Community college for a year to a university, need advice

[fdgod34]

Hello, i am new to this forum.
Anyways, my concern is that i am starting community college this fall.
I have confirmed from a university that i am interested in requires 25 credits. The administrator recommends me to take my general education at community college for a year then transfer.
I am planning to knock out most of my general education as a freshmen in community college.
My concern lies with in time(In terms of application), most likely i will major psychology and start from college algebra as a sophomore.
But the bigger issue lies with in the premedical classes.
Is it a rational decision for me to take the MCAT my 5th year in college(after senior year) and apply for medical schools after i graduate so i can start as an early applicant.

If this is not recommended, what do you recommend.

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[fdgod34]

I am sorry i meant apply after graduation, if that is possible.

 

[CajunMedic]

My main concern is that will the credits earned at the Community College transfer to your 4-year institution? And if they do, will they count towards classes in your degree plan?

Someone with more experience with me will have to comment on the MCAT timeframe.

I got stuck with some of my CC stuff only counting as electives.

 

[Nate9862]

Hello, i am new to this forum.
Anyways, my concern is that i am starting community college this fall.
I have confirmed from a university that i am interested in requires 25 credits. The administrator recommends me to take my general education at community college for a year then transfer.
I am planning to knock out most of my general education as a freshmen in community college.
My concern lies with in time(In terms of application), most likely i will major psychology and start from college algebra as a sophomore.
But the bigger issue lies with in the premedical classes.
Is it a rational decision for me to take the MCAT my 5th year in college(after senior year) and apply for medical schools after i graduate so i can start as an early applicant.

If this is not recommended, what do you recommend.

First, I'm no expert, so take what I say with a grain of salt.... But, I think you might have trouble taking some of the required pre-reqs if your math skills aren't brushed up. If you start with college algebra, first that isn't going to fit into a degree plan, that sounds like a non-credit course. Most B.S. require pre-calculus as a minimum, also to take chem's you need math pre-reqs, for good reason. I've posted about this before, but do yourself a favor and CLEP pre-calculus, then take a calculus course first year. You'll be a million times better off to start with solid math skills. It made all the difference in the world. Pay particular attention to not just memorizing, but UNDERSTANDING the math theory. I aced my 5-week chem courses mostly because my math skills were better than the rest. It really pays off. Math is such a self-teachable subject, you really don't need to sit in a classroom until calculus. Don't start with college algebra, that's a waste of a class.

 

[DrMidlife]

Most important thing, by far: get A's.

Next most important thing: highest possible MCAT score

Really important: exposure to clinical medicine

Really important: maturity

Pretty important: take lots of science at a university.

Not important at all: how old you are, how long it takes to get ready to take the MCAT, what percentage of the prereqs you take at a CC assuming you also do upper div science at a university, how long after graduating you apply to med school, and most of what 21 year old premeds worry about.

 

[jsp132]

how long after graduating you apply to med school

but don't some schools only accept credits that are so recent? like 5-7 year time window?

 

[DrMidlife]

how long after graduating you apply to med school

but don't some schools only accept credits that are so recent? like 5-7 year time window?

Credits don't expire. Ever. I have a 1984 transcript that carries more weight than the MS I finished last year.

I think I've seen 3 med schools publish an actual prereq expiration policy. UMass comes to mind, they specifically say prereqs within 6 years. If you look at admissions web page FAQs, they usually say they want recent coursework if you finished school a few years ago.

I pay a TON of attention to prereq expiration rumors. I finished physics in 1988. 22 years before I got into med school. (Physics doesn't change much. Bio does: you have to know what PCR and retroviruses are.)

Generally you want to watch out for your MCAT score expiring (2-4 years), and you need recent rigorous classroom science when you apply to med school. If you will actually have old prereqs, then yeah, pay attention to the rules at your schools. If you are going to burn a few years between undergrad & med school, then yeah, take a fresh science class or two.

Best of luck to you.