How many prereqs at CC?

[makingthejump]

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Was wondering how many of your prereqs you guys are completing at community college? I have seen some schools say "we will accept 2 CC prereq courses" etc. Seems ridiculous b/c the cost to attend another school is astronomical compared to CCs. Anyone able to shed some light on this topic as to what is generally acceptable by md/do schools? Thanks!

 

[68PGunner]

It doesn't matter. If you do well in your MCAT, I doubt that a school is going to reject you because you took a lot of prereqs at a community college.

MSAR is your friend. If you have further questions, you can always just call the school.

 

[DocWinter]

If you already have a bachelors, a full set of prereqs at a CC would do you very little harm.
Some MD schools look down on many CC credits. A few DO schools do. However, no one can easily look down on a run of great grades and a great MCAT score.
Point: it doesn't matter as much as how you do in them. Get C's at a university, and you're going no where. Get A's at a CC, and you're setting yourself up nicely. You'll get in somewhere.

 

[makingthejump]

I agree with both posts. MSAR shows a lot of schools with "orange checkmarks" under the CC credits column. So that I guess means case by case basis. A few of the schools I wanna apply to say "only two courses at a CC are accepted.". However, I have 3 prereqs left and just wanna bang them out and take mcat without going into unnecessary debt for the same exact courses at a 4yr university. I feel us non-trads have a lot more perspective and an understanding of the value of a dollar and therefore want to take courses at CCs as opposed to the ridiculous 4yr universities--- IMO, that should not be looked down upon by adcoms, but who knows.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

100% CC prerequisites and no problems on my end for DO school.

 

[QuantumJ]

Never brought up in my med school interviews. Have a degree from a 4 year but took genetics, micro, ochem 1, ochem 2 at a CC. I'm sure you could add in genchem 1, 2, phys 1, 2 etc and still be fine. Just be sure to check because a few schools don't accept CC credits.

 

[Quik]

It is on a case by case, most definitely, and there is a bit of a stigma among traditionalist ADCOM members regardless of what MSAR says, for courses taken at a CC... However, the case by case is the most important factor, and thats up to each students record. I've had direct discussions with several MD admin officers about this very subject, and the above is what they told me. For myself, I'm taking any and all 100 level pre-reqs at the CC; this includes PHYS 151/152, CHEM 121/122, PSYCH 101; that's most likely it. Everything else I am taking at a 4-year public university. If you follow up the lower division stuff from CCs with As in upper division sciences at a 4-year, you'll provide enough evidence that the grades from the CC aren't based on the perceived lack of rigor at the CC level.

 

[Quik]

Never brought up in my med school interviews. Have a degree from a 4 year but took genetics, micro, ochem 1, ochem 2 at a CC. I'm sure you could add in genchem 1, 2, phys 1, 2 etc and still be fine. Just be sure to check because a few schools don't accept CC credits.

Interesting that you took Ochem and genetics at the CC level; were they 200 level? My school has a special requirement that you MUST take at least 6 units of upper division bio, as well as biochemistry, and they strongly recommend 300 level for Ochem. This school does have some very different requirements though.

Is your acceptance an osteo or allopathic?

 

[LupaCupcake]

Get an A on every class, you will be fine. Not everyone can afford to sink themselves into debt before med school, some of us have to wait till med school for that 🙂

 

[QuantumJ]

Interesting that you took Ochem and genetics at the CC level; were they 200 level? My school has a special requirement that you MUST take at least 6 units of upper division bio, as well as biochemistry, and they strongly recommend 300 level for Ochem. This school does have some very different requirements though.

Is your acceptance an osteo or allopathic?

Yes they were 200 level. Accepted to both an MD and DO school (going to MD). Ochem is 200 level at my 4 year school too

 

[ADAF]

Yes they were 200 level. Accepted to both an MD and DO school (going to MD). Ochem is 200 level at my 4 year school too

That's encouraging. I'm currently in the military and my only option is community college at night or online, so obviously I'm going to choose community college.

 

[Quik]

Yes they were 200 level. Accepted to both an MD and DO school (going to MD). Ochem is 200 level at my 4 year school too

Good to know, thanks!

 

[futureboy]

I chose a community college for postbaccalaureate science courses for financial reasons. I was pleasantly surprised at the rIgor of the courses and labs, and I believe they are equivalent to those at a four-year state school. There were a few people from four-year universities, including some private universities, who were taking classes with me last summer at the CC for the easy A. They were in for a rude awakening...one guy thought the chem class was harder than the same class at Ohio State.

 

[lovesfall]

I took all prereqs at comm college (4.0 GPA) but had a 4 year BA from a good state school. Did OK with app cycle. No one said anything about the CC credits. I didn't get an II to the top tier school I applied to but got them at all the others and I suspect the CC classes weren't the deciding factor at the top tier (more likely my MCAT PS score or late application I'd guess.) FWIW my O chem prof was fantastic at CC. I got more out of it than most big school classes. Physics not so much.