How would medical schools view me as going from UC to Community College?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

I am miserable here at my UC, I am giving my best effort and I am not doing as well as I’d hope.

I’d like to transfer to community college and then transfer to a private college or CSU after.

This UC is also very expensive, and I don’t want to have to get loans. What should I do? I am very stresssed.

2

If you are not doing well then moving to a CCC makes a great deal of sense. At this point I wouldn’t even worry about med school because poor grades would torpedo that anyway. And I’m sure the CA med schools have seen many people come through the system from a CCC.

3

You will want to save your grades from this quarter first. I am guessing from your user name that you are at UC Davis.

It looks like the deadline for changing from graded to pass/no pass is October 25. You will want to meet with an academic advisor within your major to talk about your options. Also consider whether tutoring or drop-in academic support will help you.
UC Davis also has an office for pre-med advising. I agree with Erin’s Dad that your priority should be academic success, and that if you are not doing well, then you need to make changes.

4

If you are at Davis then the quarter is what, 3 weeks old? So you’re having trouble with the homework and perhaps the 1st midterms were harder than you expected. So you’re ready to quit Davis and hope for an easier path by going to a CC.

You can do this, of course. Know that med schools are leery of kids that took the required classes at a CC and expect them to take advanced math/chem/bio classes once at a 4-year to show they can handle the work. Overall your path may not really be an improvement.

Instead of putting your hopes in quitting Davis I think its time to head to the study skills center http://success.ucdavis.edu/study-skills/ and figure out what you need to do to improve. A lot of HS kids, even ones with good grades, never really learned how to study and understand the material. Many HS classes involve memorizing and recognizing patterns; the tests are similar to the homework with a few trivial changes, and its often clear from the question which of the formulas is meant to apply. Add a decent facility in English and you can wordsmith your way thru social science classes. Put the 2 together and you’re a “top” student. So many HS students have less preparation for college than their grades belie. And they don’t know how to learn when hit with a college workload.

If the Davis workload is too much for you then perhaps a CC is the right path for a while. Know, though, that your competition is at schools like Davis and will continue to learn and grow even if they (like you) have a bumpy start. You lose ground by leaving. Not everyone who goes to med school got top grades right from the start, as a conversation with the Davis premed advisor will tell you.

5

I saw you posted this

Why are you taking 4 classes? Aren’t frosh still advised to take 3 classes 1st quarter until they get used to the pace?

6

Well, I think I want to drop the math now.

7

UCD advisors always tell in-coming Freshman to take no more than 13-15 units to get use to the fast paced quarter system and there are always a few Freshman that refuse to heed the advice. I agree with @mikemac that it is a little early to toss in the towel so to speak. Yes, drop your Math class and focus on your other classes to get your grades up. UCD accepted you on the basis that they thought you could handle the workload and as stated above, if you are aiming for Medical school it only gets harder. Give it some time and I am sure you will figure things out and try not to make any rash decisions. If you are still unhappy by the end of Spring quarter, then consider your next step.
Just remember you are not the only student feeling this way. The counseling center is a great place to vent.

Good luck

8

Drop the class that you don’t like and/or that you’re not doing well in.

Tell us more…

What kind of grades are you getting in each class?

How/who is paying for this UC? If you’re having to take out loans, then you’ll have to take out loans at a private later on. Who is going to pay for that?

Going to a CC is fine, but if med school is what you REALLY want, you need to have a good plan.

9

I’m currently getting all A’s in all my classes. I actually got the highest score on my chemistry midterm in my class. I just don’t like being here, and I don’t want to start pulling out loans just yet.