Community College and getting in

[bruinfan32]

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Hey,
I am a freshman at a community college, and I was wondering since you all got into med school you might be able to help me out.

1. Which med schools don't accept comm. college credit when considering transcripts?(I heard about this problem recently)
2. Should I finish out my comm. college program, making sure I graduate with honors and taking my premed rec's, or transfer out as soon as possible?
3. Would doing really well on the MCAT's validate the quality of the classes in comm. college?

Just hoping for some opinions/experiences. Thanks!

 

[The_Mole]

I took a few classes at my local community college, even a semester of physics (one of the required med school required courses), and it never even came up as an issue during my interviews. I think you'll find most avg public med schools (top20 programs are another ballgame) won't mind a few classes from a C.C., but i would keep them to a minimum and make sure you get pretty much straight A's in those courses (I gotta believe that a C from a C.C. looks about like a D or F from a Univ. to some admin committee members. And yes, IMHO, a high MCAT can go a long way in erasing any doubts that some low grades or unknown school can raise. Good luck!

 

[ravi]

Hey,
I am a freshman at a community college, and I was wondering since you all got into med school you might be able to help me out.

1. Which med schools don't accept comm. college credit when considering transcripts?(I heard about this problem recently)
2. Should I finish out my comm. college program, making sure I graduate with honors and taking my premed rec's, or transfer out as soon as possible?
3. Would doing really well on the MCAT's validate the quality of the classes in comm. college?

Just hoping for some opinions/experiences. Thanks!

Beleive it or not, I did all my prerequisites (110 credit hours) at a C.C and just today I found out that I got into med school. I am not encouraging you to do courses at C.C, but IF THAT IS THE ONLY OPTION, it is not as bad as many think. I applied to 7 schools and got 4 interview invites. ( BTW my background is totally different, I have a bachelors from a foregin country)

 

[souljah1]

I took all of my premed prereqs at a CC, took the MCAT in the summer after finishing, then transfered to a UC to graduate with a BS. Maybe a couple schools had problems with it, but noone brought them up on interviews unless it was to compliment me on climbing the later. I applied to 11 or 12 schools and wound up interviewing at 5 or 6, and got in at 4. Don't buy into doubters. And just in case some viewers are curious..I'm a white male.

Bottom line: kick as at the CC, do well on the MCAT.

 

[whorubigman]

Here are my replies. 😀

I am a freshman at a community college, and I was wondering since you all got into med school you might be able to help me out.

1. Which med schools don't accept comm. college credit when considering transcripts?(I heard about this problem recently)

No such thing. I got accepted by most of UC med schools. I went to junior college for 2yrs b/f transferring to UC Davis. Do not worry about this at all.

2. Should I finish out my comm. college program, making sure I graduate with honors and taking my premed rec's, or transfer out as soon as possible?

Transfer the heck out asap. And, get good grades at a university.


3. Would doing really well on the MCAT's validate the quality of the classes in comm. college?

Perhaps. Do not think about the above three questions.

This is what I did. Get good grades. Excel on MCAT. Do many extracurricular activities that you like. Do not waste time doing the things you are not interested in. Be a leader. Do good; e.g., teach in Watts.

YOU WILL DO WELL, my friend!

Just hoping for some opinions/experiences. Thanks![/QUOTE]

 

[Future Doc B]

I did 2 years at a CC, graduated with an AA degree (with Honors) and I've gotten a bunch of interviews (no acceptance b/c of the Texas Match). My MCAT score is nothing to brag about, but if you fill out the rest of your application with research, volunteer work (medical and other), good grades at your B.S (or B.A) school, and other extracurriculars you should do just fine.

Just make sure you make nothing less than A's on your prereq's in CC.

 

[Soleilpie]

I found this on the University of Miami website:

"It is expected that the major portion of required science courses will be taken at the senior college level. An application that presents only a junior college academic record will not be considered. CLEP credits are not accepted."

 

[medic170]

Hey,
I am a freshman at a community college, and I was wondering since you all got into med school you might be able to help me out.

1. Which med schools don't accept comm. college credit when considering transcripts?(I heard about this problem recently)
2. Should I finish out my comm. college program, making sure I graduate with honors and taking my premed rec's, or transfer out as soon as possible?
3. Would doing really well on the MCAT's validate the quality of the classes in comm. college?

Just hoping for some opinions/experiences. Thanks!

1. None, they all accept CC Credits
2. Tranfer ASAP
3. Yes

 

[fullefect1]

1. None, they all accept CC Credits
2. Tranfer ASAP
3. Yes

Last time I checked Wake Forest didn't accept them.. at least pre-req's.

 

[Quentin Quinn]

I found this on the University of Miami website:

"It is expected that the major portion of required science courses will be taken at the senior college level. An application that presents only a junior college academic record will not be considered. CLEP credits are not accepted."

In my (limited) experience, CCs and JCs have a totally different reputation on the east coast as compared to places like CA and TX, where quite a few high-achievers end up starting out at the CC/JC level due to financial constraints. Plus, TX and CA CCs have "standardized" curricula, with course equivalency to the public unis and guaranteed credit transfer agreements.

 

[emidesu]

In my (limited) experience, CCs and JCs have a totally different reputation on the east coast as compared to places like CA and TX, where quite a few high-achievers end up starting out at the CC/JC level due to financial constraints. Plus, TX and CA CCs have "standardized" curricula, with course equivalency to the public unis and guaranteed credit transfer agreements.

I took my prereqs at a CC because I did them post-bacc and that's what I could afford. I did well on the MCATs and it looks good for me (I''m doing a Master's now). I think individual circumstances play into it.

 

[medic170]

Last time I checked Wake Forest didn't accept them.. at least pre-req's.

Wake Forest will take them as long as you have some University Credit in the sciences too, and rest assured, they are the minority being so picky.

From their admissions page:

Prerequisite course work from community colleges is discouraged because of the difficulty in adequately assessing the quality of that preparation. If a prerequisite course is completed at a community college, student must take subsequent courses in that discipline at a four-year college or university in the United States or Canada.

 

[Assistant]

I can not answer the question about which medical schools will not accept your junior college credit but I can tell you about my experiences.

After graduating high school in the top ten, I went to a junior college in TX, which was ranked #2 for all jc's in the country at the time. I completed the AS program there and then transfered to a major university and finished my BS degree. But I also went on and earned a masters before getting out in the working world.

So far I have had 3 interviews in TX and 3 outside of TX (all DO) and it has not been a problem. I would look at your institution and see if any of the major universities in the state accept the credits without problem and to see if they do measure up to the university level. I know that the junior college that I attended was geared to teach on the university level. This was so that the credits will transfer without problems but possibly not all junior or community colleges do this.

Just do some research into your institution and other institutions and see if the quality of coursework measures up to the nearby universities' coursework.

Good luck with it. It is definitely a way to save money while attending college and if anything, it lets a school see that you are responsible and would like to control your debt and that you are flexible and can handle the change in environments. Because going to a major university from a small junior college is a big change but if you are a good student that should not be much of a problem.

 

[ucsb101]

I would say that you should do as many pre-reqs at a university as u can....I would do all of the 'General Ed" classes at the community college....like history and writting and stuff....and then do all of the bio,phys,chem, and o-chem and the upper division bio stuff at the university...the only prob is that you will prolly spend 3 years at the university AFTER comm. college. Oh yeah and make sure you take Genetics and Physiology (upper dividion) before you take the MCAT. good luck

 

[LotaPower]

i took most of my pre reqs at a CC and made damn sure I got straight A's (or close to it). I took orgo, biochem, molec bio and other advanced classes at a well known 4 year school to show I can handle their courseload as well. i didn't apply to any big big named med schools....and it never was mentioned in my interviews. there are some schools out there for a fact that do not accept CC credit. i ignored them when i applied.

 

[thackl]

I took many of mine at CC and it never came up. Just do well on the MCAT. There is a reason they call it the "great equalizer". I think a strong GPA at a well known university will help you if your MCAT is poor. However, a good MCAT will get you in somewhere no matter where you do your prereq's.