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[Avenue D]

Hello All,
I'm thinking about Medical school. However, I have a bachelor's in Communications and I don't think I have ANY pre-med prerequisites! I would like to start taking some pre-reqs this Spring, but I can only afford community college classes and I just moved to a new city and I don't know how long I plan to stay here. So, do any of you know how medical schools weigh community college classes vs. 4 year college classes? And also, does it matter if I take some of my science pre-reqs at one school and some at another school??

Thanks a lot!!

p.s. I read some of the Non-Traditional Success stories and feel incredibly better about all of this! I woke up this morning with anxiety and thoughts like, "I'm not smart enough to be a real doctor...and I have never taken a physics class!" but now after reading some inspiring stories, I will go to bed with thoughts like, "Geez, I think I'm ready to conquer my fears!"

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[spicedmanna]

Hello All,
I'm thinking about Medical school. However, I have a bachelor's in Communications and I don't think I have ANY pre-med prerequisites! I would like to start taking some pre-reqs this Spring, but I can only afford community college classes and I just moved to a new city and I don't know how long I plan to stay here. So, do any of you know how medical schools weigh community college classes vs. 4 year college classes? And also, does it matter if I take some of my science pre-reqs at one school and some at another school??

It is my understanding that most medical schools would view prerequisite classes taken at a 4-year institution more favorably than classes taken at a community college. If at all possible, I'd take your science classes at a 4-year institution. If you are lacking in funds, one possibility would be to work one year and attain residency at whatever state you are in; in-state tuition is very affordable at most state colleges.

You can spread out your pre-reqs at however many institutions you like. The important thing is to take full semesters, if you can. It shows that you can handle a full load of classes well. If you do take your classes at many schools, it'll probably be a pain when it comes time to complete your primary application as you will have to collect a bunch of transcripts.

 

[NonTradMed]

Four year colleges are preferred over CC but if you show that you did CC for financial or personal reasons (i.e family nearby, lack of funds) I think adcoms will forgive, they just don't want you to take classes at the CC b/c you want it 'easy'. Try taking one class and see how you fare. But do attempt to do a full semester if you can. Also, keep your school hopping to a minimal. I had to get transcripts from three different schools even though most of my coursework was done at one school and it was a pain.

 

[ucjames]

Four year colleges are preferred over CC but if you show that you did CC for financial or personal reasons (i.e family nearby, lack of funds) I think adcoms will forgive, they just don't want you to take classes at the CC b/c you want it 'easy'. Try taking one class and see how you fare. But do attempt to do a full semester if you can. Also, keep your school hopping to a minimal. I had to get transcripts from three different schools even though most of my coursework was done at one school and it was a pain.

As one admissions officer from Northwestern told me when I posed the question, "We'll accept the community college courses, but they won't be as competitive as courses from four-year schools." Of course, she also went on to encourage me to look into coursework at their School of Continuing Studies as opposed to the CC. Still, some institutions are definitely more "forgiving" than others. Which should be kept in mind when deciding where to take your classes.

At the same time, if nothing else is viable right now financially, go ahead and start with the community college coursework. Get a year of gen chem and gen bio under your belt. And then take organic and physics at a four-year college a year from now if things have changed financially. Or take them all at a CC and take some upper-level science courses at a four-year later to show that you can handle things at that level.

My financial situation when I started taking my prereqs a year ago was such that I took all my courses at my local community college. Since then I have registered as a student-at-large at one of the two four-year state schools in the area. The cost is almost exactly 2x as much per credit hour, which isn't too bad given that the CC was exceptionally inexpensive for in-district tuition. Still more than I could afford a year ago while my wife was in school, but reasonable now that she is working. While I haven't given Northwestern another call since a year ago, other schools that I've talked to seem to be happy with the coursework progession.

 

[relentless11]

I agree with what everyone have said. Just be advised there is a small handful of schools that flat out do not accept CC coursework. It could just be 1-2 schools so just do your research first before applying.

The most important thing is, if you have no other choice but to take CC coursework, then you should follow-up with rigorous coursework at a 4-year university. Also some CC's may be more well known than others, so research them too. California CC's tend to be pretty good, thus the UC med schools tend to not care if you are a transfer student. However outside of CA is a different story. It is my impression that there is more discrimination towards CC coursework. Ultimately, if do well in coursework at a 4-year, and get a good score on your MCAT, then things should be fine.