I’ve always felt a huge passion for my studies because I dream of becoming a doctor. My dream was to go to college. I graduated from high school and I got accepted into colleges. At first, I was going to live on campus. Then, it said that my parents had to contribute a lot. I then changed it to off campus because I heard it’s cheaper. I thought it was going to be cheaper for me. I was really happy when suddenly my financial aid package was changed. My financial aid package turned out to be way less then the aid they offered me initially, which was also less. In other words, the amount my parents are going to contribute is pretty much the same. I’m not going to be able to go to college because my parents can’t pay that high amount. I feel very said having to cancel everything. I have no other option but to go to a community college and I’m really worried that it could hurt my chances of becoming a doctor. Would transferring from a cc to a university hurt my chances to become a doctor?
While not an ideal route, community college isn’t a a deal-breaker when it comes to gaining a medical school admission.
Currently, there are fewer than 5 US medical schools (all private) that will not accept CC credits. That still leaves you over 100 schools you can apply to.
Some things to plan for–
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your GPA is going to very important. Your CC GPA needs to be strong. When you transfer to your 4 year college, it will be critical that you maintain your high GPA and not let it dip significantly after the transfer
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you will need to supplement any CC science coursework with upper level science classes at your 4 year college. Adcoms will want reassurance that you are competitive with your peers at the 4 year college and can handle the more challenging academics of upper level sciences at a 4 year college…
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your MCAT score will critical. (MCAT is the great equalizer. A good score will demonstrate the strength of your preparation and will help overcome any questions about the rigor of your academic preparation.)
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realize that you will need to postpone any med school application until after you graduate from your 4 year college. Med school admissions officers will want to see 2 full years of grades from your 4 year college. If your 4 year college offers a committee letter (and many do), most will not issue you one unless you have 4 semesters of grades from that school.
Spending your first two years at a community college will not hurt your medical school chances. Save your money and focus on building the best possible transcript and resume.
No.
I agree. Community college with not hurt your chances.
Post #1 says it all. Follow those directions. Be the overachiever compared to your classmates. Learn all that you can so you will be best prepared for the four year college upper level classes (and the MCAT). Most physicians will not have attended the elite medical schools. Most medical schools will have not only students from the best schools in their area but those from other colleges/universities. Financially you may choose to attend to go to the least expensive public U in your state instead of the flagship after community college. Just get those top grades.
Assuming you do go to medical school you can further refine you ultimate practice goals. Some want the research/academic lifestyle while most will be the physicians people need on a regular basis.
What were your grades and test scores? You might be better off to take a gap year and apply to schools that would give you merit, enough so that you can afford the cost.
Because if you start at CC, when it comes time to transfer to 4yr university, you won’t get the same merit that freshman students are able to get.
My goa was a 4.5. I graduated in the top 1.3 percent of a class of about 655ish students. I was in a lot of activities and sports. My test scores were decent.
No.
A young woman in my family is doing her residency at one of the best medical schools in the US – and she started her education at a community college.
She got superb grades both at the CC and the 4-year university she transferred to.
All her “hard” pre-med requirements (physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, biology) were done at the university.
While at the CC, she worked part time at a doctor’s office year-round. She switched to weekends-only after her transfer.
At the 4 year university she got involved in the biology/pre-med club, becoming its president.
She kicked butt on the MCATs.
In the end, she got into 3 medical schools, which is unusual. Most students are lucky to get into 1.
That seems like a difficult thing to do. A non-BCPM (BCPM = biology, chemistry, physics, math) major may not have the schedule space to fit in all of the pre-med courses after transfer in the elective space left over after filling some schedule space with upper division major courses. A BCPM major need to take at least some of the lower division BCPM courses (the pre-med courses) early, meaning at the CC before transfer, in order to be able to take the upper division BCPM courses for his/her major after transfer.
More practical would be:
- BCPM major: take pre-med courses at CC, take upper division BCPM courses for major at four year school after transfer.
- Non-BCPM major: take some pre-med courses at CC, take the rest in elective space at four year school after transfer. Or take upper division BCPM courses in the elective space.
What about taking a gap year and reapply to 4 year colleges that are affordable for Fall 2017?
What are your “decent” ACT/SAT/PSAT scores?
What is your resident state?
What is your FAFSA EFC?
How much can your parents pay each year for 4 years?
Any siblings?
I think kat ( #8) said what you need to do. Get great grades at your CC, take most of your most difficult pre-med courses at the four school and get great grades and do very well on the MCATs.
Getting a very good score on the MCAT is essential.
No it won’t hurt you.
I have written recommendations for students applying to med school and one of the things they look for is whether you have a caring temperament and a personality that would make a good doctor. Look for opportunities to work or volunteer that which will showcase your “dr” temperament.
@ucbalumnus, re #9 – yes, it was hard to do, and the student took longer than 4 years to get her bachelor’s. She was advised that her application would be stronger if all her science/math med school requirements were at the university level, so that’s what she did. Given the results, that could have been a part of her successful strategy.
^^Not all community colleges are created equal. Some have very good articulation programs into their 4 year universities with tenured and dedicated profs that are every bit as good as some you find at unis (as my son says they are more likely to speak understandable English also) and there is no need to “repeat” or postpone basic undergrad courses. The Op can probably easily find out information about previous CC kids the the CC the OP is considering and their college and post college trajectories.
Bingo!
Are you in a state with a great “guaranteed transfer” program? Take a look and see how they award financial aid to their GT admits.
You can still get to med school.
Based on your profile, you could have had a full tuition scholarship or even a full ride (depending on test scores) if you had known the situation ahead of time.
(I am So sorry for what happened to you.)
If you enroll/take classes in community college you will no longer be eligible for these scholarships and you’ll have to pay close to full price at your state flagship for 2 years.
Medical schools prefer if your premed requirements were met at a 4-year university. Not a requirement, but waiting till junior year to take those classes while completing a major is often difficult, and in some States isn’t possible at all. So, while attending community college will not bar you from attending medical school down the road, it’ll make the path rockier than it needs to be if you take a gap year.
Beside test scores, it’d help if you indicated whether your family’s income is 75k and below, 75-125k, or higher than 250k as the types of colleges most likely to provide financial aid would be different. Do you know your parents ’ budget?
I take issue only in that you should attend the best 4 year University you can. Do not save money and attend a lesser school as this will only look like you are taking the easy road. My daughter recently graduated from medical school (is a 2nd year resident now) and when I looked at the schools her classmates graduated from, it was clear that they ALL came from top universities or flag ship state schools. There were NO exceptions and her med school class was large.