can community college fulfill med school requirement?

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hippocampus

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can i just get a degree in something else, lets say..sociology (BA at a university), and then fulfill all my med school prereqs at a community college?

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All of the guides I have read have indicated that while CC courses can fulfill the "letter of the law", so to speak, they are not viewed highly by admissions committees (simply because CC's have a tendency not to go into as great detail as a four-year university).
 
hippocampus said:
can i just get a degree in something else, lets say..sociology (BA at a university), and then fulfill all my med school prereqs at a community college?

You might want to check with your top choice med school to see what their view on it is. When I asked my first choice school about it, they actually recommended that I complete my remaining requirements at a community college since I already had a bachelor's degree.
 
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Many people have completed their pre-req's at CC, including me. Only a couple of schools that I am aware of (one in Georgia that I can't remember the name of) will not take any community college course credit.

The advice to check with the schools you want to attend is wise, especially if you are trying to get into a tier-1 school.

:)
 
hippocampus said:
can i just get a degree in something else, lets say..sociology (BA at a university), and then fulfill all my med school prereqs at a community college?

Everything I've read says that you can use CC credits to fulfill pre-reqs, BUT you must transfer those credits to your 4 year university.
 
Sporky said:
Many people have completed their pre-req's at CC, including me. Only a couple of schools that I am aware of (one in Georgia that I can't remember the name of) will not take any community college course credit.

The advice to check with the schools you want to attend is wise, especially if you are trying to get into a tier-1 school.

:)

What about ivy league medical schools, will they accept community college courses?
 
In addition to schools possibly viewing this as the easy way out, you will probably need to put in a lot of additional hours studying for the MCAT than if you were to take the pre-reqs at a four-year university.
 
vweezy04 said:
What about ivy league medical schools, will they accept community college courses?

Probably not, but it's worth looking into. My guess is that this is the method AMCAS uses to verify the "quality" of CC instruction; if it's good enough for your 4-year university than it's good enough for them.
 
You should not complete all your classes at a CC. People I know have gotten questioned at the interview about taking one class that wasn't even a prereq at a CC. I don't think it looks too good to them. If you have a really good reason for taking 1 or 2 classes at a CC, it will probably be ok, but don't take more than a couple there.
 
floridakppr said:
Some schools don't accept community college courses for pre-reqs. I know of at least one: Boston University.

High school courses and junior college courses generally do not fulfill these requirements
Hrrrm…I’d still make the argument that you’d be ok applying to that school. First, it says “generally do not fulfill.” I would ague that if your 4 year school accepts these credits as full credits, then it’s almost as if it’s coming from the university and should fall on the other side of “generally.” The next line states “If an applicant has been excused from a required college level course, we prefer to see another course in that discipline at the same or a higher level.” Thus, you could argue that if you’ve done CC work that you didn’t have to retake at your 4 year college, you might say you’ve been “excused” from those required classes. Presumably we’re talking about bio 1 and 2, chem 1 and 2, or physics 1 and 2 in which case chances are you’ve taken higher-level courses in those subjects. If not, the sentence still says “we prefer to see,” leaving room for exceptions. Finally, many schools allow certain pre-reqs to be waived if you’ve demonstrated ability in the subject through higher-level courses, high MCAT score in that subject, etc. Thus, I don’t think taking one or two CC classes would stop you from getting into Boston if you’re a good candidate in all other areas.
 
Well put kypd. I took Bio 1 & 2 and Gen Chem 1 & 2 at a community college. Upon transferring to 4 yr. university, I spoke with the director of admissions at a pre-med workshop. He reassured me that I was not screwed as long as I maintain my GPA or show an upward trend.

But, in regards to the OP's situation, he explicitly stated that going back to a community college for pre-req's after/while attending a four year university would be looked down upon as taking the easy way out. But, OP, you'll have a chance to explain why CC was the best option (if you choose to pursue it) in the personal statment of AMCAS and in secondaries.
 
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Hmm... Mt Sinai, I believe says that taking prereqs at a communite college is 'not recommended'... it's allowed, I suppose, but CC work is generally seen as less competitive and challenging as coursework at a 4-year university.
 
In general, I think you can complete a degree (that doesn't relate to pre-med) and the premed requirements. That would be the best way. These classes are really something you should know...so if you're simply going to a community college to get some "easy" grades...it's probably not a good idea.
 
floridakppr said:
Some schools don't accept community college courses for pre-reqs. I know of at least one: Boston University.
Actually, Boston University's stance is that JC classes are accepted from full-time JC student who go on to transfer and complete their degree at a four year university.

They do not accept JC classes from 4 year college students who take the prereq classes part-time at a JC. I don't know the situation for postbacs.
 
hippocampus said:
can i just get a degree in something else, lets say..sociology (BA at a university), and then fulfill all my med school prereqs at a community college?

Hey, you may want to reconsider getting a degree in sociology. I have one, and had the hardest time finding a job. I ended up teaching for a year :(. I am making that suggestion because you may change your mind about med school somewhere down the road...
 
This is good news for me. Is this available in writing online?
 
hippocampus said:
can i just get a degree in something else, lets say..sociology (BA at a university), and then fulfill all my med school prereqs at a community college?

Im currently finishing these pre-reqs at a community college:
- bio 1,2
- chem 1,2
- phys 1,2
- Organic 1,2

That leaves biochem, molecular bio, physio, and anatomy for my upper div. My excuse: Im a poor URM.
 
Keau said:
Im currently finishing these pre-reqs at a community college:
- bio 1,2
- chem 1,2
- phys 1,2
- Organic 1,2

That leaves biochem, molecular bio, physio, and anatomy for my upper div. My excuse: Im a poor URM.
Get a loan...I'm a poor non-URM :)

It doesn't matter much if you transfer from a CC. There is this big stigma that exists amongst kids who have spent their entire sheltered lives behind their books that if you go to a JC at all you recieved a shoddy education and will get screwed by AMCAS.

Most of my CC professors were Ph.D's who were retired from large Universities or were working part time between Universities and a CC. They sure didn't take it easy on us.

Its a new reality. People are going to do much of their GE at CCs from now on considering the cost of education is rising dramatically and CC pay for professors is becoming pretty damn competitive with less strings attached.
 
Returnednds said:
what school was that, obrn?

University of Kansas. And that was even after I asked if they would rather me complete the requirements at their own school! The community college in my area is well respected, but even still I was a little surprised. But I definitely took their advice for taking my classes at community college!
 
I took 21 college credits at Houston Community College before my freshman year at a university even started. This included two semesters of english, two of government, and one of macro economics while in high school (they were dual credit which means I got high school credit and college credit). And during the summer before freshman year I took intermediate algebra (simply as a refresher) and then college algebra. Got all As. Do you think medical schools are going to look down on this? This goes for all ranges of schools (including ivys).
 
Vvandenn said:
I took 21 college credits at Houston Community College before my freshman year at a university even started. This included two semesters of english, two of government, and one of macro economics while in high school (they were dual credit which means I got high school credit and college credit). And during the summer before freshman year I took intermediate algebra (simply as a refresher) and then college algebra. Got all As. Do you think medical schools are going to look down on this? This goes for all ranges of schools (including ivys).
I've heard that one, I believe its Harvard, won't accept anything from a CC. But, other than that I think you're good to go.
 
Quix said:
All of the guides I have read have indicated that while CC courses can fulfill the "letter of the law", so to speak, they are not viewed highly by admissions committees (simply because CC's have a tendency not to go into as great detail as a four-year university).

My CC is an exception. I attend both a university and CC to work around my schedule. The CC I attend goes into way more depth than what I've taken (Chem and Physics wise) at the university that I attended.
 
floridakppr said:
In addition to schools possibly viewing this as the easy way out, you will probably need to put in a lot of additional hours studying for the MCAT than if you were to take the pre-reqs at a four-year university.

I disagree with this statement, and I am sure many others disagree, as well.
 
MaryWrathers said:
I disagree with this statement, and I am sure many others disagree, as well.

My personal experience supports my notion (studying more for MCAT because of CC classes). Gen Chem was my weakest subject on MCAT, largely because I had CC teachers who glossed over advanced subjects and spent extra time on basic subjects. At the time, I thought I was receiving a quality education, but upon transferring to four year, I needed to put in many more hours studying to maintain GPA and realized that CC classes required less study time and intellectual challenges. Taking Bio 1 & 2 at a CC did not cause additional study time during MCAT prep because I had taken upper level bio's in addition (cell bio, genetics, physiology, Neuroscience). I believe that had I taken physical chem or an intermediate inorganic chem course, I could have cut my study time down. (I know its anecdoatal evidence, and experiences vary.)
 
That might have been YOUR community college experience, but by NO means is it representative of the population. Many community colleges have excellent reputations at regional and national universities in their state. I've specifically chosen my classes at a community college because of this factor. I also like that community colleges have many different professors that you can research on various websites and then use that resource to find professors to match your needs.
 
I took my physics pre-reqs at a community college and scored a 13 on that section. If a med school wont take me because of where I took the classes (rather than looking at an objective measure of my ability), then I probably dont want to be there anyway. :D
 
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