Retake at a community college?

[deleted390966]

Will it be a problem if I retake, and probably take, some Biology classes at a CC?? I prefer CC because it's much less expensive. And the class I want to take isn't available at a 4-year univ. in the Spring.

PS: I may edit my posts to take off identifiable information.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[torshi]

yea its alright man

 

[ManBroDude]

Do it, and laugh all the way to the bank.

 

[deleted390966]

Thanks for your replies.

Another question: I've heard that classes must be of the SAME name for the replacement to work. How strict is AACOMAS on that?
I want to replace "Bio Perspective" with "General Bio". Essentially they're the same level (Bio I), but different names. Would that work??

 

[FutureDrB]

Hmmmm... Whether or not they count it is totally up to AACOMAS. I retook several classes at a different school than I originally took them, so obviously they had different course numbers, but they were generally the same course. Usually you're okay as long as they are similar; ie. BIOL 3320 - Histology / BIOL 3355 - Histology

You just have to make sure it's the same level course. BIOL 2400 - Anatomy of Turtles won't cut it if you are trying to replace BIOL 3400 - Anatomy of Snapping Turtles - even if it's the "same" course.

No where on the application do you put in the actual course description. Which is kind of annoying, because it would help clarify things in situations like yours.

 

[deleted390966]

Wow... is there any way to ask AACOMAS if they approve this course???

 

[FutureDrB]

AACOM
301-968-4100
http://www.aacom.org/About/aacom/Pages/StaffDirectory.aspx

You could always call/write and ask.

 

[deleted390966]

Thanks, will do

 

[deleted390966]

Sorry, I have another question (a rather complicated one):
I did a postbacc but didn't do too well (extenuating circumstance, but what's done is done) so it brought my total GPA down to 3.33 and 3.1 science.
An admissions counselor suggested that I retake some courses and the MCAT. He also said it wouldn't matter if I retook them at a community college. I didn't ask how realistic my chances would be if I followed his suggestion...
Another person said that CC courses wouldn't help me...
I'm a loss of what I should do now. Do you think retaking (and probably taking more) courses at CC would help at all, or would I just waste my time & $$$?? Any advice is appreciated!!

 

[FutureDrB]

Well, if post-bac classes are what you are trying to replace, a CC isn't going to offer the upper-level courses you need. Now if they are lower-level courses (ie. BIOL 1, etc.) then yes, you could retake those at a CC.

People will tell you different things in regards to taking/retaking courses at a CC. This issue has been discussed to death on SDN. If you read some of my other posts throughout the forum, you will see that I retook a TON of classes at a CC. Granted, I think I have a pretty good explanation for it (single father, work full-time, etc.), but the decision is up to you.

If you have the money to burn, I would retake them at a university to be on the safe side, but if you have a good reason as to why you retook them at a CC, then I wouldn't worry about it.

Even with your GPA, you're not far from being an "average" applicant. Are you replacing F's, D's or what?

Remember that your GPA alone doesn't get you in. There are plenty of people who get in with sub-3.0 GPAs and ones who don't get in with 3.9s. Remember that your application is holistic. Your GPA is not getting you in by itself, nor is a 35 MCAT. It's all about the entire package. You just need to figure out how to market yourself in your own specific situation.

 

[deleted390966]

My postbacc was mostly medical courses... it's impossible to retake those.
I have 2 C and some B- in undergrad, 1 C+ and 1 D in postbacc...

Money is a factor for me. I'm working full time now, but debating if I should quit working to take classes & study for MCAT in the spring.

"Market yourself" - thanks for bringing that up. In the "underdog" thread, I see a lot of people have been successful this cycle but I've got several rejections and no interview so far. The counselor said my EC's were "solid". I think there's another weak spot on my application (besides GPA/MCAT) that I don't know about

My ECs:
- Shadowing (90 hours)
- Community service (500+)
- Clinical (120 hrs)
- Work

 

[FutureDrB]

Well, B's are fine, and I wouldn't worry about the 3 C's either, unless they were in pre-req courses. I would've however taken care of that D. Nothing's impossible! Why could you not retake the post-bac classes? Was your post-bac a SMP?

Can I ask what your MCAT score was? How many schools did you apply to?

 

[DrWily]

Not doing well in an SMP is a virtual nail in the coffin. This is the one time you have to really shine in medical school-like courses and it hurts badly if you don't do well (this can translate into you not being able to handle the subject matter). However, sh~t happens, so you will really need to be able to explain yourself and why you didn't do well. If you didn't mention it in your personal statement, I would put a little blurb about it and how you're a better person now because of it. This could be what is holding you back.

 

[poopyhead]

Sorry, I have another question (a rather complicated one):
I did a postbacc but didn't do too well (extenuating circumstance, but what's done is done) so it brought my total GPA down to 3.33 and 3.1 science.

1. How recent is your postbac?

2. "Extenuating circumstance" should be a good one. Hopefully, it's not something along the lines of relationship issues, unless abuse was involved. Apparently, relationship issues during med school that affect performance don't garner much sympathy around here

3. What's your MCAT?

Your GPA is not getting you in by itself, nor is a 35 MCAT. It's all about the entire package.

To be fair, underdogs with below average stats who get accepted has to be balanced by applicants with higher than average stats. Although, what you said is absolutely true. In my case, MCAT didn't always make up for less than stellar volunteer/clinical activities and the lack of an "emotional story."

Not doing well in an SMP is a virtual nail in the coffin.

Does it make a difference if it's a postbac vs. SMP

 

[DrWily]

Does it make a difference if it's a postbac vs. SMP

Yea, I'd say it does. PostBacc is just regular upper-level division classes (and/or retakes) that you can probably weasle out of a bad grade for a variety of reasons.

A traditional SMP is pretty much medical school. You take classes that current MS1's take and often along side them. If you do bad here, there's no easy redemption.

 

[deleted390966]

Postbacc isn't as risky as SMP, I suppose.

The course that I got a D in was graduate Anatomy (no lab).

I did postbacc last year in another state. It's SMP in a sense (scored against med school avg).

My MCAT is 20 and 22 respectively.
I applied to 11 schools.

Not doing well in an SMP is a virtual nail in the coffin. This is the one time you have to really shine in medical school-like courses and it hurts badly if you don't do well (this can translate into you not being able to handle the subject matter)

Had I known about this double standard, I would've never taken the risk in the first place.
If med school avg. was 88, 87.9 was B- Considering it's the average, many med students would be in the 50th percentile; I wouldn't say they're unable to handle med school.

1/ About mentioning it in the PS, should I just say that there was a 'family problem', period, or should I spell out what the problem was, but keep to one-two sentences?

2/ Is it disadvantageous to call admissions counselors at this point during the cycle to ask about my app.?

 

[DrWily]

Honestly, nevermind about whatever I said about your post-bacc and your personal statement.

Your problem is your MCAT. 22 is way, way too low. Get that up no matter what.

 

[ManBroDude]

You're wondering why you're not getting interviews with a 20 and 22 MCAT?

I would keep your job and work on getting your MCAT up into the 28+ range. Like, make it your full time job for the next 6 months. Retake only 1-2 strategic classes next semester. You need an upward trend in grades (SMP killed that), and you need a strong MCAT to offset low GPA (22 is out of competitive range).

 

[CopToEM]

I agree overall that raising your MCAT is your quickest route toward acceptance. You can spend the next six months retaking courses at a community college and it will only have marginal effect overall. However, if you raise your MCAT to a 28, it will have a profound effect on your success.

It's not that your 22 is a deal breaker - it's just that your problematic file is compounded by the 22. I often compare things in admissions to the scales of justice. I.E. If your GPA is low and weighs one side down, you have to have a higher MCAT to balance the scales back out. If your MCAT is low then you need a higher GPA. If they're both low then you're not destined for rejection but it just becomes harder - you're swimming upstream. Still swimming, just upstream.

If possible, spend the Spring studying intensely for the MCAT and increasing your extracurricular activities. If you need to work, do it part-time and forgo the extracurriculars.

Bottom line: Just keep fighting! Eventually someone will recognize your perseverance and give you the attention you deserve.

For reference... I know a guy with an 18 MCAT and a 3.4 undergrad GPA whom is a very successful second year. Anything is possible.

 

[FutureDrB]

Love the signature CopToEM

 

[deleted390966]

I appreciate your inputs.

I have another question: I don't think I can handle working full-time on top of MCAT studying & classes. But I'm worried that quitting AmeriCorps might be seen as a "lack of commitment"...

 

[poopyhead]

Can you work part-time? Tell your employers what your plans are, and I'm pretty sure they'll understand and be supportive. You'll eventually have to get a LoR from them, so might as well tell them now

 

[deleted390966]

It's a full-time position and impossible to switch to part-time.

Response from AACOMAS regarding whether the Bio I that I plan to retake could replace the old course:

We can not advise as to which courses you can take. The guideline that we use for repeats are that the courses must be at the same level (undergraduate/graduate), the content be the same or similar and that the last instance of the course has credit hours that are greater or equal to the course that was initially taken.

 

[CopToEM]

I appreciate your inputs.

I have another question: I don't think I can handle working full-time on top of MCAT studying & classes. But I'm worried that quitting AmeriCorps might be seen as a "lack of commitment"...

I did it along with thousands of others - you can too!