<p>How do transfers do premed? Is it even possible? Do they split up the coursework half at community college and half at university? </p>
<p>I want to major in psychology but I really want to keep the option of medical school viable. I am registering for my spring semester in a couple days and want to know if I should try to get into the more advanced chemistry and bio classes.</p>
<p>BUT I want to transfer to either UCSD or UCLA so I don't want to damage my chances by bogging down my GPA with tough classes. I don't know what to do.</p>
<p>you want to major in psyc but want to keep the option of med school open. I hope you know you can get into med school with any major, even creative writing…</p>
<p>That’s true @wanago2college, but medical school requires a certain amount of biology and chemistry classes which is what the OP is referring to. </p>
<p>Yes, OP, you can transfer to a four year school and still go to medical school afterwards. From what I have gathered from other students and counselors is that medical schools will look at your grades from both community college and the school that you transfer to. So it’s very important to get good grades in every class you take, especially the pre-med required ones. If you’re worried about your GPA dropping then don’t go premed, it’s that simple.</p>
<p>Are you concerned that you will be losing a lot of credits due to your transfer?</p>
<p>I transferred and I’m graduating a semester early. However, I did not do pre-med. I think it is definitely possible though! Have you gotten a change to look at your future school’s transfer equivalency sheets?</p>
<p>You can take all medical school prerequisite courses at community college, before you transfer and this is probably what you should do. Yeah the classes are tough, but they are tougher (and costlier) at UC, and you shouldn’t be taking lower division courses as a junior, they won’t help you graduate and they will eat at your unit cap. How many units have you completed so far? The requirements for med school are</p>
If this is a worry then you might want to rethink whether med school is really right for you. There’s no getting around that in med school you will be taking a heavy science load, probably tougher than even hard-science undergrads take. If you can’t do well in the prereq classes then you’re unlikely to thrive in med school (or get admitted).</p>
<p>I’m guessing you want to keep doors open; get a high GPA so you get into UCLA or UCSD, then try the premed classes and if they aren’t going well then try something else. But this is not a viable plan. Once you enroll in a UC the unit clock starts ticking; they are only going to allow you a certain number of units before you must graduate. Should it turn out you do well in the premed classes and decide to go to med school, you won’t be able to complete the premed requirements (as explained in post #6) and also the upper-division classes for your major while fitting under the unit limit. I could give other reasons, but this alone is sufficient to nix the plan.</p>
<p>You don’t say if this is your 1st year at a CC or not, but I’ll assume it is. Here’s my advice. “Keeping options open” isn’t going to work anymore; there comes a time when you have to decide what it is you want to do, and for you now is that time. First, figure out if medicine is really what you want. You can do this by getting a job or volunteer work in a medical setting. BTW this is an unofficial requirement for med school admissions; they don’t take kids that haven’t shown they know what they’re getting into. Second, if medicine is right for you, is being a doctor the right path? There are plenty of jobs in medicine that don’t require a M.D. and they both take less time to get into the workforce and cost less for the training. Third, if you decide that med school it is, then resolve to buckle down and make it happen. It doesn’t take genius level intelligence to do well in the premed subjects, it takes a lot of hard work. But if it means enough to you then you can make it happen.</p>
<p>Wasn’t expecting such great answers on here…</p>
<p>But still can’t decide… </p>
<p>ughhhh…</p>
<p>I mean I suppose I could get a little taste this coming semester by taking chem 152 with a good prof and everything. It wouldn’t be a total waste; I could probably get a good grade, and it would still transfer up (plus any UC would rather see 152 than 100). I think I’ll take trig too, or at least try to crash it, this way I’m not locked out of doing any calculus down the road.</p>
<p>@mike Are you saying that numerically (in terms of units), it’s not going to be pretty? Should I get out while I can? Could I at least stick with chem 152, as well as maybe trig (as explained above) and have one more semester -yes, I’m only one semester in so far-- to do some soul-searching?</p>
<p>I agree with Mikemac, you need to honestly evaluate your career plans and figure out what you want to do once you graduate. I say you take a couple science classes, see if you actually enjoy them AND do well in them. It took me a couple semesters to realize what I wanted to major in, and that was from taking a variety of classes. I’m not sure if you realize just how difficult medical school admissions are but here are the numbers for CA schools. </p>
<pre><code>Loma Linda 3.69%
Southern Cal-Keck 2.4%
Stanford 1.3%
UC-Davis 2.01%
UC-Irvine 2.22%
UC-San Diego 2.41%
UC-San Francisco 2.74%
UCLA Drew 1.45%
UCLA-Geffen 2.18%
</code></pre>
<p>FYI, there are no unit caps at community college, so if you end up going the pre-med route, you can spend 3-4 years at CC and finish those prereqs along with your general education requirements before you transfer.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think I’m coming to the conclusion that I’m trying to force this on myself; my interest lies within social sciences, particularly psychology. My original plan, transferring to UCLA or Berkeley, is going to be difficult enough as it is. I really need to focus on studying something I enjoy. I don’t care about the job outlook or what anyone says, I know I can work my way up and be successful. My intrinsic motivation needs to guide me-not salaries, not even versatility. It’s starting to dawn on me that psychology is just as versatile and prevalent as medicine. But yes I need to stop over-analyzing the long term and just take this whole journey one step at a time. The next step: transfer. The stats for doctoral programs in psychology are very close to those that you posted. I think I’m more likely, however, to part of the 2% for a program and commitment that I’m cut out for. A genuine interest is really what’s motivating me. I think I’ll stick to my original plan and reap the personal rewards, which isn’t exactly an MD salary. Oh well. I have a feeling I’m on my way to some serious self-actualization.</p>
<p>Transfers can do premed, however it’s recommended that you do the majority of your premed prereqs at the 4 year university rather than the CC, if at all possible.</p>