Question for the Engineers that have applied

[Gonzo12164]

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How did you guys/girls finish your prereqs? Did you take them at your college whiel getting your BS or at a local Community College? I could not afford another $5K to finish my prereqs at my UC school since I'm paying for school on my own. Thanks!

 

[Orth2006]

How did you guys/girls finish your prereqs? Did you take them at your college whiel getting your BS or at a local Community College? I could not afford another $5K to finish my prereqs at my UC school since I'm paying for school on my own. Thanks!

I did some pre-reqs while I was an undergrad but finished the rest after I had graduated. I did some at my 4 year Univ. and some at a local CC as they fit my work schedule. Be aware that some schools look down on CC credits - BU, CASE are the ones I know. But majority of schools don't mind.

Good luck

 

[Gonzo12164]

I did some pre-reqs while I was an undergrad but finished the rest after I had graduated. I did some at my 4 year Univ. and some at a local CC as they fit my work schedule. Be aware that some schools look down on CC credits - BU, CASE are the ones I know. But majority of schools don't mind.

Good luck

I did get all A's in the classes I took at the community college and I have to admit that some of them were harder than the engineering classes I took at my UC school. I felt I even got a better education in the 20+ students per class at the CC than in the 300+ students in my UC classes. I think I did well on my science MCAT sections, 12 in bio, and 14 in physical so at least it shows I can compete. I heard that some schools don't even accept CC credits. Thanks!

 

[femily]

i did summer school after my freshman year and got all my engr math (cal 3, 4, de) out of the way. that way i took bio, gen chem and organic during the normal school year with all the other people. i also took an insane amount of hours each semester. but with the other pre-med engineers i know, we all had to take a summer session to get everything done.

 

[Gonzo12164]

i did summer school after my freshman year and got all my engr math (cal 3, 4, de) out of the way. that way i took bio, gen chem and organic during the normal school year with all the other people. i also took an insane amount of hours each semester. but with the other pre-med engineers i know, we all had to take a summer session to get everything done.

So I guess you took all your prereqs at your state or private school and non at a local CC?

 

[TacoStand]

I took 2 classes per semester at a local CC.

Sum - Eng + Bio I
Fall - Bio II + OChem I
Spring - OChem II + study for MCAT.

I was working full-time during this time, so this was my only option. The good news is that it worked for me.

Good luck....

 

[rup47]

i took all my prereqs while i was taking my engineering classes. Engineering majors still have some elective slots.

 

[oldman]

i used some engineering classes to count. if your schools has biomedical engineering courses, some of those will be double listed. i had some that were both biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering at the same time.

 

[femily]

So I guess you took all your prereqs at your state or private school and non at a local CC?

sorry for the late reply...

yeah...all at my state school. i was also working part-time in a research lab too, so that made summer school worthwhile. on the other hand, i don't see anything wrong with taking classes at a CC as long as you're learning the stuff. (i don't really get into the typcial pre-med hype of doing all the "right things" for med school. i'm an engineer for crying out loud! i did it my way and got into a good school and i'm happy! just do what feels normal and natural to you.)

 

[lorelei]

I took most of my prereqs during undergrad, then took organic chem after I'd graduated and was working. (Of course, being an engineer was the reason I could afford to do this.)

 

[mellow_yellow]

How did you guys/girls finish your prereqs? Did you take them at your college whiel getting your BS or at a local Community College? I could not afford another $5K to finish my prereqs at my UC school since I'm paying for school on my own. Thanks!

If you did not graduate yet, I suggest that you postpone your graduation until you finish your pre-reqs. This way you can get grants and/or subsidized loans if you qualify. I was supposed to graduate this spring. However, since I have to take pre-reqs, I've decided to postpone graduation until next year. Being that I am an independent student with very little income, I am eligible for grants.

Of course this depends on your situation. If you are still considered a dependent student and your household income prevents you from getting grants, then my advice is just graduate and get a job while completing your pre-reqs.

As for going to community colleges, it depends on the schools you're applying to. I know some schools look down on community college credits and some actually do not accept them. So before you take classes at the community college, find out what the schools you're applying think about community college credits.

 

[Gonzo12164]

If you did not graduate yet, I suggest that you postpone your graduation until you finish your pre-reqs. This way you can get grants and/or subsidized loans if you qualify. I was supposed to graduate this spring. However, since I have to take pre-reqs, I've decided to postpone graduation until next year. Being that I am an independent student with very little income, I am eligible for grants.

Of course this depends on your situation. If you are still considered a dependent student and your household income prevents you from getting grants, then my advice is just graduate and get a job while completing your pre-reqs.

As for going to community colleges, it depends on the schools you're applying to. I know some schools look down on community college credits and some actually do not accept them. So before you take classes at the community college, find out what the schools you're applying think about community college credits.

I already graduated in 04' with an EE degree. I then finished my prereqs at a local CC and took the MCAT in Aug. 05'. So basically I have no choice but to apply to schools that take the CC courses. I did try to stay another year, but the engineering department did not allow it, too many students in the UC schools. The EE major was the toughest at my school so I graduated with about 230 units in a quarter system. Basically I was already over the unit limit. haha. I did graduate in 4 years. But I guess I just have to figure out which schools I want to go to and ask them directly if they accept CC credits. I was just afraid that many schools did not allow them and then I'd be screwed. Thanks for all the responses!