taking core classes at community college?

[rctriplefresh5]

hey, i had a few questions. in highschool, i never took my Sats, due to some issues, and i therefore went to a community college. i wasnt interested in my future, and didnt feel ready for a 4 year school either. ive been in college since September 2008 , and expect to graduate in august 2010 with an associates in science. from there i plan on transferring to Rutgers university. my question is this...
i plan on taking all the way up to, and completing organic chemistry 2, and calculus 1 before getting my associates degree. will med or dental schools (undecided ) look down on this? supposedly my college is the number 1 community college in the state if that matters ha. assuming i can maintain atleast a 3.6 in this school, will that be good enough? also i plan on taking orgo 1, orgo2, and calculus 1 all within the summer session, so it might not be that easy compared to a university.

i also have another question. what is a DO school? is that a school for people who want to be doctors but have not gotten into medical schools? is a do a physicians assistant or something?

i am a very good test taker, and plan on taking a few prep courses in the mcat to help at all if that matters.

i also was considering doing some volunteer work at st judes cancer hospitals.

ive heard you need to do research to get into med school. im not exactly sure what that means. 9sorry if i sound stupid ha)

one more question, do i need physics algebra bsed, or physics calculus based to pass the mcat?

also is rutgers a well known university?

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[Catalystik]

1) i plan on taking all the way up to, and completing organic chemistry 2, and calculus 1 before getting my associates degree. will med or dental schools (undecided ) look down on this? supposedly my college is the number 1 community college in the state if that matters ha.

2) assuming i can maintain atleast a 3.6 in this school, will that be good enough? also i plan on taking orgo 1, orgo2, and calculus 1 all within the summer session, so it might not be that easy compared to a university.

3) i also have another question. what is a DO school? is that a school for people who want to be doctors but have not gotten into medical schools? is a do a physicians assistant or something?

4) i also was considering doing some volunteer work at st judes cancer hospitals.

5) ive heard you need to do research to get into med school. im not exactly sure what that means.

6)one more question, do i need physics algebra bsed, or physics calculus based to pass the mcat?

7) also is rutgers a well known university?

1) This is a premed forum. I don't know how dental schools look at CC credits. Some med schools look down on them, but most do not. As long as your CC is sufficiently rigorous to prepare you well for the MCAT, you should be fine. Some CCs require less intense coursework than a 4-year school. If yours is #1 in the state, hopefully that is not an issue.

2) A 3.6 is fine (3.65 is the median for those accepted to MD med schools, 3.45 for DO schools). It will be important for you to maintain the same GPA at the 4-year school, otherwise doubt is cast on the rigor of the first school.

3) A DO medical school provides another path to becoming a licensed physician. They are more forgiving of past academic difficulty, because they allow for grade replacement, where MD schools do not. In addition to traditional medical care, a DO also learns manipulative techniques that provide a non-pharmaceutical approach to relief of symptoms.

4) Get some clinical experience started. All med schools expect you to have experiences that show you've explored a medical career.

5) only 60% of applicants list research on their application. It isn't required, but it makes your application stronger.

6) You do not need Calculus to do well on the MCAT. It's fine to take Algebra-based Physics.

7) I've heard of Rutgers, but being from the midwest, I have no idea of its reputation. Surely your advisor can help you with this question.

 

[J ROD]

1) This is a premed forum. I don't know how dental schools look at CC credits. Some med schools look down on them, but most do not. As long as your CC is sufficiently rigorous to prepare you well for the MCAT, you should be fine. Some CCs require less intense coursework than a 4-year school. If yours is #1 in the state, hopefully that is not an issue.

2) A 3.6 is fine (3.65 is the median for those accepted to MD med schools, 3.45 for DO schools). It will be important for you to maintain the same GPA at the 4-year school, otherwise doubt is cast on the rigor of the first school.

3) A DO medical school provides another path to becoming a licensed physician. They are more forgiving of past academic difficulty, because they allow for grade replacement, where MD schools do not. In addition to traditional medical care, a DO also learns manipulative techniques that provide a non-pharmaceutical approach to relief of symptoms.

4) Get some clinical experience started. All med schools expect you to have experiences that show you've explored a medical career.

5) only 60% of applicants list research on their application. It isn't required, but it makes your application stronger.

6) You do not need Calculus to do well on the MCAT. It's fine to take Algebra-based Physics.

7) I've heard of Rutgers, but being from the midwest, I have no idea of its reputation. Surely your advisor can help you with this question.

Good summation!! 👍

 

[rctriplefresh5]

what worries me is i had a bad semester. if the finals go well, i will end this semester with an A minus in general biology 2. i will get an A in general chemistry 1. i will get a B in trigonometry. i just felt so unmotivated this semester. its probably because for the past year ive been stressing about getting A's and only A's and im getting tired of this.

im taking precalc, with gen chem 2, andf a psych class in the spring, i have to pull my grades up. before this term my gpa was a 4.0. im just worried how i am going to do in calcus when i take it in the summer with orgo 1 and orgo 2, if im only getting a b in trig.

 

[Catalystik]

A lot of med schools let you take Statistics instead of Calculus. Have you checked on your preferred med schools to see if you really need the Calc class?

If your chances at getting good grades are precarious, it's best to put off gaining the extracurriculars for now. Wait on those until you feel more secure in your study skills.

 

[rctriplefresh5]

A lot of med schools let you take Statistics instead of Calculus. Have you checked on your preferred med schools to see if you really need the Calc class?

If your chances at getting good grades are precarious, it's best to put off gaining the extracurriculars for now. Wait on those until you feel more secure in your study skills.

well my GPA was a 4.0 before this semester, but im guessing ill be a 3.8 or 3.9 after this one.i just hope i can do ok, next semester even though the classes will be harder. i think i need calculus for the science degree, although im not sure. i kind of want to take calculus anyway, just so i can say i passed it. ive never been good at math, so getting a c or a b in calculus in a summer course would be something id be happy with. i know a lot of students who take calc usually fail it. im guessing since some med schools, allow you to take stats, anyways theyre understanding of how some students may struggle in calc?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

well my GPA was a 4.0 before this semester, but im guessing ill be a 3.8 or 3.9 after this one.i just hope i can do ok, next semester even though the classes will be harder. i think i need calculus for the science degree, although im not sure. i kind of want to take calculus anyway, just so i can say i passed it. ive never been good at math, so getting a c or a b in calculus in a summer course would be something id be happy with. i know a lot of students who take calc usually fail it. im guessing since some med schools, allow you to take stats, anyways theyre understanding of how some students may struggle in calc?

i dont think biology requires calc.. unless you go to a college that only has calc based physics.. if not.. dont bother taking calc.. especially if your not good at math..

 

[rctriplefresh5]

i dont think biology requires calc.. unless you go to a college that only has calc based physics.. if not.. dont bother taking calc.. especially if your not good at math..

well im not technically biology. im just ''science'' cause i didnt know what else to choose. but my bi professor said calc is required for bio majors. i thought for sure it would be required for pre meds! does dental or pharm require it? i dont know what exactly i want to do, and wias considering those.( i know this is the premed forum, but if anyone knows thatd be helpful also =p) premed is a very popular major, because everyone wants to be a rich doctor. then people get weeded out by the intro courses. i dont want to be one of those people, but i also dont like cosntantly worrying about whether or not i mgonna get an A minus. i have an A in my chemistry class right now, and its so annoying to know that if i make one wrong move on this final exam, the final grade will be significantly lower. and it sucks cause i dont really understand what we are doing .

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

well im not technically biology. im just ''science'' cause i didnt know what else to choose. but my bi professor said calc is required for bio majors. i thought for sure it would be required for pre meds! does dental or pharm require it? i dont know what exactly i want to do, and wias considering those.( i know this is the premed forum, but if anyone knows thatd be helpful also =p) premed is a very popular major, because everyone wants to be a rich doctor. then people get weeded out by the intro courses. i dont want to be one of those people, but i also dont like cosntantly worrying about whether or not i mgonna get an A minus. i have an A in my chemistry class right now, and its so annoying to know that if i make one wrong move on this final exam, the final grade will be significantly lower. and it sucks cause i dont really understand what we are doing .

pharm requires calc < only reason i dont want to go into it
dental doesnt require calc.. in fact i think calc might screw you over for the dat..
medicine only requires math.. stat is a popular substitute

 

[rctriplefresh5]

pharm requires calc < only reason i dont want to go into it
dental doesnt require calc.. in fact i think calc might screw you over for the dat..
medicine only requires math.. stat is a popular substitute

yeah pharm sounds tough for non mathematically inclined people. i am confused though. sorry but how can extra math like calc screw me over for the DAT?

 

[Mohammed1989]

What cc in NJ are you in? Hudson County?

 

[rctriplefresh5]

What cc in NJ are you in? Hudson County?

brookdale. howd you know i was in nj? im guessing you figured i wouldnt go to rutgers if iwasnt right?)

 

[Mohammed1989]

brookdale. howd you know i was in nj? im guessing you figured i wouldnt go to rutgers if iwasnt right?)

Majority of the people from cc's in NJ go to rutgers. Don't worry rutgers is a good school, I have it as my second option my first one is drew. You'll be suprised rutgers is pretty close to ivy league status. Depending on what campus you choose to go, new brunswick is looked at to be harder.

 

[rctriplefresh5]

Majority of the people from cc's in NJ go to rutgers. Don't worry rutgers is a good school, I have it as my second option my first one is drew. You'll be suprised rutgers is pretty close to ivy league status. Depending on what campus you choose to go, new brunswick is looked at to be harder.

sweet. are you currently enrolled in hudson couny cc? yah, i wanted to go to seton ahll, because it has a smaller class size, but everyone keeps telling me rutgers in widely respected so il go there, especially since its cheaper. thats good to know bro because i wanted to go to new brunswick. LOL im not going to caden thats dor sure. and i love that the new brunskwick campus has my two favortes eateries. (stuf yer face and cluck u LOL.) i keep hearing though that you r gpa gets wiped clean once you reach rutgers. should i be obsessing about my community college grades then?

 

[anxietypeaker]

sweet. are you currently enrolled in hudson couny cc? yah, i wanted to go to seton ahll, because it has a smaller class size, but everyone keeps telling me rutgers in widely respected so il go there, especially since its cheaper. thats good to know bro because i wanted to go to new brunswick. LOL im not going to caden thats dor sure. and i love that the new brunskwick campus has my two favortes eateries. (stuf yer face and cluck u LOL.) i keep hearing though that you r gpa gets wiped clean once you reach rutgers. should i be obsessing about my community college grades then?

Schools will still care about ALL your grades. In fact, amcas will require u to laboriously input ALL grades at the cc level and university level, as well as send official transcript to them too.

 

[Mohammed1989]

sweet. are you currently enrolled in hudson couny cc? yah, i wanted to go to seton ahll, because it has a smaller class size, but everyone keeps telling me rutgers in widely respected so il go there, especially since its cheaper. thats good to know bro because i wanted to go to new brunswick. LOL im not going to caden thats dor sure. and i love that the new brunskwick campus has my two favortes eateries. (stuf yer face and cluck u LOL.) i keep hearing though that you r gpa gets wiped clean once you reach rutgers. should i be obsessing about my community college grades then?

Yeah seton hall is great too but tution is like 35 gs a year, if you can afford that go for it. You guessed it I'm at hudson county cc, got one more semester left and I can finally leave this place. Its been answered but YES! When applying to med schools, DO or MD they require every college you attended. you might have a fresh gpa at rutgers but not for amcas or accoms. Don't worry if you really want to become a physician and you dedicate your life to become one you can make your dream a reality.

 

[rctriplefresh5]

Yeah Seton hall is great too but tuition is like 35 gs a year, if you can afford that go for it. You guessed it I'm at hudson county cc, got one more semester left and I can finally leave this place. Its been answered but YES! When applying to med schools, DO or MD they require every college you attended. you might have a fresh gpa at rutgers but not for amcas or accoms. Don't worry if you really want to become a physician and you dedicate your life to become one you can make your dream a reality.

just curious what do you like about drew, thats better than Rutgers? drew is private right? iw as thinking of going the private route, but for the price rutgers is great. it is like you said, considered a very prestigious school, and for new jersey residents it is one of the more affordable colleges. plus like i said, the fact that my 2 FAVORITE eateries there makes the decision a lot easier. HAHa im guessing its going to be a very harsh transition from community college to rutgers Rutgers is like 500 student per class LOL. yes i do agree that if you put the hard work in, anything is possible, however pre med is COMPETITIVE. and this semester i experienced burnout. for the past year i was obsessed with getting straight A's, and this semester i have pretty much been doing absolutely nothing lol. I have a project for math due tomorrow at 12, and i havent even started it lol the scary thing is, im pretty sure i need to use the computers in the math lab to print out graphs, and they open at 9 pm haha. oh well, it will be a late night and an early morning tonight.🙄

 

[Mohammed1989]

just curious what do you like about drew, thats better than Rutgers? drew is private right? iw as thinking of going the private route, but for the price rutgers is great. it is like you said, considered a very prestigious school, and for new jersey residents it is one of the more affordable colleges. plus like i said, the fact that my 2 FAVORITE eateries there makes the decision a lot easier. HAHa im guessing its going to be a very harsh transition from community college to rutgers Rutgers is like 500 student per class LOL. yes i do agree that if you put the hard work in, anything is possible, however pre med is COMPETITIVE. and this semester i experienced burnout. for the past year i was obsessed with getting straight A's, and this semester i have pretty much been doing absolutely nothing lol. I have a project for math due tomorrow at 12, and i havent even started it lol the scary thing is, im pretty sure i need to use the computers in the math lab to print out graphs, and they open at 9 pm haha. oh well, it will be a late night and an early morning tonight.🙄

Yup drew is private, the reason I love drew is because of the small classes, great campus, helpful professors(from what I heard), great labs, and they have a high rate of getting kids into med(this is what it says on their website). Of course pre-med is competitive but you always need to compete with yourself, by this I mean to always set a goal and try to surpass that goal. Say if your aiming for a A in a class, well I picture that you can get something higher than a A and I try to do that. I know it sounds silly but this helps me concentrate. I am lazy and I always find it difficult to see other competitive pre-meds but I try not to focus on them and try to keep my mind to myself, I just picture my goals and concentrate on that.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

yeah pharm sounds tough for non mathematically inclined people. i am confused though. sorry but how can extra math like calc screw me over for the DAT?

sorry that im late..
umm because the dat is algebra and stat and some other mathmatics which are at there highest trig and pre-calc based..
you'll absolutely have no need for calc, having it wont screw you over im sure lol idk why i was saying it'd screw you over.. probably due to time wasted in school for it >.>

pharm isnt too tough.. there are alot of calculations im guessing..