Will my undergrad credits transfer?

[Amk90]

Hey, so im starting to get a little worried and figured I'd see what you guys think.

Im in the military, right now stationed overseas. I've been taking online credits through American Military University (I know...not considered the greatest choice but I didnt see any other option for schooling over here). At least its regionally accredited. I've completed about 50 credits, most of which have been general education. I didnt take any of my pre-med requirements online. Just took a bunch of History classes, literature, and some psych / soc.

I have gen chem I / II, 4 credits in bio, and intro to physics completed from a traditional reputable school (Portland State University) all with A's besides physics which I got a B-. Combined GPA with my AMU classes and classes from PSU is a 3.8.

Once I come back to the states I'll have about 70 credits completed total and I want to transfer back to a regular school in New York (home residence). Ill be out of the Military by then and i'm worried about my AMU credits transferring. I dont want the time I spent on them to be worthless. Believe it or not they were actually pretty demanding at times with the amount of writing required.

Should I finish a degree through AMU (Still have over 60 credits left) or do you think they will transfer to a traditional school in NY? I really hope they'll transfer, I dont want to have to finish through AMU.

I want to finish at a traditional school and complete the pre-reqs that I have left then study my ass off and rock the MCAT 🙂. I know I should be asking specific schools, I've already sent a few emails out (Havent heard anything back yet). Figured I'd see what you guys think....nothing better to do out here in my free time then surf the forums anyway lol

Thanks for the help!

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[elbowss]

I wouldn't count on all of it transferring, or even most of it. You might be able to fill in some electives with it, but much more than that would be a stretch. The 'pre-med' courses on top of a regular major is generally a pretty specific set of courses that doesn't leave a lot of room for variation. Even if they don't all transfer, you probably want to finish your degree at a traditional school. My understanding is that most medical schools don't take online degrees very seriously.

Even if a school won't take them all, it won't be a waste of time. You're honing your writing skills and mastering good study habits in a demanding environment.

 

[Amk90]

I wouldn't count on all of it transferring, or even most of it. You might be able to fill in some electives with it, but much more than that would be a stretch. The 'pre-med' courses on top of a regular major is generally a pretty specific set of courses that doesn't leave a lot of room for variation. Even if they don't all transfer, you probably want to finish your degree at a traditional school. My understanding is that most medical schools don't take online degrees very seriously.

Even if a school won't take them all, it won't be a waste of time. You're honing your writing skills and mastering good study habits in a demanding environment.

Gotcha, thought that might be the case.

What if I went this route, for example: Once I got back to NY, I take x amount of credits / classes (Including finishing my pre-med req's) that I need to graduate from AMU but take the classes from a college like SUNY Stonybrook or Hofstra or NYU. Then transfer them back to AMU to complete my degree. Does everyone else think the same thing, if I do that will medical schools look down on my online degree despite the fact that 50+ credits are from a brick and mortar school including pre-req's?

Or is that a viable option? Medical schools will see that I can earn the grades in a traditional college setting but ill have the degree from AMU.

Dont take this the wrong way, I'm in no real rush to get to medical school. I want to do it the right way, but if I can save 2+ more years of undergrad using the credits I already earned I wouldn't mind

 

[elbowss]

That's a really good idea. Hopefully someone weighs in because I'm curious now. I transferred 68 credits from community college, clep, and a similar military focused online school, and ended up getting 24 of them to count towards my bio degree, after really having to put up a fight for a few. Seven as electives... Felt pretty shafted at the time. If your approach is a viable one then it's one I wish I had considered! Good luck.

 

[psychwanderer]

I actually finished my degree in business from AMU. I e-mailed multiple MD and DO schools asking if this degree would hurt my chances, and they said as long as the school is regionally accredited (which APUS is) than you should be good. They said that they WILL NOT accept online prereqs. I finished my degree via multiple CLEPs and classes, and the school I want to go to will not recognize any CLEPs for their prereqs, like psychology, sociology and English. So be aware of that if you are planning on CLEPing anything. I am getting out of the Marines in December and will be going back to Indiana and attending Purdue to take all my prereqs and to take the classes I mentioned for a grade. Best of luck to you and ensure that you get good grades at the brick and mortar school, have a superior MCAT and have adequate volunteer hours so that ADCOM knows that you are serious. Don't take my advice as gold though, I'm just passing what I have been told and what I have discovered thus far.

 

[Amk90]

I actually finished my degree in business from AMU. I e-mailed multiple MD and DO schools asking if this degree would hurt my chances, and they said as long as the school is regionally accredited (which APUS is) than you should be good. They said that they WILL NOT accept online prereqs. I finished my degree via multiple CLEPs and classes, and the school I want to go to will not recognize any CLEPs for their prereqs, like psychology, sociology and English. So be aware of that if you are planning on CLEPing anything. I am getting out of the Marines in December and will be going back to Indiana and attending Purdue to take all my prereqs and to take the classes I mentioned for a grade. Best of luck to you and ensure that you get good grades at the brick and mortar school, have a superior MCAT and have adequate volunteer hours so that ADCOM knows that you are serious. Don't take my advice as gold though, I'm just passing what I have been told and what I have discovered thus far.

Good to know, thanks. I emailed a few med schools as well, in the NY area though. Still waiting to hear back from them but ill let you know if what they say is similar to what you've found out.