Taking ONE pre-med req at CC

[Kape1one]

Hey SDN,

I have a very simple question.

First off, I'm a freshman at UC Berkeley.

Can I take a pre-med req(ONLY one) in a CC during the summer? Will it affect my admissions. The classes I am thinking of taking is Organic Chem-Lab. I'm taking Orgo lecture right now and have taken gen chem already. The reason for taking in a CC is the price, not because it is easier. I do not qualify for any fiancial aid, so I would have to pay $2,000 just for one class! While at my CC, it will be less than $200!.

Will it work?

Thanks!

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[ljc]

You'll be fine. Try searching for the 800 other threads on this topic.

Consensus seems to be: Don't take them if you're trying to go for an easy grade, or if it will look to adcoms like you're going for the easy grade.

Do take them if they are your only option, if you are a postbacc and cannot take them elsewhere (although postbaccs should still try to take most of their classes at an extension program or a postbacc at a 4 year), if you already have or eventually will have 4 year upper level science course grades that are/will be decent, or if you are only taking a handful of them total.

Also, get A's if you take them at CC.

 

[Kape1one]

Thanks ljc!

Anyone else? HAs any student done that in the past?

 

[JonnyL]

You could take all of them at a CC if you want. Just get good grades on prereqs, do well on your upper division courses, great on MCAT, good ECs and you'll be fine.

Use the search button to find the other 9809897987086786986 threads on this.

 

[Silverman780]

Hey SDN,

I have a very simple question.

First off, I'm a freshman at UC Berkeley.

Can I take a pre-med req(ONLY one) in a CC during the summer? Will it affect my admissions. The classes I am thinking of taking is Organic Chem-Lab. I'm taking Orgo lecture right now and have taken gen chem already. The reason for taking in a CC is the price, not because it is easier. I do not qualify for any fiancial aid, so I would have to pay $2,000 just for one class! While at my CC, it will be less than $200!.

Will it work?

Thanks!

At most CC's you have to take their lecture to do their lab, but Idk about the specific school in question. I'd wouldn't divide the Lec/lab set between institutions.

 

[torshi]

it doesnt matter. hell you can take all your pre-reqs at a CC and it won't matter.

 

[iusesharpies]

... I think it would be way better to just tack the lab on in another semester. (I'm also taking just the lecture! ) Are you MCB so that ruins the 4 year?

 

[ILikeDrugs]

I've never heard of a CC offering a lab without a lecture. Sometimes they even force you to take a certain lab time with a certain lecture time.

 

[nicolemeooow]

At most CC's you have to take their lecture to do their lab, but Idk about the specific school in question. I'd wouldn't divide the Lec/lab set between institutions.

My CC offers a separate lab for ochem. So do many other ones in the area.

 

[gettheleadout]

it doesnt matter. hell you can take all your pre-reqs at a CC and it won't matter.

Unless you have a non-science major and you are enrolled at a 4-year university while taking prereq's at a CC. Then it might look suspicious.

 

[Kape1one]

@iusesharpies, yea i'm planning on doing mcb. I have already done chem 1a and bio 1b, so im taking chem 3a right now and planning on taking chem 3b/l fall '11.

@gettheleadout i am a science majored (intended). I am planing on doing all my prereqs at Berkeley, but just that class(lab) does not fit into my schedule and plus it gets full very fast!


Would it be ok to take the lecture/lab at a CC even if im taking the lecture portion now? As in, I would have to take the class with lecture in order to get into a lab at a CC. Does that look bad?

 

[gettheleadout]

@gettheleadout i am a science majored (intended). I am planing on doing all my prereqs at Berkeley, but just that class(lab) does not fit into my schedule and plus it gets full very fast!


Would it be ok to take the lecture/lab at a CC even if im taking the lecture portion now? As in, I would have to take the class with lecture in order to get into a lab at a CC. Does that look bad?

It shouldn't matter, it just might be a hassle to you to take the lecture over again, and yeah I understand your reasoning for wanting to take the lab elsewhere, you're fine.

 

[the duck]

The general consensus is that it doesn't matter if you take one or two series of pre-reqs at community college. Just make sure you get good grades. Also its a bad idea to "split up" sequences, that is to take the first semester of chemistry at one school, and the second at another, because the materiel covered at one school, might not really prepare you for the other part of the class at the other. However, it can looks suspicious if you are enrolled in a 4-year school and then go to a community college for some of your pre-reqs. Adcoms may perceive this as trying to take the easy way out.

Beware, Stanford ( and one or two other places I don't recall) does not accept pre-reqs from CC, so if your of that calliber of a student you may want to check with them specifically if just one lab with cause problems. Have you considered just taking some random GE course over the summer, and orgo lab at Cal later?