BSN to Pre-Med question...

[OkieNurse]

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For any nurses with a BSN and are now pursuing premed or anyone else who might know.....

I am on the path to medical school and need to take the sciences not required by my nursing programs. I am wondering if it makes a difference if I take them at a community college rather than a university. There isn't a university near me. What I'll need is Chem II and Organic I/II plus PhysicsI/II.

Thanks!

 

[yellowtibby]

For any nurses with a BSN and are now pursuing premed or anyone else who might know.....

I am on the path to medical school and need to take the sciences not required by my nursing programs. I am wondering if it makes a difference if I take them at a community college rather than a university. There isn't a university near me. What I'll need is Chem II and Organic I/II plus PhysicsI/II.

Thanks!

While I don't have a BSN, it is not wise to take your pre-med courses at a community college. Many medical schools look down upon pre-req courses from them. Go to a standard college/university.

 

[bellakk]

I think chem 2 and physics 1 and 2 would be OK, at a CC because even at a 4 year, they are still lower-division classes. Organic is a concern b/c at a 4 year it is (usually) considered an upper division science while at a CC it is a lower division. I think the most important factor is what the rest of your transcript looks like. If you have awsome grades then a couple CC courses wont hurt, but if your grades are only mediocre than they will wonder if you can handle med school since the only place you could get A's is at a CC. Also dont forget that you will probably need to take more than those few pre-reqs to be considered competitive. Schools like to see Biochem, Cell Biology, Genetics, Histology, Embryology, etc. and those are all upper divisions only offered at a Univ. (you dont need to take all of them but 1 or 2 is pretty much an unwritten rule). Where in OK do you live? I live in Tulsa and cant really think of a place that has a CC that doesnt have a Univ too. Do you have a family and thats why you can't move near a Univ.?

 

[235750]

For any nurses with a BSN and are now pursuing premed or anyone else who might know.....

I am on the path to medical school and need to take the sciences not required by my nursing programs. I am wondering if it makes a difference if I take them at a community college rather than a university. There isn't a university near me. What I'll need is Chem II and Organic I/II plus PhysicsI/II.

Thanks!

Hi Okie,

Congrats on your decision! I used to be an LPN and chose to go to medical school recently. It took a while to get accepted, but it's finally all come together!

I took all my undergrad sciences classes at a CC. Don't worry about that. I agree with others that upper-division classes should be taken at a local major university, preferably state funded for cost reasons of course. Also at all the community colleges I've been to organic chemistry wasn't even offered

Good luck to you Okie!

 

[OkieNurse]

I think chem 2 and physics 1 and 2 would be OK, at a CC because even at a 4 year, they are still lower-division classes. Organic is a concern b/c at a 4 year it is (usually) considered an upper division science while at a CC it is a lower division. I think the most important factor is what the rest of your transcript looks like. If you have awsome grades then a couple CC courses wont hurt, but if your grades are only mediocre than they will wonder if you can handle med school since the only place you could get A's is at a CC. Also dont forget that you will probably need to take more than those few pre-reqs to be considered competitive. Schools like to see Biochem, Cell Biology, Genetics, Histology, Embryology, etc. and those are all upper divisions only offered at a Univ. (you dont need to take all of them but 1 or 2 is pretty much an unwritten rule). Where in OK do you live? I live in Tulsa and cant really think of a place that has a CC that doesnt have a Univ too. Do you have a family and thats why you can't move near a Univ.?

I do live in Tulsa, but where can I go that's a 4 year? OU and OSU Tulsa only offer upper division courses (no inorganic chem, physics or even organic that I saw). TU is too far out of my price range. I mean, I guess I can drive to OSU Stillwater or NSU Tahlequah, but those are the closest ones I know of.

Yes, I have a family, and a teenager who doesn't want to move. I also have to work full time while I'm completing the classes so the less commute, the better.

The grades is where the problems come in. GPA now is around 3.2 with a couple of F's in there from more than 10 years ago....courses which I have retaken and received an A or B in. I don't know how adcoms calculate GPA so ....? It was way back when I didn't realize you can't just stop going....you have to actually withdraw.

I'm just embarking on this process. In the back of my head I was planning on going to nursing grad school and do something there. But, that isn't what I want. Being a physician is what I want. Keep coming with the advice. I know I need to talk with the schools as well and get the firsthand info from them.

 

[foreverLaur]

http://www.studentdoctor.net/2009/04/community-college-and-professional-school-admissions/

Main page of SDN has an article discussion this very topic.

 

[TheGrand]

If you're near to a university, I would take the university classes over community college classes anytime.

In my case though, I'm about an hour and a half from either universities here in Arizona (UofA, ASU). I can't do dorms because I have to stay home because of current family situations. But there is a community college near me (15 min.) where all premed classes are offered, and YES, I'm taking all of my premed classes there.

I envy you simply because you're nearer to a 4-year school.

I'll be graduating with a degree in associates in nursing in nursing by the way. 🙁

 

[foreverLaur]

If you're near to a university, I would take the university classes over community college classes anytime.

Easier said than done. I live equidistant to a 4 year university and a community college. I am taking the rest of my courses this summer at the community college.

Why?

Classes are $80 per credit hour instead of $350 per credit hour. Also, the classes are much more flexibly scheduled. I can take them morning or night or weekend. Four year universities don't offer that much flexibility.

And, from my experiences, the professors are equally as qualified and the classes aren't any easier.

 

[OkieNurse]

I agree. Since I am a non-traditional student, I have work and family obligations I have to meet. With tuition being cheaper, plus the flexibility in class schedules I can't see any other way until it's time to take 3000+ level classes, which I'm not going to stress about too much since I have some classes like statistics and research that are higher level (for my BSN). I'll probably try and do at least 2 of those upper division sciences before I apply and then I'll be enrolled in some more during the application process.

At the 4-year universities, they have about 5 class times to offer and they are all 4-5 days a week. I can't see driving 5 days a week for an hour and a half each way, plus still being able to work. The CC here has numerous class times and most are 2 days a week...all day, but still.

Thanks for the input!

 

[foreverLaur]

My local CC has lectures and labs separately. You can sign up for your lecture entirely online (tests are done at a testing center) and then you can sign up for the lab whenever you want it (1 day a week) and they are offered mornings, afternoons, evenings, and weekends.

I love the flexibility.

 

[DO2Be2013]

While I don't have a BSN, it is not wise to take your pre-med courses at a community college. Many medical schools look down upon pre-req courses from them. Go to a standard college/university.

People always say this but I did not find it to be true in my situation. I think it may make a difference if you are a non-trad student or not. But after graduating with my BS years ago and working in another career, I took all of my med school pre-reqs over the last three years in the evening at a community college (cost, evening class times, usual reasons). I got in everywhere I applied this year and went to each interview fully prepared to defend why I took my sciences at a CC, but not a single interviewer brought it up once. They did not care. If you have a strong MCAT I don't think it makes any difference.