Tannn Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 As the title asks, is there anything wrong with taking A&P at a community college in the summer? Would PA schools be less likely to accept me if I did? I'm currently enrolled at a university who has just recently switched paths from pre-med to pre-PA. A&P wasn't a required course for me before, but now that I've switched I've got to get it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koppma Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 It really depends on the schools you are applying to. Some will want it at a university at the upper division level, but some schools will not care. I got into Drexel's PA program and took A and P at a community college. I know that Western University in Ca did not care if it was taken at a community college. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHU-CH Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 It will be a school-by-school decision, but most will not care too much as long as you do well. I would encourage you to take the highest quality A&P coursework you can find. The better your A&P knowledge, the less suffering you will experience during the early part of your program. (Note that "quality" does not necessarily automatically = 4 year school.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted December 13, 2013 Administrator Share Posted December 13, 2013 (Note that "quality" does not necessarily automatically = 4 year school.) Indeed, the student-professor ratios are quite good at many community colleges. I had A&P with about 15 others, and a MS-holding professor who was a really great teacher. I'll take that over a lecture hall and a bunch of TAs any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmood Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 Anecdotal evidence from me... I took it at a CC and no questions were asked. See if you can find a CC that has a few prosected bodies. Ours were pretty old but you could still see structures. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcreek Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 When I did take classes at the community college, I actually felt that I got better instruction and learned more. Not only are the classes smaller, but professors at community colleges generally spend their whole time teaching, not split between research and class-time. Some of them were PhD's. Most of my classes and pre-reqs were at a 4 year institution though. I took Gen Chem II and Microbiology with labs at the community college because that's what would work with my schedule. Cheaper too. PA programs said nothing bad about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 I found that classes in community college were well-taught and more focused that some of those that I took in 4 year colleges. I recall that my college had two sequences of anatomy and physiology. One combined the two subjects and was taught over a two quarter sequence. This was more of a prereq for nursing. Another series, which carried a higher level number, separated the subjects (1 quarter each) and was more desirable as a prereq for PA school. You might want to check and see if your school has a similar two tier system. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latina PA Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 I took A&P I at a CC and A&P II at a 4 year University. I was able to get into my top choice program no questions asked. That being said, I learned more at the CC. Their lab was run by a PhD not a TA and the lecture was just much well-taught. Plus it was half the price!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliss929 Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 I took ALL of my prerequisites at a Community College and was accepted to two top-ranked schools: Emory and GW. It's not a deal-breaker unless the PA school specifically states that they don't accept CC credits (for example, Northeastern). It saved me thousands of dollars and lots of time -- CCs tend to have flexible course schedules (evening classes, etc.). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patho Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 Since I work nights and volunteer during the day, I've taken medical term and intro to pysch online. I'm currently enrolled in a CC A&P I that is a blended online lecture component, and in person lab 4hrs a week. Their schedule was so flexible and the professors I emailed always got back promptly, in addition to the $$ saved. The PA program I researched said that they accept online courses as long as the science prereqs had in person lab, they will not accept online labs, which makes sense since you always want hands-on experience. Call or attend a information session for the programs that you are interested in, some even state it on their website under prospective students. I also feel it is true, as others have said, that I've learned more in these CC classes compared to my 4-yr university prereqs. This could get tricky with higher level sciences since certain schools have limited resources compared to big university with a hospital on campus where they can get some pretty nice samples and specimens. When I took hematology and micro at my university they had a lot of supplies donated by the hospital adjacent to the campus. We saw some wild stuff, like malaria and promyelocytes in blood. All kinds of yeast and molds in mycology, and a host of ancient and more recent medical equipments that were probably also donated by the hospitals. Compare and see what you really want, take a tour of the lab if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMaistre Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 I took my A+P at cc and got accepted to several programs. No it is not looked down upon. They emphasize GPA over institution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamalamXO Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 I concur. I took both A&P 1&2 at CC and had a great experience. Both lectures and labs were taught by MDs Which gave me the opportunity to pick their brains any chance I had. Plus smaller class sizes and reduced cost...it's a win-win Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyM2 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Why would anyone think a major university offers a better education than a community college? I have attended two major universities, my wife attended two major universities; my son is attending a major university and my daughter attended a small regional university and has been finishing pre-reqs at a community college. My take on it is that major universities are a major rip-off for under grads but probably worth it for graduate school. As far as I can tell, PA schools don't really discriminate and may not even care. So save you money for PA school and get your pre-reqs at CD. Sent from my Kindle Fire HDX using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACdan Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I look at it this way, does the Anatomy lab include cadavers? Cadaver work is a valuable experience that increases your knowledge and preparation for PA school and the practice of medicine. I took Anatomy at my university specifically for this reason. But many programs, big and small, don't have access to human cadavers. Sent from the Satellite of Love using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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