prereqs: CC to med school catch-22

Applying to College
1

Hi everyone,

Hoping you can help a slightly disheartened, little old lady get through college before her kids do:)

How do community college transfer students complete the path to get into Med school?

Med schools do not like to see the pre-med prereqs come from a community college and prefer that they are taken at the degree granting university. (They might allow exceptions, but generally it’s discouraged). So far, I’m seeing many bachelor’s degree granting universities that require that those same classes must be taken prior to transfer admission into one of their science programs…at the community college level. I naively thought that I could take them at the university.

I thought that I could skirt the issue by applying for a major without those prerequisites, take the prereq classes after I’m in, and then change majors–but they have a unit ceiling that prevents this.

I have a strong medical background and have been studying biology and chemistry, just reading textbooks and such for love, independently for 15 years. I went back to school to ‘live the dream’ after my kids were old enough, and I finished with a 4.0 gpa. I know I’d do well in the programs if given the opportunity, and I’m trying not to get too discouraged with this information. It feels like ability and passion aren’t enough if you’re a non-traditional student.

Am I just looking at very strict universities and there are others that have allowances? Is there a typical solution for this that I am not aware of? At what point is it socially acceptable to cry? Was the ballet trophy I won when I was three the highlight of my life?

Thanks in advance for any advice you have:)

2

The one prerequisite that keeps popping up- that you probably SHOULD take at a university- is BIOCHEMISTRY. I had a college advisor tell me that, and I have seen it on more than one med school website. With most schools, I doubt that CC science courses will be a problem; as long as the grades are good and you deliver on your MCAT. Though some schools actually publish to their website whether or not they will accept CC coursework, there are always exceptions. The one thing you have to remember is that your GPA is your GPA, and once the AdCom sees solid numbers, and a solid MCAT, it would be hard to label you as someone who didn’t have the aptitude and didn’t deserve a spot. Additionally, they will have a chance to read your personal statement.

I myself am in a similar situation. I am 41 years of age, and hopefully transferring to a university next Fall from a CC. My year of general chem and my year or o-chem, not to mention some of my bio, and my physics will be from the CC and I’m not worried at all.

And by the way, yes, the ballet trophy was indeed the pinnacle for you, as it would be for me. That doesn’t mean you can’t go to med school tho