urgent - community college screwing me over?

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pretfish

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Hey! I'm young and new to this, but here's my dilemma: I have only up to tomorrow morning to decide if I should audit, withdraw, or take for credit Chem I and Calc II at my cc. The only problem is that right now I'm taking it for credit, but I heard that med schools look down upon people taking summer courses in science as ways to boost their gpa. So I want to audit them, (I'm taking them strictly to learn), but today i found out that AU shows up on your transcript next to the courses. I'm planning on taking chem I and calc I next semster as a freshman at my real college, and someone said that med schools really discourage repeating courses, but I want a really strong background since I'm pretty weak at chem and calc.

So my question is this: If I take the classes as audit or for credit, will it raise any red flags if i take the same courses next year at my real college? (I'm not planning to transfer credits or fulfill any prereqs with the cc courses, just to learn). I'm already registered though and have till tom morning!

thanks any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

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pretfish said:
Hey! I'm young and new to this, but here's my dilemma: I have only up to tomorrow morning to decide if I should audit, withdraw, or take for credit Chem I and Calc II at my cc. The only problem is that right now I'm taking it for credit, but I heard that med schools look down upon people taking summer courses in science as ways to boost their gpa. So I want to audit them, (I'm taking them strictly to learn), but today i found out that AU shows up on your transcript next to the courses. I'm planning on taking chem I and calc I next semster as a freshman at my real college, and someone said that med schools really discourage repeating courses, but I want a really strong background since I'm pretty weak at chem and calc.

So my question is this: If I take the classes as audit or for credit, will it raise any red flags if i take the same courses next year at my real college? (I'm not planning to transfer credits or fulfill any prereqs with the cc courses, just to learn). I'm already registered though and have till tom morning!

thanks any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

If you are even THINKING of sitting in a calc II and chem I class all summer and NOT even get credit - I would SERIOUSLY recommend joining some social groups because dude - ya need a life!
 
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the classes are not intensive and are pretty fun - the thing is i have a really weak chem and calc background, so they do a good job of filling in things i missed so i dont fail next year. but i just dont know how med schools look at summer cc courses if im taking the courses again...

keep the advice coming!
 
pretfish said:
the classes are not intensive and are pretty fun -
keep the advice coming!

If they are fun subjects to you, then you will do fine taking them at your regular university for credit. Spend your summer doing something fun - make new friends, go to the beach, ride a bike, learn to paint, study a foreign language, travel, read a book, heck WRITE a book, become a gourmet chef... but DON'T study calculus for fun! (realize I am just teasing you because I am a mathematics *****)
 
Flopotomist said:
If they are fun subjects to you, then you will do fine taking them at your regular university for credit. Spend your summer doing something fun - make new friends, go to the beach, ride a bike, learn to paint, study a foreign language, travel, read a book, heck WRITE a book, become a gourmet chef... but DON'T study calculus for fun! (realize I am just teasing you because I am a mathematics *****)

well the subjects are mind blowing fun, or fun, but going to class is fun. ive already had a really good summer and its only 4 hours each day. all i need to know is if med schools even care if i audit it or take it for credit(ive heard that they look down upon students who do that, in that case ill try to withdraw). thanks for your opinion though!
 
guys any other ideas? its 3 am here and i really want to go to sleep, and i have no clue what to do. right now im thinking med schools wont even care? eek i hope they dont!
 
Your fine doing it how you planned to, there should be no problem taking two courses this way. Other people on this board have, and it doesn't affect their chances, so if you have the time and the energy go for it. It can only help to try to better yourself, but if unsure don't take the classes for credit, the situation is explainable so your okay.

If you want more info do a search using key words: community college, classes for credit etc.
 
fateema368 said:
Your fine doing it how you planned to, there should be no problem taking two courses this way. Other people on this board have, and it doesn't affect their chances, so if you have the time and the energy go for it. It can only help to try to better yourself, but if unsure don't take the classes for credit, the situation is explainable so your okay.

hey thanks! thats really assuring. ok so people have done this in the past? i think im just going to audit, thats better than credit right since im just trying to learn the stuff and not get a higher gpa/transfer credits?

thanks again!
 
pretfish said:
hey thanks! thats really assuring. ok so people have done this in the past? i think im just going to audit, thats better than credit right since im just trying to learn the stuff and not get a higher gpa/transfer credits?

thanks again!

Some take all pre req's at community college, some go half-time while enroled at a University, the important thing is just to do well, not so much how you get there. A few lower leval science/math courses, taken as a freshmen won't hurt your medschool chances, but you must do what your most comfortable with.
 
If you paln to take upper-division calc-based classes at the university, then it shouldn't matter. If you take a calc-based university course, and get an A, they won't assume you were trying to dodge a bullet. So it depends on some extent what your major is. If calc is as far as you plan on going in math, then that might be a different story.

But for the most part, all that matters is that your overall GPA be high and that your university GPA not be significantly lower than your non-university course work.

As far as auditing is concerned, I've audited classes by just going in and sitting there, and telling the teacher. They shouldn't have to register you as auditing at all. Just attend the lectures, and ditch the tests and don't turn in any homework. Where are you going to school?
 
Nutmeg said:
If you paln to take upper-division calc-based classes at the university, then it shouldn't matter. If you take a calc-based university course, and get an A, they won't assume you were trying to dodge a bullet. So it depends on some extent what your major is. If calc is as far as you plan on going in math, then that might be a different story.

But for the most part, all that matters is that your overall GPA be high and that your university GPA not be significantly lower than your non-university course work.

As far as auditing is concerned, I've audited classes by just going in and sitting there, and telling the teacher. They shouldn't have to register you as auditing at all. Just attend the lectures, and ditch the tests and don't turn in any homework. Where are you going to school?

hey thanks nutmeg for the advice. i found out today (didnt get any sleep!) that i cant drop the classes or a withdrawal will show up, so i might as well take at least one for credit. i guess im stressing way too much over this, but ive read on other premed forums that taking the same classes over in college look very repetitve and will raise a red flag. so right now, im registered no matter what. i will have 4 classes for credit now probably, since i took calc i and bio i for credit as well, and now chem and calc ii probably.

if im pretty sure i can get an A in chem and calc ii, do you think i should take for credit or audit, or does it not make a difference?

ill check back at 8:00 am, so if anyone has any ideas, share away!
(oh yes, freshman bio major at cornell next year, plan on taking classes more advanced that the ones im taking at the cc)
 
pretfish said:
hey thanks nutmeg for the advice. i found out today (didnt get any sleep!) that i cant drop the classes or a withdrawal will show up, so i might as well take at least one for credit. i guess im stressing way too much over this, but ive read on other premed forums that taking the same classes over in college look very repetitve and will raise a red flag. so right now, im registered no matter what. i will have 4 classes for credit now probably, since i took calc i and bio i for credit as well, and now chem and calc ii probably.

if im pretty sure i can get an A in chem and calc ii, do you think i should take for credit or audit, or does it not make a difference?

ill check back at 8:00 am, so if anyone has any ideas, share away!
(oh yes, freshman bio major at cornell next year, plan on taking classes more advanced that the ones im taking at the cc)

Take the grade... if you are going to cornell next year you shouldn't have a problem with getting an A in these classes at the community college level. You will have enough Science classes at Cornell for the next 4 years that the Adcoms probably won't care. They might ask you about it just out of curiosity.. but just tell them you wanted to get a brief introduction before you went to college.

I think you might be confused with alot of people trying to retake courses at community colleges and people trying to raise there gpa at community college. Your case is a different situation and I don't think it would effect your chances at all. Just make sure you work your ass off at cornell and get a high gpa.
 
fullefect1 said:
Take the grade... if you are going to cornell next year you shouldn't have a problem with getting an A in these classes at the community college level. You will have enough Science classes at Cornell for the next 4 years that the Adcoms probably won't care. They might ask you about it just out of curiosity.. but just tell them you wanted to get a brief introduction before you went to college.

I think you might be confused with alot of people trying to retake courses at community colleges and people trying to raise there gpa at community college. Your case is a different situation and I don't think it would effect your chances at all. Just make sure you work your ass off at cornell and get a high gpa.

thanks chris for you advice! i think im going to take the grade instead of auditing now. ill work as hard as i can during the fall too!
 
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