Going from a UNIVERSITY to a CC?

[parsonsparsons]

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Hello. I'm currently a freshman at the University of Houston as a pre-med student.
Last semester, I took all freshman core classes and next semester, I'm taking all core classes with one chem class with a lab.

My GPA is pretty good so far but again, I only took freshman core classes. Because of financial issues, I was wondering if it would be a bad idea for me to transfer to a community college my sophomore year for a year and come back to UH my junior year.

I know people say that Med Schools only look at GPA and MCAT scores but I'm worried that going from a University to a CC would make them think that I wasn't able to handle a big change.

Is going from a University to a CC a bad idea??

Thanks in advance!

 

[Catalystik]

So long as your GPA stays high both before and after the transfers, and considering you have a good excuse, my main concern would be the rigor of the coursework at the CC possibly not being sufficient to prepare you well for the MCAT. Community colleges vary in this regard, so ideally you'd attend the one with the best reputation for having university-level expectations.

A side issue would be discontinuity in your ECs, considering that longevity is important for some of them.

So, I won't say transferring twice is necessarily a "bad idea" but you might have to strategize to get around potential negatives.

 

[Lucca]

I'm just going to say that if that is your real picture in your profile then I recommend changing it for the sake of privacy.

 

[parsonsparsons]

So long as your GPA stays high both before and after the transfers, and considering you have a good excuse, my main concern would be the rigor of the coursework at the CC possibly not being sufficient to prepare you well for the MCAT. Community colleges vary in this regard, so ideally you'd attend the one with the best reputation for having university-level expectations.

A side issue would be discontinuity in your ECs, considering that longevity is important for some of them.

So, I won't say transferring twice is necessarily a "bad idea" but you might have to strategize to get around potential negatives.

Ah thank you for your reply!
Would it look "better" for the admission committee if I transfer to a higher ranking university after my year at a community college? (e.g. : UH -> CC -> UT Austin)

 

[EvenStevens]

Ah thank you for your reply!
Would it look "better" for the admission committee if I transfer to a higher ranking university after my year at a community college? (e.g. : UH -> CC -> UT Austin)

Don't worry about what "might" look better. Saving money is BETTER.

 

[parsonsparsons]

Don't worry about what "might" look better. Saving money is BETTER.

Is it? I'm just really paranoid about what they might think of my resume...

 

[Catalystik]

Ah thank you for your reply!
Would it look "better" for the admission committee if I transfer to a higher ranking university after my year at a community college? (e.g. : UH -> CC -> UT Austin)

Not if your GPA drops.

 

[Promethean]

I did all of my pre-req courses at community college, and my prior undergrad career was scattered, to say the least. I did not find the science courses at community college to be significantly less rigorous than classes of their same level taught at university. 100 and 200 level courses are less intense than the 300 and 400 level courses.

There is a lot more to who you are than where you spent a year of school, especially if you have good reasons for the transfers. Money is a great reason.

You get the education you pursue, not the one you pay for. You can come out of a prestigious university unprepared to face the MCAT, or you can kill it even though you took the courses at CC, as I did. It is all about what you put into it, not where you do so.

 

[Lucca]

Is it? I'm just really paranoid about what they might think of my resume...

The key is that your grades stay the same or improve no matter where you are. Consistency is more important. Upward trends are great.