Are prereq. credits from community college looked down upon?

U.S.A. Maryland

Published

Hi. :nurse:

I have a few questions about admissions to Hopkins and UMB... Could really use some tips about this decision!

-I am trying to figure out where to finish my prerequisites. I have some credits already from CCBC (classes that I took during high school). For next year, I was accepted to UMBC, as well as a more "prestigious" university in NY.

1. Are applicants with prerequisite credits from community college looked down upon?

(I would rather finish all of my prereqs. at CCBC, but would it be easier to get in with credits from somewhere better? Am I at any disadvantage if I apply with CCBC credits???)

2. How are CLEPs/online courses/summer courses viewed? (I saw from the UMB website that they accept these credits, but do they like them?)

I am actually more interested in UMB right now (financially and also UMB seems like a better school for me),

so if anyone who has exposure to UMB knows the answers to these questions... That would be awesome!

All my classes were taken at a CC and I got into UMB first try, actually the majority of UMB's students are transfers from a CC (MHEC community college transfer report). I even took A&P I&II in the summer, so I don't think they look down on summer courses, as A&P are the most important courses to UMB. Online should be ok, but stick with local cc online courses as they will transfer, and stay away from CLEPs, there is no telling what they will do to your GPA (which UMB does care about).

If you start UMBC you can get into the 2+2 program which makes it a bit easier to get into UMB, but you have to select that program very early in (I don't know much about that program).

With Hopkins, they compared themselves to CCBC at an open house I went to last year, so I doubt they have an issue with CC's either. That comparison was one of a few things that made me drop my JHU app all together.

So... Go to CCBC, crush all your courses and apply for lots of merit based transfer scholarships. Emphasis on crushing your courses.

MHEC Numbers for 2008-2009:

CCBC transfers to UMB 28- Total CC transfer to UMB 193

UMBC transfers to UMB 13- Total 4yr transfer to UMB 47

Without going into these numbers too deep, they show that UMB has no problem with CC students.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

UM takes very few clep credits so check that out. I took all my pre-reqs at CC and I don't think they care if they are online or summer classes. I loved summer classes because they are so short. Good luck.

I appreciate these helpful answers! Thanks for your time :w00t:

I would call the institutions and see what an advisor tells you.

Are BCCC courses just as good as prereqs. from CCBC?

(specifically for Microbiology)

Any guidance is appreciated!

Why the swap from CCBC?

If you look at MHEC's data BCCC (or as they call it CCB (it's old name)), student that transfer from BCCC don't do as well as other transfer students.

I doubt admissions will really care about that stat though, as they still accept alot of BCCC students, and even if they put some weight into the perceived strength of your community college (which I very much doubt), there are so many factors that go into the application review process that I think place of schooling would be a tie breaker at best (but again I doubt it is even a factor).

To give yourself piece of mind (and I sense that is what you are after) get all A's, a 4.0 at middle state accredited cc A is the same as a 4.0 at middle state accredited cc B. This will alsohelp you with the often asked and never answered "what GPA do I need to get in?"

Thanks for answering.

The reason I am looking into Microbiology at BCCC is:

At BCCC, the Microbiology course prerequisite is: 6-8 credits in biology or chemistry.

At CCBC, the Microbiology course prerequisite is: Biology 110.

There is a Biology 101 class that I can take which will serve as a prerequisite for all my other bio classes.

This Bio 101 is more convenient for me (the dates are better)...

Will this BIO 101 class give me the knowledge necessary for the future?

Because if BIO 110 will anyways better prepare me for the rest of education and in my career, maybe I should just stick with that...?

I'm pretty confused about this whole situation! I hope this is clear enough; if not, let me know so I can clarify

Thanks a million!

I went to MC, not BCCC or CCBC, but I assume BI101 is biology for non-science majors and BI110 is biology for science Majors.

I tutored for both and found 101 to be more difficult as it focused on trite little details, where 107 (my version of 110) got in depth on important things. 101 will go over a few things that are important for Micro and A&P but you are better off taking 110 as it's easier (focused learning) and lays a better framework for your advanced biologies.

Your courses may be different so take a look at the course catalog and see what it says the class includes. Also you might want to stay at CCBC just to keep things simple, the more cogs the easier it is to break the machine and all that.

Remember Intro Bio and Gen Chem are the weeding out courses and will require more than average amounts of effort to get A's in.

Hey I was looking for some info on fin-aid for UMB and stumbled across some things that you might find valueable:

From UMB FAQ

"Can I take the prerequisite courses at a community college?

Yes, we accept prerequisite courses from any regionally accredited college."

"How many CLEP/AP tests will you allow me to transfer in?

We will accept 2 subjects (6 credits) of CLEP/AP results."

"Will you accept prerequisites that were completed online?

Yes, we will accept online courses for all prerequisites except Chemistry, Microbiology, and Anatomy & Physiology I and II."

Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
Hi. :nurse:

I have a few questions about admissions to Hopkins and UMB... Could really use some tips about this decision!

-I am trying to figure out where to finish my prerequisites. I have some credits already from CCBC (classes that I took during high school). For next year, I was accepted to UMBC, as well as a more "prestigious" university in NY.

1. Are applicants with prerequisite credits from community college looked down upon?

(I would rather finish all of my prereqs. at CCBC, but would it be easier to get in with credits from somewhere better? Am I at any disadvantage if I apply with CCBC credits???)

2. How are CLEPs/online courses/summer courses viewed? (I saw from the UMB website that they accept these credits, but do they like them?)

I am actually more interested in UMB right now (financially and also UMB seems like a better school for me),

so if anyone who has exposure to UMB knows the answers to these questions... That would be awesome!

I hope not, because many of us have entire nursing degrees from community colleges.

My advice: You can always call the registrar's office of the college you plan on transferring to and they will tell you if a course will transfer BEFORE you even take the course.

Little known fact.

+ Add a Comment