Why the Community College Discrimination?

[EagerYoungPremed]

Hello,

I'm in high school and will be doing some premed prerequisites at my two year college I'm dual enrolled in. I've been advised to not take those prereqs but will be doing a few like gen chem 2 and the bio series. It's frustrating med schools discriminate at two year colleges since I did not consider this when joining my dual enrollment program. I don't feel like wasting my senior year not doing prereqs and just doing easy courses. I have to admit, the gen ed classes are pretty easy but so are gen eds at 4 year schools according to various friends and family members. The science classes in my school are legitimate though. My anatomy and physiology course and its lab are thorough and have low averages on tests. Would this be an issue even if I transfer to a four year school after getting my AA and do orgo, physics, biochem, and many upper level biology courses?

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[DokterMom]

In terms of getting into medical school, dual enrollment can only hurt you.

Get an A in the course and no one is impressed because, after all, it was 'only' at a community college. Get less than an A, and because it counts toward your college GPA, your application is already slightly diminished.

If your financial situation is such that the less expensive classes truly matter, then just be sure you get an A, but expect that there will be gaps in your preparation compared to general chem or bio taken by science majors at your four-year school.

If your financial situation is less tight, go ahead and take the class but drop the dual-enrollment aspect, then retake for an easier A at your four year school.

 

[pillowfighty]

Discrimination against community colleges exist because of the mindset that if you're not in a 4 year private university or the best state school you're a nobody. There is nothing wrong with being in community college to start, I'm in one right now. They have great transfer programs for their students as long as you have a good GPA and do some extra curriculars, which you probably will be doing as a pre-med.

For me, I graduated high school early and went straight to community college because it's cheaper and instead of me going to a Cal State straight out of the gate, I'm going to a UC, which is the better option.

Discrimination does exist, but just get a great GPA, study hard, transfer to a good school, and do some EC's. If you're taking the prereqs at a cc but are going to a 4 year after your senior year, it's a waste of not using your university's name. Especially when they are prereq sciences that are important for the MCAT.

I don't know everything but hope that helps!

 

[907914]

There are some medical schools that directly speak to this idea of community college courses. This may give a little better insight in how the underlying “culture” or “attitude” of admission committee members, whether a formal policy or not, may perceive applicants who choose summer or community college coursework. While this list is not exhaustive, it is representative enough to help advise students who are considering such a step.

SUNY Upstate College of Medicine
Frequently Asked Questions | College of Medicine |SUNY Upstate Medical University
“Applicants should avoid taking more than one or two prerequisite science courses during the summer and avoid taking them at community colleges.”

Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
http://icahn.mssm.edu/education/medical/admissions/regular-track/requirements
Q: Can I take my courses at a community college, or must I take them at a four-year college or university?
A: We have no requirement about where you take courses, though the Committee on Admissions does take that into consideration in evaluating your application.

Johns Hopkins Medical School
Prerequisites and Requirements| Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine M.D. Admissions
The School of Medicine accepts prerequisites completed at the community college level. In order to be competitive in the selection process, we encourage prospective applicants with community college prerequisites to supplement these courses by taking advanced courses in related subjects at their four year institution.

University of Florida College of Medicine
FAQ
Q: Can I take the prerequisite courses at my local community/junior college?
A: In order to create the most academically competitive application you should take all prerequisite courses at the most competitive bachelor’s degree granting institution where you can gain entrance. You should try to complete your pre-requisite courses at a four-year institution

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
https://www.einstein.yu.edu/educati...pplication-procedure/course-requirements.aspx
Whereas course work at a four-year college or university is our benchmark, if a student chooses to meet a competency component via an alternate route such as through laboratory experience, through an advanced placement course, a course taken at a community college, a course taken abroad (during a semester abroad for which the undergraduate U.S. degree-granting institution gives credit, or for which AMCAS will verify and report the grade), or an online course, he or she should seek guidance from his or her advisor to ensure that the option meets the above guidelines as well as the rigorous academic standard required by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

George Washington University
MD Program Frequently Asked Questions | The School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Do you accept community college credits?
Yes. The Committee on Admissions does accept coursework taken at a community college; however, it is preferable to have the pre-medical coursework taken at a four-year college or university.

Florida State University College of Medicine
http://med.fsu.edu/?page=mdAdmissions.admissionRequirement
Listed below is the pre-requisite coursework required for all matriculates to the FSU COM. Advanced Placement, CLEP, and dual enrollment credits fulfill the course requirements. However, courses taken in a traditional classroom at a four-year institution are considered to be more academically competitive.

Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
MD Program Admissions Requirements | Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Two pre-requisite science courses can be fulfilled with AP credits, community college courses or through a study abroad program.

Texas A&M Health Sciences Center College of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine Progam
Policy on AP Credits, Credits by Exam, and Dual Credit
We generally prefer that applicants take the prerequisite courses at 4-year accredited colleges and universities rather than utilize advanced placement credits, credits by exam, dual-credit, pass/fail course work or community college courses. We do not dismiss these credits; and, if they have been taken, we will accept them toward meeting the prerequisites. In fact, if an applicant has placed out of a required level course, we will also accept another course in that discipline at the same or higher level. Again, our preference is that applicants take graded courses at 4-year institutions, particularly the prerequisites in the biological sciences and the chemistry series.

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
http://www.medschool.vcu.edu/admissions/md/faq/#q43
Are community college classes accepted as prerequisite course credit?
They may be, but the Admissions Committee generally expects students to complete all prerequisite courses at a four-year undergraduate institution.

Yale
https://medicine.yale.edu/education/admissions/apply/premed.aspx
Pre-medical courses must be completed in a U.S., U.K., or Canadian college or university. U.S. Community College courses are acceptable, provided that the courses include laboratory work and are comparable in content to courses at four-year colleges, universities, or institutes of technology.

Weill Cornell
http://weill.cornell.edu/education/admissions/app_faq.html
Can I take my prerequisite courses at a Community College?
It is not recommended.

Do you know if the same stigma against community colleges would be held for someone who took classes at a typically four-year institution that granted a two-year degree? For instance, I have an associates in science from George Washington.

None of these classes were the prerequisites, however they were things like clinical chemistry hematology microbiology etc

 

[907914]

An associates degree preceding a bachelors is likely to still raise inherent bias from the belief that the education is not as rigorous.

Gotcha, and I guess that makes sense. What if none of the credits from the AS went towards the bachelors?

 

[dr_kateb]

Classes are less rigorous. Knew a guy that failed calculus I 5 (yes, five) times and finally got through it at a CC.

 

[LizzyM]

In a recent perspective paper in The New England Journal of Medicine, four physicians note,
"Community college attendance is often viewed negatively by medical schools in the admissions process, despite being a critical educational pathway for many students from underrepresented groups. Moreover, admitting a greater proportion of students who attended community college could be a potential strategy for bolstering the primary care workforce, since such students are more likely to undertake residency training in family medicine than their peers who did not attend community college.4"
4. Talamantes E, Jerant A, Henderson MC, et al. Community college pathways to medical school and family medicine residency training. Ann Fam Med 2018;16:302-307.

Will this change any minds among adcom members? It remains to be seen.

 

[atomi]

There is a strong prejudice against the lower and working classes by elite academia. Given their extreme liberal/leftist slant, I find this extremely hypocritical (the 200 year old walls in the ivory tower are covered with both ivy and cognitive dissonance).

For the lower class Americans and first generation college students, the general path is associates degree, often while working part time, followed by transfer to a four year state school. This process can take well over the normal 4-5 years (which also "looks" bad in their eyes as they just see lazy). And even with a perfect GPA, the elite schools will look down on this person either subconsciously or consciously as stupider or less capable than someone from a wealthy family who went the private prep school --> ivy league route grad at 21 with zero employment history route.

It's a shame and certainly there are exceptions, but this bias is real. It doesn't mean you can't claw your way to the top through the CC system, but it's more likely going to involve a route through a less elite med school more willing to give you a fair shake.

 

[ClimbsRox]

There are a lot of reasons why people discriminate, a few are valid, but most are prejudice and misunderstanding. That being said, going to community college was, without a doubt, the best decision I have made in my life. I am starting an MD/PhD in the Fall and I plan to keep my CC degree on my CV for the rest of my life. More people need to know the value community colleges have.