Medical Community college or 4 year for prerequisite classes as a post-graduate?

[Goro]

Hello!


Please forgive me if this is a redundant/annoying post, but I have not found a clear and concise representation of my experience through searching this forum or on SDN.


For those of you who like to cut straight to the point: Is doing prerequisite courses at a community college the kiss of death for a medical school application? Would high MCAT scores negate this bias?


NOTE: all medical schools I will be applying to state that they accept CC prerequisites. However, as one can imagine, the stigma regarding CC's can be disappointing, hence why I am posting.


For those of you who like more information/more detail:

1. I am wanting to do my prerequisite courses at a community college due to transportation. (difference between a 15 minute commute and a 1 hour each way commute to do courses at a university)
2. General anxiety around taking CC courses because:

During my undergraduate years, I D'd the first class in the general chemistry series.

In general, My first 5 quarters of undergraduate were hit and miss for a variety of reasons. However, I found my stride quarter 6 and got myself on the quarterly Dean's List for the 8 quarters (did summer courses) that ended with a 3.22 cumulative. Considering how I was doing horrible my first 5 quarters, I was very relieved to achieve.

Further, I got a master's degree in education following my undergraduate degree and got a 3.7 cumulatively.

I worry that if I choose to do prerequisites at a community college, this could be seen as me wanting something "easier" as I failed a hard science course during my first quarter of my freshman year.


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Any thoughts on this matter?

CC is NOT a kiss of death, especially if finances and/or proximity is a concern, but you'd be better served to take them at a 4-year school if possible.

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[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for the reply! I accidentally submitted this question in the general DO forum as well and got a response, but figured I should also throw this your way for another thought:

I was doing a bit of research and I found that by doing a search on the AAMC website for post-bacc programs, a community college in my state popped up as a suggestion. I guess what makes them different than most CC's is that they offer the higher level courses that are equivalent to a nearby university. For example, they have biochemistry, immunology, and molecular biology. Given the rigor of the program, would this be at least a better option than a traditional CC?

If a course taken at a CC is considered equivalent to a class offered by a 4-year university (you'll know from the transfer counselors), then it's not a real problem. If those CC courses don't transfer to a 4-year institution, then you shouldn't take them at a CC.