CC Credits Post-BA -- Advice?

[browne96]

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Here's my situation:
- Did poorly when originally went to school, ended up with sub-2.0GPA in my final semester before I withdrew
- Transferred to CC, figured things out, earned 3.0, then 3.93 for the two semesters needed to earn Associate's degree
- Worked in marketing for 3 years
- Went back to school at a 4-year state university, will graduate with an approx. 3.91 GPA (school GPA not cGPA) in English this summer
- Boyfriend got into a top business school in another state so we will be moving the end of summer

I still need most of the science pre-reqs for dental school except Gen Chem I & lab (earned A's at 4-year uni).

I have a few options for completing these classes in another state:
1. Take classes as a non-degree student at my boyfriend's private college ($$$ and no financial aid)
2. Take classes an hour or two away at a regional 4-year university ($$ and could apply for second bachelor's degree, so can potentially get aid, but will be paying out-of-state tuition rates)
3. Take classes at a community college 15 mins away ($ and don't really need aid even for out-of-state tuition, but could maybe get it)
4. Maybe do an online extension school? Idk this one seems riskiest of all

Of these options, 1&3 are most appealing to me.
Option 1: I can work to pay for classes at my bf's private college. I like the idea of getting a good education in these classes, and option 1 will probably ensure that. That said, it's really expensive. All my earnings would go toward these classes.
Option 3: If it won't harm my chances of being admitted to dental schools, I'm cool with taking these classes at the local CC. I know some schools don't allow CC credits in pre-reqs at all, whereas others simply "prefer" 4-year credits. The thing is, I would be taking pre-reqs at a CC because of economic reasons, not because I want to cheat the system or anything like that. I worry, though, given my poor start in school, CC pre-reqs will further harm my application, despite a high GPA at a 4-year university.

What do you guys think?

 

[mariobrosdoctor]

I’ve frequently heard from admission reps that it doesn’t look good if you go back to a CC after transferring to a 4-year. Your situation is slightly different so maybe they’d be lenient with it? I’d contact a few of your top school choices and ask them directly.

Ideally you’d want to take the pre-reqs at a 4-year, is there not a closer state school to you? If I were you, I’d try to find the cheapest 4-year option nearest to you.

Are you able to just stay in your current state and take classes at a local 4-year, you’d save a lot money that way. And maybe you can move in with your bf after you’re done with the pre-reqs. If that’s not possible, then I’d just go with option 3 since option 1 seems like it would stretch your finances a lot. I wouldn’t entertain the idea of option 4.

 

[browne96]

I’ve frequently heard from admission reps that it doesn’t look good if you go back to a CC after transferring to a 4-year. Your situation is slightly different so maybe they’d be lenient with it? I’d contact a few of your top school choices and ask them directly.

Ideally you’d want to take the pre-reqs at a 4-year, is there not a closer state school to you? If I were you, I’d try to find the cheapest 4-year option nearest to you.

Are you able to just stay in your current state and take classes at a local 4-year, you’d save a lot money that way. And maybe you can move in with your bf after you’re done with the pre-reqs. If that’s not possible, then I’d just go with option 3 since option 1 seems like it would stretch your finances a lot. I wouldn’t entertain the idea of option 4.

Thanks for the advice! I could stay in our current state to complete the pre-reqs, there are just additional costs to doing so..namely, we would need to secure a second vehicle, and his school is very rural, so it will be hard financially and time-wise to visit each other. It is doable though. Maybe I shouldn't discount it entirely. I'll contact some of the schools I'm interested in to see what they think.

 

[Blueshirts]

This may seem like a wild suggestion, but if you could get employment at the college in one of the offices, you would be eligible for reduced or free tuition. That kind of offer can extend to family (children) as well, as I had a roomate who went for free because his mom worked at the school (although not relevant to your situation).

 

[browne96]

This may seem like a wild suggestion, but if you could get employment at the college in one of the offices, you would be eligible for reduced or free tuition. That kind of offer can extend to family (children) as well, as I had a roomate who went for free because his mom worked at the school (although not relevant to your situation).

Creative idea! At my bf's school, after one year of employment, they'll cover one class per term (if full-time, pro-tated amount for less than full-time). I would need to remain employed while taking classes to get the benefit. This would be a great option if I only had a few classes left! 🙂 I'll toy with it a bit and see if it would be worth working on a part-time basis to get this benefit.