<p>I really hate to ***** about this but that's hearsay.</p>
<p>You're free to investigate.</p>
<p>Since I've seen you spout that line numerous times, I thought you could back it up; the proof is on you, buddy. You respond to most of the threads on this forum with help. I'm asking you. I have been investigating, and the closest thing I've found to "we don't accept CC credit" is: </p>
<h1>Are community college classes accepted as prerequisite course credit?</h1>
<p>They may be; but the Admissions Committee generally expects students to complete all prerequisite courses at a 4-year undergraduate institution.
Medical</a> School Admissions FAQ</p>
<p>On the other hand, I'm not all that curious about the matter.</p>
<p>The poster in question was a very reliable person. He called admissions committees directly and asked them. They gave him a response which he trusted, and made his decision appropriately. He felt that it was only considerate to come here and post his findings, and I trust them. He wasn't arguing that CC's were inferior; he himself was a student at one. He just made the best decision for his own career plans and was generous enough to share his findings with us here. My curiousity on the issue has been satisfied, and the information gets passed along to those who ask us for our opinions.</p>
<p>miss_zombie, they have no reason to lie. Trust them . Don't trust them. I think you will find some med schools that would let you in with an exemplary record and some CC hours. Even substantial hours. But is it a good idea if there are other choices available? No. But you do what you have to do and believe what you need to believe. </p>
<p>Now, if I were you what bdm and norcalguy have said would concern me greatly. I'd call every medical school in the state where I live to verify their stance on CC hours, and CC courses for prerequisites. And living at home whether attending a 2 or 4 year school can't really be considered a good thing unless there is a really good reason- caregiver for an invalid sibling, something like that. Other than that , it doesn't exactly point to maturity or independence, does it?</p>
<p>Good luck, and realize this - nobody is dinging you to be mean. We are trying to convey information to you that we believe could help you in your quest to be a viable candidate for admission. Nobody here is the Hannibal Lecter of message boards. Nobody is out to get you. Now, if you keep talking nonsense about "spouting" and "the proof is on you, buddy" then I make no promises. People may actually be after you. But that will be your choice.</p>
<p>Most med schools will tell you that they prefer your prereqs to be taken at a 4-year college. If you are able to attend a 4-year college straight out of HS, I don't understand why you wouldn't. Med schools get way too many applications (50-100 applications for every seat). They are just looking for an excuse to reject your @$$. </p>
<p>A legitimate reason for going to a CC would be if you have a sick parent that needs taking care of or if you have to take care of your siblings. Saving a few bucks or being afraid to leave the nest would not be great reasons for going to a CC.</p>
<p>The thing is that some people aren't motivated in high-school. They get bad grades and have no choice but to attend a community college. No one plans to be a doctor since the day they were born. Sometimes the ambition is spontaneous. This was my case. In high-school I was surrounded by really lazy people who were more concerned about drugs, gang activity, and promiscuous sex, than with college admissions. That taken with the fact that my parents didn't really care, well, you can see how I would turn out. Of course, as people mature they get smarter and can begin to differentiate between right and wrong. I only realized I wanted to be a doctor my senior year. But by then it's too late. No 4 year school is going to take me in. So I have no choice but to attend a community college. I hope this is a legitimate reason.</p>
<p>Forget the anti-CC bias. I paid my own way through college and using CC for 2 yrs helped a lot...then highest honors at a state university and ND for LS. It's not going to hurt you if you perform well.</p>
<p>Re: Posts #27, 28:
As stated in post #18:
[quote]
Excellence is a panacea. But why put yourself in such an uphill battle if you don't have to?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>If that's where you gain admission, then that's where you go. If that's where you can afford, that's where you go. But in the absence of choice constraints, this is not an ideal plan.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The thing is that some people aren't motivated in high-school.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The thing is that some people ARE motivated in high school. There are plenty of people that don't know what they want to do as adults, and they still earn great grades. You're at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>Again, it's time to put excuses behind you. You've done what you've done. Take what you've learned from your experiences, get yourself on track, and excel. As I see it, it's now or never.</p>
<p>"There are plenty of people that don't know what they want to do as adults, and they still earn great grades. You're at a disadvantage."</p>
<p>Well, I do have great grades(3.9) The only disadvantage is that I'm at a community college. </p>
<p>"Again, it's time to put excuses behind you. You've done what you've done. Take what you've learned from your experiences, get yourself on track, and excel. As I see it, it's now or never."</p>
<p>I'm not making excuses for anything. What do I need a excuse for? I'm not failing. I'm doing well. I'm just saying that given my situation, going to a community college is justified. I didn't have a choice.And I'm hoping med-school will take that into account( maybe via personal statement) Also, If you were in my place, wouldn't you feel wronged, betrayed and indignant?</p>
<p>
[quote]
there is nothing worth doing at a community college
[/quote]
[quote]
In high-school I was surrounded by really lazy people who were more concerned about drugs, gang activity, and promiscuous sex, than with college admissions. That taken with the fact that my parents didn't really care, well, you can see how I would turn out.
[/quote]
[quote]
physics mechanics W(withdraw);General Chem 1a W(withdraw)
[/quote]
[quote]
If you were in my place, wouldn't you feel wronged, betrayed and indignant?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>1.) A 3.9 GPA is "masking" a couple of pretty prominent failures.
2.) You're right that given your admissions status, community college was the best choice.
3.) NO. If what you've described is your complete situation, there is certainly no reason to feel wronged, betrayed, or indignant. You were placed in a situation where it would have been very easy -- very easy -- to rise to the top of your class and stand out. In a high school like that, nobody's asking you for a 1500. What they're hoping is that you'll be an excellent student for that high school. If you're accurately describing your high school -- filled with gang warfare and drug abuse -- then it sounds to me like Ivy Leagues would have drooled after you if only you could have given them some kind of excuse for accepting you. Instead, what you describe is a pattern of using your circumstances as an excuse for failure.</p>
<p>You did poorly in high school, you tell us, because it was a bad high school and because your parents neglected you. You did poorly in college (the W's) because it was a bad high school. You don't want to do anything in your college because there's nothing to do because you did poorly in high school because it was a bad high school.</p>
<p>As Shades told you a few posts above: now or never.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Wronged, betrayed, indignant?
[/quote]
Sorry you weren't born a member of the Lucky Sperm Club. It may not be fair to ask you to put all that behind you and never think about that again, but that is what you will have to do to achieve your goals. You simply can't give yourself such a ready excuse for failure. </p>
<p>I have a great friend who I have posted about before that not only went to CC, he went at night and on Saturdays. He worked construction all week to support his family. Maybe 2 courses a semester. Well, he watched me go to Law School (I was getting a couple of required courses out of the way). He has told me that his thought was "Damn. Here I was all p'o'ed that I didn't have the opportunity those rich kids across town were given by their 'diddy' but if this blue-collar clown can do it - I can do it, too." LOL. And he was right. He is now a very successful big firm real estate attorney in Austin. </p>
<p>He stopped giving himself a built-in excuse for failure. </p>
<p>Do what you have to do, but learn to take advice in the spirit it was given. .</p>
<p>"You were placed in a situation where it would have been very easy -- very easy -- to rise to the top of your class and stand out."</p>
<p>@BDM Not nessicarily, If someone is surrounded by lazy people with absurd credos, then that someone will be such a person. Look at it this way, if someone grew up in a Japanese speaking community, then that person will most likely speak Japanese. This same concept explains why the middle east is predominately Muslim, why Hispanics tend to be more "touchy", why the Chinese value fidel piety, etc. Studies show that people tend to conform to their environment. And that is exactly what I did. And I agree with your notion that it would be easy to top the school that I went to. Looking back, being the Valedictorian of such a school would be a total cakewalk. But I didn't want to be a "loser" or "dork". I wanted to fit in. So there, I explained why the situation was out of my control. </p>
<p>I agree with you, its now or never. And I'm making efforts to improve myself, that why I'm on this forum. But when you ascribe my high-school insouciance to be my fault, I definitely cannot agree.</p>
<p>@curmedgeon, It can be very difficult at times to not look back. Life sucked in high school. All my talent was wasted. I try to stay positive and focus on the future even though I've been conditioned to feel worthless. Also, many people don't realize just how humiliated I am to attend a community college. Again, I'm not giving myself an excuse for current my short comings. I't just hard to forget.</p>
<p>1.) It's ridiculous to compare language to academic ineligibility.</p>
<p>2.) Even so, all you've said was that you wanted to fit in. To use language like "out of my countrol" is absurd. Did you have a tendency? Of course. Were you statistically more likely to do poorly? Obviously. But "out of your control" is a ridiculous overstatement. Your academic career was always under your control.</p>
<p>"Were you statistically more likely to do poorly? "</p>
<p>But that is what matters. If the mean is to do poorly, then chances are that I would end up doing poorly. It doesn't make sense to talk about outlying data points. Especially since they rarely occur. When I said "out of my control", I meant that it would have been extremely improbable for me to become academically eligible. Do you honestly expect a immature 15 yearold to all of the sudden say, " I know what, I want to go to Harvard and be a doctor."? People need role models to look up to.</p>
<p>"Your academic career was always under your control."</p>
<p>Right now it is under my control since I am mature enough to know whats right and wrong. Back then, I had no control</p>
<p>There's a difference between suggesting that you were likely to make certain choices -- which is what I'm saying -- and your argument, which is that you never had any choice in the matter whatsoever, which is ridiculous.</p>
<p>By the way -- the community college you currently attend is actually in a very affluent neighborhood. I'm curious to hear which high school you went to.</p>
<p>And you don't think doctors are outlying data points? Without sounding too arrogant, doctors are among the smartest, most hardworking, and most driven people in the population. Simply being the mean won't get you into medicine.</p>
<p>At one of my recent interviews, I was asked about my background. I talked about growing up in the city and attending inner city schools (obviously I didn't grow up in Cupertino or California). In fact, the school I attended had an API of 300+ and had to be shut down by the district due to severe underachievement. But, I explicitly said that I considered my background an advantage. In fact, it was my answer when I was asked: "What are two things you wouldn't change about your life?" It made me realize I didn't want to be like everyone else. I didn't want to settle for what my school had to offer. I took the initiative, went to the library, read books, and learned stuff on my own outside of school. And I credit where I am today to the fact that I couldn't afford to be complacent.</p>
<p>The past is done. But, don't use it as an excuse. Medical schools are looking for unique individuals, not people who are looking to fall in with the norm.</p>