Pre-Reqs at a JC ok?

[HYCW]

After lots of thinking, I'm quitting my job to get my OD degree! What a relief to have that decision behind me. Now, I have to figure out HOW to get my pre-reqs done as quickly as possible.

For those of you who left the work force to do this, how long did it take you to do the pre-reqs? I'm hoping to cram it all in a 1.5 years, so that I'd be applying to start in '05. Doable, or am I shooting myself in the foot?

Also very important: does it matter WHERE I take my pre-reqs? There are JCs near me (Santa Monica CC and Los Angeles Valley CC), but I don't know how competitive I would be if I went there instead of, say, UCLA or a Cal State. Also, in terms of JCs, is one better than the other? I know SMC has a better rep, but LA Valley is closer. Should I brave the commute and go to SMC or will my classes at Valley suffice?

Please help! Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!

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[cpw]

I quit my job to go back and finish pre-reqs for OD school too. Since I lived in northern california at the time.. I called UCB to find out which community college would count and which ones looked better on an application. They didn't help me much.

The people at SCCO were WONDERFUL in helping figure out which classes would count for them. (and other OD schools they even cross referenced it for me) They told me which colleges, which classes and even helped me figure out if they offered the night classes I needed. I worked full time while taking my pre-reqs.

Good luck! You've done the hardest part.. figuring out what you want to do with the rest of your life. If you have other questions about the process feel free to ask. We're all here to help and a lot of us have been in the same boat.

 

[r_salis]

I quit my job in July 2001 to go back to school full-time to finish my pre-reqs with the same schedule in mind. Including a summer session, it took me 1-1/2 years to take essentially all the science pre-reqs (I didn't need to take 1st semester general chem or calc/stat). I took the OAT in Oct 2002 and applied to schools around the same time, interviewed in the fall, and I'll be starting this fall at SUNY. I was a little concerned about whether I'd be able to handle a full load of science courses after having been out of school for awhile, but it turned out not to be a problem at all. For me, at least, having a clear focus and a little more maturity made all the difference.

I took all of my pre-reqs at a 4-year university (the same one where I did my undergrad degree) because it was close to where I lived, and tuition was reasonable since it was a state school. As cpw suggested, you might want to ask the admissions departments at the opt schools you're interested in about the specific community colleges where you plan to take your pre-reqs.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide to do!

 

[Richard_Hom]

Dear HYCW,

I did a portion of my pre-req's at a JC and at UC Davis. The best way to check on pre-req's is to make sure the classes you take at the JC are trasnferrable to the UC System. Actually, your JC counselor or its catalog will do a better job than UC itself in finding out the definitive information.

Originally posted by HYCW
does it matter WHERE I take my pre-reqs? There are JCs near me (Santa Monica CC and Los Angeles Valley CC),

Richard