Will completing an associates at a community college hurt my chances of getting into med-school?

[Rebecca-Lynn96]

At the end of this year I will have completed one year of community college. I am currently planning on transferring to UVA. If I don't get in this year, would it be unwise to finish my associates and go in under the guaranteed admissions agreement? I called both Baylor and UVA's medical schools and both said that it didn't matter. I'm hoping to get my masters before applying to medical school, as some schools in England and a couple in the states offer masters in global health and/or tropical medicine. So if I do a double major at UVA in Biochemistry and Global studies then went on to get my masters, will having two years of community college still hurt me?

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[KungFuPanda123]

I don't see why completing an associate's will ever hurt you. But I do think it's a waste of your time - no one cares about your Associate's if you have a masters/bachelor's. Just save time and money and transfer before completing your associate's.

 

[Rebecca-Lynn96]

The associates degree is not my focus. My focus is getting into UVA and completing my bachelors. What I meant was would completing two years of my bachelors at a community college hurt my chances of getting into medical school.

 

[amad01]

The associates degree is not my focus. My focus is getting into UVA and completing my bachelors. What I meant was would completing two years of my bachelors at a community college hurt my chances of getting into medical school.

there's well over 1000 threads of this exact topic.

 

[KungFuPanda123]

The associates degree is not my focus. My focus is getting into UVA and completing my bachelors. What I meant was would completing two years of my bachelors at a community college hurt my chances of getting into medical school.

Yes if you take all your premed classes there. Feel free to take some of your classes there, but don't take all your chem, bio, and physics there. It looks like you're taking the easy way out to take all those at a CC before transferring over to a 4 year university.

 

[amad01]

Yes if you take all your premed classes there. Feel free to take some of your classes there, but don't take all your chem, bio, and physics there. It looks like you're taking the easy way out to take all those at a CC before transferring over to a 4 year university.

this is simply speculation and isn't true. It could be that some uni's may look down on it but it is impossible to tell as every uni will have a bunch of different random people viewing apps. I took ALL premed classes (chem,bio,phys,ochem,calc,engl) at a CC and received 10+ MD interviews.

 

[Rebecca-Lynn96]

Thanks amad01, I appreciate the response. The reason I created my own thread was because I was curious how getting my masters would come into play.

 

[mmmcdowe]

moving to pre-allo

 

[Catalystik]

My focus is getting into UVA and completing my bachelors. What I meant was would completing two years of my bachelors at a community college hurt my chances of getting into medical school.

So long as your CC is a sufficiently rigorous institution to prepare you well for the MCAT, attending one will not hurt your chances at getting into med schools. A few of them have websites that "discourage" CC credits, but that doesn't mean you won't be considered if your application has the elements they're looking for.

 

[MrLogan13]

I have an AA and have received four II's and one acceptance so far this cycle. I think you'll be fine.

 

[Cardiologist1995]

I am starting community college Fall term 2015 I'm undecided I don't know whether I should get an AA degree or ASN degree and transfer and get a bachelors degree in biology, I need a job while I'm in school. I am also going to be volunteering and helping out around my community....

 

[MightBeACylon439]

I got an associates AFTER my bachelors. Starting med school in July.

 

[mcatqueen]

You should be fine, as long as you take some higher level science classes once you go to a university.

 

[Cardiologist1995]

Thanks for the info. Guys.

 

[MrLogan13]

I am starting community college Fall term 2015 I'm undecided I don't know whether I should get an AA degree or ASN degree and transfer and get a bachelors degree in biology, I need a job while I'm in school. I am also going to be volunteering and helping out around my community....

Curious, why are you planning on completing an ASN if you plan to go into medicine?

 

[Promethean]

Curious, why are you planning on completing an ASN if you plan to go into medicine?

Not the person you are asking, but two obvious answers spring to mind:

1) May be most of the way to completing ASN. Silly not to spend another handful of months to earn the credential, since it furthers over all educational goals, gets that much closer to completing undergrad degree.

and

2) School is freaking expensive. With work study, you can work 12 hours a week in the school bookstore for minimum wage. With an ASN, you can work 12 hours a week PRN as a nurse for 3-5x minimum wage. 1 weekend shift a week can book a lot of clinical hours and pay for room and board and other expenses.

 

[Cardiologist1995]

I wanted to complete the ASN because I wanted to get some clinical exposure and work to pay for school. It's difficult finding work without any degrees in South Florida where I am located. I also was willing to take my extra courses to pursue medicine but I will have to pay out of pocket.

 

[Cardiologist1995]

Besides, if you're a nurse you will have a greater chance at shadowing physicians because you'll be working with them most of the times.

 

[Promethean]

Besides, if you're a nurse you will have a greater chance at shadowing physicians because you'll be working with them most of the times.

Just don't get complacent. Nursing isn't a terrible life. If you hustle in the right specialties and the right markets, you can just about hit 6 figures. As an experienced OR nurse, I am bombarded with travel opportunities that could have me bringing home close to 2k per week, with living expenses covered. Now... that is for 13 week travel assignments working 48+ hours a week in highly undesirable locations that can't find local talent to fill their needs. Unless you go into a specialty where call is part of the gig, like OR or hospice, you can pretty well leave your work troubles behind when you punch the time clock. When you watch several cohorts of interns become residents and then fellows, and you compare their lifestyle and the sacrifices they have to make, it is easy to decide that being "just a nurse" isn't actually all that bad.
I had planned on using the RN to pay for med school. Then life happened, and for a while, it was easy to just keep doing what I was doing, while my dreams simmered away on the back burner. I'm in a situation where my lifetime earnings will likely be less due to going back to medical school. Going into primary care, I certainly won't be making a lot more than I would have able to earn as a nurse, though I will have a lot more responsibility. And I will have traded several high income earning years for the privilege of bearing that responsibility. Clearly, this makes no sense financially. So, it has to be that I am doing this because I can't help myself, because I will never be satisfied if I don't.

A lot of nurses have the idea to use it as a spring board to go into medicine. And many of them don't realize until it is too late (as defined by their own values and calculations, not some external time clock) that they put it off too long. Many of those go on to do the NP or PA route, and some are satisfied with that. Nothing wrong with that, except those roles don't deserve to be treated as last resort options for someone who really wanted something else.

Just... take it from one who has taken this walk... if you want to be a doctor, go for it. Keep your eyes on that prize and don't get bogged down on a tangent. If you want the RN to be a stepping stone, be sure that you don't settle down there.

 

[Cardiologist1995]

Thank you for the advices, I really appreciate it. I want the RN to be a stepping stone for me, due to the fact that I have no one in my family that are physicians or nurses. I am a first generation college student that comes from a low-income family. I've always wanted to become a physician since I was younger. Medical school isn't free or college and my plan was to work nights 12hr shifts at an LTC or Skilled Nursing Facility because most hospitals aren't hiring RN's with Associate degrees. They require BSN, but I don't want to pursue a bachelors in nursing if it's not something I really want too do, I rather give that seat to someone who really wants a career in nursing. Like I said earlier, having experience in nursing will give me a bit of clinical exposure and more opportunities to shadow physicians and get a better understanding in the field of medicine. I am going to start volunteering at a local hospital in June. Trust me, I am not going to get comfortable with nursing it's just something I want to do to help pay for school and personal expenses. Thank you once again!

 

[Promethean]

Thank you for the advices, I really appreciate it. I want the RN to be a stepping stone for me, due to the fact that I have no one in my family that are physicians or nurses. I am a first generation college student that comes from a low-income family. I've always wanted to become a physician since I was younger. Medical school isn't free or college and my plan was to work nights 12hr shifts at an LTC or Skilled Nursing Facility because most hospitals aren't hiring RN's with Associate degrees. They require BSN, but I don't want to pursue a bachelors in nursing if it's not something I really want too do, I rather give that seat to someone who really wants a career in nursing. Like I said earlier, having experience in nursing will give me a bit of clinical exposure and more opportunities to shadow physicians and get a better understanding in the field of medicine. I am going to start volunteering at a local hospital in June. Trust me, I am not going to get comfortable with nursing it's just something I want to do to help pay for school and personal expenses. Thank you once again!

That is basically my story, too. Don't be so sure that you can't get hospital jobs with an ASN. They might want BSN, but depending on your local job market, they may hire the nurses they can get, not the one's they wish they could get.

Also, if that is a photo of you, you might want to reconsider using it as your avatar. It is generally considered ideal to be anonymous on these forums. You never know when some offhand comment might come back to haunt you. Or when you might want to speak frankly about something and feel constrained because people could link it with you IRL. My cover was blown a long time ago, though I do still try to keep some details a little vague, so you have to know me in person or really want to in order to make a positive ID. Just don't make it TOO easy.