I just have a quick question about the prereqs. Last year I attended the University of Arizona and did not do so well in my Chemistry class there. Now that a new school year is starting, I am transferring to the community college by my house because I can no longer afford going to the university. I was wondering if retaking the chemistry class at the community college would be acceptable or if it would be looked down upon. It would help me save a lot of money in the end but I just thought i'd ask for some feedback. Thanks!
Prereqs at a community college
- Thread starter kianis28
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Think about it...when someone looks at your transcript and sees that you retook it at community college and got a higher grade, it is going to make sense. Community college is easier than your previous university so it is only common sense that you are going to do better. However, having that better grade will not tell the reviewer that you learned anything. I think it will actually work against you. It will give the impression that you couldn't handle the university chemistry so had to take a step down and try easier chemistry courses. I wouldn't suggest to retake it unless you were at the same school. Just continue on and finish your prereqs.
If you do retake it at a community college then it's best to get an A. Some pharmacy schools give students more credibility if they took their classes at a university; however, there are some pharmacy schools that don't, just make sure you review the schools that you are interested in and see if they have a bias against community colleges. If they don't, then by all means go retake it at a community college, and don't sweat it, because in the end, we all have to take the PCAT and this is where we show off our knowledge of how much we've actually retained from our classes.
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I had the same question. I contacted 5 or 6 pharmacy colleges and the majority of them said that their admission committee prefered university classes over community colleges. However one did say that community college classes would work but they recommended that I take chemistry and math at a university. I suggest you contact the college you are interested in and just ask.
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The black mark of a bad semester is already on your record. All you can do from here is try to ace the remaining classes you're taking before applying. If you bomb at university, and bomb at community college, or don't do well period, then it shows a consistent pattern of poor performance.
Onwards and upwards!
Onwards and upwards!
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Do you know if taking it at the University Extension counts? It's not really the University I don't think...
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I think that it will count, because you get the credit from the university. On your transcripts it should not show that you completed the class at an extension site.
I also inquired about taking online classes. One pharmacy school admissions clerk told me this: Our committee frowns upon online classes because they feel that they lack the rigor of our pharmacy classes.... she then went on to say that "your transcripts don't identify if you took the class online, so just don't mention you took classes online."
You may want to call the registrar office at the main site and ask them if this will show on the transcript.
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..I'm sorta curious if pharm schools would favor enrolling in the uni courses instead or does not care.
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That is a good question, maybe they just have to list the course like that to differentiate between the ones on campus and off?
Let us know if you find out anything.
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The problem is that you've already been to a university. I work with a lot of admissions folk, and they really do look down on those who fall back to community colleges if they find classes too hard at a university. It sucks, I know.
What I would recommend is take classes at the UofA, but take fewer of them. Just take one, even. It shows you know your limits but are determined to do well.
What I would recommend is take classes at the UofA, but take fewer of them. Just take one, even. It shows you know your limits but are determined to do well.
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I don't agree with this. Take one class at university, or even two, instead of taking a full courseload at a community college?
Pharmacy schools want students that can hang with a tough courseload. No pharmacy school is going to do a 3-semester hours a semester version of their curriculum, so why would they want a student that took so few hours without extenuating circumstances?
