Hi all, I've got a question on pre-req location. I'm a non-trad, 33 y.o., already did college (have a few pre-reqs, including physics 1 and 2 and a semester of chem). I know that a B&M 4 year uni is almost exclusively preferred for pre-reqs. With that said, does the quality of the university matter? I'm not convinced that the university near me has a strong science program, and have found from reading here a few online options (including UNE, CCCS, SUNY Empire State) that honestly seem to be better. Does quality matter, or do adcoms just want to see a B&M 4 year school regardless of other factors?
Pre-reqs at a lower quality 4-year vs a better online 4-year or online cc?
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For DO schools, it does not matter. Go where its cheaper. "Quality" is a myth. Your quality of education depends on YOU. Even if you have a crappy teacher with crappy lectures, for a science class, you can teach yourself everything using youtube, khan academy, and a bunch of other online resources.
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You need to be careful - there are quite if few picky schools when it comes to online courses. You might want to double check with your school(s) of interest. This was a major point of discussion during our mandatory pre-med meetings at my university. But, no, I don't believe quality of school makes much of a difference. That is where the MCAT comes into play.
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Take them at a CC. Much cheaper and smaller class sizes... makes it much easier to get a LOR. Most of my professors had a PhD and taught at the 4 year uni and the CC. They preferred the CC much more due to no bull**** research and they could come in, teach, and chill to talk with students after class... no time crunch.
Go wherever you can get the easy A. Use ratemyprofessor and secure old exams if you have to.
An A is an A and a 3.8 with classes from a CC looks much better than a 3.4 from a 4-year IF have the MCAT score to back it up.
MCAT is the great equalizer in all of this.
This was jus my experience tho.
Go wherever you can get the easy A. Use ratemyprofessor and secure old exams if you have to.
An A is an A and a 3.8 with classes from a CC looks much better than a 3.4 from a 4-year IF have the MCAT score to back it up.
MCAT is the great equalizer in all of this.
This was jus my experience tho.
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A university/4yr college is often viewed better than a community college or online, but how much depends on the particular school. DO schools are more open than MD's on the where. The "ranking" of the school means little. Some schools (I think 2 DO I applied to and many MD schools I spoke with) want core science requirements taken at a B&M, but I didn't apply to any DO school that stated they wouldn't accept CC courses. MD schools I spoke with stated that.
Some med schools frown on cc/online credits and others may weigh it only if you are on the borderline of accept or not. I think someone on SDN listed DO schools that were online course friendly.
It really depends where you are wanting to apply, so look at the specific schools and see. A good rule of thumb though is to not add a limit to your application if you can reasonably avoid doing so. To some $10,000 might be reasonable and others not.
Best of Luck
Some med schools frown on cc/online credits and others may weigh it only if you are on the borderline of accept or not. I think someone on SDN listed DO schools that were online course friendly.
It really depends where you are wanting to apply, so look at the specific schools and see. A good rule of thumb though is to not add a limit to your application if you can reasonably avoid doing so. To some $10,000 might be reasonable and others not.
Best of Luck
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Oh.. and if anybody asks why you took them at a CC.....WHICH NOBODY WILL...... you simply say you were not willing to shell out more than $1500-2000 for a single class that you can take for $300 elsewhere.
Adcom members will screen you off of GPA and MCAT..... I bet you half of the adcoms don't know or don't even care about what name your college is and don't have time to see if it was a 4-year or 2-year. Maybe @Goro can confirm but he/she has stated many times CC credits don't matter... it's the grade and MCAT that puts everybody on an equal playing field.
I giggled inside when I personally knew folks who were dropping $45,000 - $50,000 on a post-bacc extension program AFTER their 4 year undergrad tuition... when I took the same amount of courses at a CC and only paid $5000 when all was said and done.
Got the same amount of interviews, if not more, than them.
GPA and MCAT are what matter. Get a DO LOR and apply early and you are good.
Adcom members will screen you off of GPA and MCAT..... I bet you half of the adcoms don't know or don't even care about what name your college is and don't have time to see if it was a 4-year or 2-year. Maybe @Goro can confirm but he/she has stated many times CC credits don't matter... it's the grade and MCAT that puts everybody on an equal playing field.
I giggled inside when I personally knew folks who were dropping $45,000 - $50,000 on a post-bacc extension program AFTER their 4 year undergrad tuition... when I took the same amount of courses at a CC and only paid $5000 when all was said and done.
Got the same amount of interviews, if not more, than them.
GPA and MCAT are what matter. Get a DO LOR and apply early and you are good.
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This is honestly up to you. While DO schools don't care where you take your classes, keep in mind that the quality of courses and how much you learn from them may affect your MCAT score, which schools do weigh heavily.
Take courses at the cheapest place possible, sure, but don't compromise on your learning. If you can succeed on the MCAT with poor quality courses then go for it. I can tell you that some classes prepare you better for the MCAT than others. For example, I can tell you that the Harvard Extension postbacc definitely would be a better choice than taking at my local CC. The courses definitely encouraged critical thinking which is essential to the MCAT. The courses cost only $1200 each for 4 credits.
Take courses at the cheapest place possible, sure, but don't compromise on your learning. If you can succeed on the MCAT with poor quality courses then go for it. I can tell you that some classes prepare you better for the MCAT than others. For example, I can tell you that the Harvard Extension postbacc definitely would be a better choice than taking at my local CC. The courses definitely encouraged critical thinking which is essential to the MCAT. The courses cost only $1200 each for 4 credits.
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^ Wrong. The amount of depth a course goes into compared to what is on the MCAT is disproportionate. Also... poor quality courses? Lol The quality of courses you take or the quality of your school have nothing to do with what you will get on your MCAT. That's like saying folks who went to UC Berkeley and UCLA all score super well on their MCAT. Terrible advice.... Harvard extension is a joke.. and you are paying ONLY $1200 for 4 units???? Terrible. lmao That's $300 a unit... LOL I can take a whole semester of science courses with lab for $1200 at my CC.
OP, you can easily hammer in the topics that are covered in a semester by taking a Kaplan class or something and put your time in more simulated practice tests. THAT is where you will get more bang for your buck. With the money you save OP, you can easily put that money to a Kaplan class and/or a Berkeley Review course if you can swing it and STILL come out several of thousands of dollars ahead of the game.
Your concern should be getting an A in your classes, raising your GPA, and then studying hard for the MCAT. Play the game and take it at the cheapest location with the easiest professor you can. Apply early. Good luck OP. You got this!
OP, you can easily hammer in the topics that are covered in a semester by taking a Kaplan class or something and put your time in more simulated practice tests. THAT is where you will get more bang for your buck. With the money you save OP, you can easily put that money to a Kaplan class and/or a Berkeley Review course if you can swing it and STILL come out several of thousands of dollars ahead of the game.
Your concern should be getting an A in your classes, raising your GPA, and then studying hard for the MCAT. Play the game and take it at the cheapest location with the easiest professor you can. Apply early. Good luck OP. You got this!
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This. You do this for 2-3 semesters straight and couple this with an above average MCAT... you'll get in somewhere.
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Just look up the med school programs you are most interested in specifically and make sure they are OK with such. While most are on with cc it would suck if your top choice was one of the few that wasn't. Best of luck
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