Anatomy with Lab Pre-req - Current Students' Input

[jasmee3]

As a prospective 2014 Pace student, I'm having trouble fulfilling the pre-req course Anatomy w/ Lab as I am a post-bac student. Most schools only offer A&P and those that do offer just Anatomy, do so only for their current students in their respective professional healthcare program. Any suggestions for schools I can take the Anatomy w/ Lab class would be appreciated to get me out of this bind.

[loliz]

Community college

[jasmee3]

Thanks loliz. Do you have a particular community college in mind because I'm from New Jersey and havent found any offering soley Anatomy. There is one that has a course called The Human Body w/ lab but Pace won't accept it.

[loliz]

I just realized this post was school specific, the way I look at the pre-pa forum they are all lumped together.

I am not sure about New Jersey, but every state I have lived in (3) had a local community college that offered these courses. Some places don't offer anatomy specifically, but since you are required to take an anatomy course and a physiology course, most PA schools will accept 2 semesters of A&P.

Also, some schools have a course equivalency program where you can look up different schools and see what would be an equivalent course at another school. Alternatively, I know a lot of classes at universities are major specific (like you said), but talk to the dean of the science department and you may be able to get a waiver.

Good luck!

[jts]

Community Coolege is definitely the way to go. They offer smaller classes, weekend and evening schedules, and are cheaper. I did ALL my pre-reqs at a CC while I worked full-time. Very doable.

[FutureDukeEMPA]

Jts,

I am currently finishing my undergrad degree and I am taking ALL of my pre-reqs at my 4-year university. On one hand, it's easier not having to commute between two different schools and I only have to worry about how financial aid is structured for one school as opposed to two. The other reason is because of the general opinion, which in many instances, have been reinforced by many PA programs themselves, that pre-reqs and other upper division courses (hard math/science courses) should be taken at a 4-year university. From what I have seen, it's been either a straightforward answer, or a grey area which is "strongly suggested"...which basically means, take the pre-reqs at a 4-year university. I am curious as to your experiences with this. Was the fact that you took all your pre-reqs at a community college given much attention or was it asked to be explained? Did you ever feel that you may have "lost some points" with PA programs/interviews because of that?

[jts]

Hi FutureDukeEMPA, I took 44 credits of pre-reqs at my local CC, had a 4.0 GPA, and was never asked about it on any of the interviews. I had my BA and MS degrees and decided that CC was the route for me. I am not sure if my experience reflects the majority, however, and I am hopeful that other PAs will join in on this thread concerning their experiences. I certainly understand why students are hesitant to go the community college route for thier upcoming PA applications but for me, it was definitely the right choice. I felt that I had a lot of support from professors, didn't have to commute into the city for classes at the university, and did not accumulate debt...it was pretty much stress-free.

[FutureDukeEMPA]

jts- Yeah, I had the same exact feelings as you about taking classes at a community college. Not to mention if I did, I could have saved quite a bit of $$ but I suppose the fear of everyone and even some institutions "strongly suggesting" to take pre-reqs at a 4-year university overwhelmed me. You seem like a top-level student though with a 4.0 and two degrees so maybe it wasn't much of an issue. Thanks very much for the info!