Postbac at community college?

[qwe7791]

I've graduated in June 2014, and I'm currently volunteering and working. I've finished all my science pre-reqs at my previous university, and I'm now considering doing an informal postbac at a community college because of cost. I'm planning to complete upper division science courses such as anatomy, histology, etc. I'm primarily pursuing this informal postbac as a GPA enhancer because my sGPA is around a 3.2. Anyone think doing an informal postbac at a community college is not a good idea?

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[bbbaaa]

There's a bunch of threads about this. I'll repeat what I've seen others say- some MD schools don't accept CC credits, some do, MSAR can tell you which is which. Personally I was in the same boat, and decided to bite the bullet and take them at a state university. I didn't want to take any shortcuts and have any regrets that I should have done it a different way. I saw it as a "Poor people can't afford to buy cheap things" kind of scenario, since I was career changing and sacrificing a lot to move towards medicine. You might do them at CC and be fine, but I felt it was a risk I couldn't afford to take

 

[DocWinter]

You will find a great deal on thus if using the search function.

With grade replacement, retaking 1 or 2 courses could bring your gpa up .2 or more easily, a little tweak could be done painlessly

 

[Komorebi2]

I would not.

 

[DrMidlife]

You don't enhance a low university GPA by doing subsequent work at a CC. A better GPA from a CC is frankly expected and doesn't serve as a rigorous counterexample to your university record.

By contrast, people who have strong undergrad records and live in less competitive states can consider CC work.

The cost of not doing strong prep for med school apps dramatically trumps the money you save by going to a CC. And not just in money. It's demoralizing to have a crap app year.

The postbac forum is packed with good info on options for GPA redemption. And the reapplicant forum is packed with cautionary tales and mistakes to avoid.

Best of luck to you.

 

[ghostman]

I emailed med school admissions offices when I was in your boat some years back. The ones who replied told me NOT to take the courses in community college. I ended up taking the courses at Harvard Extension School. It costs about the same as a state university. During my lag year, I took a Biochem course at a CUNY (not a community college).

As DrMidlife mentioned, this is really to show that you can handle the rigors of med school.CC is not going to show that on an application.

 

[Dressagequeen 247]

I've contacted several schools about post bac at a CC and they all told me that CC classes are acceptable. I guess it depends on the school and your application

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

You don't enhance a low university GPA by doing subsequent work at a CC. A better GPA from a CC is frankly expected and doesn't serve as a rigorous counterexample to your university record.

By contrast, people who have strong undergrad records and live in less competitive states can consider CC work.

The cost of not doing strong prep for med school apps dramatically trumps the money you save by going to a CC. And not just in money. It's demoralizing to have a crap app year.

The postbac forum is packed with good info on options for GPA redemption. And the reapplicant forum is packed with cautionary tales and mistakes to avoid.

Best of luck to you.

Completely disagree as someone that had a terrible 4-year track record and then took 100% of my post-bacc at a CC and ultimately got accepted to medical school. CC is sometimes easier than 4-year, but the MCAT will show if that was the case. Many times CC is harder than 4-year, and that will also reflect on the MCAT.

 

[penicillinman]

I emailed med school admissions offices when I was in your boat some years back. The ones who replied told me NOT to take the courses in community college. I ended up taking the courses at Harvard Extension School. It costs about the same as a state university. During my lag year, I took a Biochem course at a CUNY (not a community college).

As DrMidlife mentioned, this is really to show that you can handle the rigors of med school.CC is not going to show that on an application.

This is a really stupid question but Im assuming one needs to be located in the harvard area to do the harvard postbacc right? Its not a distance education right (sorry im just starting to do my research on going to med school)

Thanks

 

[Gurby]

This is a really stupid question but Im assuming one needs to be located in the harvard area to do the harvard postbacc right? Its not a distance education right (sorry im just starting to do my research on going to med school)

Thanks

Actually, I think they're moving towards offering the pre-med classes with an online option. They're doing it for Physics this year, at least. When you sign up for the class, you choose whether you'll be taking the class completely on-campus, hybrid online/campus, or entirely online. I'm pretty sure there were a handful of students who took it entirely online. They offer an intensive lab session in January where you do all the labs for Physics 1 and 2, which means if you were doing it long-distance you could fly out once for the year and get it all done there.

I don't think any of the other courses (chem/bio/orgo) currently have an all-online option, but lectures are all recorded now so I think they're heading in that direction - maybe next year?

 

[SyrianHero]

Completely disagree as someone that had a terrible 4-year track record and then took 100% of my post-bacc at a CC and ultimately got accepted to medical school. CC is sometimes easier than 4-year, but the MCAT will show if that was the case. Many times CC is harder than 4-year, and that will also reflect on the MCAT.

Could you please indicate what schools you applied to and found receptive to CC classes?

 

[SyrianHero]

I've contacted several schools about post bac at a CC and they all told me that CC classes are acceptable. I guess it depends on the school and your application

Could you please tell me which schools you emailed and told you that CC classes were acceptable?

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Could you please indicate what schools you applied to and found receptive to CC classes?

Remember that this is not a very good way to assess. Schools may have not interviewed/accept me for reasons other than CC. If you want to know where I got invited to interview, it was Marian, WesternU and TU-NV. I only completed 7 secondaries later in the cycle and withdrew all applications when I got accepted to Western. The only solid rejection letter I had at that point was SOMA, and I think it was because my personal statement indicated my desire to go into a specialty.

 

[celts5]

I emailed med school admissions offices when I was in your boat some years back. The ones who replied told me NOT to take the courses in community college. I ended up taking the courses at Harvard Extension School. It costs about the same as a state university. During my lag year, I took a Biochem course at a CUNY (not a community college).

As DrMidlife mentioned, this is really to show that you can handle the rigors of med school.CC is not going to show that on an application.

I disagree with this. Some CC's are actually more challenging than some universities. CC's also are more cost efficient and for a post bac student this makes a lot of sense, financially. Med schools take this into consideration. Someone who has a post bac can show that they are able to handle the rigors of med school because they more than likely already have a bachelor's degree from a university, hence the word Post-Bac.

Also, post bacs are usually career changers and have more life-experience than the average pre-med student.

It does help to call the med school and ask;

Im not saying don't take classes at a University, but i am saying taking the Basic science Pre-reqs at a CC is not going to 'show you can't handle the rigors of medical school.' I hate when folks think CC is easier than Universiity; THe only real difference is the curve; The student quality is higher at univeersity usually b/c of upper classman. HOwever, the content is the same. same material. 1+1 is 2 in both CC and University.

 

[FutureD0C17]

I think you actually get as good or better of an education by taking the basic sciences at a CC. This of course depends on the school, but the classes tend to be much more intimate with ~30:1 class ratios. It offers the students a better opportunity to interact with the, for the most part, Phd professors. Because of the stigma and added MCAT pressure, I don't necessarily advise going this route if you have better options, but If you can rock tests then I wouldn't worry too much as the MCAT will separate the players from the wannabees.

 

[beachside]

I wouldn't do it. I'd go to a university, even a local sh*tty one. You take the risk of being ineligible for some schools otherwise, and generally not taken as seriously at the others.

 

[Gurby]

I think you guys vastly overestimate the average community college. I've taken courses at 2 different CC's, and my university post-bac classes make the courses I took at CC look like a joke in terms of depth, breadth and rigor. I'm sure there are great CC's out there, but I'd wager that they're the exception rather than the rule. The MCAT is kind of the great equalizer... But I think it's probably still better to do most of your classes at a 4-year school if at all possible.

 

[GUH]

I took some of my premed courses at CC's and they covered more than enough material to get me through the MCAT with a solid score.

And let's be realistic here - the depth that you go into for Physics and Orgo as an undergrad is unnecessary to understand the material presented during medical school.

OP, I don't know if you're applying to MD or DO. I didn't apply to MD schools so I can't speak for those but my CC coursework never came up once during interviews at osteopathic medical schools. I saved a lot of time, money, and sGPA points by taking CC courses, and doing my retake at a CC.

 

[DrMidlife]

I saved a lot of time, money, and sGPA points by taking CC courses, and doing my retake at a CC.

...and med school adcoms know that's why folks do CC work.

 

[jl lin]

I think you guys vastly overestimate the average community college. I've taken courses at 2 different CC's, and my university post-bac classes make the courses I took at CC look like a joke in terms of depth, breadth and rigor. I'm sure there are great CC's out there, but I'd wager that they're the exception rather than the rule. The MCAT is kind of the great equalizer... But I think it's probably still better to do most of your classes at a 4-year school if at all possible.

Yes. It totally depends on the professor/instructor--and also the individual's willingness to learn on their own as well. Spoon-feeder programs/courses are not challenging. It really depends.

 

[GUH]

...and med school adcoms know that's why folks do CC work.

Didn't seem to hurt my admissions prospects, and the material was plenty sufficient to do well on the MCAT and prepare me for medical school.

It's possible that allopathic adcoms are looking for someone with a deeper understanding of hybrid orbitals, though.

 

[JazzyCA]

When you say terrible, do you mean like a 2.5 terrible or a 3.5 terrible? just curious...

Completely disagree as someone that had a terrible 4-year track record and then took 100% of my post-bacc at a CC and ultimately got accepted to medical school. CC is sometimes easier than 4-year, but the MCAT will show if that was the case. Many times CC is harder than 4-year, and that will also reflect on the MCAT.

 

[jamcat]

I think it also depends on who is reading your application. Goro, an adcom member, has mentioned that he views cc classes equivalent to university classes.

Other adcom members will see university classes as superior but still accept cc classes.

Other med schools will not accept cc classes.

I think the answer's clear that taking pre-reqs at a cc will close some doors, but not all doors. Whether keeping those doors open is worth the extra tuition money is up to you.

For the OP, I'm NOT an adcom member, but as a non-trad who has spent my entire life in academia and whose entire family is in academia (including teaching at community colleges), I would be wary of somebody who got a 3.2 at a university and then jumped to a 4.0 at a community college. That would suggest to me that they were a B-average university student but an A-average community college student. That is a reasonable assessment for anybody with experience in these areas to make, and it's one I would wager that many (not all) adcom members would make. What I think you actually need to show is that you were a B-average university student, but are now an A-average university student. That would require taking classes at the university.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

When you say terrible, do you mean like a 2.5 terrible or a 3.5 terrible? just curious...

Went from 2.7 to 3.2. I didn't have a real science GPA (2 classes in undergrad), so that may have played a role in why they didn't care too much.

 

[ghostman]

I disagree with this. Some CC's are actually more challenging than some universities. CC's also are more cost efficient and for a post bac student this makes a lot of sense, financially. Med schools take this into consideration. Someone who has a post bac can show that they are able to handle the rigors of med school because they more than likely already have a bachelor's degree from a university, hence the word Post-Bac.

Also, post bacs are usually career changers and have more life-experience than the average pre-med student.

It does help to call the med school and ask;

Im not saying don't take classes at a University, but i am saying taking the Basic science Pre-reqs at a CC is not going to 'show you can't handle the rigors of medical school.' I hate when folks think CC is easier than Universiity; THe only real difference is the curve; The student quality is higher at univeersity usually b/c of upper classman. HOwever, the content is the same. same material. 1+1 is 2 in both CC and University.

I've been misquoted, so I want to clarify. I didn't say that taking pre-reqs at CC shows that you can't handle the rigors of med school. I said that taking pre-requs at CC won't show you can handle the rigors of med school. The distinction may be subtle, but it's important. Applying to med school means putting your best foot forward. As you said, the curve is different and student quality is higher in univ courses (I don't know this to be true; I'm just basing it on your statement.). Does that mean it's easier to get an A in Biology at the CC? This depends on the curve, of course. If the instructor gives A's to the top 10% of the class, then by your statement that univ courses have higher quality students, it's harder for a given student to get an A at a univ course. Or maybe the instructor gives anyone above a cutoff an A. Then it's not any harder for a given student to get an A in a univ or at a CC. But all the adcoms will see is an "A" and they won't know how to qualify that unless they know your specific program.

While pre-reqs at CC may not stop you from getting into med school and becoming a doctor, it may limit your options on available med schools. I wish it weren't the case since it would have been cheaper for me back then as well, but I didn't want to risk it and went with non-CC courses. (And to note for those who might be getting confused, we've been calling non-CC courses "University" courses, but it clearly doesn't have to be from a "University." ie. courses from Boston University and Boston College are just as good).

Any basic science text is sufficient for the MCATs. You'll probably use none of the Chem, OChem or Physics in med school. You'll probably cram a year's worth of Biology and Biochem in two months and everyone will be on the same playing field by month 3 anyway. So practically, it doesn't matter where or how you learn your material. But for putting your best foot forward on applications, it might.

 

[Dressagequeen 247]

Could you please indicate what schools you applied to and found receptive to CC classes?

I contacted Drexel, PCOM, Jefferson University and I was told by my cousin who spoke with admissions that Temple is now accepting CC credits. I don't know if that's true or not but I'll take her word for it.
Personally I'm doing a majority of my post bac at a CC (gotta take bio chem at a university). Because of a bad choice in doing a couple years at a private college, I have a lot in loans and couldn't take out anymore. It didn't take me long to decide between spending $1100 a semester for two classes vs $1- 2000 a semester for one class. Its a risk but a risk I have to take with my current situation. Gotta pull out all the stops but its nothing I'm not used to 🙂

 

[EParker37]

I contacted Drexel, PCOM, Jefferson University and I was told by my cousin who spoke with admissions that Temple is now accepting CC credits. I don't know if that's true or not but I'll take her word for it.
Personally I'm doing a majority of my post bac at a CC (gotta take bio chem at a university). Because of a bad choice in doing a couple years at a private college, I have a lot in loans and couldn't take out anymore. It didn't take me long to decide between spending $1100 a semester for two classes vs $1- 2000 a semester for one class. Its a risk but a risk I have to take with my current situation. Gotta pull out all the stops but its nothing I'm not used to 🙂

That's the real rub right there, if you can explain to an adcom during the interview why you decided to take the courses at a CC vs a trad 4 year university, and have the MCAT score to show that you grasped the important concepts from the subject matter, it isn't going to be as big an issue. Some of us, by necessity, have to take courses at a CC, and as long as you can demonstrate an understanding of the material, explain precisely why you made the choice, and show that it wasn't just to boost a sGPA, then I expect that the adcom will be understanding. Getting into med school isn't just grades, while that helps get your foot in the door, who you are, your attitude and personality, and the rest of your app get you in.

 

[katiemaude]

You want to make your app as strong as possible. You don't want to retake classes from a 4-year at a CC. If you have none of the prereqs, a CC can be acceptable but you want As and you want to kill the MCAT. Yes, it's possible to get into a medical school by taking all of your prereqs at a CC. (I did and I'm in a DO school.) But you will be giving yourself the best shot by taking it a 4-year school.

Go for the best scenario you can afford. I couldn't get loans and I couldn't pay out of pocket for the 4-year school, so I pretty much had no choice. If I could do it all again, I'd borrow $50K and do a 1-year formal postbacc with a linkage program. I'd be done with medical school by now (assuming I did well in the postbacc) but who knows if I would have? You have to do the best you can with the hand you've been dealt.

 

[jl lin]

That's the real rub right there, if you can explain to an adcom during the interview why you decided to take the courses at a CC vs a trad 4 year university, and have the MCAT score to show that you grasped the important concepts from the subject matter, it isn't going to be as big an issue. Some of us, by necessity, have to take courses at a CC, and as long as you can demonstrate an understanding of the material, explain precisely why you made the choice, and show that it wasn't just to boost a sGPA, then I expect that the adcom will be understanding. Getting into med school isn't just grades, while that helps get your foot in the door, who you are, your attitude and personality, and the rest of your app get you in.

That's the way it should be, but for some schools, CC, regardless of the particular professor or curriculum, may choose to auto-screen. And it's a darn shame, b/c there are already enough students/residents, etc, who are in strong dislike to hate mode where medicine is concerned. Getting top grades at a top university isn't going to screen that out. And what about the whole "We look at the whole application" stance? Well clearly this is untrue if there is auto-screen/auto-reject.

Do what you have to do and apply broadly is probably as good as you are gonna get. If it takes more than three cycles to get in to MS, well, you gotta be prepared to do something else. Meanwhile, some good folks will be missed b/c of any auto-screening from where one took whatever courses. What you learn and how you apply the material is what matters.

 

[celts5]

I didn't say that taking pre-reqs at CC shows that you can't handle the rigors of med school. I said that taking pre-requs at CC won't show you can handle the rigors of med school.

Ok so in retrospect.... what will CC courses show... "if they won't 'show you can handle the rigors of med school" what will they show? what... what are you implying? Just tell us that you think CC classes aren't sufficient.


"While pre-reqs at CC may not stop you from getting into med school and becoming a doctor, it may limit your options on available med schools. I wish it weren't the case since it would have been cheaper for me back then as well, but I didn't want to risk it and went with non-CC courses. "

THis statement may be true however, just because you wish it wasn't the case doesn't mean it's completely true. I'm glad you did not want to risk it and took Univeristy Pre-Reqs... did you feel you got a lot of interviews b/c u took them at university?

Im taking 1 year of chem, bio and physics at CC and O-CHem I and II and Bio CHem at University, hopefully

pardon sloppy reply / grammer: im at work and writing this while sick as well

 

[jamcat]

He's implying that overall community college classes are easier than university classes. There may be difficult cc courses out there, but in general, it's easier to get a GPA of x.xx from a community college than the same GPA of x.xx from a university. (And let's please not try to pretend this isn't true. My dad is both a professor and admin at a cc and is very deep in the "cc culture" and a big topic currently in the cc world is helping students transition academically from ccs to universities because they're not used to the rigor of universities.)

So the person who has a 4.0 from a community college may well be a 4.0 university student. Or, they could be a 3.0 university student. That's what ghostman meant when he said that they don't show you can't handle it, but they don't show that you can.

Which is why it's not the greatest idea for a person who has a low undergrad GPA who is looking to do a post-bacc for GPA repair to go to a cc; it suggests that the person cannot handle the harder classes of a university but can handle the easier classes of a community college.

 

[ghostman]

Ok so in retrospect.... what will CC courses show... "if they won't 'show you can handle the rigors of med school" what will they show? what... what are you implying? Just tell us that you think CC classes aren't sufficient.


"While pre-reqs at CC may not stop you from getting into med school and becoming a doctor, it may limit your options on available med schools. I wish it weren't the case since it would have been cheaper for me back then as well, but I didn't want to risk it and went with non-CC courses. "

THis statement may be true however, just because you wish it wasn't the case doesn't mean it's completely true. I'm glad you did not want to risk it and took Univeristy Pre-Reqs... did you feel you got a lot of interviews b/c u took them at university?

Im taking 1 year of chem, bio and physics at CC and O-CHem I and II and Bio CHem at University, hopefully

pardon sloppy reply / grammer: im at work and writing this while sick as well

I wasn't implying anything; I said it outright. And jamcat probably explained it better than I did. Getting an A in a course will show you are top of your class. When that class is filled with higher quality students (again, your words, not mine), then it gives the adcoms a better idea of where you stand. Sure, you might be extremely bright and get an A in Biology wherever you go. But the adcoms get a better idea of what that "A" means if it comes from a program they know better. And they tend to know the 4-year colleges better than the CC's.

I can't speak for CC's and any experience I present will be incidental, but I'll throw it out there anyway and you can take it how you will. I had 4.0 sGPA when I applied to med school. Even though I did well at Harvard Extension, I found it challenging and my midterm/final exam grades fluctuated. When I moved back home and took Biochem during my lag year at a city college (not a CC, but a 4-year college in the city not known for their science focus), I was literally top of the class. Great for my ego at the time, but I don't realistically believe I would have been top of the class if I took Biochem at Harvard Extension. So, yes, I do believe there is a difference in the quality/difficulty of education depending on the institution. My Biochem course skipped the Pentose Phosphate Pathway (HMP shunt), which I thought was surprising.

As for your second question, yes, I do believe getting good grades at Harvard Extension helped a lot for getting interviews. It's a program that regularly churns out medical school applicants and adcoms are familiar with it. I also got a committee letter from the school. I have no clue what it said, but I received interviews at some research-centric schools despite my weak research experience. Would it have been any different if I chose to go the CC route? Who knows. But I feel the grades and letter from an established program probably played a role.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to bash CC's. It's great that a lot more med schools are accepting their courses. But if someone is browsing these forums looking for advice on whether to go the CC-route, my honest answer is that it sounds like it may affect your chances. Whether you choose to risk that is up to you. I was only giving myself one shot at this, so I didn't want to risk it.

 

[celts5]

I wasn't implying anything; I said it outright. And jamcat probably explained it better than I did. Getting an A in a course will show you are top of your class. When that class is filled with higher quality students (again, your words, not mine), then it gives the adcoms a better idea of where you stand. Sure, you might be extremely bright and get an A in Biology wherever you go. But the adcoms get a better idea of what that "A" means if it comes from a program they know better. And they tend to know the 4-year colleges better than the CC's.

I can't speak for CC's and any experience I present will be incidental, but I'll throw it out there anyway and you can take it how you will. I had 4.0 sGPA when I applied to med school. Even though I did well at Harvard Extension, I found it challenging and my midterm/final exam grades fluctuated. When I moved back home and took Biochem during my lag year at a city college (not a CC, but a 4-year college in the city not known for their science focus), I was literally top of the class. Great for my ego at the time, but I don't realistically believe I would have been top of the class if I took Biochem at Harvard Extension. So, yes, I do believe there is a difference in the quality/difficulty of education depending on the institution. My Biochem course skipped the Pentose Phosphate Pathway (HMP shunt), which I thought was surprising.

As for your second question, yes, I do believe getting good grades at Harvard Extension helped a lot for getting interviews. It's a program that regularly churns out medical school applicants and adcoms are familiar with it. I also got a committee letter from the school. I have no clue what it said, but I received interviews at some research-centric schools despite my weak research experience. Would it have been any different if I chose to go the CC route? Who knows. But I feel the grades and letter from an established program probably played a role.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to bash CC's. It's great that a lot more med schools are accepting their courses. But if someone is browsing these forums looking for advice on whether to go the CC-route, my honest answer is that it sounds like it may affect your chances. Whether you choose to risk that is up to you. I was only giving myself one shot at this, so I didn't want to risk it.

Fair enough. You dropped a lot of money on the "Harvard Extension" program. I'm glad you had the money and or financial aid to get you through there. Getting into Med school does take a 'bright' mind so to speak which you definitely have, but also paying for your way to get in works as well provdied you have above average stats regardless where you're schooling is from... (check the amount of foreign docs), whether it be you know someone on the ad-committee or pay for an expensive post-bac. Your chances will be better the more money you pay, money speaks.... however not everyone has and or wants and or sees the reason in taking the same courses somewhere else just because the school rep is on par with ad comittee. a good program will realize the student individually and honestly bruv, just because bio chem didnt cover Pentose Phospate Pathway doesnt mean its not important, you can do more study on your own even if its not in the syllabus of a class. It depends on what you want to study and do your specialty..

Not trying to hate, just trying to be real. GOod luck and congrats on getting in to med school! I hope i can do the same albeit a diff way..... yikes.

 

[celts5]

He's implying that overall community college classes are easier than university classes. There may be difficult cc courses out there, but in general, it's easier to get a GPA of x.xx from a community college than the same GPA of x.xx from a university. (And let's please not try to pretend this isn't true. My dad is both a professor and admin at a cc and is very deep in the "cc culture" and a big topic currently in the cc world is helping students transition academically from ccs to universities because they're not used to the rigor of universities.)

So the person who has a 4.0 from a community college may well be a 4.0 university student. Or, they could be a 3.0 university student. That's what ghostman meant when he said that they don't show you can't handle it, but they don't show that you can.

Which is why it's not the greatest idea for a person who has a low undergrad GPA who is looking to do a post-bacc for GPA repair to go to a cc; it suggests that the person cannot handle the harder classes of a university but can handle the easier classes of a community college.

Right right....

So the person who has a 4.0 from a community college may well be a 4.0 university student. Or, they could be a 3.0 university student. That's what ghostman meant when he said that they don't show you can't handle it, but they don't show that you can.

Glad you realize this.


Which is why it's not the greatest idea for a person who has a low undergrad GPA who is looking to do a post-bacc for GPA repair to go to a cc; it suggests that the person cannot handle the harder classes of a university but can handle the easier classes of a community college.


I agree on this one, but what im saying is most folks that do a post bac NOT because they just need the pre-reqs for GPA repair, however of course some do. Most folks who do a post-bac have a degree other than bio or chem... the typical undergraduate degree for med school applicants.... what i mean is most folks that do a post bac just need the pre-reqs and have a degree from a university already.

GOod luck... not meaning to hate.

Peace

 

[darkeon]

I think there's just too many variables in the equation. First off, DO schools seem to be more accepting than md...Probably due to the sheer number of md applicants which causes md ad coms to be more critical. Thus, cc is ok if say you are doing retakes for do schools. Cc is also ok for a career changer for both do and md. Cc is ok if you started at a cc then transferred to a 4 year, for both md and do.
If a bachelor grad and doing gpa repair for md schools then you will need upper level courses at a 4 year, in which case you may very well need an smp if the gpa doesn't rise quickly enough. What's not ok I think no matter what is to take core sci pre req at cc while taking courses at a 4 year. it seems fishy.

 

[Apollo1]

I'd say stick with the university-level coursework. You want to be able to apply to the max. number of schools possible (within MSAR guidelines).

 

[celts5]

What's not ok I think no matter what is to take core sci pre req at cc while taking courses at a 4 year. it seems fishy.

Right taking them con currently is fishy. However, most folks that have a degree from UNI already and decide to take Pre-REqs at a CC have to because of financial issues. ADCOMS do understand this and folks do get accepted.

 

[PLPL]

I emailed med school admissions offices when I was in your boat some years back. The ones who replied told me NOT to take the courses in community college. I ended up taking the courses at Harvard Extension School. It costs about the same as a state university. During my lag year, I took a Biochem course at a CUNY (not a community college).

As DrMidlife mentioned, this is really to show that you can handle the rigors of med school.CC is not going to show that on an application.

How did you like Harvard?

 

[ghostman]

How did you like Harvard?

Wow. This is an old thread.

I thought Harvard Extension was great. They have an amazing Chemistry department. As long as you do the work and attend the lectures, this is all the studying you'll need for the Gen Chem and Orgo portion of the MCATs. The Physics and Bio were decent, but could have been better. I attended HES more than 4 years ago and I'm certain things have changed, so you might want to pop into the HES thread in the postbacc forums for a more recent perspective. Best of luck.

I went back and read some of the stuff in this thread since I hadn't returned to respond to any of it. I just want to clarify that Harvard Extension courses are cheap; about as much as you'd pay at a community college, I'd imagine. This is to address one of the comments that I "dropped a lot of money" on this program. I didn't. I paid for more housing than anything else.

 

[jl lin]

He's implying that overall community college classes are easier than university classes. There may be difficult cc courses out there, but in general, it's easier to get a GPA of x.xx from a community college than the same GPA of x.xx from a university. (And let's please not try to pretend this isn't true. My dad is both a professor and admin at a cc and is very deep in the "cc culture" and a big topic currently in the cc world is helping students transition academically from ccs to universities because they're not used to the rigor of universities.)

So the person who has a 4.0 from a community college may well be a 4.0 university student. Or, they could be a 3.0 university student. That's what ghostman meant when he said that they don't show you can't handle it, but they don't show that you can.

Which is why it's not the greatest idea for a person who has a low undergrad GPA who is looking to do a post-bacc for GPA repair to go to a cc; it suggests that the person cannot handle the harder classes of a university but can handle the easier classes of a community college.

That is only partially true. For economic reasons and course availability reasons, students have been flying from their day classes at their universities to the CCs in the evening. For the basic, pre-req sciences, really the standards and core curriculum should be the same. Decent CCs know that many students are going to transfer to or are in university-based programs. As they work together with these universities, it's essential that the core curriculum and general standards should be the same. Many CCs now have whole units of people, separate centers if you will, beyond the run-of-the-mill CC academic advisors helping students coordinate the necessary and readily transferable courses.

It's also important to point out that some professors or TAs, regardless of where they are teaching, may tend to spend more time on one area over another, b/c of their own special interest in that area. This can happen at any school, and the student is still responsible for familiarizing herself/himself with the core curriculum and the expected application of such, whenever possible. Some teachers are just born to teach. I mean they are truly interesting, balanced, and gifted. They are like gold to me. Others will just march through the material, and at the end of the day, it is really up to the student to learn what he or she needs to know and how to apply it. Even with the best teachers, in my view, any student that can't self-teach and find ways to increase the relevant understanding and application of the material should reconsider the pursuit of challenging majors. There really isn't a place for spoon-feeding on the post-secondary level.

 

[NoTownPreMed]

I know this is kind of an old thread, I want to add that I intend to take the majority of my prerequisites at my local CC. The cost of tuition at my local state College is roughly around ~350 bucks per unit as compared to 45 dollars a unit at my local community college. I've already racked a small debt gaining my Bachelors in Nursing, so taking the cheaper route makes more sense to me.

 

[Iselia]

I also wanted to mention that I will be taking as many prereqs as possible at a CC. It isn't about CC being easier than uni, it's just cheaper. Since I am supporting myself and have bills to pay, CC makes the most sense. If adcoms at DVM schools can't appreciate my practicality than maybe it isn't the right fit for me anyway.

 

[jl lin]

I know this is kind of an old thread, I want to add that I intend to take the majority of my prerequisites at my local CC. The cost of tuition at my local state College is roughly around ~350 bucks per unit as compared to 45 dollars a unit at my local community college. I've already racked a small debt gaining my Bachelors in Nursing, so taking the cheaper route makes more sense to me.

$45/unit is still way cheap compared to other areas. Yea, I mean, it's tough to beat that. Know what you mean b/c I went to a private university that wasn't/isn't cheap. . .at all. IMO any depth into the material is often up to the student, and you can't get crazy deep when there is already so much to cover. I think it something that is totally individual. If a person is cool w/ taking on the formal pb expense, there are advantages. If the person needs to save some money and is will to work hard to fill in any gaps, if applicable, that's OK too.

I do think, however, that some of it is like use of branding. I mean, it's like selling your resume or CV. It looks nice to say school XYZ, even state schools compared with CCs--although the quality of teaching and experiences may vary. It's not anything over which anyone should show prejudice--or even think it; but in our country, you now how people love the whole branding deal. Some will rise above it and others will follow the academic sheep thinking.