'll be taking those three outstanding prereqs there too next fall (which I'll be able to do cos I'm filling out the FAFSA and will be eligible for stafford loan $).

But still: english comp, sociology, general bio I and II, chem I, developmental psych, trig and physics I are all at CC. And most of the work I'll do at the 4-year won't be available at the time I apply, because I'm taking those in the fall after application. ugh.

WOw you really sound just like me. When I applied this fall, the only prereqs I had from a 4-yr school was the psych courses, english comp, stats, and 2 anatomy courses (one through the dance department and one through the bio). Everything else was CC (chem I, physics I, & anatomy lab).

Don't worry about outstanding courses....at the time of my application, I still had physiology, chem II, bio I and bio II in progress...and I still have to take calc and physics II in the spring. All my natural sciences are pretty much CC courses, and I only had half completed at the time of my application.

Just try to make sure the rest of your application is as strong as possible - take the GRE until you get the test scores you need to be competitive, get lots of observation/work experience...you also said you're coming from an unrelated field, which could be advantageous - a lot of schools love having diverse backgrounds like that. Also make sure your essays and letters of rec. are very strong.

And I just came across this article on the SDN rehab science page...it's a bit more directed to Pre-Med people, but some of it may carry over. It doesn't really give a definitive answer, but it may be interesting to read: http://www.studentdoctor.net/2009/04/community-college-and-professional-school-admissions/#more-1722
 
Just try to make sure the rest of your application is as strong as possible - take the GRE until you get the test scores you need to be competitive, get lots of observation/work experience...you also said you're coming from an unrelated field, which could be advantageous - a lot of schools love having diverse backgrounds like that. Also make sure your essays and letters of rec. are very strong.

And I just came across this article on the SDN rehab science page...it's a bit more directed to Pre-Med people, but some of it may carry over. It doesn't really give a definitive answer, but it may be interesting to read: http://www.studentdoctor.net/2009/04/community-college-and

-professional-school-admissions/#more-1722

lol, that link (and a few panic-and-gloom-filled threads in the non-trad forum) was what got me started worrying about CC credits. But that forum is mainly med students, and sometimes it's a bit :confused: trying to sort out what might also apply to PT admissions and what doesn't.

Everything else in my package is looking good: 4.0 prereq GPA so far, 3.8 undergrad GPA; hospital, ortho outpatient and SNF shadowing hours (in excess of what's required), PTs and a prof who know me well and will write strong LORs, 1260 on the GRE (650 A, 610 V...don't know AW yet as I just took it yesterday :p ), verifiable community service...and (ugh, sorry if this sounds arrogant, but) I have always excelled at writing, so I know I can generate solid, interesting essays.

And I've managed to keep my grades up and cram in my shadowing hours despite working full-time. So it is driving me mad to be worrying about whether something as stupid as taking courses at the 'wrong' sort of school could negate all this hard work! :eek:

[/whining]
 
lol, that link (and a few panic-and-gloom-filled threads in the non-trad forum) was what got me started worrying about CC credits. But that forum is mainly med students, and sometimes it's a bit :confused: trying to sort out what might also apply to PT admissions and what doesn't.

Everything else in my package is looking good: 4.0 prereq GPA so far, 3.8 undergrad GPA; hospital, ortho outpatient and SNF shadowing hours (in excess of what's required), PTs and a prof who know me well and will write strong LORs, 1260 on the GRE (650 A, 610 V...don't know AW yet as I just took it yesterday :p ), verifiable community service...and (ugh, sorry if this sounds arrogant, but) I have always excelled at writing, so I know I can generate solid, interesting essays.

And I've managed to keep my grades up and cram in my shadowing hours despite working full-time. So it is driving me mad to be worrying about whether something as stupid as taking courses at the 'wrong' sort of school could negate all this hard work! :eek:

[/whining]


With stats like that I would be very surprised if you don't get in. It seems like you're a pretty solid candidate...since you are working full-time in addition to taking classes, that should show the AdComs that you're dedicated and good at time management.
 
well thanks for the vote of confidence -- and for the advice; I appreciate it. :)
 
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