Community college student question!

[Californian]

hi! i attended 3 years at my community college and finally transferring to UCLA undergrad!
now i have to finish all my pre-req for med school...
I finished 1yr gen chem and 1yr calc...
got A and B...
but, is it true that med schools don't like community college classes or they don't even consider? (i am going to finish gen chem, o-chem, calc at CC and physics and bio at UCLA) I have 3.63 GPA by the way!

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[URHere]

I really think schools vary on how they view community college coursework. Some SDNers have had no problem with it, others have had nothing but problems.

However, since you are taking at least some of your science prerequisites at a 4 year college, I really don't think you should have too much trouble. If you do well on the MCAT, you'll have even less trouble. If you're really worried about it, I would suggest talking to your potential schools about it and/or searching through the old threads. There have been a lot of threads on this exact question.

 

[Californian]

no half of pre-req im ganna be done at CC half at UCLA!

 

[causalinference]

It really just depends on the medical school and how they perceive community colleges. Obviously, more prestigious schools tend to be more elitist. State schools tend to be more understanding.

 

[Californian]

so i should only apply state schools? not top 20 schools?

 

[HumidBeing]

The quality of community colleges varies, just as the quality of courses at various 4 year institutions vary. California is known for its excellent and highly affordable CC system. It is not unusual for students in CA to complete part of their courses in a CC before transferring to a 4 year institution.

By doing well in your courses following your transfer, and doing well on the MCAT, you will demonstrate that the grades you obtained at the CC are valid indicators of your performance and quality of education.

There is only one med school, of which I am aware, in this country which has incorporated wording into its admission criteria that allows it to consider CC credits as unacceptable; however, even that single institution contains wording which makes that call at their discretion.

Taking part of your prereqs at a CC PRIOR to matriculating at the 4 year should not present a problem for you as long as you continue to do well in the advanced courses at the new institution. The scenarios that create questions occur when students who are enrolled in 4 year institutions take their prereqs at a CC. Their motives for doing so are sometimes questioned.

 

[Californian]

is "Tufts" the one school does not accept community college courses? The one med school you are talking about?

 

[causalinference]

I don't know what school he's referring to, but Case Western Reserve University says that it strongly discourages taking prerequisites at a community college.

 

[flip26]

Boston U

 

[HumidBeing]

Sorry, I shouldn't have left you wondering. It's Boston University that has specific wording.

Tufts doesn't preclude preclude CC credits. In fact, they accept AP coursework for part of your prereqs AS LONG as you have taken at least one semester more of the same subject in college, an the college has granted you credit for the first part of the AP work.

Some schools, like Case, do officially discourage CC prereqs. Words like "discourage" and "recommended" are not "requirements". As long as your overall application is strong, and you are otherwise a good candidate for their school, you will still be considered.

Do try to avoid taking ALL of your BCMP courses at a CC. Like I said earlier, taking more courses at the 4 year & doing well on the MCAT, gives validation to those first classes.

 

[MedMan25]

I went to a CC for a few years and am starting med school this year

 

[mbe36]

What specific medical schools do NOT accept/strongly disfavor community college work?

I did my freshman year at a cc.

 

[TehDoc]

The California community college system is nothing but quality! Don't worry and you'll be taking some pre-reqs at the 4 yr, so I imagine no harm done.

 

[mbe36]

The California community college system is nothing but quality! Don't worry and you'll be taking some pre-reqs at the 4 yr, so I imagine no harm done.

I have never been to California or attended school there.

I did freshman year at a SUNY cc (gen chem/bio 1,2). I recently graduated from a 4-year SUNY university and am applying to medical school.

I am wondering which schools I should avoid. Georgetown is one of my top choices and I would like to see where they stand, as well as others.

 

[HumidBeing]

Don't avoid any of them over that. Even the ones that don't recommend taking them at a CC won't overlook you because you took them there before attending the university as long as you are an otherwise attractive applicant for their school.

 

[TehDoc]

I have never been to California or attended school there.

I did freshman year at a SUNY cc (gen chem/bio 1,2). I recently graduated from a 4-year SUNY university and am applying to medical school.

I am wondering which schools I should avoid. Georgetown is one of my top choices and I would like to see where they stand, as well as others.

Oh sorry, my post was directed to the OP. As for you, there is no reason to avoid any schools unless you think they are "out of your league" or whatever.

 

[musicalmedicine]

I contacted the office of admissions at UCSF which is one of the top ten med schools in the country and their reply to my question about my community college credits being accepted was "We will accept all coursework taken from an accredited institution.". I can't imagine one of the top schools accepting community college credit and other schools not taking it but I"m sure there are some out there that don't accept it. I'm guessing that most will accept it and it won't be a problem as long as you've done well and finished your degree at a four year university. I hope that helped.

 

[ravens11]

I went to a community college my first two years and am in the process of applying to schools so I have some insight on the subject. From what I have researched, medical schools only really care about community college credits in two instances:

1)4 year students that avoid taking science classes at their school by taking them at a cc

2)students that can't hack it at a 4 year school.

Medical school admissions committees realize that people have reasons for attending cc's; mine was financial.

The advice that I would offer you would be to first, take demanding course loads for the year you are there before applying to medical school (I'm assuming you will be applying to medical school after only having gone to UCLA for one year). I took the physics, orgo, and biology sequence during the fall and spring semester, as well as a 3 credit elective each semester, and rocked all of my classes. Did it suck? Yes. Will I have to worry about medical schools saying I only have a good gpa because I went to an easier cc? No.

Next, get involved in research. If you don't enjoy it, still do it and say you enjoy it when you apply to medical schools. You will get a rec letter out of this and there will be less disparity between the 4 year students and you as a transfer student.

Finally, get a 30 or more on the mcat (pretty self explanatory)

If you can do all of these things there should be know reason why any schools will care about the fact that you went to a CC.

 

[dshnay]

Sorry, I shouldn't have left you wondering. It's Boston University that has specific wording.

Tufts doesn't preclude preclude CC credits. In fact, they accept AP coursework for part of your prereqs AS LONG as you have taken at least one semester more of the same subject in college, an the college has granted you credit for the first part of the AP work.

Some schools, like Case, do officially discourage CC prereqs. Words like "discourage" and "recommended" are not "requirements". As long as your overall application is strong, and you are otherwise a good candidate for their school, you will still be considered.

Do try to avoid taking ALL of your BCMP courses at a CC. Like I said earlier, taking more courses at the 4 year & doing well on the MCAT, gives validation to those first classes.

I took ~60 semester units at a CA community college before transfering to UCD. Currently I'm scheduled for an interview at Boston U.


Good Luck!