Taking classes at a CC as a post-bacc.

[clam151543]

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Is it ok to take my pre-reqs at a community college as a post-bacc? I went to a 4 year school and have a management degree. Thanks!

 

[MaddieMay]

Are you intending to go to medical school?

 

[njbmd]

As long as your prospective schools accept CC classes (most do) and as long as those classes are of sufficient depth and breadth for you to get a good solid knowledge base for entrance exams (MCAT, DAT) etc, then CC classes are OK. If you do well on your entrance exams, then your CC classes are OK.

If you are trying to overcome a poor/mediocre uGPA for medical school, being a non-science major + community college pre-med courses are not your best options. If they are your only options, then make sure that the coursework is of very high quality and do extremely well.

Some members of admissions committees have a bias against community college work but an above average MCAT/DAT score can put those biases to rest. As long as you are aware of this, no problem.

 

[studentDO]

As long as your prospective schools accept CC classes (most do) and as long as those classes are of sufficient depth and breadth for you to get a good solid knowledge base for entrance exams (MCAT, DAT) etc, then CC classes are OK. If you do well on your entrance exams, then your CC classes are OK.

My undergrad is in business mgt.

I took all but OCHEM at CC and I was accepted. I did a lot of research and most schools usually don't care and the only ones that do usually require that OCHEM be taken at University because it is sometimes taught in different forums usually at a junior level.

The only school that I know of that bans CC undergrad science is LSU. Although I am sure there are others.

 

[gman33]

There is a big difference between schools accepting course work from CC and determining if it will hurt your chances of an acceptance.
Most schools will accept this as meeting the prereqs, but many will deem you a less competitive applicant. If at all possible, take the classes at a 4 year school.

That being said, an excellent MCAT score can help overcome the CC classes.

 

[studentDO]

There is a big difference between schools accepting course work from CC and determining if it will hurt your chances of an acceptance.
Most schools will accept this as meeting the prereqs, but many will deem you a less competitive applicant. If at all possible, take the classes at a 4 year school.

That being said, an excellent MCAT score can help overcome the CC classes.

Yep, according to admissions people I have spoken to your MCAT score is 70% of the decision factor. If they don't think you can graduate and pass your boards then there is no reason to have you there.

 

[jeffreyholden]

Hi,

I have a B.S. in Computer Science that included 8 credits of Physics (e.g., electrical circuits). I took these for the other 24 credits at a CC:

"Inorganic"
Intro to Chemistry 1 cr
Basic Chemistry (1 hr. lab) 3 cr
General Chemistry (1 hr. lab) 4 cr

"Organic"
Intro to Organic and Biochemistry (1 hr. lab) 4 cr
Organic Chemistry I (1 hr. lab) 4 cr

Biology
Anatomy and Physiology I (2 hrs. lab) 5 cr
Medical Terminology 3 cr

I got A's in all of the classes. I probably will postpone my MCATs as I am not ready. Will these courses be acceptable? Please let me know any thoughts.

Thank you and good luck!

P.S. I may take Physics I and II this summer to make up for the old courses.

 

[studentDO]

Hi,

I have a B.S. in Computer Science that included 8 credits of Physics (e.g., electrical circuits). I took these for the other 24 credits at a CC:

"Inorganic"
Intro to Chemistry 1 cr
Basic Chemistry (1 hr. lab) 3 cr
General Chemistry (1 hr. lab) 4 cr

"Organic"
Intro to Organic and Biochemistry (1 hr. lab) 4 cr
Organic Chemistry I (1 hr. lab) 4 cr

Biology
Anatomy and Physiology I (2 hrs. lab) 5 cr
Medical Terminology 3 cr

I got A's in all of the classes. I probably will postpone my MCATs as I am not ready. Will these courses be acceptable? Please let me know any thoughts.

Thank you and good luck!

P.S. I may take Physics I and II this summer to make up for the old courses.

Wow, you did the opposite of what all my pre-med friends did, they took physics at CC because they thought it was easier (they were shocked).

I took almost all of my pre-req credits at CC an I got in. It depends on how the school views it. Once again your MCAT score will outweigh that anyway so study and do well.

 

[echidna]

FWIW I asked around to a couple of UC med schools and the response I got was:

"There are a number of medical schools that do not recognize any
premedical coursework completed at a community college. By doing so you
may jeopardize your competitive for admission to medical schools in the
future. In fact, the most successful applicants to medical school
completed most, if not all, of the premedical courses at a 4 year
college/university. Yes, I do suggest that you complete a minimum of 20 to
30 semester hours of upper-division advanced biology (genetics,
molecular/cellular biology, physiology, etc.) BEFORE applying to medical
school in order to provide you with a solid foundation in the basic
sciences before tackling the medical school curriculum. These same courses
will also be helpful when preparing to take the MCAT."

I had planned on taking Chem 2/Phys 1 at a 4-year over summer until they canceled the lab that didn't conflict with chem. So I'm in a bind- this could potentially delay my application by a year, unless I risk getting CC credit. What to do, what to do...

 

[jeffreyholden]

I called one of the medical schools to which I would apply. A nice women Dr. in the admissions office confirmed that CC courses are looked down upon, even though screeners (like her) realize that they can be just as challenging. She suggested that I take more courses to get my total GPA to 3.0. I only had a 2.64 in undergrad many years ago. Even with the 24 credits of A's that I got, I only would have a little over 2.8. So, I would have to take more than 20 credits of A's to get to 3.0. This is a little disenchanting, but I have to explore this option. Maybe I can get a second bachelor's and replace some credits. I do not know. However, the advice of 20-30 credits of biology sounds appealing, but difficult to do by the school's 11/15 transcript deadline per AMCAS. I wish all of you the best!

 

[studentDO]

I called one of the medical schools to which I would apply. A nice women Dr. in the admissions office confirmed that CC courses are looked down upon, even though screeners (like her) realize that they can be just as challenging. She suggested that I take more courses to get my total GPA to 3.0. I only had a 2.64 in undergrad many years ago. Even with the 24 credits of A's that I got, I only would have a little over 2.8. So, I would have to take more than 20 credits of A's to get to 3.0. This is a little disenchanting, but I have to explore this option. Maybe I can get a second bachelor's and replace some credits. I do not know. However, the advice of 20-30 credits of biology sounds appealing, but difficult to do by the school's 11/15 transcript deadline per AMCAS. I wish all of you the best!

You are more than welcome, here is another dilema ...

A number of my pre-med friends were enrolled in local Universities, to take a physics class one guy was looking at $3000, but at the CC the same class and the SAME instructor was $200.

Med schools need to understand this.

Also, who gives a crap about how "rigorous" the undergrad curriculum is? All I have had is my pre-reqs and I am confident I will be close to if not first in my class. It has nothing to do with the class it has to do with the amount of personal effort and desire to learn that you inject into it. Sometimes I think med schools are more concerned that you won't be able to pass your boards which will hurt their student loan numbers when you default on them. Once again, like it says in 2 Tim ch. 3 this world only cares about money and is slowly going down.

 

[doctor4dapoor]

To do post-docs at a 4 year, do I need to apply to that 4 year and get in just like a high school student needs to? How does that work?

I graduated with a BA in English from a UC school 5 years ago with a 2.7 GPA.

 

[studentDO]

To do post-docs at a 4 year, do I need to apply to that 4 year and get in just like a high school student needs to? How does that work?

I graduated with a BA in English from a UC school 5 years ago with a 2.7 GPA.

Yes you will have to apply, but this is a formality. One of your state universities is the best bet. You could go to a private school as well just more of a pain. In a state univ. it is much easier as all you have to do is fill out the paperwork if you already have a degree and are returning. At least that's the way it is in Texas.

 

[doctor4dapoor]

Texas🙂 Maybe one day🙂 I live in California🙂 I just posted on here I guess🙂

Same applies? Should I go to my alma mater? Can I do it at Berkeley or UCLA or such a public school of such high ranking?

I apply in the same way a HS student applies?

 

[stockmanjr]

You are more than welcome, here is another dilema ...

A number of my pre-med friends were enrolled in local Universities, to take a physics class one guy was looking at $3000, but at the CC the same class and the SAME instructor was $200.

Med schools need to understand this.

Also, who gives a crap about how "rigorous" the undergrad curriculum is? All I have had is my pre-reqs and I am confident I will be close to if not first in my class. It has nothing to do with the class it has to do with the amount of personal effort and desire to learn that you inject into it. Sometimes I think med schools are more concerned that you won't be able to pass your boards which will hurt their student loan numbers when you default on them. Once again, like it says in 2 Tim ch. 3 this world only cares about money and is slowly going down.

You know what the "rigorous" comment is a load of crap..I've taken BIO I at both a CC and a 4 yr school and to be honest the only difference was at the CC the BIO professor actually cared about her students and aimed to help them succeed by making herself available but her tests were still hard. At my 4yr school the professor didn't give 2 craps about the students and tested us on material that we suspected came from the upper level classes she taught and our class averages were in the middle 50's!
Cheers
Howie

 

[Kateb4]

I apply in the same way a HS student applies?

Yes, except that they probably won't need your HS transcript or SAT/ACT scores, but they may want your undergrad transcripts. Check the websites for their post-bacc application requirements.