Are community colleges really good for prereqs?

i am in a top nursing school and yes i have a Bachelors in biology from a well known 4 year school, but most of pre-reqs are from the local community college - as are many of my classmates. as i was once told "orgo is orgo, no matter where you take it!" (this of course was assumed that one is attending an accredited school, which most are!

I have no idea how impacted pre-reqs are at the CCs out there, but in CA just getting into the pre-reqs (let alone taking them and passing) is a challenge. I was on waitlist for every one of my pre-reqs and still haven't been able to get into a biochem class for 3 semesters. AND my registration date isn't even that bad, 3rd morning after registration opens. I wish I had the opportunity to take them while i was an undergrad... But I didn't decide to go into nursing until after I graduated with my bachelor's.

What is up with California? Impossible to get into a nursing program. Impossible to get a job once you have graduated? If this is true, then it is quite frustrating (and unfair).

Community colleges are excellent places to complete pre-reqs. They are cheaper, with smaller class sizes and depending on the school, potentially more one-on-one help (should you need it).

I doubt very much that most nursing schools would consider where you completed your pre-reqs, and employers would care even less.

Best of luck,

Courtney

What is up with California? Impossible to get into a nursing program. Impossible to get a job once you have graduated? If this is true, then it is quite frustrating (and unfair).

Stupid budget cuts! There's fewer sections for each class open every semester for those darn prereqs =(

If you know where you want to get your nursing degree, call and ask if your credits will transfer. There are fewer problems with this than there used to be, but a few places still give people a hard time.

I highly recommend taking your pre-reqs at a community college. The cost in many cases is one third or less than the same classes at a university. But again, make sure that the pre-reqs meet the criteria of the school you're going to transfer them too and aren't watered down versions. This is really important with your math and science courses. You don't want a baby chem class if that won't cut it.

If you can find courses that will satisfy the nursing school requirements, you can save yourself a bundle. And as CourtneyLR said, you will probably find yourself in a smaller class and have more help available, should you need it.

Community colleges are geared to adult learning (people out of high school for at least a few years who may be juggling jobs and families) and most of the schools have skill centers with tutors who are great at helping students revive old skills or acquire the new ones they need to be successful with a course.

I hope you can find something that will meet your needs.

I am dropping off my application for Baylor's "fastbacc" Nursing program in Dallas this Friday... since my previous degree is in the Arts, I needed to take a lot of the prerequisite courses still and community college allowed me to do that. Even working full time, I really couldn't afford to do this at a 4-year university. I can't tell you what the right decision is right now in terms of leaving school, but I can tell you that my experience with DCCCD (not sure where you're originally from) has been instrumental in my Nursing education.

As long as the courses are accepted as equivalent to what the program you're applying to requires, a CC is a GREAT way to meet those prerequisites. They're usually much cheaper and sometimes you actually get a better, more complete education in those subjects because the CC Professors don't want their courses to be any less rigorous than those same courses taught at University... if anything, they want their programs to be MORE rigorous because that way University Professors can't complain that students are coming unprepared.

CC's are great! I am in the Los Angeles area, and although all SoCal colleges/universities are impacted - I have enjoyed my time at my local CC(s). I have been to Mission, Valley, Pierce, City and Tradetech (whew, i just need to try the other four ). I have the added benefit of being within a system as opposed to a single school, so I have gotten my classes from which ever "branch" had availability and they all transfer to any nursing program I am interested in.

I just recently transferred from a state college to a local community college to do my general studies/pre requisites and then apply to their nursing program. BEST DECISION I MADE IN MY LIFE SO FAR. I am so much happier. Community colleges tend to have a lot of resources to help you out, especially in tutoring! I have chemistry this semester and there are around 10 kids in my "lecture" class compared to about 250-300 at my old state school. Such a better learning environment in my opinion, it is easier to get one on one help. Also, I am saving so much money and probably learning more than I normally would be at my old state college.

I would say if you're almost done with the pre-regs and just need a few classes to finish up then why change, unless you're paying out of pocket. It really doesn't matter where you get your pre-regs as long as they are accredited. Again you don't have to stay at your university if you don't want to, because its not like you're applying to med school, where most the of school require your pre-regs from a 4 yr.