Summer classes

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

gtl4f

Member
10+ Year Member
5+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Messages
28
Reaction score
1
Points
4,551
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I'm taking Orgo I and II lab this summer at my university. Our prehealth committee does not recommend taking courses over the summer but if we do, they said we should take it at our "home" university. Do you think it really matters though? I would rather take the labs at a college near home during the summer but the problem is that I go to a college that is considered in Tier 1 and the college near my home is considered a Tier 3.

Thanks.
 
gtl4f said:
I'm taking Orgo I and II lab this summer at my university. Our prehealth committee does not recommend taking courses over the summer but if we do, they said we should take it at our "home" university. Do you think it really matters though? I would rather take the labs at a college near home during the summer but the problem is that I go to a college that is considered in Tier 1 and the college near my home is considered a Tier 3.

Thanks.
Of course they are going to tell you that- they want your money. My pre-professional advisor wants me to do my general ed courses before my prerequisites which will delay me at least a year; luckily my "real" advisor sees things my way- completing requirements for admissions is more important than completing a BS. It just comes down to the university wants to milk me for every last cent- that's the real reason for general education.

I don't think it really matters where you take the classes, but rather how well you do.
Just out of curiousity: Is it a "real" university near your home or a community college?

I am actually thinking about taking a couple of classes at night or on the weekends during the summer at the local "pretend" college (it's an community college) while I am doing a light course load- just 6 hrs- at the university I normally attend. I don't know whether I will do it or not.....I guess I will decide at some point soon.
 
ISU_Steve said:
Of course they are going to tell you that- they want your money. My pre-professional advisor wants me to do my general ed courses before my prerequisites which will delay me at least a year; luckily my "real" advisor sees things my way- completing requirements for admissions is more important than completing a BS. It just comes down to the university wants to milk me for every last sent- that's the real reason for general education.

I don't think it really matters where you take the classes, but rather how well you do.
Just out of curiousity: Is it a "real" university near your home or a community college?

I am actually thinking about taking a couple of classes at night or on the weekends during the summer at the local "pretend" college (it's an community college) while I am doing a light course load- just 6 hrs- at the university I normally attend. I don't know whether I will do it or not.....I guess I will decide at some point soon.


The college I'm talking about it's a 4 year one so I guess a "real" one. Thanks for your answer!!
 
In general, you'll find that alot of prehealth advisors are idiots. Don't listen to a word they say, most of them don't know anything they're talk about it...and are people who couldn't hack it in the medical and dental areas...think about it...would YOU wanna be a prehealth advisor?
 
ISU_Steve said:
.... luckily my "real" advisor sees things my way-....
Is the real advisor on your right or your left shoulder? :laugh:
 
Very funny....

Actually my advisor is one of the professors in our department, but he's known me since I was a very young kid (friend of the family) so I keep him on a pretty short leash 😉

The preprofessional advisor is only there for reference because I am not a declared pre-dental major (for the very reason that I don't want this ***** as my advisor).
She tried to tell me that ISU (my school) has 3 people starting at IU School of Dentistry this fall....uh, then why did the lady from IU seemed surprised that ISU had a (fairly) articulate predental major and say (paraphrasing) "Wow, if you get admitted you will be the first one from ISU in a while to go here."

Needless to say I think our preprofessional advisor needs to be replaced. A lobotomized baboon could do better quality work.
 
ISU_Steve said:
Of course they are going to tell you that- they want your money. My pre-professional advisor wants me to do my general ed courses before my prerequisites which will delay me at least a year; luckily my "real" advisor sees things my way- completing requirements for admissions is more important than completing a BS. It just comes down to the university wants to milk me for every last cent- that's the real reason for general education.

I don't think it really matters where you take the classes, but rather how well you do.
Just out of curiousity: Is it a "real" university near your home or a community college?

I am actually thinking about taking a couple of classes at night or on the weekends during the summer at the local "pretend" college (it's an community college) while I am doing a light course load- just 6 hrs- at the university I normally attend. I don't know whether I will do it or not.....I guess I will decide at some point soon.


Can you enlighten me please...what is a fake university??? A community college is just that a college. You learn the same stuff there as you do at what you call a "real" university. The difference: Competition. Higher standards at a university. So the smart person says to themselves, why should I kill myself to get a C+/B- in Orgo I/II over summer at the university when I can work hard and get an A in both at the CC??? If I were the OP I would seriously consider going to CC to get the Orgo I/II completed. Speaking from personal experience...orgo I/II plus labs is absolute hell over the summer but its much easier knowing you will get a good grade....can you sense the bitterness??? I went to Loyola in Chicago and took the Organic Chem's and in retrospect (even though I have been accepted to two schools) should have taken them at my local CC or a different university. If you dont want to take Orgo I/II at a CC because you are worried about losing face or you are afraid the university wont count it for the letter grade...go to the Tier III school instead. Speaking from experience it seems as if GPA is more important than where you went to school...some dental school advisors may tell you this but I wouldnt believe it (in fact only 1 out of the 6 schools I interviewed at over the past 2 cycles, yes it took me two times, said college reputation matters)...besides you are at UVA so the schools you interview at will only see that you are getting your BS from there and probably wont care that you went to the so-called Tier III school to get your Organic Chem's out of the way. Even if they do its no big DEAL! GPA + DAT = Interview....Personality + Interview = Acceptance.
 
It was meant as a joke.....the local community college students refer to their school as "pretend college".
 
Not the students I know....sorry I dont see the humor.

Illinois State University to people from IL is known as "I Screwed Up"....is that the same thing as Indiana State University....to me ISU is more of a pretend college than community college.
 
I'll admit it that ISU isn't the greatest school (I'm only here because it's cheap; I got accepted to IU in Bloomington but turned it down because of the cost) but I think the education is as good as what you will get at any non-flagship state school, but I do think the education is far better than what one would get at the community college here. The "I Screwed Up" jokes stem from the fact that schools like ISU will accept anyone with a greater than 2.0 GPA from high school. It has nothing to do with the quality of the education here. Personally I think the school you attend has less to do with the quality of the education than the amount of effort you put into learning (look at Bush, the man graduated from Yale (or was it Harvard?) and he is far from what you would consider an intellectual despite an Ivy League education- he's not stupid, but he's not going to win a Nobel Prize anytime soon either.)

By the way I probably should state that I have an associate's in respiratory therapy from a community college, so it's not that I look down upon them. They have their role, just like all schools do.
 
Just in case you didn't think of it already...if the orgo is required for your major, make sure that your university will accept the CC classes as fulfilling the requirements.
 
I am a non-traditional applicant and took OrgoI, OrgoII, BioI and BioII (all with lab) this past summer. They were not at my undergrad university, and I don't think it matters. I still got in to a bunch of schools.

Just get A's!!
 
gtl4f said:
I'm taking Orgo I and II lab this summer at my university. Our prehealth committee does not recommend taking courses over the summer but if we do, they said we should take it at our "home" university.

My advisor told me: "If you want to attend a community college to take some classes, then why are you a USF student?" Universities don't want to "lose" their students to local CCs, so one can expect them to try and deter you from attending a CC.

-bus
 
Top Bottom