Hi everyone!
I am 30, and recently decided that I want to attend med school, I graduated hs and only have a few cc courses under my belt. It seems that starting this journey at cc is my only option. My question to you guys is; how do I get started?
Is it possible to get accepted to med school starting out at a comunity college, and transfering to a university ?
Thank you all for your time!!
Welcome!
CC courses are generally viewed differently at every medical school.
You CAN do it, and if it you only option, then it is the best option for you.
You need to start by figuring out what courses you need to take, and start taking them. See if there is an advisor at your CC that can help you start the process.
Be prepared that the advisor MAY not be as positive about your dream as you might expect. The one I spoke to, when I was 28, told me that I was too old and perhaps I shoudl look into different fields because “medical schools don’t accept married people over 30…”. She was very, very, very, condescending. Even my wife who is not prickly at all was appalled at the counselor’s counsel.
You most definitely can get accepted to med school coming from a CC and transferring to a 4 year. There are people who get accepted having taken the prereqs at a CC. So don’t let anyone discourage you.
It IS possible to start at a cc and then transfer to a university; more med schools are becoming open to that idea since they understand students’ financial and other constraints. This year the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) started listing whether each school accepts community college courses in fulfillment of the premed requirements. Check there to get an idea as to how many schools accept cc credits.
Good luck on your journey!
Cheers,
Liza
Hi Lizat
this is excellent news. I did all of my pre-reqs at CC and frankly it was quite stressing. But this was my only option.
I am glad schools are more open to the idea. Given the cost of medical education, taking 90 credits as a pre-med at a 4 year University would have stirred me away from this path.
The simple answer is yes, you can get into medical school doing some courses at a CC and transferring to a university. Medical school adcoms understand the realities of finance and the extreme expenses of college. However, it will but added burden on you to:
- Do well on the MCAT
- Excel in the other aspects of being pre-med: research, community service, extracurriculars, and clinical experience
- Tell an engaging admissions story that runs through your recommendations, personal statement, AMCAS work/activities, and interview.
Here’s a cool little tidbit that shows how society is waking up to community colleges. The NIH has a special research just for CC students. (Community College Summer Enrichment Program: https://www.training.nih.gov/ccsep_home_page). Great luck. If you want to be a doc, you can do it!
–Dr. Miller
I agree with everyone that you can do it starting at a community college. Where I live a 4 year school is not that much more than a community college so if that is your situation then I would go with the 4 year school. But if community college is your only option, then by all means go. I always study more than what is required by my class. I bought a Review book and follow along with my class to make sure that I am learning everything that I need to learn.
As for advisors, unless you have some great advisor don’t listen to anything they say. They will tell you the wrong classes and could even mess up your plan by a whole year. It is your responsibility to know what classes to take. Do you think these advisors even care about you? Most of them have not even been through this process so why would you take advice from them? My opinion may be biased but I’ve gotten such bad advice from several different advisors! Now if I meet with them if I need them to sign off on a class or something, I go in with everything ready and already knowing what I want.
sorry, I’m new to this forum. it looks like I’m replying to the wrong person? my response was for the OP