Transferring Credits

[Shad0w]

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I just got off the phone talking to Mississippi University about whether what credits I have(at the community college I'm currently attending) would transfer get into their vet program and the person I talked to said I had to talk to the department I was majoring in to see if my credits would transfer and meet their prerequisites. Does this sound right? This is only one of a few schools I planned on submitting applications to so I would have to call each one individually to see if they transfer?

Either way there's not too many options for majors at my community college and I picked natural sciences because it seemingly is as close to what I'm going for, but I might(probably will) change it when I transfer to a university to pursue prerequisites not offered at my cc.

My problem is I don't know what I'll be majoring in and don't know if I'm going to be taking courses that one college will accept,but not another.

Any advice?😳

 

[Shad0w]

Forgot to mention that while I'm not "too" new to this site, I really have no idea what I'm doing... only a general direction.I really don't even know the right questions to ask, just hoping someone can get an idea of where I am and see what I need to do. I've talked with advisers at my school but they were generally not very helpful...

 

[OneDay81]

How much longer do you plan on being at the community college? When you say their "vet program", are you talking about your coursework being accepted as prereq courses for vet school admissions? Or are you talking about transferring into some sort of prevet program? Right now you are looking at whether your courses will transfer into a still-yet-undecided bachelor degree major, right?

 

[Shad0w]

How much longer do you plan on being at the community college? When you say their "vet program", are you talking about your coursework being accepted as prereq courses for vet school admissions? Or are you talking about transferring into some sort of prevet program? Right now you are looking at whether your courses will transfer into a still-yet-undecided bachelor degree major, right?

When I say vet program I mean vet school. I avoided calling it that because I thought it would be confusing.

And yeah, you got it.I don't really understand the relevance of which major I choose for vet school I guess.I thought you just get the course prereqs,get your LOR's,GRE score,shadow a vet for XX hours, and apply.

 

[twelvetigers]

You could be an English major if you wanted to, as long as you complete the pre-req courses. It's just easier to complete a degree when the required courses for the degree overlap with the required courses for vet school.

 

[Shad0w]

You could be an English major if you wanted to, as long as you complete the pre-req courses. It's just easier to complete a degree when the required courses for the degree overlap with the required courses for vet school.

Which I'm guessing is a plus for admissions to vet school? How would one determine what to major in if several degrees overlapped with the pre reqs?

Haha, I'm really clueless here.

 

[Whyevernot55]

What TT is saying is your major doesn't matter. Major in what you're interested in. Most pre vets end up majoring in something to do with biology, because it's easier and interesting for them. For the record, I WAS an English major. 😀

It sounds like the question you're asking is about community college courses qualifying as prereqs for upper level classes? That IS up to the 4-year university you transfer to. A word of caution: many vet schools will only accept classes from a 4-year university to qualify for pre reqs for admissions to the DVM program. So be careful about making sure your classes will cover it. Mostly, I think it's for upper level courses - most vet schools will allow lower level things to be from community colleges.

I think we'd have an easier time helping you out with a little better idea of where you are in the process and where you're headed! If you haven't already, check out the AAVMC website for basically all the info you'll ever need, and links to individual DVM program sites.

 

[Shad0w]

You could be an English major if you wanted to, as long as you complete the pre-req courses. It's just easier to complete a degree when the required courses for the degree overlap with the required courses for vet school.

What TT is saying is your major doesn't matter. Major in what you're interested in. Most pre vets end up majoring in something to do with biology, because it's easier and interesting for them. For the record, I WAS an English major. 😀

It sounds like the question you're asking is about community college courses qualifying as prereqs for upper level classes? That IS up to the 4-year university you transfer to. A word of caution: many vet schools will only accept classes from a 4-year university to qualify for pre reqs for admissions to the DVM program. So be careful about making sure your classes will cover it. Mostly, I think it's for upper level courses - most vet schools will allow lower level things to be from community colleges.

I think we'd have an easier time helping you out with a little better idea of where you are in the process and where you're headed! If you haven't already, check out the AAVMC website for basically all the info you'll ever need, and links to individual DVM program sites.

Ah,ok!😀

Basically what I've done is start my local community college(since last summer) to do a lot of the humanites/arts cheaply. I was really thinking that I was going to go to University of Tennessee in Knoxville seeing as how it 'might' be easier(I know better now) to get into than an out of state school, and cheaper. I then looked up their course equivalency table to see what science courses I could do at my local cc, and noticed that Gen Chem1+2 and OChem 1+2 transfer over so I planned on taking them at the cc I'm at.

From what I'm hearing though it looks like I limit my options taking these courses at a community college... The only one I've completed so far is Gen Bio1(Before I knew it wouldn't transfer) and I'm in the middle of Gen Chem 1... I COULD drop it, but I don't think that I will be looked down upon if that's one of the few science courses I take at a CC, but I could be wrong.

I certainly don't want to complete a bunch of courses to be told that they weren't rigorous enough...

 

[twelvetigers]

The classes you would have to take at a 4 year are probably biochem and both organics. The others are probably okay at a CC. But take as much as you can at the 4 year... it might help make you more competitive, and it will probably prepare you more as well.

 

[Shad0w]

The classes you would have to take at a 4 year are probably biochem and both organics. The others are probably okay at a CC. But take as much as you can at the 4 year... it might help make you more competitive, and it will probably prepare you more as well.

I see. Would it be safe to assume that most vet schools would accept courses done at a 4 year or would I have to check each one individually?I've only ever thought of going to one of two vet schools and I shudder to think that if I were to not get into either that I would be ineligible to apply to others.

Thanks!🙂

 

[twelvetigers]

Wait, are you in Canada? Lol.

Schools there are a bit different on some things, so be careful with that. Check out the school websites, they should be pretty specific about requirements. Even if you are in the U.S., it's not too hard to look at the websites of these "one or two schools" you speak of.

Taking classes at a 4-year university will be fine for any school, I'm sure.

 

[OneDay81]

Which community college are you going to and which universities are you wanting to apply to for your undergrad and vet school?

As far as choosing a major, try to figure out something that can augment the areas of vet med you are most interested in (for instance, you could choose microbiology if you were interested in research, or food science or your school's ag based equivalent if you were interested in food animal specialty) or something that you have a strong enough interest in that you will hopefully get very good grades and be able to use as a backup if you don't get into vet school. It is wise to choose a major that you could apply to something even if you don't get into vet school (for a while or ever). You may be able to get a really high GPA by majoring in poetry, but if you don't get into vet school and have no interest in actually doing anything poetry-related, you may be left with a useless degree.

 

[Shad0w]

Wait, are you in Canada? Lol.

Schools there are a bit different on some things, so be careful with that. Check out the school websites, they should be pretty specific about requirements. Even if you are in the U.S., it's not too hard to look at the websites of these "one or two schools" you speak of.

Taking classes at a 4-year university will be fine for any school, I'm sure.

It doesn't surprise me that you think that, lol. I'm in the U.S, just very ignorant of this type of thing. I know how to look up prereqs but I was curious if schools generally accept credits the same across the country. I didn't know that UTK allows me to take courses that they will accept as prereqs, but the person I talked to at MSU was hinting that they may not.

Which community college are you going to and which universities are you wanting to apply to for your undergrad and vet school?

As far as choosing a major, try to figure out something that can augment the areas of vet med you are most interested in (for instance, you could choose microbiology if you were interested in research, or food science or your school's ag based equivalent if you were interested in food animal specialty) or something that you have a strong enough interest in that you will hopefully get very good grades and be able to use as a backup if you don't get into vet school. It is wise to choose a major that you could apply to something even if you don't get into vet school (for a while or ever). You may be able to get a really high GPA by majoring in poetry, but if you don't get into vet school and have no interest in actually doing anything poetry-related, you may be left with a useless degree.

I'm going to Southwest TN Community College currently,and I'm not 100% sure where to apply for my undergrad(Thinking U of Memphis). I planned on applying to MS State University and University of TN, but am weighing my options for other places, I guess.

To give an idea of what I'm looking to do:I'd like in particular to be able to work with exotic animals at a zoo.In particular I wouldn't be opposed to working at my local Memphis zoo,if possible. I was given the opportunity to shadow the zoo's president, Charles Brady, for a day and go behind the scenes in off limit areas and was fascinated with how the zoo operates-I'd like to be a cog in that machine!

I really appreciate the responses, thanks! 🙂

 

[OneDay81]

http://www.southwest.tn.edu/counseling/transfer.htm Here is a link to the list of transfer equivalency tables and matriculation agreements that your CC has with local 4-year colleges. TN has some pretty decent schools, and from a financial viewpoint I would advise you to stay in-state for as long as possible to keep your undergrad costs as low as possible, unless Arkansas and Mississippi have tuition agreements because of how close you are. U of Memphis is more of a liberal arts type school, and depending on what you decide to major in, you might find a agricultural school to be more in line with your needs. By the way, your Gen Bio I transfers to UTK as Bio 101.

What aspects of seeing the behind-the-scenes at the zoo appealed to you the most? Was it the jobs of the animal caretakers? The nursery? Learning about their conservation program? The overall management?

I hope I don't sound like I am hounding you! I am just asking a lot of questions to hopefully help you come closer to deciding what major would suit you best 🙂 A major/minor or double major in Zoology and Management could probably help set you up for job in zoo operations, as well as provide the foundations for getting your prereqs for vet school.

Edited to add: have you taken a look at the Wildlife Health major at UTK?

 

[Shad0w]

http://www.southwest.tn.edu/counseling/transfer.htm Here is a link to the list of transfer equivalency tables and matriculation agreements that your CC has with local 4-year colleges. TN has some pretty decent schools, and from a financial viewpoint I would advise you to stay in-state for as long as possible to keep your undergrad costs as low as possible, unless Arkansas and Mississippi have tuition agreements because of how close you are. U of Memphis is more of a liberal arts type school, and depending on what you decide to major in, you might find a agricultural school to be more in line with your needs. By the way, your Gen Bio I transfers to UTK as Bio 101.

What aspects of seeing the behind-the-scenes at the zoo appealed to you the most? Was it the jobs of the animal caretakers? The nursery? Learning about their conservation program? The overall management?

I hope I don't sound like I am hounding you! I am just asking a lot of questions to hopefully help you come closer to deciding what major would suit you best 🙂 A major/minor or double major in Zoology and Management could probably help set you up for job in zoo operations, as well as provide the foundations for getting your prereqs for vet school.

Edited to add: have you taken a look at the Wildlife Health major at UTK?

Never really thought U of M being a liberal arts school, Rhodes is more of a liberal arts school, imo. Gen Bio I doesn't transfer over as Gen Bio I and therefore I can't use it as a prerequisite so it wasn't necessary for me to take that class-is what I meant.

Like I said, I want to be a zoo veterinarian. I thought a lot of what I saw was interesting,but not really relevant to my career choice.

You're not hounding me at all, I appreciate the help. I've thought about majoring in zoology,but I thought the career aspects weren't so broad if I didn't get into vet school-still considering it though.

The wildlife major sounds very interesting-I'll have to look into it!

 

[OneDay81]

Never really thought U of M being a liberal arts school, Rhodes is more of a liberal arts school, imo. Gen Bio I doesn't transfer over as Gen Bio I and therefore I can't use it as a prerequisite so it wasn't necessary for me to take that class-is what I meant.

Like I said, I want to be a zoo veterinarian. I thought a lot of what I saw was interesting,but not really relevant to my career choice.

You're not hounding me at all, I appreciate the help. I've thought about majoring in zoology,but I thought the career aspects weren't so broad if I didn't get into vet school-still considering it though.

The wildlife major sounds very interesting-I'll have to look into it!

I took a look at the course description for the Gen Bio I course you took and I don't see why it wouldn't satisfy the general bio prereq for vet school. When you apply they will look at the transcripts from each school that you took the courses at, not what your final school transferred them as. Also, the courses don't actually transfer to the vet school, they just show that you have taken the right coursework to give you a good starting foundation for what you will learn in vet school.

As the first semester of a two part series for science majors, the course you took fits the description of what the vet school is asking for, so I don't understand why they are telling you it won't count. Then again, I also don't understand why U Memphis transfers it as Bio 101 rather than Bio 111. Perhaps there is something vital missing from the curriculum that most other schools include in a course for science majors, or maybe it is because Bio 111 requires chemistry as a prereq (which that in itself is really weird!)... I notice that UTK does the same thing (doesn't transfer it as Bio for majors). What a weird and frustrating system Tennessee has... it seems to put people who attend cc at a disadvantage!

My advice would be to take the general chem courses, your math courses, and your humanities/social science courses at the cc and then take the rest when you get to which ever university you transfer to.
Good luck!

 

[Shad0w]

I took a look at the course description for the Gen Bio I course you took and I don't see why it wouldn't satisfy the general bio prereq for vet school. When you apply they will look at the transcripts from each school that you took the courses at, not what your final school transferred them as. Also, the courses don't actually transfer to the vet school, they just show that you have taken the right coursework to give you a good starting foundation for what you will learn in vet school.

As the first semester of a two part series for science majors, the course you took fits the description of what the vet school is asking for, so I don't understand why they are telling you it won't count. Then again, I also don't understand why U Memphis transfers it as Bio 101 rather than Bio 111. Perhaps there is something vital missing from the curriculum that most other schools include in a course for science majors, or maybe it is because Bio 111 requires chemistry as a prereq (which that in itself is really weird!)... I notice that UTK does the same thing (doesn't transfer it as Bio for majors). What a weird and frustrating system Tennessee has... it seems to put people who attend cc at a disadvantage!

My advice would be to take the general chem courses, your math courses, and your humanities/social science courses at the cc and then take the rest when you get to which ever university you transfer to.
Good luck!

I wouldn't expect every vet school to accept that Gen Bio course without making it simply an elective.UTK certainly does not want to accept it without downgrading it;why should I waste my time and money on courses that won't yield prerequisites?That's why I didn't bother with Gen Bio II. I think I'd rather take my science courses at a university so that they're more nationally accepted.

 

[Shad0w]

Any more thoughts OneDay81/anybody?

 

[OneDay81]

The only thing I can think of is that if you are planning on doing your first two years at the cc and then transferrring to the university, then you will be in your junior year before you take general biology. And since gen bio I and II will most likely be prereqs for upper level bio courses, you will be taking all of your upper level bio courses all at once during your senior year... and if there is a certain order that you have to take the courses in you might have a hard time getting your senior year schedule right. If there is a way that you can take the majority of your courses at the cc but get gen bio done at the regular university near you at the same time, that would be optimal. hopefully you are already taking your general chem courses...