Question

ok this question is going to be quite long . First of all i am starting my first community college semester in fall . I graduated high school a little earlier in march . anyways i have a couple questions and comments and really need some guidance from my fellow pre-med students. i tried the counselor and it didn't help much . she didn't understand what i want!! ok so first i live in california and i dont know what 4 year i want to go to yet , but i know i want to definitely transfer in 2 years , not 3 !! (thats what my counselor said. ok second , i wanted my major to be biochemistry but i looked up the transfer requirements from a few 4 years and they all say to take physics and o chem and calculus in the cc , and i dont want to do that at all i want to take the majority of my pre med pre reqs at the 4 year besides (chem and biology i want to do those to prepare me for the mcat as a junior in the 4 year) . ok so 3rd i also tried other majors like biology and that also requires pre med pre reqs at the cc. and i know i can choose any major i want!! but i want a science one. So my last question would be can you not have a major and still transfer to a 4 year and the medical school if you complete the pre med pre reqs . and if i mustt have a major it really sucks that i cant choose a science one , because like i said that would require taking all the major pre reqs at the cc and that would take me 3 years instead of 2(the reason why it would take me 3 years is because alot of the classes listed under these majors also have pre reqs of their own) and that would also mean taking important pre med preqs at the cc. what should i doo!! someone please hhelppp . what majors so you guys suggest , or how did u do it in community college in order to take the majority of your pre med pre reqs in the 4 year .

Answer 1

Some universities have a major known as "general studies", essentially it is enough core and upper division credits to graduate.  

You do not have a choose a major right away if you plan on transfering.  I was a biology major and had a blast!  I love biology.  Go with what you enjoy taking (As long as you get the pre-reqs done).  

You do not have to have a science major to get into medical school.

Answer 2

I'm just finishing up my 2-year transfer degree and relate to what you're currently dealing with. Hang in there, you'll find the answers! Here's what I found helpful.

The first step is to figure out where you want to transfer to. This may sound a bit rushed, but it will help guide your choices for classes at the community college. For example, if you have your heart set on attending UCLA as a Biology major, check out their program outline and try to match the classes as closely as possible.

The second step is to skip the community college counselor and speak with both a counselor and the pre-med advisor at the college you would like to attend. You can make appointments to speak with each, and usually once you explain that you intend to transfer, they have a lot of useful information. Lastly, keep in mind that the counselors at community colleges rarely see pre-med students; they mostly deal with students who are looking for career training, and sometimes transfer students. I realized this after my first semester, and subsequently had to add an additional semester to take classes the community college counselor was unaware I had to take.

Make sure to check in with the pre-med advisor every 6 months. Community colleges do not have pre-med advisors, so speak with the advisor at the university you're planning to attend on schedule. They will also inform you of additional activities and classes you should be taking (shadowing, volunteering at a hospital, making sure you take the MCAT required classes, etc.). It was very awkward for me to make the first appointment, but it really was a smart thing to do!

Also, if there are any easy classes that you can take in half a semester (8 week classes), get those out of the way. You can complete two semesters worth of classes in one semester if you time things properly. This is best done with 100 level courses (and check ratemyprofessor.com to make sure you're not signing up for a really hard class).

Lastly, get your transfer degree (AS). Some students skip this step, but in the long run it's easier to have automatic junior status rather than transfer each credit individually (which can be a nightmare).

If you have anymore questions, please feel free to PM me.

Best wishes!

Comments

P.S. I knocked out all of my MCAT requirements at a C.C. and plan to the the MCAT before transferring. Also, if you what to be a biochem major, you have to get Chem, OChem, Bio, and Phy out of the way in the first 2 years. Don't attach a stigma to community college classes. Many university students have to take their classes at a community college because their universities do not have enough classes to cover their student body. In fact, half of the students in my OChem class were from the local university!