Some advice please...

[pivotalrex]

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Hey guys,
been reading posts here for a while. A little background on me, 35 yrs old, have 96.5 credits towards my undergrad degree in psych. Haven't been to college in 8 yrs. Contacted PCO and spoke w/admissions who suggested that if not getting my bachelor's degree didn't bother me then I should focus on all the pre req's since it's been more than 10 yrs since taking science courses.

I know a university would be looked at better than a community college regarding the pre req's but money plays a part here.

I was told that they review each application based on situations not just grades/degrees. And being a non-traditional student, pre req's and the OAT would hold more weight than the lack of a bachelors or even my gpa from years ago. You only need 90 credits undergrad to apply.

My question is, with all this info do you still think that even if I have a 3.5 gpa from a community college and an OAT in the mid 300's when I apply will the community college hurt my chances. Please take into account that I will be working full time through all this and taking between 9 - 12 credits a semester and plan to shadow 4-5 optometrists.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

Did you try to compare any tuition with state schools or city schools that are 4 years but charge instate tuition?

You can refer to www.collegeboard.com

This will help you search for schools of preference, just make sure you put
in your zipcode and maybe <50 miles or something....and also add 4 year, public schools and that should help you out. Im sure there is a school near thats 4 year and not much more expensive than a CC.

 

[nc2tarheels]

I would think that the time between your last science classes would hurt you more then the Community College factor. I have a 3.56 gpa and haven't taken my OAT quite yet. However, MOST my basic pre-reqs were all taken at CC (Bio I and II, Chem I, Stats, Psych). All I lack is the upper level Science courses which I will have at a University by this time next year. I plan on applying without a Bachelors as well. I know I have talked to PCO, specifically, and they don't mind where you take the classes, however, preference is given to students at Universities. I've worked in optometry for 9 years and feel that I have a VERY strong advantage over a traditional student so I feel as if I "somewhat" made up for the community college courses. Just remember this, if applying without a bachelors degree, you have to have a step up on the competition somewhere. I would think that you'd need a great gpa, or a great OAT to put you over the top to make up for the community college courses and the lack of degree. Good luck!