Question about Community College to Medical School

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ayoung1029

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Hey, I'm a senior in highschool and definitely want to enter the pre-med track. However, I am having a backup plan just in case I don't get into SUNY Stonybrook University and decide to just go to my community college, Suffolk Community College. Three questions in my mind right now: 1) if i go to a community college will it affect my chances of getting into medical school because it is a "community college" 2) Should I transfer after a semester, term, (idk), at Suffolk Community College? 3) If I decide to study at another SUNY college for a semester and then trasnfer to Stonybrook?

Whats the best way to stand out for medical school based on these scenarios?! Very very nervous. Just fyi, I want to graduate from Stonybrook University!

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if you do CC just do well in all your classes. dont worry about doing anything to stand out yet; just work on getting a high GPA
 
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if you do CC just do well in all your classes. dont worry about doing anything to stand out yet; just work on getting a high GPA
Medical school is not biased even if you go from community college and transfer?
 
if you do CC just do well in all your classes. dont worry about doing anything to stand out yet; just work on getting a high GPA
what do you think is the best classes I should take at CC due to a smaller class and then transfer credits to Stonybrook?
 
your grades matter far more than where you went as a sophomore
what do you think is the best classes I should take at CC due to a smaller class and then transfer credits to Stonybrook?
 
what do you think is the best classes I should take at CC due to a smaller class and then transfer credits to Stonybrook?
it depends on stoneybrooks transfer policy....big thing is not wasting classes. Find out how to bring in the most credits in the most efficient way. Start some of those long class sequences
 
Just take the classes on your track. You won't be able to knock out all the pre med classes. I received an AA at a CC before transferring to a university. As long as you take some of your pre reqs classes at a university then you'll be fine. I took Bio and Gen Chem while at the CC. So still had to take more Bio, Orgo, Physics etc. But I got the general pre reqs pretty much out of the way. Past that don't worry about anything besides making good grades. Med schools don't comb through your transcript as much as people think.

But you will want to look at transfer policy. A lot of Universities won't accept comm college transfers without an AA.
 
Hey, I'm a senior in highschool and definitely want to enter the pre-med track. However, I am having a backup plan just in case I don't get into SUNY Stonybrook University and decide to just go to my community college, Suffolk Community College. Three questions in my mind right now: 1) if i go to a community college will it affect my chances of getting into medical school because it is a "community college" 2) Should I transfer after a semester, term, (idk), at Suffolk Community College? 3) If I decide to study at another SUNY college for a semester and then trasnfer to Stonybrook?

Whats the best way to stand out for medical school based on these scenarios?! Very very nervous. Just fyi, I want to graduate from Stonybrook University!

Focus on getting the highest grades. Check which courses transfer over, and take them accordingly. In my case, it's not possible to transfer within a semester, so unfortunately I have to wait a year.
 
Medical school is not biased even if you go from community college and transfer?

There are a few (see MSAR) that will not take pre-reqs from CCs but those are rare and if you take advanced sciences later, they know it's fine. All my pre-reqs were at CCs. Many were at a pretty low ranked CC and I was accepted.

SDN lore and some of the things pre-med advisers say is that there is such a bias and that you will never get in with CC credits. Yes you can.
 
Focus on grades, but here are some extra tips if you are solid:

The biggest flaw in the community college experience is that there are few to no opportunities for research. That is really the only substantial drawback. At my school, I have met a few research assistants who are enrolled in community college. I would look into labs at Stony Brook to see if I could get a position as a research assistant. Usually, faculty have their lab info up on the department website. Just present yourself professionally in an email:

Tell them where you are going to school, your grade, your major, what you think is interesting about their research, your GPA (if it is good) and any relevant experience/skills (like AP lab skills). Let them know you are planning on transferring to Stony Brook - researchers like having assistants who can grow into their lab. As soon as possible, take courses in Bio/Chem - whatever is most relevant to your major as soon as possible.
 
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