Community College vs. University for Science Prereqs

[Shane XM]

Hello! I'm about to graduate from an AS of Nursing program with a 4.0. Even though my program is a community college program, it's known to be one of the most intense and rigorous programs in the region, and I think(?) I'm the only student in my cohort that got a 4.0, so I'm feeling confident about it on my medical school application. That said, I'm comfortable at my college and was wondering if medical school admissions faculty would look poorly on my application if I did my Physics, Gen Chem and Org/Biochem courses at a community college. I'll be getting my BSN at Chatham University around the time I finish those, at which point I hope to apply.

Does anyone here have an idea as to whether or not this will detriment my application? Should I try very hard and fork over much more money to do these classes at a nearby university?

Thank you!

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[LizzyM]

Doing community college classes followed by university program for your bachelor's degree is okay. There are a few schools that won't accept community college credits (buy access to MSAR for all the details) but for the most part, you'll be fine.

Where schools get ornery about it is when someone at a top undergrad university takes a weed-out course in the summer at a community college. It makes the applicant look weak and a GPA earned in that way is not considered equivalent to someone from the same school who took everything, including the weed-out, at the university.

 

[Shane XM]

Doing community college classes followed by university program for your bachelor's degree is okay. There are a few schools that won't accept community college credits (buy access to MSAR for all the details) but for the most part, you'll be fine.

Where schools get ornery about it is when someone at a top undergrad university takes a weed-out course in the summer at a community college. It makes the applicant look weak and a GPA earned in that way is not considered equivalent to someone from the same school who took everything, including the weed-out, at the university.

This makes perfect sense to me--thank you so much for your insight!

 

[Splenda88]

I was also a RN with an AS

I took general chem 1/2, biology 1/2, calculus based physics 1/2 at a community college (CC)

I took organic 1/2, genetics and biochem 1 at a state university. I also got my BSN at that state university

I don't remember having any questions during my interviews about CC classes. I got A/B (mostly As) on all of them

I have been a practicing physician for 5 yrs now (residency included). I think 90%+ of schools don't care as long as your grades are consistent.

 

[RuggedShark]

Hi there! I took half of general chem, organic, general bio, and calculus at my CC. After I transferred, I made sure to keep my grades up and did my best to crush the MCAT. So far I don't think it's been a problem and it actually hasn't come up once for me this cycle. Good luck!

 

[Shane XM]

Thank you guys!! I really appreciate the information. This alleviates a lot of my worry!