Posted by underground629 on January 11, 2013, 12:50 am
Hi everyone,
Before asking specific questions, it's probably best that I give my educational background. I graduated last spring with a 3.4 at a top 10 liberal arts school. I majored in psychology and took zero pre-med requirements because my plan was to get my Ph.D as a clinical psychologist. To make a long story short, I scratched that idea and was a bit lost as to what I wanted to do. It was not until recently I discovered AAs (not licensed in my state), but after having done a ridiculous amount of research, I'm set on AA for my path.
I'm about to begin taking Calc, Chem, and Bio at a (respected) Community College nearby. I have over 30 grand in loans to pay off, and since I already have a degree, I'm ineligible for grants/scholarships/low-interest loans. I know there are a lot of assumptions about the rigor of CC vs. a 4-yr institution, but considering the financial situation, does taking pre-reqs at a local, mediocre university (which costs so much more) look that much better than getting great grades at a CC (in order to save money)? Obviously if I took all undergrad courses at a CC there would be questions about my academic ability, but since I already have a 3.4 from a top 10 liberal arts school, do you think taking my pre-reqs at a CC will really hurt my chances? I have a decent GRE score (160 verbal, 156 quant) to "buffer" the CC situation. I was also recently certified as an EMT (although I don't know how much extremely part-time work I'll be able to find) and played varsity college soccer (no idea if that has any value but I suppose it does show some ability to manage time well and work as part of a team). My (maybe quixotic) thought-process is that my respectable background outside of science shows I'm "smart enough", and assuming I ace my courses at CC (maybe also overly idealistic), my reasons for taking pre-med courses at a CC (strictly financial) wouldn't significantly hurt my chances of being accepted.
I thoroughly discussed my situation with one of the heads of admission at South U, and to sum it up, he essentially said that a 4.0 at CC alone wouldn't demonstrate I'm a qualified student for an AA program (and also wouldn't prove I'm not), but my BA from a good school and a high GRE would. However, he also said that the admissions people really vary in general on how they assess students so I should take his assessment with a large grain of salt. I've had no luck reaching any other admissions people from other programs, so I figured I'd ask on here (been lurking on the board for a while). Has anyone else had a similar situation ((post-bac pre-meds (esp. at a CC) or financial debate of university vs. CC)). (Just remembered... I also plan to do a lot of shadowing to supplement my resume).
I apologize for the wordy post. I would reeaaaalllly appreciate any thoughts though. Thanks!
I don't think it matters that much. I completed all of my prereq science courses at a CC and had zero healthcare experience and was accepted. Just do well in the courses and on the MCAT or GRE and you will be fine. I'm in my first year and loving it so far! Good luck and I hope that helps!
That's really good to hear that someone from a similar route has been accepted recently--thanks for sharing. If you don't mind me asking, what was your GPA at the CC? Maybe it's unrealistic--I have no idea since I've never taken classes at a CC--but I feel like anything short of a 3.9 raises questions.
Do you mind me asking your GPA in CC? Did you take the GRE or MCAT and what was your score? Sorry, I know people on here don't really like those questions. Since I've already done fairly well on the GRE and would like to apply for programs ASAP, I wasn't planning on taking the MCAT. However, I'm concerned that CC science courses and "avoiding" the MCAT could look very bad. Thoughts? Thanks.
No problem. I had a 4.0 in my prereq CC courses and I took the GRE and the MCAT. I got a 1210 on the GRE and a 30 on the MCAT. My recommendation would be to take both. If you do well on both then submit both scores, or if you only do well on one, then just submit that score. There is nothing that says you have to submit a score if you take one and bomb it. Thats my advice. And don't worry as long as you do well in your courses and decent on one of those two tests you will be fine!
Thanks for sharing. I assumed you must've gotten a 4.0. Since I got a 1330 on the GRE (and I'm going to retake it), I was planning on not taking the MCAT, but I think my CC science courses without the MCAT to back them up might look questionable. Maybe I'm being paranoid.
That's an awesome MCAT score you got. Pretty positive I would not score nearly that high after my pre-meds, and if I did, it would take a TON of preparation. I'm hoping to apply in about a year and a half, so as of now, I'm going to avoid the MCAT.
What program are you attending? Would you mind giving me your email? I'd like some advice on the process from someone who has gone through it successfully.
You'll have to forgive me for not wanting to post my email on a public forum, but if you want to post yours I'd be more than willing to contact you. If not then I'll just respond on here. Let me know
Well if it helps I had a 4.0 from a relatively obscure liberal arts university, and I took my post bacc pre-med credits at Towson which isn't a very prestigious university by a long shot (Although it isn't a CC). I had a 4.0 in all my premed courses and I got into both schools I applied to. Interestlingly, Case seemed very pleased with my score on the writing sample of the MCAT although most medical schools don't pay any attention to it, so your degree from a top 10 school could bode well. I think the admission boards look at every aspect of your application, not just one GPA or the other. They will look at you as a person, including your life experiences, your path toward discovering the AA profession and how you have shown that you really want it and will settle for nothing less. Tons of Luck!!
Thanks! My 3.4 doesn't exactly compare, haha, but it's still nice to hear from a liberal arts graduate making it. I can't remember reading about anyone else on here from a small liberal arts school.
If you don't mind me asking, while completing your post bacc pre-meds, did you do much else (healthcare work, unrelated work, shadowing, etc.)? Did you just do the minimum pre-med prereqs? My plan is to shadow once a week and just find campus employment. I wish I could find something as an EMT, but having no experience and a somewhat busy class schedule, I haven't found any openings. I almost feel like consistent shadowing is more useful than working as an EMT (expecting to only find a patient transfer opportunity if I find anything at all). Thoughts?
Anyone else go the post bacc pre-med route? What about other liberal arts students or non-healthcare majors? Any type of feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.
I am assuming your 3.4 from a top 10 is just as good as my 4.0 from noname University... In my specific situation I was finishing my masters at the same University and I was taking care of my 3 kids as my wife finished OT school and wrote her thesis...I did a lot of shadowing of Anesthesiologists and tried to get a job as an anesthesia tech...but that didn't work. I ended up taking a lot of prereqs because I was applying to Case which needs a ton. Good Luck!
Wow, sounds like a hectic schedule, but I suppose it helped prepare you for the schedule in your AA program. I've been looking for an anesthesia tech job but I think with my class schedule and lack of qualifications it's a waste of time. Thanks for the feedback.
on January 11, 2013, 12:50 am
