Grade repair at community college

[binko]

I'm a non-trad and self-employed. I want to take some classes at a healthcare-oriented 2-year college that is affiliated with a very well-known hospital for GPA repair and because my most recent college classes were so long ago. It's much more affordable and doesn't require a lengthy application process like a 4-year school does. Is this a bad idea? Will these classes not "count" with adcoms?

I've seen this question asked about taking classes prior to graduation, and about taking pre-reqs, but I hadn't seen it addressing this particular issue.

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[CyrilFiggis]

same rules apply.

 

[candbgirl]

It's accredited right?


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[Promethean]

I used a community college for all my prereqs. There is a growing understanding that college is freaking expensive. Indeed, I completed a 60 credit A.S. degree for less tuition than it would have cost to take a single 4 credit course at the nearby universities.

Nontrads, especially if they already have a university degree, who take courses at a community college are viewed a little differently than someone who is clearly trying to avoid taking hard sciences at the most rigorous institution. And speaking of rigor, most of the time we had the same professors who taught at those various universities. Same quality of instruction, fraction of the price, more convenient scheduling. If your scores, stats, and the rest of your app comes together, very few schools are going to balk at having some of your courses completed at CC.

 

[MareNostrummm]

Adcoms will count these classes.. while generally CC may make you a bit less competitive, the growth of nontrads, flexibilty needed for their lives, and controlling costs, are much more accepted by adcoms then they were a decade ago. If you do well in CC, on MCAT, and possibly take a few courses as nondegree upper level courses at a 4 year school you will do fine.

Just be aware that your courses need to the basic bio/chem etc that a major in the subject would take. do not take any courses that are specialized for health care vocation. they may not count for science GPA or accepted by medical school

This is what I have been doing.. took anatomy with lab and physiology with lab (separate classes) at a CC while volunteering at a hospital and studying for the MCAT. Got a 512 on the MCAT. Now I'm taking biochem and genetics at local 4 year Cal state university while scribing full time. Probably going to take 2-3 more upper division classes at the CSU.

Use the CC as a stepping stone to take lower level bio/chem/physics classes then make sure you take a couple upper division classes at a more rigorous institution to cover your bases.

 

[binko]

Adcoms will count these classes.. while generally CC may make you a bit less competitive, the growth of nontrads, flexibilty needed for their lives, and controlling costs, are much more accepted by adcoms then they were a decade ago. If you do well in CC, on MCAT, and possibly take a few courses as nondegree upper level courses at a 4 year school you will do fine.

Just be aware that your courses need to the basic bio/chem etc that a major in the subject would take. do not take any courses that are specialized for health care vocation. they may not count for science GPA or accepted by medical school

What would they count as if not science? What are the boundaries of what is considered part of the "science GPA"? I thought it included psychology and the like, no? I was considering completing an EMT course, I don't expect that med schools will particularly love that but will it not count in my science GPA at all?

Also I graduated from college almost 10 years ago and took my last science class 7 years ago, if that makes any difference. My MCAT is 519.

 

[kamakazi5]

What would they count as if not science? What are the boundaries of what is considered part of the "science GPA"? I thought it included psychology and the like, no? I was considering completing an EMT course, I don't expect that med schools will particularly love that but will it not count in my science GPA at all?

Also I graduated from college almost 10 years ago and took my last science class 7 years ago, if that makes any difference. My MCAT is 519.

You'll have to look up the full list on the AMCAS site but EMT (or really most certificate) courses do not count as science. The vast majority of psychology classes do not count as science.

In general it needs to be biology, chemistry, physics, and math. I don't even believe engineering courses count as science.

Edit: Everything in the orange is part of the science GPA while the rest would not be.

https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fast...ab328dc/amcas_course_classification_guide.pdf

 

[binko]

A few thoughts
1) there is no "science" on the AMCAS application for GPA; it is solely BCPM (bio chem physics math)
2) Most vocational/professional/specialized health sciences will not count as BCPM for GPA
3) Courses are counted via content not department; however the vast majority will be bio, chem, physics, math department
4) I find that applicants who are surprised by this, havent sufficiently researched or understood the application process. All applicants should review and starting with AMCAS website is where to start
https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying-medical-school-process/

Thank you, this really clarifies things. You are right, I don't have a sufficient understanding of the application process. That's the main reason I use this site, it's really helpful for filling in stuff I missed and getting answers to questions I didn't even know I had.

 

[binko]

This is what I have been doing.. took anatomy with lab and physiology with lab (separate classes) at a CC while volunteering at a hospital and studying for the MCAT. Got a 512 on the MCAT. Now I'm taking biochem and genetics at local 4 year Cal state university while scribing full time. Probably going to take 2-3 more upper division classes at the CSU.

Use the CC as a stepping stone to take lower level bio/chem/physics classes then make sure you take a couple upper division classes at a more rigorous institution to cover your bases.

What I am doing is sort of backwards to this, because I already have 6 years worth of classes (and a degree) at 4-year institutions and I'm a nontrad and can't afford a 4-year with my life and schedule anymore. Some of my upper-level bio classes at the 4-year school I did them at, I did very well in. Some I did less well in because of mistakes like allowing my doctor to make big changes to my psychiatric medications right before final exams. So that leaves me with meh grades overall, but quite a few As in grad-level biochem coursework. So that's why I'm having trouble figuring out how CC would affect all that.