Stigma of doing premed pre-reqs at a Community College?

[Rapsidy]

@rapisdy did you take other advanced courses at 4 year college ?

no advanced hard science courses so I had almost no science GPA whatsoever when I started my DIY post bac at CC. My bachelors major was psychology. I did have a 4.0 in my masters but it still wasn’t a hard science masters so the 4.0 has little bearing for many schools.

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[jhmmd]

Prestige is definitely a part of it, money less so (SWE can make similar amounts).

The job security is probably the number 1 consideration (practice medicine until you're really, really old). Not a fan of how tech subtly pushes people out after they hit the old, barren age of 40.

Or how the underlying technologies radically shift every 5 years or so. Imagine finally becoming an expert at something and then having it not matter and you're equated to some 21 year old fresh grad who's up-to-date and willing to work for half your salary. Very concerning.

Hi crazyotter,

I'm not in the tech/computer sci sector, but I feel like you may be worrying a little too much about the job security aspect. It goes by the company you're working for--I feel like you're generalizing a little too much. Yes, colleges are pumping out 22 year-olds every day who are willing to work for pennies, but if you have an established rapport w/your supervisors/colleagues, your job is not going anywhere.

Maybe start going to BBB meetings to network with people to drum up some more business? I have no idea what your job is like, but if you're affable and well-liked, I don't think you need to worry so much about your job being lost to a 20 something. You have your degree. That was hard work, and is something to be valued--by yourself as well as others.

Just some things to think about.

 

[medaspire1]

>> but if you have an established rapport w/your supervisors/colleagues, your job is not going anywhere.
>>, but if you're affable and well-liked,

Well said and agree 100% , am in tech industry for a looooong time more that I want to be and I can attest to it . End of the day it is a team of people who are working together to get something day .. you either fit or you dont fit .. however smart you are if you dont have the above two it is difficult to survive .. am sure it is the same for all jobs .. There are individual contributor roles too but the majority is team work

 

[crazyotter]

So update to a post that I made previously about letting you know if DIY post back at CC’s would be lethal to an application. I received an interview invite at UICOM, a MD school earlier this week, and I was floored humbled and stunned. I applied MD thinking that if I got an interview at all it would be late in the cycle after they went through their much stronger applicants. And I didn’t just take 1 or 2 courses in CC, I took gen chem 1 and 2, biology, anatomy, physics 1 and 2, Orgo 1 and 2 and biochemistry, so 9 courses total.

Obviously an interview invite is not an acceptance and it’s a long road ahead, but at least for n=1, it certainly wasn’t lethal for me.

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Good luck and congrats for snagging an interview!

 

[manwelio]

I'll keep things short:

27 year old male.

I graduated in 2015 with a degree in Political Science (arts). Got a 2.24 GPA.

Worked in IT for 3 years, then went back to get a second Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. Will graduate this year with an expected 3.78 GPA.

Post-Bac CAS puts my overall GPA at about 2.78.

After exceeding my personal expectations in a STEM degree, I've decided to pursue a long-time dream: becoming a doctor.

I've been eyeing taking my premed prereqs at a community college, but understand that 4-years are typically preferred. But financially, CC just works out a lot better on my wallet and finances.

My plan is to take premed prereqs, a few extra classes at CC to bump up my cGPA to a 2.9-3.0, ace the MCAT, get volunteering experience, and then try my luck with a DO program. If it doesn't go well, then maybe I'll do an SMP. But it looks like a lot of SMP's have GPA requirements for 3.0+.

I have two questions that I would love to get responses for:

1) Is it "OK" to take premed prereqs at a community college?

2) Do I have a serious shot or will my first GPA get me laughed out the door?

I have read Goro's guide for reinvention and am hanging onto every word of it, but a 2.24 GPA in a past degree just seems fatal. Happy to have found this forum and am looking forward to responses.

Having reached out recently to a few DO programs, and keep in mind they are considered "less competitive" than MD programs, community college is only acceptable at the 100 or 200 level, aka freshman and sophomore year. So say you need gen chem and o-chem, or freshman bio, or intro to physics or psychology, those are fine at community college, but if you need to take a high-level bio course to show advanced coursework skills, they want a four-year school, and only a few online courses suffice for that as well, UNE being one of them. MD programs take a much more rigorous approach and in my opinion, based on research, it's not even worth it to apply to an MD program unless you have a significant post-bac program in your resume with solid grades and references, and/or research backing you in a STEM field or related field. You could be a PhD in psychology with some middling chemistry grades and you're more competitive than someone taking community college courses just looking to do minimum requirements.

That being said, if you're living in Montana, Wyoming, or Idaho and you're hoping University of Utah or MD programs in Washington will take you so you can go be a family physician in Cheyanne, you might sound more competitive on a regional level than someone whose greatest ambition is to live in LA and be a plastic surgeon. Narrative is important. If they think you're 1 in 10,000, you aren't competitive, but if they think you're 1 in 30, ehhhh, you might have better luck. It depends.

 

[crazyotter]

Having reached out recently to a few DO programs, and keep in mind they are considered "less competitive" than MD programs, community college is only acceptable at the 100 or 200 level, aka freshman and sophomore year. So say you need gen chem and o-chem, or freshman bio, or intro to physics or psychology, those are fine at community college, but if you need to take a high-level bio course to show advanced coursework skills, they want a four-year school, and only a few online courses suffice for that as well, UNE being one of them. MD programs take a much more rigorous approach and in my opinion, based on research, it's not even worth it to apply to an MD program unless you have a significant post-bac program in your resume with solid grades and references, and/or research backing you in a STEM field or related field. You could be a PhD in psychology with some middling chemistry grades and you're more competitive than someone taking community college courses just looking to do minimum requirements.

That being said, if you're living in Montana, Wyoming, or Idaho and you're hoping University of Utah or MD programs in Washington will take you so you can go be a family physician in Cheyanne, you might sound more competitive on a regional level than someone whose greatest ambition is to live in LA and be a plastic surgeon. Narrative is important. If they think you're 1 in 10,000, you aren't competitive, but if they think you're 1 in 30, ehhhh, you might have better luck. It depends.

Unfortunately, I have no advantage in terms of geography and race. I'm an Asian living in California. Go figure.

Edit: from what I've read on SDN, being an Asian from California may actually be a severe disadvantage.

 

[jhmmd]

Unfortunately, I have no advantage in terms of geography and race. I'm an Asian living in California. Go figure.

Edit: from what I've read on SDN, being an Asian from California may actually be a severe disadvantage.

Yea some people take drastic measures such as moving to a whole new state to boost their chances. Be aware that (for most schools) you have to be a legal resident (and own/rent property, not just rent a P.O. box) for at least a year for this to count towards being an in-state resident.

What did you decide to do?

 

[manwelio]

Unfortunately, I have no advantage in terms of geography and race. I'm an Asian living in California. Go figure.

Edit: from what I've read on SDN, being an Asian from California may actually be a severe disadvantage.

Blergh. Yeah. I take it you're hoping to stay in-state? What about Oregon's two schools? One is in Portland (MD) and the other is DO program in Lebanon. It's a newer program and if you're interested in becoming a family doctor and not a specialist you may find better wiggle room there.