Community college vs university: where to take anatomy

[Gaiya]

I hope this isn't a question handled in another thread. I'm trying not to be an annoying newb.

Anyways.... I need to take Anatomy and I'm wondering if I can take that at the community college or it's one of those classes the pharm schools look down on if I don't take it at a university since I believe it's a core science course.

Thankies!

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[gh0lee]

I hope this isn't a question handled in another thread. I'm trying not to be an annoying newb.

Anyways.... I need to take Anatomy and I'm wondering if I can take that at the community college or it's one of those classes the pharm schools look down on if I don't take it at a university since I believe it's a core science course.

Thankies!

There are many threads flying around discussing community vs university. But in my opinion, pharmacy schools give a lot more credibility to those who take ANY science courses at the university. I would suggest you do so, but if your financial situation doesn't allow you then make sure you get A's taking any classes at the community college. 👍

 

[Twentytwelve2]

I hope this isn't a question handled in another thread. I'm trying not to be an annoying newb.

Anyways.... I need to take Anatomy and I'm wondering if I can take that at the community college or it's one of those classes the pharm schools look down on if I don't take it at a university since I believe it's a core science course.

Thankies!

Anatomy taken at a university is an upper-division course whereas at a CC its a lower-division course. I don't know if they look down upon it, but its obvious on your transcript.

Given your situation, I would take it at a CC because its cheaper. I would only take it at a university if I was still working on my bachelor's degree.

 

[30Percent]

Anatomy is a heavily impacted class and if you're not a university student you'll get the lowest priority when registering for classes. Take it at the CC level if you're not a university student.

 

[usechopstix]

I think any adcom would agree that courses taken at the university level looks better on your transcript as the stigma that university courses are "harder" still stands. However, I don't believe this is absolutely necessary; it'll save you a lot more money by taking the CC course, just make sure you get an A. Honestly, I'm sure every course, wherever you take it, teaches the same thing. It's Anatomy, it's hard science, not philosophy or economics where the school of thought actually differs by institution.

 

[dsoz]

I took A&P at the CC that is less than a 5 minute drive from my house. It was 200 level. I was able to work full time and did not need to worry about being late to my evening class because of traffic.

I was talking with another volunteer at the hospital and asked him about the A&P class at the university that is in the major city that is 20-30 minute drive. It was 300 level.

Other differences: my class did not do a full dissection, even of something like a fetal pig or cat. We did have some parts to dissect, but nothing of substance (only brain, heart, lungs, eye, kidney) and we used a lot of plastic models (bones, muscles, blood vessels, cranial nerves, etc). The other guy at the university seemed to have more items that he had to learn (more muscles, bone landmarks, vessels, etc.) and his class was involved with a pro-sected cadaver every now and then. I can't remember if he said that they also dissected cats or not.

If I were to do it again, I probably would have chosen the university, even though it would have been more inconvenient. I think I would have had to work a little harder, and learned a little bit more. I did enjoy my CC class. It was full of pre-nursing students. One of them even told me "I would expect you to know more anatomy because you want to be a doctor, I am going to be a nurse." I told him that at the point we were at, we were learning the same thing, and he should know it just as well as I did. Ha ha.

Oh ya, my class was about half the price of his. Another reason to take it at the CC.

dsoz

 

[amox]

Take the courses at the university you intend to apply to for pharmacy school.

/end thread

 

[bw6]

Ask your pharm school which they prefer. Ohio state would not accept CC anatomy because (no joke) the director of anatomy at OSU who has to approve the course called CC a subpar curriculum. If you can do it at CC it will probably be cheaper, but if you go to a really good pharm school they tend to look down their noses at CC. I had to take anatomy this summer at WVU because ohio state said no to CC.

 

[kcwang]

I didnt take anatomy (lecture & lab) and phys (lab) when I applied to schools. I was able to get interviews. I guess it depends on which pharmacy schools you are applying to.

 

[Rx MPLS]

Ask your pharm school which they prefer. Ohio state would not accept CC anatomy because (no joke) the director of anatomy at OSU who has to approve the course called CC a subpar curriculum. If you can do it at CC it will probably be cheaper, but if you go to a really good pharm school they tend to look down their noses at CC. I had to take anatomy this summer at WVU because ohio state said no to CC.

This is completely dependent on the school. Some schools demand university level (upper division) courses for more science classes more than others. As it varies so much between pharmacy schools, you should contact the schools you are interested in to find out their take on the matter.

When I was looking at schools, both OSUs (Oregon and Ohio State) seemed to want university level for most courses. Some colleges of pharmacy will also demand at least one 300 level or above science course. If you plan to apply to a place that is less picky, it might not hurt to do most of your prerequisites at a community college, then take at least one upper division science course through a university to prove your capabilities.

 

[Weakerthan]

While I'm unsure of how much weight each university puts on CC and UNI, I would say that I think it's better to take as many classes as you can at a university to help prepare you for the course load in Pharmacy school. That said, if it's an issue of finances or scheduling, I would take it wherever is best for you. Otherwise, however, I'd recommend taking it at an university (This is coming from someone who took it at a community college).

 

[rei1088]

Ask your pharm school which they prefer. Ohio state would not accept CC anatomy because (no joke) the director of anatomy at OSU who has to approve the course called CC a subpar curriculum. If you can do it at CC it will probably be cheaper, but if you go to a really good pharm school they tend to look down their noses at CC. I had to take anatomy this summer at WVU because ohio state said no to CC.

Wow! I didn't know some schools didn't accept CC Anatomy. Good thing all the schools I applied to did!

Anyway, I took my Anatomy in a community college because it was cheaper and I had priority registration. Of course, I took it knowing that the professor will be a great professor and the class wouldn't be a joke. I did get interviews in all the schools I applied to even the highly ranked ones (at least according to US News).