Pre-Reqs CC or 4yr University?

[Lovetohelp]

Has anyone actually been accepted to med school that took the majority of their Pre-Reqs at a CC vs a 4yr University?

I'm in a conundrum and will definitely go to a 4yr University if it's a must, but the CC would be worlds easier.

The reasons:

• CC is 1/2 the price
• CC has more night classes & some lectures can be taken online
• They offer Saturday classes
• The school is closer 40 miles away
• The 4yr university is notorious for having science prof. that have english as a 2nd language and aren't the best "teachers". A friend said she would never go back there unless knew she could avoid certain Prof.

Thanks help steer me the right way. On a side note one my "MD" friends said forget the BSN go get a degree in Theater or Philosophy because the current trend of a more well rounded applicant is growing.

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[Helen Wheels]

Here is a link to a helpful SDN article on this issue:

http://www.studentdoctor.net/2009/04/community-college-and-professional-school-admissions/

I went the CC route. I did that because I needed evening classes and it was much less expensive. I kind of regret it now and wish I had found a way to take the pre-reqs at a 4 year. I applied to MD programs but was not accepted last year and am gearing up for round two...

 

[rjns11]

I called several schools (Georgetown, Ohio State, Wake Forest...) and spoke with someone in the admissions office or scheduled an appointment with the director of admissions. Every time I was encouraged to complete all pre-reqs at a university rather than my community college.

You want to give yourself the best opportunity on every portion of the application and sacrifice on as few things as possible. It may not end up to your disadvantage to do them at a CC, but will it ever play to your advantage?

 

[jvesco22]

Here is a link to a helpful SDN article on this issue:

http://www.studentdoctor.net/2009/04/community-college-and-professional-school-admissions/

I went the CC route. I did that because I needed evening classes and it was much less expensive. I kind of regret it now and wish I had found a way to take the pre-reqs at a 4 year. I applied to MD programs but was not accepted last year and am gearing up for round two...

You should probably add that you had 3.4 sGPA and a 27 on your MCAT. You post as if taking your pre-reqs at the CC is what bombed your application (no offense)

OP do what's more convenient for you. Everyone has limits to where they can attend due to debt/location/convenience/etc...Like the others have said, if you're ok with going to a 4yr, then do it. But if a CC is more convenient for you, then go that route.

Just remember that there are people who went to CCs and got into med school but there are also people who went to CCs and did not get into med school, hence the quote I posted. Know that whether you go to a CC or 4yr, make sure your EXCEL and your GPA/MCAT/ECs/Interviewing skills are top notch and you'll be in a great position

 

[mspeedwagon]

If you are dead-set on going to Yale... Yale will NOT accept any cc classes. Pretty much all other schools will.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Just to add to this, I wanted to say that you can divide them up. Do half at a community college and half at the 4-year. That's what I'm going to do.

 

[tennisfan]

Hi, I am currently taking my prereqs at a cc for the same reasons. I called up a bunch of med schools, spoke with admissions. All but one said that cc's were fine. In fact one school mentioned that they would look at it as a change of career, (which it is for most of us here). Hence, attending a cc is understandable. That one school didn't reject cc, rather they said they would prefer a 4 year school. I think the essential thing is to do well on the prereqs and mcats. Good luck!

 

[SoftwareKevin]

You should probably add that you had 3.4 sGPA and a 27 on your MCAT. You post as if taking your pre-reqs at the CC is what bombed your application (no offense)

This is common. People don't get in and assume it's the fact that they took classes at CC, never mind their below average GPA and MCAT score. I know people who have gone back for a career change and done the classes at CC and gotten into top schools. Do well in your classes (A's) and rock the MCAT and there will probably only be a few schools who have an issue with it.

High GPA + High MCAT + CC = you're probably fine
Mediocre GPA + Mediocre MCAT + CC = bad

 

[Simplify]

I agree with the previous poster. I think that pre-reqs at a CC will place more emphasis on how you perform on the MCAT. If you take them at a CC, obtain excellent grades and combine it with a 32+ MCAT I doubt it will hinder acceptance at most schools. I'm sure it's a negative, even if it is only a perception. It isn't the death sentence that some people around here like to say it is.

Definitely avoid the online pre-req classes if you can, though. I've read some admissions websites where they only accept online courses on a case by case basis. That's a huge red flag to me.

 

[WannabeaMD]

I just posted a thread about getting discouraged for taking Med. prerequesites at a C.C.
I called my top choices in-state and out-state Med. Schools and they both suggested me to not take my pre-requesites at a C.C. because classess are not taken seriously, rigurous, good by the AdComs.
So, contact the schools! that's the only way to know for sure

 

[EdLongshanks]

If you are dead-set on going to Yale... Yale will NOT accept any cc classes. Pretty much all other schools will.

I just spoke with the director of Yale University admissions on the phone. Community Courses are accepted although they are not encouraged, and they do flag the applicant for further verification that "these people can count to 11 without taking off their shoes".

Here is my read of what he told me. If the MCAT and other 4-year university upper-level science courses confirm that the applicant can compete at an Ivy-League medical school level, then the CC courses are a non-issue.

However, his comments to me were based upon the environment of the Tulsa public college system, which Yale is already familiar with. Lower-level courses are only available at the community college.

 

[mspeedwagon]

Very interesting and not consistent with the response I (and someone else on here... CaliGirl14) got from them. Might be a Tulsa thing. They weren't willing to accept cc classes taken in CA.

"Thank you for your interest in the Yale School of Medicine.

In response to your inquiry:

Please be advised community college credits are not accepted. It is recommended that premedical requirements be completed an accredited college of arts and sciences.

To learn about the School of Medicine and the admissions process, we have a number of informative web sites, all linked to our admissions home page http://medicine.yale.edu/education/admissions/. Also, we suggest you view the School of Medicine Bulletin at: http://www.yale.edu/bulletin.

These sites should answer most of your questions.

We hope this information is helpful to you.

Best Regards,

The Office of Admissions
Yale School of Medicine "

I just spoke with the director of Yale University admissions on the phone. Community Courses are accepted although they are not encouraged, and they do flag the applicant for further verification that "these people can count to 11 without taking off their shoes".

Here is my read of what he told me. If the MCAT and other 4-year university upper-level science courses confirm that the applicant can compete at an Ivy-League medical school level, then the CC courses are a non-issue.

However, his comments to me were based upon the environment of the Tulsa public college system, which Yale is already familiar with. Lower-level courses are only available at the community college.

 

[Simplify]

*glares condescendingly over the rim of his glasses*

 

[QofQuimica]

That one school didn't reject cc, rather they said they would prefer a 4 year school.

That is basically my school's policy. The adcom prefers that prereqs be taken at a four year school, but will consider applicants with CC coursework on a case by case basis.

OP, if you do decide to take CC classes, doing well on the MCAT is essential, as others have already said. It would also be a good idea to take a few upper level science classes at a four year school if you can, as further evidence of your ability to do well in a rigorous science curriculum.

Best of luck.

 

[EdLongshanks]

Very interesting and not consistent with the response I (and someone else on here... CaliGirl14) got from them. Might be a Tulsa thing. They weren't willing to accept cc classes taken in CA.

"Thank you for your interest in the Yale School of Medicine.

In response to your inquiry:

Please be advised community college credits are not accepted. It is recommended that premedical requirements be completed an accredited college of arts and sciences.

To learn about the School of Medicine and the admissions process, we have a number of informative web sites, all linked to our admissions home page http://medicine.yale.edu/education/admissions/. Also, we suggest you view the School of Medicine Bulletin at: http://www.yale.edu/bulletin.

These sites should answer most of your questions.

We hope this information is helpful to you.

Best Regards,

The Office of Admissions
Yale School of Medicine "

You have it in writing, while mine was only verbal and came after a discussion of my particular circumstances and the reasons for me taking courses at a CC. The reply they gave to you sounds like the general policy, while the discussion with me indicates that they aren't being bureaucratic and absolute about it.

In none of my discussions with medical schools have I met an anti-CC bias, but I'm beginning to believe that this is because most of them have a real good understanding of the school systems in the different parts of the country and know that this is how Tulsa works.

 

[aza]

I took my 2nd semester of o-chem at a CC (it was full at the 4-year uni & non-matriculated students get last priority).
About half of the class was pre-med, including a ton of non-trads. Almost all of them were taking ALL of their prereqs at the CC.

The 2 people I met at the CC who had already applied to med school were both admitted. One will be starting at NYU, the other at either UC Irvine or UC San Diego (I don't remember which she chose).

Our o-chem prof (at the CC) told us that with one exception, every single pre-med who got an A in his class in the last 15 years was admitted to med school.
He said that about half of the pre-meds who got Bs in his class were admitted to med school.

Obviously your mileage may vary (depending on the quality of the 4yr uni and the quality of the CC) but overall, I've found the quality of science teaching to be higher at the CC than at the 4yr uni where I did my undergrad degree. The profs are there because they WANT to teach. You don't have to deal with research giants who can't teach their way out of a paper bag, who view themselves as above teaching undergrads, or who barely speak English. Having good teachers should provide an advantage when it comes to the MCAT.

 

[Volfy]

Different schools have different policies, but generally I argue that medical schools look for a strong science student as demonstrated by MCAT performance. I went to a pre-med mixer here in North California with the UC Davis Med Center; one of the medical students took all his classes at a CC. UCD required him to transfer to UCD and take other upper divs for a year before his admittance into their medical program. UCD seems to be picky in this regard, as I also contacted UCSF and they stated any pre-med sciences are fine as long as they are from an accredited school, CC or otherwise.

The leveler; I asked both UCD and UCSF if CC classes were less 'competitive' than university classes. UCD said yes they are less, and UCSF said it made no difference.

Thus I argue it can be done; no admissions office will turn down a solid sGPA, good MCATs, volunteer work and a good interview. We are non-traditional students afterall, we have to sell our different approaches into med school!

 

[EdLongshanks]

Thus I argue it can be done; no admissions office will turn down a solid sGPA, good MCATs, volunteer work and a good interview. We are non-traditional students afterall, we have to sell our different approaches into med school!

Adcoms were once pre-med's themselves and know all of the tricks. They aren't going to be gamed like Google being worked by some web-site upping their rank. They can spot the difference between someone who inflated their GPA by going to CC's and someone who went to a CC because they were supporting a family and needed evening classes.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Adcoms were once pre-med's themselves and know all of the tricks. They aren't going to be gamed like Google being worked by some web-site upping their rank. They can spot the difference between someone who inflated their GPA by going to CC's and someone who went to a CC because they were supporting a family and needed evening classes.

But there are more factors than that. You assume community college education is lower than 4-year education. This may or may not be the case for some schools. It could also be that a person that "inflates" their GPA is a student that can't afford going to a 4-year. Sure, there are "tricks," but you can't just assume.

 

[EdLongshanks]

But there are more factors than that. You assume community college education is lower than 4-year education. This may or may not be the case for some schools. It could also be that a person that "inflates" their GPA is a student that can't afford going to a 4-year. Sure, there are "tricks," but you can't just assume.

It's not me assuming. Most of my pre-reqs are at a CC. My point isn't to make any assumptions, but to note that the adcomms are people, not computers. Unlike computers, they can both make assumptions and know that the assumptions have exceptions.

 

[TriagePreMed]

It's not me assuming. Most of my pre-reqs are at a CC. My point isn't to make any assumptions, but to note that the adcomms are people, not computers. Unlike computers, they can both make assumptions and know that the assumptions have exceptions.

The only assumption I was suggesting you made was that CC is lower education, but otherwise, you make a good point: ADCOMS can assume too and make mistakes. I'm hoping they are trained thoroughly to avoid as many assumptions as possible.

 

[Lazarus]

...
Obviously your mileage may vary (depending on the quality of the 4yr uni and the quality of the CC) but overall, I've found the quality of science teaching to be higher at the CC than at the 4yr uni where I did my undergrad degree. The profs are there because they WANT to teach. You don't have to deal with research giants who can't teach their way out of a paper bag, who view themselves as above teaching undergrads, or who barely speak English. Having good teachers should provide an advantage when it comes to the MCAT.

It is awful to have a research prof. who is there to research and must teach a class as a requirement of their position. I have heard nightmare story after nightmare story of brilliant profs. that simply are not meant to be teachers.

I wonder how much of your second thought regarding CC professors is based upon personal experience with a great CC system where you live. I for one have heard the profs can be extremely hit or miss and that the classes can be a real joke in which you learn nil.

 

[Helen Wheels]

You should probably add that you had 3.4 sGPA and a 27 on your MCAT. You post as if taking your pre-reqs at the CC is what bombed your application (no offense)

Hey, none taken. It is true that I have some other areas of weakness on my application. CC classes are not my only problem. However, where I did my post-bacc classes was one area that I had total control over. If I could do it over again I would not go the CC route. Clearly at least some schools have a problem with it (see Wake Forest's and Case Western's web sites, for example) so why handicap yourself if you can avoid it?

 

[HotHamH2O]

What about 4yr university vs state college? I'm a student of the university but am interested in taking my chems as transient courses at the state college due to proximity and smaller class size, plus I heard this specific prof. at the state college is phenomenal.

 

[Helen Wheels]

What about 4yr university vs state college? I'm a student of the university but am interested in taking my chems as transient courses at the state college due to proximity and smaller class size, plus I heard this specific prof. at the state college is phenomenal.

I don't think that is a problem because your state school is still a 4 year institution. The problems seem to come with community colleges (schools which do not offer a four year degree).

 

[deleted92121]

Told by more than one DO school that CC classes, specifically pre-req, are fine and dandy. I asked if I retook pre-reqs at a CC would that be kosher and got a thumbs up to that as well.

I have no working knowledge of MD school opinions. But for anyone interested in DO schools, it seems to be good. Just do well and get a decent score on the MCAT.

dxu

 

[Chevy Chase Fan]

good stuff fellas, I've been stressin about this all day