taking science credits at community college/college near home

[bpoursh]

I am a first year student at the University of Florida. I took "into to chem" first semseter, and will complete chem 1 this spring. Most pre-med students (and most of my peers) took chem 1&2 their first year, allowing them to begin orgo 1 in the fall, along with bio1. This way, they dont have to deal with chem 2 lab and bio 1 lab at the same time.

I think it would be most beneficial to take chem 2/L over summer, so i can start orgo with bio1 in the fall. However, i cant stay at UF over the summer, so i would have to take the chem 2/L credit at home. I could take it either at Broward College or Florida International University. My advisors at school advised against it because they said "to med schools, it will look like i went somewhere else to take the easier class." My stance was that if I can complete every other science course at UF successfully, will it really matter if the one chem 2 credit was not taken at UF? i plan on finishing the sequence (ORGO1&2, BIO1&2, PHY1&2, microbio, genetics, etc etc etc) at UF without exception.


please give me advice on this subject!!! would it be okay to take Chem2/L at home over the summer, at a university/college with not as much credibility as UF?

[pcaz]

My understanding is that students should take their pre-med classes at a 4-year institution. As long as the school is accredited, any credit you earn during the summer should be acceptable.

I would advise against taking even one of these pre-reqs at a community college as med schools are likely to look down on this -- and that could hurt your chances for admission.

[mom2collegekids]

Your pre-med advisors gave you conventional wisdom...so follow it. Med schools don't like to see science courses taken over the summer at a CC when you're a university student.

[TuftsStudent]

Is Florida International University not well-reputed?

[mom2collegekids]

FIU is fine...I think it has a med school, too.

It's questionable to take a summer course at a "lesser" school than your "real" school. his real school is UF. That said, perhaps there is a non-pre-med class that he can take over the summer to make his schedule at his real school more manageable.

[katwkittens]

Son took many of his sciences during the summer at our local 4 year university. His school (he took some sciences here as well) during the academic year does not offer classes during the summer. He was not asked about his classes being taken somewhere else during the summer, he included his reasoning in his application (supplemental and AMCAS)...asked about other stuff during his med school interviews this current app cycle.

Mostly his ECs and what was happening in healthcare.

Also son was NOT a science major for undergrad, so his pre-med reqs were in addition to his major and minor...worked out well, wanted to take a gap year (knew so ahead of time) and for his gap year he completed another degree (biochem) at the local school while applying for med school, and attending interviews and continuing research...so his units accumulated during summers made it doable to complete an entirely different degree at another university

[Metonym]

Sorry, but that's poppycock. I personally know MANY successful and fulfilled MD's, NP's, Holistic Nurses and other healthcare professionals who were changing careers from law enforcement, teaching, artists, etc; who only had time to take the sciences in the summer. In fact many medical school courses are intense and last only 5 to 6 weeks. You might be interested to know that some community colleges have actually changed the formats of some classes to be much MUCH shorter to better prepare students for the realities of medical or nursing school. The MCAT and NClEX board, and admissions boards are more concerned with these ppl who clep half of their credits IN THEIR DISCIPLINE. Like a Nurse who cleps biology.

[unicornbubbles]

I'm amused that you used "poppycock". Haven't seen that word in awhile. Must start using it now!

[Elleneast]

My daughter's college discouraged taking any pre-med courses at any other institution during the summer. People occasionally did it but when my daughter entertained the idea while trying to fit in time abroad her pre-med advisor said that she needed a specific reason.

From the Columbia website:

Summer Courses at other institutions are not transferable to Columbia (CC ONLY) except in a few clearly outlined circumstances. Summer work at Columbia is, of course, acceptable. IT IS NOT, HOWEVER, DESIRABLE TO TAKE ANY OF THE PREMEDICAL REQUIREMENTS IN THE SUMMER except in unusual circumstances. Occasionally, a student’s schedule will require taking summer courses, but the reason should not be to lighten your load during the academic year. Medical schools want to be assured of an applicant’s capacity to handle heavy science loads and therefore may question your decision to take summer courses. Again, please consult an adviser before taking required premedical courses during summer session.

(CC ONLY) refers to Columbia College.

[i_wanna_be_Brown]

Metonym,

Your statements are irrelevant to this thread. The OP is not a professional looking to change careers (in which case, you would be right), but is an undergraduate student looking to take courses at another undergraduate university. The reasoning behind the advice against this is that not only are you taking an easier course but also the fact that you possess a line of reasoning that appears to say "Taking Chem 2 at UF be too hard so I'll take it at FIU instead." Obviously we all make some choices based on not doing something that's too hard but they are typically neither as obvious on paper as this nor as contradictory to the vast majority of what our peers are doing (i.e. taking the courses offered at our own school).