I was thinking of taking an intro Biology course over the summer. I also wanted to take physics at a community college. Do med schools care? Do they care even more that they are science classes? I was previously told GPA is the only thing that matters.
Will these courses be shown as transfer credit on your current 4-yr college transcript or submitted to med school directly on a community college transcript? That might make a difference.
they will be shown as transfer credit on my current 4 year college transcript
Then there should be no problem that I can see as long as your current college accepts them as transfer credit. Make sure of that last bit, since several (many?) of the top 4-yr colleges will not accept transfer credits from a community college.
https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/faq/amcas-faq/ indicates that, for medical school applications, transcripts are required for all colleges where courses were attempted, regardless of whether completed courses were accepted for transfer credit elsewhere. So they will see that you took a summer course at a different college from where you were enrolled at during the fall and spring semesters. And some of them may see that as a sign that you are trying to avoid competition, particularly if you are normally enrolled at a four year school but take the summer course at a community college.
The reason I am taking it at a community college is because it is significantly cheaper than taking it at my university. I I don’t receive financial aid or scholarships if I take a summer class at my 4 year college.
You should understand how med school GPAs get calculated. If you attempted/enrolled in any college courses in hs, you must self report them on your application. Med schools will calculate a cumulative GPA (cGPA) for all college courses taken in hs courses AND they also will calculate a separate science GPA (sGPA) if those courses were in bio, chem, physics, or math (bcpm). Med schools also will break down your coursework the same way for freshman, soph, junior, senior years. A cumulative sGPA and cGPA will be reported for all college coursework with sGPA considered more important. Med schools will verify all course work. Med school GPAs are much more than a hs to college GPA.
A competitive app is one that is strong in all respects (GPAs, MCAT including subscores), ECs, LoRs, PS, interview). It’s not just about one’s GPA.
Certainly not ideal, but it would make your case better if you took and did well (get As) in several UD science courses at your 4 year university and then combined it with an otherwise strong application in all other respects. Good luck.