Confused on CC?

[bthompchomp]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I've been reading a lot of the Community College pre-req threads and I'm still totally confused on how to proceed....

I have a Bach in Poli Sci already, 3.3gpa, no med school pre-reqs were completed at that time.

I work full time, so i enrolled in our local Community College this Autumn 09 quarter to start my pre-reqs. At the time, I met with an advisor who told me "Oh yea, people complete med school pre-reqs here all the time!" so I enrolled in bio 262 (Anatomy) and elem. stats.

Now I'm reading that if I do the 1 year of Bio, Chem, Physics, etc. at the CC, it won't be good enough? That i'll need to then go to Ohio State and do another year of upper level Bio, Chem, Physics, OChem classes?

I asked my CC advisor and she swears people apply straight out of CC to med school all the time.

Any insight? I would like to work as long as possible, which is why the CC option is nice but I don't want to waste money on classes that won't even count towards med school admissions!

If I'm making the wrong move, I'd rather correct is as soon as possible instead of a year from now.

Thanks in advance, I appreciate the guidance!

 

[ForrestG]

At the time, I met with an advisor who told me "Oh yea, people complete med school pre-reqs here all the time!"

But do they get in?

Are they people like you, or are they 4.0 physicists with years of shadowing and clinical experience and a great story about their sick baby changing their life?

The short of it is the CC credits count, but they are just going to be neutral as part of the total "how does this guy look" package.

I'm going the CC route myself. My advisor is *the man* and has enough success stories for his advisees, that I am not too nervous, but neither CCs nor students are one-size-fits-all.

 

[sgtbrushes]

First off, go Buckeyes.

Secondly - people are split as to the disadvantages of doing pre-reqs at a CC. Different schools vary in how they perceive it. If you are going to apply to Ohio State, you can call/ e-mail the ADCOMs and ask. A lot of schools do not look down at CC pre-reqs as long as you have good grades and MCAT. Lots of non-trads do pre-reqs at CCs because of cost and/ or scheduling conflicts. If your work situation doesn't let you take the pre-reqs at a university, then just make sure you get good grades and a strong MCAT score.

 

[ceng2doc]

But do they get in?

Are they people like you, or are they 4.0 physicists with years of shadowing and clinical experience and a great story about their sick baby changing their life?

The short of it is the CC credits count, but they are just going to be neutral as part of the total "how does this guy look" package.

I'm going the CC route myself. My advisor is *the man* and has enough success stories for his advisees, that I am not too nervous, but neither CCs nor students are one-size-fits-all.

👍

ForrestG knows what s/he's talking about, listen to him/her,

Accepting the course work is something, giving admission is something else,

I asked to many of the medical schools in Florida, and none of them recommended me to take the pre-reqs at a CC.

Even an interesting note to mention here: St. Pete College in Tampa, FL used to be a junior college prior to year 2002. Now, it's been a 4-year-bachelors-degree-giving institution. I was gonna take the courses in there. But, since none of the advisors of UF, FSU, UM, and USF told me they look at those credits taken from St Pete College as competitive, now I'm seriously thinking about attending to a university for that matter.

 

[Helen Wheels]

I am a nontrad applying this cycle. I took all my pre-reqs at CC while working full time. When I decided to go the CC route I did it because I did not have a lot of money and needed evening classes. Now, I regret it.

Take a look at Case Western's web site. They make a big deal about not getting all your pre-reqs at a CC. Wake Forest also mentions this, albeit more briefly. I am sure it varies by school but getting all your pre-reqs from CC is probably frowned on at a lot of places and they just don't mention it.

I didn't do that well on the MCAT though I don't think this is because I went to CC. I attribute it to having taken my science classes 6+ years ago and having a nonverbal learning disability. However, I think the pre-reqs at CC plus a shaky MCAT is killing me this cycle. If I could do it over again I would find a way to go to the four year college for the pre-reqs.

I really think someone should do some research on this topic and see how successful CC people are in getting accepted.

 

[Rickybobby]

Wake Forest also mentions this, albeit more briefly.

I immediately thought of the statement on Wake's admission page when I read the original post. It does state that higher level science courses should be taken at a four-year college if pre-reqs were taken at the CC level. Due to the "inability to access the level of academics."

I based my plan to apply to medical school on this statement and decided to complete the GE requirements for a BS degree apart from the other medical school requirements. I'm doing them now at a four-year school.

I would second the argument previously posted that many people do their pre-reqs at CC's and apply but may not get an acceptance.

Given that my goal is an acceptance I want to do as many "correct" things that in order to give myself the best chance. With this in mind, there are thousands of people who apply to medical school every year and thousands are rejected. I haven't seen any specific numbers that suggest a higher rejection rate for CC preparation vs a four-year college preparation; however, if medical schools post a recommendation that suggest preparing in the four-year college environment is superior to CC preparation I wouldn't ignore it. I would even argue that there is a general consensus among medical schools of equal caliber that this is something they will consider when evaluating applicants.

In this highly competitive environment an application may not make it past this evaluation. Once it is determined that all pre-reqs were completed at a CC the application may be rejected without further consideration. Thus making the MCAT and personal statement as well as any "life experiences" irrelevant.

My advice is to ask yourself how bad you want this and what you are willing to do to get it. Then look at the "norm," base your planning on at least establishing this baseline, and from that build parts of your application that will make you stand out.

Hope this helps as it is my plan for success.

RB

 

[EdLongshanks]

Shouldn't we title this thread "To CC or not to CC - that is the question"

This issue is somewhat geographically based. In Tulsa, Oklahoma all of the 1000 and 2000 courses are taught at the CC. That's the only place where you can take a lower-level public college course. The other public universities have extension campuses here, but they only offer upper-level courses. Our two medical colleges recognize this fact and don't expect anything else.

 

[icalz]

If you haven't taken the mcat yet then you might beware because many CC's don't go into enough depth in their science classes to prepare you for the mcat. I would've loved to have taken my pre-req's at my CC, but I have a group of friends who are doing that and I've seen the work they're doing.....very superficial stuff. I took my pre-reqs at a 4 year to ensure that I would have an understanding of the concepts which are necessary to negotiate the mcat.

 

[icalz]

One more point to consider, many people take CC classes due to financial reasons and that's cool but if you're taking classes at the CC because they're easier and result in a higher gpa then you are doing yourself a disservice in that you will probably be overwhelmed upon matriculating into med school as you will not have been pushed to your academic limits prior.

 

[nickmx50]

I'm a non-trad that never received my undergrad. I'm spending two years at CC to save money and I live 2 blocks from the college. Then I'll finish my two years at a local University. I've spoke with advisors from both schools and they share cirriculum between the schools. My upper level bio-chem, microbiology, genetics I will take at the University. I think by showing consistent good grades between CC and the university will pay off in the end. Probably the worst thing is to go to CC and not do well or have your grades drop dramatically at the university level.

 

[hector219]

If you haven't taken the mcat yet then you might beware because many CC's don't go into enough depth in their science classes to prepare you for the mcat. I would've loved to have taken my pre-req's at my CC, but I have a group of friends who are doing that and I've seen the work they're doing.....very superficial stuff. I took my pre-reqs at a 4 year to ensure that I would have an understanding of the concepts which are necessary to negotiate the mcat.

Community College: Paying a small amount of money for someone to suggest books, give you occasional tests, an vouch for you (transcript).

It works for some, like me, but you have to be very self motivated and aim to absolutely ace every test. ALL my sciences were through CC (Dallas county). I got a 37. Some classes were very hard, others were jokes.

to the OP, with a 3.3 GPA, my guess is that proving yourself is necessary. Do no more than one year at CC.

Once the application cycle is over I may post more about my CC experience, but at this point I think its holding me back a little bit, even with a rock solid GPA and great MCAT.

 

[gman33]

People get in every year who took prereqs at CC, but it's in spite of this, not because of it.

Some schools will look down on this, so why hurt your app in the very competitive environment?

OP - 3.3 just isn't very good these days. Add on some cc prereqs and you are probably not getting into a MD school. Most schools won't tell you flat out that they won't accept cc prereqs, but it won't do anything to help your app.

 

[ftrflyr29]

I've been reading a lot of the Community College pre-req threads and I'm still totally confused on how to proceed....

I have a Bach in Poli Sci already, 3.3gpa, no med school pre-reqs were completed at that time.

I work full time, so i enrolled in our local Community College this Autumn 09 quarter to start my pre-reqs. At the time, I met with an advisor who told me "Oh yea, people complete med school pre-reqs here all the time!" so I enrolled in bio 262 (Anatomy) and elem. stats.

Now I'm reading that if I do the 1 year of Bio, Chem, Physics, etc. at the CC, it won't be good enough? That i'll need to then go to Ohio State and do another year of upper level Bio, Chem, Physics, OChem classes?

I asked my CC advisor and she swears people apply straight out of CC to med school all the time.

Any insight? I would like to work as long as possible, which is why the CC option is nice but I don't want to waste money on classes that won't even count towards med school admissions!

If I'm making the wrong move, I'd rather correct is as soon as possible instead of a year from now.

Thanks in advance, I appreciate the guidance!

I have a BA in Soc from 1994 with a 3.1 GPA and NO pre-reqs. Took all pre-reqs except one from a Junior College with a 3.95 GPA. The only one I could not take was Biochem because they didn't offer it at the JuCo. One secondary asked for an explanation of any pre-reqs not taken at a 4-year university. I explained with my full-time job, I was only able to take night classes and the University did not offer them, also the profs at the JuCo are adjunct faculty at the university. The ironic thing about where I took my pre-reqs is it's a dual-enrollment school for the University and it is a well-known fact the Organic I/II series is MUCH harder at the JuCo.

I applied to 30 schools--chose to cast a wide net--not sure who would take me--in retrospect it was irrational, but better to be safe than sorry. Anyway, I received 12 interview invites--8 MD and 5 DO, chose to only attend 6 interviews and have been accepted to 5 schools--4 MDs (UCF, USUHS, USA, FSU) and 1 DO (NOVA). I have been waitlisted at the remaining MD (Georgetown). I applied to all my state schools (FL) and any other schools that would work for my husband's job.

I realize many schools are against CC/JuCo pre-reqs, but my ultimate goal is to be a Dr, not get into a top ten.

Moral of the story, it can be done with CC/JuCo pre-reqs. I believe it's all in how you present your entire package and what you have to bring to the school. There were obviously schools that screened me out before the interview, but many did not. I tried to pick schools that appeared to be non-trad friendly. If you're really worried about it, do as many have suggested and call the schools you are interested in to find out their take on the CC classes. Good Luck

 

[icalz]

Community College: Paying a small amount of money for someone to suggest books, give you occasional tests, an vouch for you (transcript).

It works for some, like me, but you have to be very self motivated and aim to absolutely ace every test. ALL my sciences were through CC (Dallas county). I got a 37. Some classes were very hard, others were jokes.

to the OP, with a 3.3 GPA, my guess is that proving yourself is necessary. Do no more than one year at CC.

Once the application cycle is over I may post more about my CC experience, but at this point I think its holding me back a little bit, even with a rock solid GPA and great MCAT.

That's incredible, congratulations! I'm certain you didn't take your classes at Tarrant County CC....that's the one I had in mind when stating they were very superficial in their coverage.

You should definitely write about your CC experience, there is a lot of uncertainty on these threads. So even with your 37 you find you're still having difficulties? Getting interviews?

 

[Mopp22]

Which will prepare you better for the MCAT and for med school? Due to the differences in the rigor of the classes, I'll bet an A at a CC is not the same as an A at a 4-year university. Just some things to consider.

 

[hector219]

That's incredible, congratulations! I'm certain you didn't take your classes at Tarrant County CC....that's the one I had in mind when stating they were very superficial in their coverage.

You should definitely write about your CC experience, there is a lot of uncertainty on these threads. So even with your 37 you find you're still having difficulties? Getting interviews?

I took one class, genetics, at Tarrant County. I'll PM more details.
two tidbits.
1. if you're not self-motivated, CC is a very bad idea
2. reference letters! CC profs are not highly motivated, I ended up applying quite late in the cycle because of reference letter issues even though my profs liked me quite a bit.

 

[njbmd]

In general, only a few medical schools will not accept community college credits for pre-med coursework. As long as you know that upfront, then community college attendance is not much of a problem unless you are in the wrong courses (not pre-health career coursework).

Most community college have coursework that is equivalent university/4-year college work and have transfer agreements with state 4-year universities. You want to make sure that you are taking fully transferable courses. In these days of high tuitions, community college is an affordable start/finish to pre-med prep.

Because of the financial situation of many students entering college these days, fewer and fewer medical schools are not accepting community college coursework. Just be sure that you are in the correct courses and that you do very well on the Medical College Admissions Test. You can't go be and "do over" poor preparation easily or state that you "didn't know" that the medical school didn't accept community college coursework.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

personally, i went to a local 4 year private university and took Bio, Chem, and Physics pre-reqs and got Bs and Cs. I plan on retaking these at the community college. Not because I don't think i can handle the 4 year and want to get As, but because at the time I didn't have my study habits figured out and my priorities straight. Then I had another 2 kids (3 total now) and my wife does not work because of the cost of daycare, I have to work full time while I take these classes, and the community college just offers more times to choose from that will work with my schedule.

Will this hurt me in the long run? I don't think so, but I don't have aspirations to be a dermatologist from harvard. I live in Des Moines and going to DMU would be my absolute first choice. I have a house, family, friends, etc. here and the grandparents seeing me children and my kids attended school with their friends and cousins is more important to me than the name of my med school. But that is just me.

 

[icalz]

personally, i went to a local 4 year private university and took Bio, Chem, and Physics pre-reqs and got Bs and Cs. I plan on retaking these at the community college. Not because I don't think i can handle the 4 year and want to get As, but because at the time I didn't have my study habits figured out and my priorities straight. Then I had another 2 kids (3 total now) and my wife does not work because of the cost of daycare, I have to work full time while I take these classes, and the community college just offers more times to choose from that will work with my schedule.

Will this hurt me in the long run? I don't think so, but I don't have aspirations to be a dermatologist from harvard. I live in Des Moines and going to DMU would be my absolute first choice. I have a house, family, friends, etc. here and the grandparents seeing me children and my kids attended school with their friends and cousins is more important to me than the name of my med school. But that is just me.

You have a life (wife, kids, job), so that will definitely go a long way in explaining your gpa....I wouldn't sweat it.