Where to get my undergraduate degree?

I’m a high school senior in WA state. This is my first year doing running start, so I will be considered a transfer student instead of a freshman when transferring to another college. I am currently attending a community college but I’m planning on transferring to a university my junior year to obtain my bachelors in Microbiology. However, only two colleges in my state offer that degree: UW Seattle and WSU Pullman. I am leaning towards UW because of the research opportunities that I would receive as a pre-med student. But, I don’t like the idea of having one option for college. I am considering going out of state. I would appreciate it If you could please list any universities that offer a bachelors in Microbiology and are somewhat competitive. Thanks!

How about get a bachelor’s in plain biology but tailor your course selection to your interests? That would open up a lot more options.

If you are currently in high school you will apply as a freshman then once admitted, will get advanced status. You do NOT apply as a transfer, which typically receive lousy aid and hardly any merit scholarship.

What do you want to do with microbiology? Right now, the field is overrun with failed pre-med students so there’s an oversupply and the ROI is very low (you’d be better off majoring in English).

What’s your budget?
What’s your SAT/aft score? GPA through running start and cumulative?

I will not apply as freshman because of how many credits I have taken and when I have taken them. Since I am applying as a transfer my SAT scores are not required. Trust me, I’ve met with advisors at my college and the universities I want to attend. My GPA in college is a 3.9. High school is a 3.4.
As for budget, around $46,000
I’m simply interested in microbiology more than gen bio and chemistry. If for some reason I can’t get into med school I was going to continue my studies in microbiology.

I have thought about that. I just don’t know a lot about tailoring courses, perhaps I should ask an advisor about that. If I did decide to instead major in biology, Gonzaga would be back on my list. Only problem is that they only accept their general bio and chem credits from fellow Spokane colleges.

Ok, that may be unique to Washington public universities, but everywhere else you’d apply as a freshman. That includes colleges that are strong in science such as Whitman, St Olaf, Lawrence, Davidson, Dickinson, or URochester, Emory, UNC, etc.
Having cc credit is not that rare for strong high school students and the rule everywhere (except in WA state apparently) is that if you haven’t already graduated high school you apply with the freshman pool and only apply as a transfer if you took cc classes after high school graduation.
(Most would rather apply as freshmen anyway due to the huge difference in financial aid/merit scholarships).
75% would be pre-meds never get to the point of applying to med school. Of those who apply, only 40% get into even just one med school. Having a plan B is essential.
(Note that you’ll need to take more classes in the subjects you took in community college because med schools rarely accept cc classes for BCPM core. You can just take one more advanced class in each subject though.)
If that’s your annual budget, there are lots of excellent possibilities. Look into the universities already listed above and check their biology degree(s), including concentrations options, courses offered Jr/Sr year…

Perhaps that is where the misunderstanding is. I will continue to complete courses at my CC AFTER my high school graduation. I am trying to complete my AA before transferring to a university.

Thanks!

I’m not familiar with the exact program but you’re taking a significant amount of credits, not just a few classes, right? I disagree with the previous poster; while you’ll miss some of the freshman “experience,” applying as a transfer will get the most out of your credits. If you can pay 46k/yr you don’t need to worry as much about scholarships. Not sure how the credits will affect med school though.

I have a friend who’s in a similar program (she takes CC classes full time and will receive a HS diploma and AA degree simultaneously), and she’s applying as a transfer. Some colleges will take the credits and others won’t, but most schools have their policies on their website. Call and ask each school to get advice on your specific situation, since it’s not a typical transfer – my friend had good luck with a lot of Florida schools and smaller private ones.

The University of Minnesota offers microbiology. Many other schools offer it as a concentration within a major.

Just make sure this is an actual advantage to you. I personally am not sure the big sale of the AA is worth sacrificing real freshman status at a 4 year for competitive students, but especially pre med where college level grades in certain classes may never go away. is that 46K a yr or total budget, and what is your SAT/ACT/PSAT?
As above, all the benefits of these programs may only apply to your instate option (UW is fabulous though). IS your plan because your HS GPA and test scores are too low?

@Sybylla is right. But that would perhaps require a gap year at this point. Not sure.

@SuperSenior19 The program I am in doesn’t not allow me to take more than 15 credits at a time. Starting summer quarter I will not be considered a running start student anymore, so I’m guessing my schedule will I change and I will proceed to take more credits a quarter. From what I have heard about college credits transferring from high school is that they cannot have been used to fulfill a high school requirement. For example, I am taking a U.S government class at my high school even though I could have taken an equivalent class at my CC. However, some college (if not most) said they would not accept those credits because they go directly towards my high school requirements.

@Sybylla I may not actually receive an AA, as it does not matter to me. The point is, I want to complete the majority of my pre reqs at CC. My CC is close to home and my mother is willing to basically take care of me as long as I’m a good full time student. 46k a year as a base. For example, Gonzaga and Whitman are private’s. But, because of my gpa and the remaining scholarships I can apply for along with several loopholes colleges and fellow friends have leaked to us, we,ll probably in the end pay round 15,000 or a little less a year. I say 46k a year, because we usually can find away around that number. I have not taken the SAT’s because they are not required for most transfer students at public universities. If a college requires them, then I’ll simply take them. This is my plan because I don’t have to go to a university for a total of 4 years… I don’t care about college life, I’m simply just doing what’s easiest to me. I’m not sure what you’re implying when you state “ especially pre med where college level grades in certain classes may never go away”.

I would just like to say that this is getting quite off topic compared to what I originally had asked. I’m looking for nice somewhat-competitive universities I can transfer to, not if I should be transferring in the first place. Everyone has there own ideas on what a perfect college pathway looks like; going to a university as a freshman is not mine.

I’m simply just doing what’s easiest to me. I’m not sure what you’re implying when you state “ especially pre med where college level grades in certain classes may never go away”.<

So hit the premed sub forum and ask about that.

@Sybylla lol ok. Thanks for the very vague statement.

List of schools with microbiology as an undergrad major: https://www.mymajors.com/colleges/microbiology-major/

You can narrow it down by size, type, and state.

I would also encourage you to look into the pre-med advising and med school placement rates for the schools you are considering.

OK, yes, if you want to continue taking classes at the CC past HS graduation, you’d be considered a transfer.
Problem: It’d be a great plan if you goal was, say, becoming an English teacher or majoring in Business. On the other hand, most med schools will factor your community college grades into your sGPA and GPA but will NOT consider the courses sufficient for med school (CC courses tend to be slower paced/less in-depth than 4-year courses). Med schools will want the same number of courses taken at a 4-year university regardless of whether you already came with pre-reqs completed at a CC. Even med schools moving to skill-based evaluation will still expect biology courses, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, calculus, biostats, neuroscience from a 4-year university, and if they’re not the pre-reqs they can be more advanced or specialized in what interests you but you still need the full backgound. In addition, it’s a bit harder to complete all the ECs from a CC, but you may have a way around that if you already volunteer at a hospital or clinic/are EMT certified/shadow a doctor. How are your medical Ecs so far?

Strong premed colleges to transfer to: Whitman, St Olaf, Dickinson, URochester, Cornell CALS, Miami-OH…

This may in fact be a much more costly route for what your end goal is.