Courses in community college

[medaspire1]

Hi
I am planning to join a full time post bacc next year ( 1 year program , 2 semester 24 credits ) . In the interim I am doing my pre-reqs at a local community college while working full time .
1. Will that be a negative having to do 5 courses (4credits *5 courses ) at a local CC
2. If so how many courses can I do at the CC max for it not to affect my application

Thanks

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[Darrow O'Lykos]

1. Will that be a negative having to do 5 courses (4credits *5 courses ) at a local CC

No, it will not. Just do well in them, and you'll be fine.

2. If so how many courses can I do at the CC max for it not to affect my application

There's no hard cap on this. It sounds like you've already earned your bachelor degree. Med schools understand that some people decide to pursue medicine after they've already graduated college. Doing your required pre-reqs at a community college won't be viewed negatively, so long as you do well in them, and do well in your post-bacc program. And, last but not least, do well on your MCAT.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Hi
I am planning to join a full time post bacc next year ( 1 year program , 2 semester 24 credits ) . In the interim I am doing my pre-reqs at a local community college while working full time .
1. Will that be a negative having to do 5 courses (4credits *5 courses ) at a local CC
2. If so how many courses can I do at the CC max for it not to affect my application

Thanks

Check with the medical schools you hope to apply to about CC classes. Some schools require/ recommend prereqs be completed at 4 year universities, others accept them unconditionally, others still view them on a case by case basis. Check the MSAR for more info about specific schools. I did my first year at a CC before transferring.

 

[gollypogs]

I did a lot of my pre-reqs at a community college. It did come up during one of my interviews, but not in a negative way. We actually chatted about how CC can be better than a big university for a lot of those classes.
I did not do a formal post-bacc and got into a few DO schools, no MD. So, take that for what you will.

Also, I agree with the above - check the requirements where you are applying carefully. Some do have restrictions about pre-reqs being taken as part of your university degree.

 

[jrortega]

I did a lot of my pre-reqs at a community college. It did come up during one of my interviews, but not in a negative way. We actually chatted about how CC can be better than a big university for a lot of those classes.
I did not do a formal post-bacc and got into a few DO schools, no MD. So, take that for what you will.

Also, I agree with the above - check the requirements where you are applying carefully. Some do have restrictions about pre-reqs being taken as part of your university degree.

This has been my biggest worry, but looks like you did just fine. Of course getting a good MCAT score and having a great GPA weighs heavily on applications, my worry was just taking classes at a CC even though according to the MSAR all the schools I am interested in accept CC credits.

 

[GreenDuck12]

This has been my biggest worry, but looks like you did just fine. Of course getting a good MCAT score and having a great GPA weighs heavily on applications, my worry was just taking classes at a CC even though according to the MSAR all the schools I am interested in accept CC credits.

And that's part of the challenge of this process - there are so many different programs and people within programs that prioritize different things and have different biases. No one can reasonably guarantee that taking classes at CCs won't impact how you are evaluated. That being said, I think there are more significant things that would push a school to accept one applicant over another who took 5 classes at CC. You will have to determine if the benefits of the CC route outweighs your own concerns as you move forward. A big part of this process is making decisions that you are confidant about so that you can focus on other things.

As an aside, I did the first year of my postbac at a CC. I ended up taking 5 classes before moving to a university level program where I took an additional 8 courses. My GPA between the two programs was nearly identical and I was admitted to medical school. I could have stayed at the CC and taken the rest of my prerequisite courses but chose to switch because of the benefits of the university level program and so I would not worry about CC classes weighing down my application.