I agree. I think given everything this OP has posted, NOVA looks like the best option. And. if her DD ends up deciding that she doesn’t want to be a doctor and no longer wants to be at NOVA, she can transfer to UMD and pursue a non-premed path – since it seemed that the rigor of the UMD premed path was the main reason UMD was off the table.
Just my 2c.
That is not necessarily true. I see several benefits of having these classes:
Not disputing your thoughts - but wouldn’t this be where a session with a pre-med advisor at these schools you are taking the time to visit could bring clarity - to ensure this is a proper path?
Guess what? There will be classes in your D’s major that she loathes. That’s just the way it is. She may need an advanced statistical methods with programming course to qualify for a research fellowship with a professor she adores and she may hate it. Or whatever the particular class in her major it is that she dreads heading off to class.
Which is why I am suggesting that the parents back off now that there are affordable options on the table. SHE needs to own her decision, so that when the bad days hit, YOU aren’t the one in the line of fire.
I got one C in college. It was in my major (second semester freshman year) and truth be told, it was a gift from the professor. I probably deserved a D. I loved the professor (took another class with him, worked for him for a semester, asked him for a recommendation for grad school, still correspond with his family many years after his passing), I loved the material… I was just up against a brutal curve and a bunch of classmates who- have to admit it- were both smarter than me AND better prepared. Many came from prep schools which were so rigorous they didn’t offer any AP classes- their own curriculum was tougher.
I got over it. But it is fallacious to assume that someone will have a higher GPA taking classes in their area of interest. I got the highest grade out of hundreds of students in my “Economics of Oil and Energy” class which is hysterical because although I found econ pretty interesting, there was NOTHING about oil/energy in the mid-1970’s that I found at all interesting. Except for the professor who might have been the kindest and sweetest person on campus.
@momsearcheng, I am not understanding what you perceive for your daughters med school pre reqs. Could you clarify that for me. What CC classes of the pre reqs did she take, and is she planning to take upper division classes in those?
Intro Bio, Intro Chem (twice!) , physics1, Calc 1, Psych and Sociology.
She will have many many Bio, Chem and Psych classes as neuroscience major. She will have to take Physics 2. She will take Stat for Bio or Psych majors. I am not sure about Sociology but i doubt that any medical school will care… Taking one more general ed Soc is possible.
She will not under the gun retake Calc, but in most places she does not need it. She does not need it for MCAT.
So if they don’t accept credit for her transcript, why can’t she take tests and place into the next level for Bio, Chem, Physics, and Math. Especially as you say she will need them anyway if she pursues neuroscience as her major?
My daughter took premed classes (to get into dpt program) and definitely had chemistry, biology, physics, stat and calc in undergrad (got 5’s on AP stat calculus exams in HS).
THIS!
My D did this when narrowing her list. The advisers were more than happy to help. Rhodes and Furman were in the mix.
Can you please explain to me why you are concerned about the CC classes? It seems to me that your daughter should choose the school that she likes from her list of affordable options, and then meet with a premed advisor.
Her CC classes will be on her transcript regardless of whether or not she receives credit. She will be expected to take higher level classes regardless.
What, exactly, is the goal here? Sorry for being confused. My daughter took a bunch of AP and college classes (not at a CC) and this was never an issue.
If the goal is medical school then she needs to meet with an advisor. She can also go to Nova since that program seems to align with what you are looking for.
Is she trying to graduate early? That will not happen because she needs to take upper level classes. There are no easy paths, shortcuts etc to medical school.
Please explain to me why receiving CC credit is so important. I really do not understand.
See post #1561 above, where the OP gave several reasons why she and her DD want to receive credit for the CC courses.
I’m not sure I understand the reasons, or the validity of them, but that’s where she gave some answers to similar questions.
Edited to add: they all seem related to GPA protection.
But again, this is why they should talk to and hopefully will the pre-med advisors.
In the end, the family can and will handle how they believe is best - but hopefully they seek and are given solid guidance by the professionals employed by the different colleges.
Agreed. But, if a dozen or more experienced posters on this site are having trouble understanding the OP’s rationale, it might be helpful for them to try to understand the collective “wisdom”/“assessment” before they talk to an advisor so that they get the most out of the time with the advisor.
Not saying the OP needs to agree with everyone but it still seems like most people here still don’t understand the OP’s point of view and that may mean the OP and DD won’t get the most out of their meetings if they can’t clearly articulate what they want AND can’t understand the premises behind opinions that don’t align with their goals.
Everyone has different thoughts. But, for my kids I encouraged them to re-take classes that they could have received AP or dual Enrollment credit for. It allowed them to pretty much guarantee A’s in those classes and it was nice to finish the academic year at a very good place. Also, for science classes, it’s good to get familiar with the colleges labs and protocols. By retaking some of the classes, it allowed them to get more involved with extra activities they might not have had the time to do if they jumped into higher level classes. Rhodes is one of the schools my DD is considering. I think (maybe I am wrong) med schools care more about GPA than specific classes and Rhodes has an excellent track record so they must still be able to make it work with their academic format.
Are your kids applying to medical school? Medical schools frown on retakes of courses you have already taken. If a college level course has already been taken, medical schools expect a higher level course to be completed at your four year college…not the same course again.
I am sure they frown on retaking a class you took twice in college but not from HS classes. My daughter went to a top 3 school and they didn’t even allow you to count the credit if you made a 5 on the AP exam. I don’t believe you send in your HS transcript. And, if they don’t “apply” for the AP credit it won’t appear on their college transcripts. My husband is a dr. and my older daughter has 2 friends who graduated last year and also did this…and got in all the med schools they applied to.
There are many threads on this subject.
Different major but my son, the engineer, attended a student panel at Col School of Mimes. The student guidance was to reject any engineering classes they had AP credit for - to just take the freebies on the non STEM courses. My son and his 5 in Calc AB wished he listened as he got a WD his first semester in college.
Others on here have disagreed with this strategy.
Each has to make the decision for themselves but there are many who say to repeat those classes tied onto your major, to not to take credit.
Let’s be honest, most HS AP, DE and likely many community college courses are going to be Mickey Mouse compared to the real thing.
I’m not talking about AP courses…although if you ask for college credit, this could be an issue. I’m talking about DE courses taken in high school.
And if your kids took duel enrollment courses in HS, those are viewed as college courses and your kid(s) will be required to send those transcripts with their medical school applications…so it will be quite apparent that they repeated the same course (if they do)
True. True. My dd and friend didn’t do dual enrollment science/math classes. They had AP/IB and dual enrollment history classes.