Community College

[yodzavid]

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I have a question concerning community colleges. I'm a high school senior, and I will be entering college soon. I got accepted into a few colleges, but I'm considering going to a community college first. Would this effect my application to medical school?

 

[DrMidlife]

It's affect. Your med school application may be affected by attending community college. Community college grades may have a negative effect on your med school application. You can look forward to caring about the difference when you get to afferent and efferent neurons in a few years.

You can do a year or two at a community college without necessarily doing yourself any harm. Might be great preparation for you. But you want to do your prerequisites, and lots of other hard classes, at a 4 yr school to demonstrate your academic prowess. If you do an interesting science-y major like bioengineering, neurobiology, microbiology or suchlike, you will have a hard time finishing in 4 years, if you start at a community college.

There are a bazillion other factors to consider, but if you have a choice, go with the 4yr where you'll be happiest.

Best of luck to you.

 

[gary5]

I would attend a university only. Although maybe you might get away with community college, med school is very competitive and so I recommend that you play it safe. Don't do anything that might make you a weaker applicant.

 

[Critical Mass]

If you definitely want to go to one of the more prestigious medical schools, I would probably recommend a university. If a state med school is your goal, I wouldn't worry about it. My best advice is to pick up an MCAT prep book during your med school pre-req's (physics, organic, biology, etc.) to make sure that you're getting all of the content regardless of what college you attend.

 

[JDWflash44]

If it saves you money and puts you in less undergrad debt, then go with the CC. I took bio1, bio2 and chem1 at community college(spent a year there) and got scholarships to two great(top 20) medical schools. Just get straight A's at the CC, then transfer to a four-year school and keep the grades up and you'll be fine. I honestly had some of my best teachers at CC, because they are actually paid to teach. And do take a few hours a week to start volunteering or tutoring or start a club or be in the student govt, med schools love that leadership stuff. Hope this helps.