<p>I need some advice on finding a college plan. I have a particular problem, I chose to help my father in his business and learned much about the business world. But this is not what I want to do in life, I would like to become a doctor.</p>
<p>The thing is I am 21 and have no high school diploma or a GED, but I can get a GED inside a few months. What I am searching for is a good community college to then be able transfer to a good university, followed by med school.
I would also like a suggestion on what courses to enroll in at the community college to fascilitate the transfer to university for a medical field.
My research only came up with ways to become medical assistants or nurses, which is not what I want to do.</p>
<p>Well any names of community colleges that cater to what I would like to do would be great.</p>
<p>People usually go to community college close to home. They don't go away to a community college. That is why it is called "community college". So, I would suggest that you check out your local one, plus all of the state four year colleges and universities in your state. If you are serious about medical school, to obtain an MD degree, community college may be a disadvantage. The recommendations count a lot, and you would be in a situation of having two sets of professors in two different places. You have to do really well in first year college chemistry, biology, calculus, and English. You have to have good grades in everything else. You have to do well on the MCAT. You can purchase practice books for the MCAT and study them. If you apply to your four year state schools, you may be able to get some financial aid, and it may be quite affordable to do all four years there. Best of luck!</p>
<p>What you might look into is a PA program. A PA (i.e. physician's assistant) is not like a nurse or EMT or medical assistant. A PA is more like a doctor and can do the vast majority of things (procedures, prescriptions) that an MD or DO can do. US News, in fact, claims that those who would be doctors might actually consider a PA program because it takes less time and you can do nearly as much! Take a look at Physician</a> Assistants
As a PA, you can do surgical, emergency, or primary care work! In fact, you can prescribe medications in 48 states, just like a doctor!</p>
<p>Another option other than the MD would be a DO (osteopathic schools are sometimes a bit more lenient with less traditional backgrounds or weaker demonstrated academic strength).</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your thoughts, but I am a bit confused. If I go to community college and manage to transfer into University of Rochester or UC San Diego for example, I get good grades and earn a BA or BS degree there, why would med schools punish me for starting my college studies in a community college? </p>
<p>By the way I am an American but I live overseas and I don't have any place of residence in the States.</p>
<p>Quick question: Are you in the military at this juncture? If you are, perhaps pursuing a commission to one of the academies might be a good option if you feel that you can get into USHUS.</p>
<p>Community colleges are looked down upon, apparently, in med school admissions (they're thought of as less rigorous, even if you get into U of R or UCSD because they might think your basic skills might not be up to snuff) However, osteopathic med schools, though sometimes thought of as second tier (they're really not), look much less critically at those with non-traditional medical paths. And I repeat my suggestion to look at becoming a PA. Reference: Physician</a> Assistant: Executive Summary - US News and World Report</p>
<p>ronin87--California has a wonderful system of community colleges (Junior Colleges), which are specifically set-up for a student to transfer into any of the UC schools--all of your credits would be transferred and accepted, and there is no difference in your diploma whether you attended the UC for all four years, or for only the last two years. I counseled transfer students at UCDavis, and I actually think that they got better, and more one-on-one instruction at the Jr. College level than at the University Level. The classes were much smaller, and the Professors loved teaching there. You can take all of your introductory math and science courses--they are exactly the same as at the UC--and go right into upper division when you transfer. With a degree from the University of California, there will be many options available as far as medical school.</p>
<p>To answer NewEngSocSciMan, no I am not in the military, although I do plan on joining the Navy after med school for my residency and career. Your suggestion on becoming a Physician assistant is interesting, but I think a md program works better for me. As for RCEFN, California is my first choice (I am used to living in hot climates) but I can not seem to find the best junior college with a transfer program for UC. Is Monterey Peninsula College well rated? Or do you know of one?</p>
<p>I actually agree that the PA thing may be a better idea. Getting into med school from a traditional background is hard enough; getting in from a community college background is going to be brutally hard.</p>
<p>Something is really messed up in this world, when all you hear and all you read about colleges being liberal and open to people from different education backrounds when it's all a lie. You're actually are telling me that even if I get a degree with a 3.8 GPA from Stanford or UC San Diego as a transfer student it is worth less than someone with a 3.0 GPA who has been there for 4 years? Then what's the point of offering transfer from junior colleges if you can't do anything further with the degree? What if I just did the BA or BS in the states and did the med in the carribean? How bad would that be?</p>
<p>Law school is easier to get into. There are significantly more of them, and they don't tend to be as selective (with the exception of like, Harvard). </p>
<p>But seriously, they're two completely different fields. Are you just after a fast-track to a high-paying job? If so, you might as well look at computer science too. There are tons of grad programs out there, at a range of different selectivities, and computers are basically the world. Very lucrative possibilities. </p>
<p>Geophysics is supposed to be a hot career in the next decade too.</p>
<p>I am not after a high paying job, I truly want to be a doctor, it's what I have been wanting to do for years. I was just wondering if other higher education fields had the same complications, that's all</p>
<p>I think you are better off going to a respected 4-year college than a community college. I also think that you should consider Harvard Extension or something else like that. At least their courses would be respected by medical schools if you want to ultimately transfer to a traditional 4 year college. Anyone can take courses at Harvard Extension, but from the web site </p>
<p>"To be admitted to the AA or ALB Program you must first</p>
<pre><code>* earn a B− or higher in three courses taken at Harvard Extension School.
* earn a C− or higher in EXPO E-25 or a B− or higher in EXPO S-20 at Harvard Summer School (if you complete EXPO E-25 with at least a B− you may count it as one of the three courses required for admission). "
</code></pre>
<p>Registration for summer courses starts in a few weeks so just register for EXPO S-20 and get that GED. </p>
<p>For the summer take just EXPO S-20 and study for the SAT</p>
<p>Then plan on taking 3 courses in the Fall and take the SAT in October so that you can officially matriculate in the degree program for the Spring Term. </p>
<p>If you like Harvard Extension, get in, get a bachelors degree and go to Med School. If not, get in anyway, ace your classes and apply as a Transfer to someplace good for the following fall. </p>
<p>The above post assumes that you are indeed ready for college. Harvard Extension is hard, and if you don't do well, you can forget about med school. If you are not college-ready, you may want to do something like "University of Miami Online High School", which will allow you to get your high school diploma by actually combining whatever high school you have had with the remaining classes needed to graduate. The advantage is that it will give you a real high school transcript which you can use when you apply to colleges and may allow you to get into better places as a Freshman. You also won't have to sit in a class with high school kids.</p>
<p>ronin87--I'm most familiar with the immediate Bay area community colleges--they offer an excellent education, and I'm sure that that is true throughout the whole system. You can take the introductory chem and calculus series--make sure that you do well--and plan on transferring for your junior year to one of the University of California colleges. You will obtain a degreee from the UC, and be on equal footing with those who were at the UC for all four years--with a lot more money in your pocket to meet those medical school bills. The same is true for law school.</p>