Which of these two schools should I graduate from?

[nurture]

I want to go to a medical school. It doesn't matter if it is an MD or a DO. I also don't care for the brand name or reputation of my undergraduate school as long as I can be a doctor. I am not interested in making money and I want to be a family doctor. I am changing careers, so I don't have a plan B. My plan A needs to be very good and I must get into medical school.

I have a choice between choosing between evening classes at a local community college in my area or choosing the ALB program at Harvard Extension.

Pros and cons of the community college:
The community college is a very, VERY low-tier college that awards the BS degree. Everyone gets close to a 4.0. People do get into medical school but mainly DO schools not MD schools. Of the 14 pre-med students, 13 got into a medical school - all went to DO schools. But that's because they all had bad MCATs and very high GPAs. I don't have to be like them. I can focus on the MCAT and do really well on the MCAT. There is severe grade inflation. Once profs know you are shooting for medical school, they look out for you and give you good recommendations.

Pros and cons of Harvard Extension's ALB:
The ALB program at Harvard Extension is a program most people NEVER graduate from. Most people get close to a 3.0. Only 10% get above a 3.3. Most people get south of a 3.3. But the quality of education is super-excellent. Unfortunately, the people who run the ALB seem to have a chip on their shoulder because it is perceived as not a real Harvard degree, so they needlessly make the ALB very hard, very difficult to excel at and near-impossible to graduate from. As a result, student GPA's take a dive down, and ALB students don't make it into medical schools. Like I said, only 10% get above a 3.3. Classes are super-tough and I will be spending most of my time trying to pass classes like French-I which are brutal (French-II is MUCH easier than French-I). This won't let me focus on classes like Organic Chemistry or on the MCAT. The one pre-med student in the ALB program did get into medical school but he wasn't accepted anywhere in the US and had to go to the Caribbean.

Which of the two would you suggest and why?
Thank you

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[Wile]

I want to go to a medical school. It doesn't matter if it is an MD or a DO. I also don't care for the brand name or reputation of my undergraduate school as long as I can be a doctor. I am not interested in making money and I want to be a family doctor. I am changing careers, so I don't have a plan B. My plan A needs to be very good and I must get into medical school.

I have a choice between choosing between evening classes at a local community college in my area or choosing the ALB program at Harvard Extension.

Pros and cons of the community college:
The community college is a very, VERY low-tier college that awards the BS degree. Everyone gets close to a 4.0. People do get into medical school but mainly DO schools not MD schools. Of the 14 pre-med students, 13 got into a medical school - all went to DO schools. But that's because they all had bad MCATs and very high GPAs. I don't have to be like them. I can focus on the MCAT and do really well on the MCAT. There is severe grade inflation. Once profs know you are shooting for medical school, they look out for you and give you good recommendations.

Pros and cons of Harvard Extension's ALB:
The ALB program at Harvard Extension is a program most people NEVER graduate from. Most people get close to a 3.0. Only 10% get above a 3.3. Most people get south of a 3.3. But the quality of education is super-excellent. Unfortunately, the people who run the ALB seem to have a chip on their shoulder because it is perceived as not a real Harvard degree, so they needlessly make the ALB very hard, very difficult to excel at and near-impossible to graduate from. As a result, student GPA's take a dive down, and ALB students don't make it into medical schools. Like I said, only 10% get above a 3.3. Classes are super-tough and I will be spending most of my time trying to pass classes like French-I which are brutal (French-II is MUCH easier than French-I). This won't let me focus on classes like Organic Chemistry or on the MCAT. The one pre-med student in the ALB program did get into medical school but he wasn't accepted anywhere in the US and had to go to the Caribbean.

Which of the two would you suggest and why?
Thank you

Wait, what...?

 

[ShoTyme]

I want to go to a medical school.

People do get into medical school but mainly DO schools not MD schools. Of the 14 pre-med students, 13 got into a medical school - all went to DO schools.

Unfortunately, the people who run the ALB seem to have a chip on their shoulder because it is perceived as not a real Harvard degree, so they needlessly make the ALB very hard, very difficult to excel at and near-impossible to graduate from.

1. You say you want to go to medical school. Good goal.
2. The "Easy School" gets students into medical school.
3. The "Better Quality School" doesn't.

KISS - Your only goal, as stated by you, is to get into medical school. It seems like the "Easy School" allows you an opportunity to not only get high grades, but also gives you LOR's as well. While you may get a higher quality education at the other school, no one will know it if they don't give you a chance due to a poor GPA. This whole process is a game. A series of steps that must be completed. Jump through the hoops. Speak. Wag your tail. Roll over. In the end, collect your treat.

 

[xBODOMx]

Wait, what...?

This. Community colleges cannot award bachalor's degrees. That would make it a university. And I doubt 4.0gpa students only get into DO. MCAT is heavily on independant study, yes there will be a few good teachers, but I doubt all your pre-req classes have 5star teachers, so that seems to be there fault. And 14pre-meds? That's an insanely low number.

 

[nurture]

Community colleges cannot award bachalor's degrees.

Just google it. So many community colleges offer bachelors degrees these days.
There's even the The Community College Baccalaureate Association http://www.accbd.org/ whose very purpose is "encouraging development of baccalaureate degrees conferred by community colleges"

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

This. Community colleges cannot award bachalor's degrees. That would make it a university. And I doubt 4.0gpa students only get into DO. MCAT is heavily on independant study, yes there will be a few good teachers, but I doubt all your pre-req classes have 5star teachers, so that seems to be there fault. And 14pre-meds? That's an insanely low number.

Some do, especially in places like California where your main universities are too jammed pack to actually sign up for introductory sciences like organic chem.

 

[xBODOMx]

Just google it. So many community colleges offer bachelors degrees these days.
There's even the The Community College Baccalaureate Association http://www.accbd.org/ whose very purpose is "encouraging development of baccalaureate degrees conferred by community colleges"

Interesting. Haven't heard of this before. But that makes sense as stated above for Cali. Although, I would not chance it due to CCs not having the greatest reputation for medical school enrollment, unless you have a legitament reason for going.

The Harvard extensions seems like a huge waste of money and is far too competative for the potential benefits, are these really your only two options?

 

[RookTookIt]

Interesting. Haven't heard of this before. But that makes sense as stated above for Cali. Although, I would not chance it due to CCs not having the greatest reputation for medical school enrollment, unless you have a legitament reason for going.

The Harvard extensions seems like a huge waste of money and is far too competative for the potential benefits, are these really your only two options?

These can't possibly be your only two options. Time for plan C.

 

[nurture]

are these really your only two options?

Well - those are my two fundamental alternatives, given relocational constraints.

But here's Alternative 3: I could do a completely online degree from a state university, like Kansas State for instance, with pre-medical coursework at Harvard Extension.

Alternative 4: I could get my Associates from the community college and then get the ALB from Harvard Extension. This should boost my GPA a bit.

Alternative 5: I could get my BS from the community college and then take advanced, challenging classes at Harvard Extension to send a signal to adcoms that I can excel in challenging coursework at the best schools.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Well - those are my two fundamental alternatives, given relocational constraints.

But here's Alternative 3: I could do a completely online degree from a state university, like Kansas State for instance, with pre-medical coursework at Harvard Extension.

Alternative 4: I could get my Associates from the community college and then get the ALB from Harvard Extension. This should boost my GPA a bit.

Alternative 5: I could get my BS from the community college and then take advanced, challenging classes at Harvard Extension to send a signal to adcoms that I can excel in challenging coursework at the best schools.

I think they mean alternative 6: Go to a university such as Cal State or University of California. If you're not from California, which I assume you are, insert start name as prefix to those lol.

 

[nurture]

I think they mean alternative 6: Go to a university such as Cal State or University of California. If you're not from California, which I assume you are, insert start name as prefix to those lol.

I cannot. I have severe relocational constraints for the next few years. Those are my only choices for now. Which of them seems the best to you?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I cannot. I have severe relocational constraints for the next few years. Those are my only choices for now. Which of them seems the best to you?

I mean... if your CC awards 4 year degrees, then you might as well do that. Take an Extension course or two after. Get the highest mcat score ever as well...

 

[typicalindian]

Go to CC, get a 4.0, do awesome EC's, get a 32+ on your mcat, apply md and do, (you are bound to get in somewhere), become doctor, mission accomplished

 

[NCOldie]

Pros and cons of Harvard Extension's ALB:
The ALB program at Harvard Extension is a program most people NEVER graduate from. Most people get close to a 3.0. Only 10% get above a 3.3. Most people get south of a 3.3. But the quality of education is super-excellent. Unfortunately, the people who run the ALB seem to have a chip on their shoulder because it is perceived as not a real Harvard degree, so they needlessly make the ALB very hard, very difficult to excel at and near-impossible to graduate from. As a result, student GPA's take a dive down, and ALB students don't make it into medical schools. Like I said, only 10% get above a 3.3. Classes are super-tough and I will be spending most of my time trying to pass classes like French-I which are brutal (French-II is MUCH easier than French-I). This won't let me focus on classes like Organic Chemistry or on the MCAT. The one pre-med student in the ALB program did get into medical school but he wasn't accepted anywhere in the US and had to go to the Caribbean.

Which of the two would you suggest and why?
Thank you

I really think you have answered your own question. You talk about this program as though it is horrible. How can the quality of education at the extension program be "super excellent" if most people get south of a 3.3 and there was only one student from it that made it into medical school?

 

[nurture]

I really think you have answered your own question. You talk about this program as though it is horrible. How can the quality of education at the extension program be "super excellent" if most people get south of a 3.3 and there was only one student from it that made it into medical school?

Don't you see, most people NEED to get south of 3.3. Grade inflation is a disease in America.

Medical schools are making a horrible mistake by considering GPA because a 3.3 from one school is not the same as 3.3 from another school. They need to make the MCAT a 5-day test not just a 5-hour test and use only MCAT scores.

The quality of education at Harvard Extension is indeed super-excellent. Faculty at the top schools have tenure and focus on research. They don't need to worry about teaching evaluations which are very strongly correlated with the grades they hand out. At lower tier schools, faculty are concerned about teaching evaluations - they want good evaluations so they hand out 4.0's like crazy.

 

[ShoTyme]

Do you want to revamp the entire education system in the United States, or do you want to be a doctor? You probably won't be able to do both. Choose your path young voyager.

 

[Slowpoke]

The quality of education at Harvard Extension is indeed super-excellent. Faculty at the top schools have tenure and focus on research. They don't need to worry about teaching evaluations which are very strongly correlated with the grades they hand out. At lower tier schools, faculty are concerned about teaching evaluations - they want good evaluations so they hand out 4.0's like crazy.

When I read your first post, I really wanted to write out some reasonable points to help you make your decision, but after what you just wrote (quoted from the above) I am inclined to not feed a troll.

 

[nurture]

When I read your first post, I really wanted to write out some reasonable points to help you make your decision, but after what you just wrote (quoted from the above) I am inclined to not feed a troll.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like a troll. I was merely pointing out realities like good teaching ratings are very strongly correlated with good grades or that faculty trying to attract more students into their classes award liberal grades.

But it looks like I did get the answer to my question: without exception everyone seems to have suggested a community college over Harvard Extension.

 

[giantswing]

I'd say go the CC route... But are you going to be prepared? Med school's going to be rough if you don't have a solid background in basic sciences.

 

[LupaCupcake]

This post has made me a little antsy because I intend to use harvard extension to finish up some prereqs I can't get here. (I do well with competition and pressure. I will be going in with a high GPA) I intend to walk out with A's and bust my bootie to do it, but threads like this make me scared. When people are picking a CC over harvard extension...I start to go

anyways..not trying to steal your thread back to topic..

 

[nurture]

This post has made me a little antsy because I intend to use harvard extension to finish up some prereqs I can't get here. (I do well with competition and pressure. I will be going in with a high GPA) I intend to walk out with A's and bust my bootie to do it, but threads like this make me scared. When people are picking a CC over harvard extension...I start to go

anyways..not trying to steal your thread back to topic..

Even on other forums, people picked out the community college over Harvard Extension. But there is a reason for that. Harvard Extension wants to send a signal that it is very difficult to graduate from, so they make it needlessly hard. People graduate with a GPA like 3.0. The Expository Writing course - most people fail. Most ace French-II but fail French-I, which seems ironic. But that's the chip on Harvard Extension's shoulder that's acting up. What worries me intensely is that people from the ALB program have almost never made it into a US medical school. I know only two kids who ever got in - and one went to Poland and the other to the Caribbean.

The % success rate of sponsored candidates in the post-bacc program - and mind you only a fraction of candidates are sponsored - is highly inflated, according to a Harvard professor I talked to. A Partners doctor from Mass General who is listed on the partners.org website told me the same thing. That the % of students in the post-bacc program getting into medical school is vastly exaggerated by Harvard Extension. If you look at the overall success rate - and not the sponsored success rate - that % is ridiculously low.

The way I see it, if a university is not open to revealing figures, those figures are NOT favorable to the university.

 

[thesauce]

Here's the plan: save your money, go to CC and get a high GPA, then study hard for the MCAT and get into med school.

 

[nurture]

Here's the plan: save your money, go to CC and get a high GPA, then study hard for the MCAT and get into med school.

Or maybe I should get a degree from a state university online and take pre-med courses at Harvard Extension? I am thinking of

B.S. Engineering: from a State university (online)
Premed coursework: Harvard Extension

That sounds good?
(I feel queasy graduating from a community college because med schools look down upon community colleges)

 

[nurture]

Here's the plan: save your money, go to CC and get a high GPA, then study hard for the MCAT and get into med school.

Yeah but med schools look down upon CCs.

 

[thesauce]

Yeah but med schools look down upon CCs.

But a reasonably high MCAT will more than compensate. The name of your undergrad institution is hardly the first thing that they look at.

 

[jdok]

OP,

What is Requiem for a Dream?

 

[nurture]

OP,

What is Requiem for a Dream?

I don't care for you or the Hubert Selbies of this world.