Undergraduate at Community College?

[sistermike]

Hey I am curious, did anyone go to a Community College for their first 2 years and then go off to a university for the last 2 years? Would you guys reccomend that or no?

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[slindsay198]

sister,

i attended a community college for 2 years b/f heading off to a reputable university, mainly to save money, and be absolutely sure i was doing what i wanted (wasn't even planning on going to college). at any rate, my grades were great at both places and it never came up as a focus point once in the application process. i'm sure places like Harvard, etc. aren't going to look kindly on it, but for the most part i don't think it's a problem. hope this helps...good luck.

Scott
MSII-PCOM

 

[Rhiana]

I also did CC. Then when I went to UC Santa Cruz I double majored just to show the ad coms i was up to snuff. If you do take the CC route make sure your grades are excellent in both places and you kick ass on the MCAT.

 

[mr.annoying]

I'm sure if you do well at both schools and rock the MCAT you'd be okay, but some schools state that they don't allow prereqs to be taken at a community college (e.g. Wake Forest), but I'm not too sure how hard they stand on that.

 

[Wu-Tang Killa Bee]

I did 2 years at a CC. Never became a topic of convo. Eventhough I am postbaccin' now I am in a guaranteed admission program.

 

[Atlas]

I also did 2 years at a CC before transferring to a 4-year university.

 

[sistermike]

Ok, but when it comes time to get letters of recommendation, were you able to get some good ones? Because when you go to a 4 year school, you keep in contact with professors for 4 years but when you go to a CC first, you leave your professors behind and you have to go through the process of becoming aquainted with professors again.

 

[Rhiana]

I actually found it easier to get LORs from my CC teachers because I knew them better due to smaller class size. I had 2 LOrs from CC and one from the UC and i got into UCLA.

 

[souljah1]

I went to City College of San Francisco for two years, did just fine, and transferred to Berkeley to finish my degree. None of my interviewers found it problematic. If you do well at both schools, most adcoms will assume that you would have done fine in your first two years at a four year university. There are some schools were CCs might not be looked upon favorably (the Ivies), but I got into a kick ass school as a proud product of a community college (UCSF). Rhiana kicked booty as well and she is off to UCLA. I know many (well a few) people who are at great medical schools who started off at a CC.

As far as LORs go...why would you not keep in touch with CC professors. Even after transfering, I maintained contact with a couple of my CC professors, of whom two wrote me letters of rec. The classes are smaller and bright students have an excellent opportunity to get to know professors.

I wouldn't worry about CC at all. If you do well when you transfer and do well on the mcat, you'll do just fine. If you have your stuff together and get into a great four year university out of high school and are able to buckle down and achieve..more power to you. I took the 'road less traveled' (partying, dropping out, traveling, etc) and the only way I could begin to rise academically was to start off at a CC. Thank goodness it worked.

I wish you the best of luck.

 

[none]

I also went to a CC. It's a hinderance, but definitely not a huge one.

 

[HappySlacker]

I just wanted to add a note - as a previous CC attendee myself. Wake Forest will accept CC credit for the basic med school requirements, as long as the school you transfer to (and graduate from) accepts them for equivalent credit. This was an issue for me when I applied in 2000, so I called them directly to get the details. I assume their policy hasn't changed since then.

 

[DLi]

I am full-time dual enrolling as a high-school senior in a local community college and I'll be off to a state university next year. It's definitely a good route to take. The classes are small, professors get to know you (and therefore may be more lenient), and the same course material is covered. It's definitely not detrimental to med school admissions.