Does attending community college and then transfering to a 4 year terminate your chances of getting into a top medical school like Yale, Hopkins, Harvard, etc.?
Getting into top medical schools...
- Thread starter tsukiame
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As long as you succeed academically at both schools and are still an exceptional applicant, it would not put you at a disadvantage at all. However, make sure you have a good understanding of what makes an exceptional applicant since you won't have much of a pre-health advisor until you are at a four-year institution. You can search MDApps by school if you want good examples of ECs for applicants at that level.
**Make sure you take some of your science classes at the 4-yr. Either some upper-levels or hold off on some of your pre-reqs until then.
**Make sure you take some of your science classes at the 4-yr. Either some upper-levels or hold off on some of your pre-reqs until then.
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did he have a 41 or something?
I see. I am majoring in Physiological Science and in order to transfer with that major to a 4 year I am required to have taken pretty much all of the med school prerequisites.
Does that matter? Or will it be ok as long as I take some upper level science courses such as genetics and do well in them?
Does that matter? Or will it be ok as long as I take some upper level science courses such as genetics and do well in them?
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Well Yale only accepts CC credit for prereqs on a "case by case" basis, Hopkins doesn't accept CC credit for prereqs, and Harvard does accept CC credit, all per the latest information in the MSAR.
This is why it is good not to take your prereqs at a CC. Down the road, you may limit your options.
This is why it is good not to take your prereqs at a CC. Down the road, you may limit your options.
Really? JHU... that is truly a shame. Do you have the link to the website where JHU states they don't accept CC credit?
Share it, please?
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I don't have a link. I was just looking at the MSAR
Are you sure they don't take CC credit? I was looking at another forum and one of the posters said they took all their prereqs at a cc and got in.
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Take one thing at a time. You still have to prove yourself at a university and get an amazing MCAT score before you can think about top 5 schools. Good luck 
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No I'm not sure. I'm just reporting what Johns Hopkins told the AAMC for the MSAR.
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kpcrew
getting into any medical school ftfy
He got a 29 but I heard his research kicks ass. Also got an acceptance from UCLA. He turned that down for Havard. Yes I do hate him
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Might I suggest going at this step by step? Get into a 4-year college first. In the unlikely event you get a 35+ MCAT score with a 3.8+ GPA, we can talk about "getting into top medical schools." Until then, be happy if you even make it to the MCAT, much less a medical school acceptance because, frankly, the odds are strongly stacked against you at this point (about 5-10% chance of getting into any medical school at this point, if that).
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You got into UCSD from OOS? howd u pull that off? I can seeur numbers are high, but even still, you mustve had some other awesome stuff.
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Non traditional applicants bring powerful things to the table that it's harder for a traditional college student to acquire. Real experience, maturity, clarity of career goals, significant commitment to a cause(s), time to prove all of the above. The average SDN cookie cutter applicant has little of these things.
He got a 29 but I heard his research kicks ass. Also got an acceptance from UCLA. He turned that down for Havard. Yes I do hate him
Did he discover the cure for some disease? What kind of research he was doing? Any links?
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IlDestriero nailed it. I had good numbers, but it was meaningful work and life experiences that made the difference. Being published in medicinal chemistry and presenting on my research at a national conference; helping start a migrant worker outreach health program; teaching in an inner city high school with Teach for America; etc.
I spent 5 years in college and I've delayed my matriculation to medical school, but the experience and perspective I've gained is invaluable, and is definitely what helped me get into the schools I wanted to.
I spent 5 years in college and I've delayed my matriculation to medical school, but the experience and perspective I've gained is invaluable, and is definitely what helped me get into the schools I wanted to.
It didn't hurt me when I was applying (granted MSTP, not MD-only). It did confuse interviewers a bit, but that was because I was so young when I started community college and took longer to graduate after transfering...
I didn't ask for details. Not tight with the guy really and it feels weird to ask him now since we haven't talked in a long time.
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I did two years at my CC.
As long as you transfer afterwards because you are going to need a Bachelors.
As long as you transfer afterwards because you are going to need a Bachelors.
Yes, I am definitely planning to transfer. I'm planning on attending a UC. Thanks for your input!🙂
Meaning that...?
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And there's a chance OP will be paying more to go to that UC for two years than people ten years ago paid for four. What's your point?
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You get what you pay for? Awesome, because I paid nothing to go to a community college and a state school, and now I get to go to UCSD with no undergrad loans or debts. Sweet.
Honestly guys, I used to worry about this a lot. I used to think that going to a community college followed by an unknown state school would mean I couldn't get in to a top medical school. I used to think that in some vague way, the "quality of my education" was lower than what my friends got from going to a top notch liberal arts college or a research powerhouse like Michigan.
Those worries were silly. It's ultimately about you. That's what has come through in my experience. Learn everything you can, do everything you can, become as much as you can.
(More realistic and important things: it is harder to find research opportunities, or big service projects, etc., at small state schools. It is nearly impossible to find them at community colleges. That's the difference that counts)
Honestly guys, I used to worry about this a lot. I used to think that going to a community college followed by an unknown state school would mean I couldn't get in to a top medical school. I used to think that in some vague way, the "quality of my education" was lower than what my friends got from going to a top notch liberal arts college or a research powerhouse like Michigan.
Those worries were silly. It's ultimately about you. That's what has come through in my experience. Learn everything you can, do everything you can, become as much as you can.
(More realistic and important things: it is harder to find research opportunities, or big service projects, etc., at small state schools. It is nearly impossible to find them at community colleges. That's the difference that counts)
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kpcrew
you may not have paid, but that doesn't mean it was free.
I dont think on a whole it does. Although, at Michigan and Penn I had interviewers ask why I didn't go to somewhere better than [my] state school and I ended up WL at Michigan (we'll see about Penn). Not necessarily related though.
K
kpcrew
it's called taxes kiddo.
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It's called opportunity costs.
Thanks for this!
Although there aren't many opportunites such as research for CC students, I for one, have applied to outside programs. I'm just hoping I get into 1 of the 4 that I applied to.
You're right. It probably is silly of me to worry about such things but I want to be successful you know?
I don't want limited opportunities is what I'm worried about.
I'll be sure to do all I can to not let my attendance at a CC affect my med school chances 🙂
Although there aren't many opportunites such as research for CC students, I for one, have applied to outside programs. I'm just hoping I get into 1 of the 4 that I applied to.
You're right. It probably is silly of me to worry about such things but I want to be successful you know?
I don't want limited opportunities is what I'm worried about.
I'll be sure to do all I can to not let my attendance at a CC affect my med school chances 🙂
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That was uncalled for.
