junior college/premed

[Vpathak1]

hi, i am in a junior college rite now, and have an agreement wid uc berkeley in tranfering into the major of MCB. I jsut want to know like if there are any people who have been in JC and are now in med school, how hard it was? the disadvantages, what i need to do, i have no pre med advisor so i feel disadvantaged, so if anyone could give me advice that would be great thanks.

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[Pre-Dent-David]

Keep a high gpa.... Prob 3.6+ for a pre med is safe territory.

 

[gower]

If you know you are going to transfer to Berkeley, find some time to call the advisor there and make an appointment soon to discuss the transition. Thus, you might not be surprised and confused when you do transfer. It is always best to know ahead of time--not at the last minute--what monsters are waiting for you!

Patti Meyer
Career Center
2111 Bancroft Way #4350

510/642-0592 FAX: 510/642-6987

[email protected]

 

[republicandr]

You should take either the Physics or the General Chemistry series at the JC. Take a few of the biology requirements at the JC.

You need to make sure that you take Organic Chemistry at the 4-year college. The schools want to see that you can take Organic Chemistry at a 4-year college and do well there.

These recommendations are consistent with what Admissions Committees and Pre-Med advisors told me.

Good luck at the JC.

 

[91Bravo]

Vpathak1

May I suggest that you take some English Composition and Literature courses to improve your grammar. You may well have a grasp of the sciences. However, if you cannot communicate in a clear manner, you risk others developing a low regard for your abilities.

Good luck with your efforts.

 

[agent]

I'm finishing JC now. Going to 4yr school in fall.

Good luck. See my sig for others in your boat

 

[Celstrial]

I went to a JC my first 2 years, then transferred to UCLA for my final years. I did so because of financial reasons and I feel that although adcoms might look at that as not as good as traditional 4-year students, there's something to say for being disadvantaged financially.

Find a JC that has a good solid education where you can actually learn your basics well. The classes at my JC were easier just because the competition was not as nasty as at UCLA. You learn the same material!

Then work hard when you transfer to UCB, showing adcoms that you were able to be a good student regardless of where you are, and the whole idea of you spending your early years at JC are justified.

Transferring was one of the better decisions I made. Saved lots of money, still had a great education. Also, having a high gpa at the JC didn't hurt either.

I interviewed at several schools and will be matriculating next fall. Work hard and good luck to you

 

[Trix]

I went to a JC (CCSF) for two years and transferred to UCB as an MCB major as well. I did my bio, gen chem and o chem at the JC and then took my physics classes at Berkeley.

The overall transition for me was really smooth. My GPA stayed virtually the same and I really enjoyed the additional opportunities I found at Berkeley. It is very easy to get involved in research and there are sooo... many student groups to get involved with.

The biggest adjustment was probably the class size and the feeling of anonymity it creates. You have to try to get to know your professors, rather than having it just occur, which is what I experienced prior to UCB.

I also have to say that 91Bravo is right when he says to take some extra english/llit courses. The standard of writing and amount of reading was much higher at UCB, and I know several students that had Tremendous! difficulty in this area. If you can take an advanced comp. course at your JC, or a writing course at UCB over the summer.

If you contact the transfer center they also have classes available to help you with this-sorry don't know the number, but it's on the web. I would also contact Patti Meyer ASAP as gower suggested-she is super helpful!

Good luck-Trix

 

[QHamp]

I had just logged in with the intent of posting my own questions regarding JC's, and, if Vpathak1 doesn't mind, I'll ask it here instead of starting a new thread. (And I'm really sorry if he does mind, because I'm going to post anyway )

So far, my first semester of college is going great. I expect that I should be in the 3.6+ GPA range when I graduate. However, I just found out that when I transfer (at the completion of my A.S.) my GPA doesn't transfer. In other words, I will begin my junior year with a "clean slate" and get to "rebuild" my GPA (which I actually don't expect to be all that difficult..but could be terribly wrong).

Has anyone else been in this situation? How will medical schools view this? Which classes are safe to take in JC, and which ones should I wait to take until I am in a 4-yr?

My biggest concern is being required to retake classes in order to make the medschools "happy". I hate backtracking.

 

[Trix]

My GPA didn't transfer over to Berkeley either, but that doesn't mean your JC grades won't be taken into account on your med school apps. All of your grades are entered into your AMCAS app, and a total GPA is calculated.

So, your GPA just starts again at your new school for calculations such as figuring out graduating with honors, university scholarships etc., but the JC grades still count in regards to med school apps.

The one thing I do know about JC grades is that if your GPA drops dramatically after you transfer, with no upward trend, it looks really bad-as if the only reason you had a high GPA at the JC was that it easier...so study hard!

 

[Pre-Dent-David]

Qhamp I also come from rockford what hs did you go to?

 

[QHamp]

Hey Man, I PM'd you.

 

[ashkan33]

hey,

i transferred to ucb from a jc down south. some of the classes at my jc prepared me very well, others not so much. i don't know where you're going to jc, but i hear laney has a superb bio program. i'm not sure if it's laney or vista but previous professors from cal left there positions here to go teach over there. i'll tell you one thing, the biggest difference was the COMPETITION. cal kids are super competitive and it might break you at first. my first semester i didn't do so hot(3.0). it's not that i didn't study, i just didn't have berkeley figured out. now i do, and the funny thing is, my gpa at cal is better than at my jc. just study your ass off cuz these two years go by in a heartbeat. plan your schedule intelligently. don't take more than two core mcb classes a semester. figure out when you're gonna take your mcat and schedule your classes to coincide with your mcat so you won't have forgotten by then. that is, try to take your mcat right after you finish you major sciences(physucks, ochem, bio 1a). and one last thing, don't be scared of berkeley. we have dumb students here too.