Someone help me this has been bothering me

[Dawsonkw]

okay so some of you may know i gotta go to a CC before i transfer into a university. I was wondering though, since i was told i should wait to take my pre reqs until i get into said university will it be a problem taking my MCATS and applying as a senior? i dont wanna take one of the more required tests without going through the classes first. i dunno any help is cool and thanks in advance

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[scattun]

Are you going to a community college for 1 or 2 years? If you are going for more than a year, than it will be pretty rough for you to complete the prereqs, take the MCAT, and apply during senior year, mainly because of the chemistry sequence. At most schools, chemistry is taken sequentially, so the four required semesters cannot overlap at all. Barring summer school, that means two years of courses. If you are going to take the 2 years in the community college, I would suggest taking the general bio, and general chem sequence at the community college, and then taking upper level bio, organic, and physics at your university in your third year.

 

[FuturaDocta]

Definitely take some pre-reqs at the CC, like english and math, especially if you are going to spend 2 years there.

I don't see anything wrong with taking a few introductory science pre-reqs at a CC. If it looks bad, then major in something science related at your future university. That way it shows that you can handle university level science classes (hopefully you do well in those ).

 

[Dawsonkw]

im only planning on going to CC for as long as i need to in order to transfer. i hope that it will be for one year but you never know. i plan on basically gving up my social life in order to maintain a high GPA and get all my classes done so do you think i'll be able to transfer after one year?

i mean honestly im only gonna be leaving my house to pick up my cannabis (i get it medically) and excercise so i think i most likely will be able to finish it if i work hard

thanks for the replies guys/gals. Much appreciated to anymore help

 

[Maygyver]

I would take prereqs that aren't necessarily hit hard on the MCAT at your CC to get them out of the way. However, I would take your science classes at Uni. I would suggest taking probably English and Math for instance at the CC and foreign language if you need them. If you are going to be a bio major, I guess you could take gen biology at your CC since you will be doing higher level bios later at the Uni. Good luck!

 

[Silverman780]

okay so some of you may know i gotta go to a CC before i transfer into a university. I was wondering though, since i was told i should wait to take my pre reqs until i get into said university will it be a problem taking my MCATS and applying as a senior? i dont wanna take one of the more required tests without going through the classes first. i dunno any help is cool and thanks in advance

Take them all there and just continue in more advanced science classes at the university, if you continue to get the same grades that will show you actually know the stuff.

 

[FuturaDocta]

Take them all there and just continue in more advanced science classes at the university, if you continue to get the same grades that will show you actually know the stuff.

This all depends on how well the CC prepares him/her for the upper level science courses at the university. What if the university is really kick ***** and he/she takes a really advanced course, it will be unlikely to make a stellar grade in the class compared to the continuing students that have been prepared by the university for the past two years. You know what I mean? I don't see anything wrong with taking most of your pre-reqs at the CC, but save a few for the university. And, if you want to major in bio/chem/phy, then take the intro courses (first two semesters) at the CC, but no more. I would save majority of your requirements for your major at the university. This would help avoid any pit falls in your GPA. G'luck!

 

[combatwombat]

It's kind of up to you whether to take the pre-reqs at CC or at the 4-year, there are pro's and cons each way. One thing to remember, though, is that rigorous pre-req classes are great preparation for the MCAT (as long as you study hard and get A's).

 

[xnfs93hy]

I would take prereqs that aren't necessarily hit hard on the MCAT at your CC to get them out of the way. However, I would take your science classes at Uni. I would suggest taking probably English and Math for instance at the CC and foreign language if you need them. If you are going to be a bio major, I guess you could take gen biology at your CC since you will be doing higher level bios later at the Uni. Good luck!

^ This.

 

[Dawsonkw]

thanks for all the replies guys. Would a guidance counselor be able to set me up to make it easier for me to understand. as of now im probably gonna take all the classes i can without overloading myself and save the major science classes for the university. although im gonna do whatever the guidance counselor sets up for me i guess i figure they know best

 

[FuturaDocta]

thanks for all the replies guys. Would a guidance counselor be able to set me up to make it easier for me to understand. as of now im probably gonna take all the classes i can without overloading myself and save the major science classes for the university. although im gonna do whatever the guidance counselor sets up for me i guess i figure they know best

Go talk to a pre-med counselor at the your future university and ask them what they would recommend. You may also want to talk to some of the science advisers (if possible) and ask what them about their perspective is with your situation (what classes you should save for the university and such). It never hurts to talk to these people since they probably give advice to people like you all the time.

 

[El Nino]

EDIT: I asked these med schools if completing all the pre med coursework at a CC was acceptable.

Here is a email response from the medical school (UCSF) in my neighborhood:

Dear Mr. El Nino,

Thank you for your email and interest in UCSF. Coursework can be completed at any accredited institution, including a community college.

Sincerely,
Office of Admissions
UCSF School of Medicine

However, here is Duke SOM response:

[FONT=Default Sans Serif,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]"When applying to the research-intensive medical schools, (pre-med science course work) completing course work at a community college is not recommended. "

Duke University School of Medicine
Office of Admissions
DUMC 3710
Durham, NC 27710
919-684-2985 - phone
919-668-3714 - fax
www.dukemed.duke.edu

_______________________________________________________________________

.I suggest you call, email or check the med school website

 

[Maygyver]

Honestly, I think a lot of schools will tell you it isn't "recommended" because they probably think that Uni courses are more rigorous (I think so, but it doesn't always hold true) so I'm sure if given the choice, they would rather you do them at Uni but, in the end, you do what you gotta do.

 

[Vicviper]

With the exception of a few schools that absolutely won't take CC credit, it's really not a big deal, and I would HIGHLY recommend taking 2 years to transfer, finishing your Gen Ed, and at least completing General Chemistry so you can take Organic once you transfer. My frame of mind was that I looked at the school I wanted to transfer too, and I took all of the science classes that Freshman and Sophomores would be taking there, so I wouldn't be behind once I actually did transfer. For some other reasons I actually ended up staying 3 years at the CC, and in that time I finished all my gen ed, a year of bio, general chem, Organic chem, and physics, and then I transferred and had a very enjoyable time only taking upper division classes, doing research, and focusing on my classes to do the best I could.

So, definitely take at least Gchem, most bio majors take that freshman year, and it's often a pre-req for other classes.

PS. As for preparation, I found the majority of my science professors at the CC to be far better teachers than most of the ones at my university.

 

[CoolWhipp]

The answer is obvious, professional schools will recommend you to take as many courses as you can at a 4 year. Some people do this, some people don't. You can get into a professional school either way. Whether you take classes at a community college or a 4 year, the doors won't close on you. You can be creative though, you don't need organic chemistry to transfer. Some of my colleagues transferred without taking physics and organic chemistry. They did these classes at a four year. They got great grades in physics and organic chemistry which my friends believe (and very possibly adcoms too) validates their gpa from their CC.

 

[Vicviper]

Yes, in the grand scheme, as long as you can find a way to prove to Adcoms that you can do well at the university level, you'll be fine. That can either be done by taking only a few pre-reqs before you transfer, or if you do end up taking a number of them before you transfer, just do awesome in upper division science classes.

 

[Dawsonkw]

alright cool you guys just made my stress levels go way down... of course once i get into school they'll go back up lol

so ill take Gen. Chem my english pre req's and maybe calc? while in the CC. i get to sign up july 20th so i cant wait. i've been out of school for way too long i've actually been going crazy with anticipation

 

[Vicviper]

That sounds great, I'd also suggest taking entry level majors bio, but check with the school you're transferring to to see what class they equate to their version of it. Normally the first semester bio class is like Proteins to Cells, and second semester is Cells to organisms, with some evolution, and basic genetics. Many schools also require that you take a certain number of science classes before you transfer to them (mine was a year of bio and a year of G chem + Calc).