Does going to a community college hurt your chances of getting into grad school?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the implications of starting college at a community college on future graduate school applications, particularly in the fields of medicine and physics. Participants explore concerns about GPA transferability, perceptions of community college attendance, and career prospects for physics graduates who do not pursue graduate studies.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern that graduate schools may look down on applicants who started at community colleges, seeking experiences from others to validate this perception.
  • Another participant asserts that performance in upper-level courses will be more significant for graduate school applications, emphasizing the importance of achieving proficiency.
  • A different participant challenges the notion that community college attendance negatively impacts graduate school prospects, stating that all post-secondary transcripts are considered in GPA calculations for admissions.
  • Concerns are raised about the understanding of GPA calculations by admissions committees, with one participant explaining that schools may vary in how they factor in grades from different institutions.
  • The discussion includes a sarcastic remark about the perceived uselessness of a physics degree for non-graduate school paths, followed by a more serious exploration of various career options available to physics graduates, including engineering, programming, and technical sales.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the impact of community college attendance on graduate school applications, with no consensus reached on whether it is viewed negatively. There is also disagreement on the implications of GPA calculations and the career prospects for physics graduates.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the variability in graduate school admissions processes and the importance of individual performance in upper-level courses, but specific details on how different schools evaluate applications remain unresolved.

JustAnotherGu
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
I am a freshman getting ready to finish my first semester at a community college, with a strong GPA , and I'm planning on transferring to a 4 year college after this next semester is done.

I've heard a lot of people online say that medical and graduate schools look down on people who start out at community colleges, and I was wondering if there was any truth to this, and if any of you have had experiences with this.

I already know that my GPA won't follow me when I go to the 4 year university, which is somewhat disappointing.

I've already finished most of my easy classes (calc 1, physics 1, history, english, etc) and my GPA is going to be based entirely around the much more difficult high-level classes, which is something that makes me really nervous.

Will graduate schools look at my application and be understanding of the fact that my GPA is based solely on high-level classes, and that I don't have the lower level ones to "pad" my GPA?

And while we're on the subject, what happens to physics majors who don't get into grad school? I've heard a lot of people say that undergraduate physics degrees are useless for everything except high school teaching, which is not something that I want to do.

If it ends up being true that being at a community college will severely limit my chances of getting a job later on, I might just switch to computer science. I had a hard time deciding between the two at first, so this might be the thing that finally tips the scale one way or the other.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
The performance in the upper level grades, e.g., junior and senior years, will count more for graduate school. Hopefully one will achieve a demonstrable proficiency.
 
"I've heard a lot of people online say that medical and graduate schools look down on people who start out at community colleges, and I was wondering if there was any truth to this, and if any of you have had experiences with this."

this is complete ********, though med schools and grad schools do care about gpa, so make sure you keep your grades up no matter where you go to school
 
JustAnotherGu said:
I already know that my GPA won't follow me when I go to the 4 year university, which is somewhat disappointing.
This is untrue. When you apply to graduate school you are generally required to submit your transcripts for all post-secondary institutions you've attende. They will apply whatever formula they use to calculate your GPA. So even if you failed out of a history program before you figured out what you wanted to do with your life the people on the admissions committee are going to see that.

Will graduate schools look at my application and be understanding of the fact that my GPA is based solely on high-level classes, and that I don't have the lower level ones to "pad" my GPA?
It doesn't work that way. If they factor in a four year cummulative GPA into their scoring system, they will look at where those marks came from. Maybe they will only factor in your last two years. It varies from school to school. What they won't do is compare four years from one student to two years from another.

And while we're on the subject, what happens to physics majors who don't get into grad school? I've heard a lot of people say that undergraduate physics degrees are useless for everything except high school teaching, which is not something that I want to do.
They end up completely useless and have no hope whatsoever of getting a job that pays more than minimum wage. (/sarcasm)

Seriously, I would look up some of the AIP survey results as they tend to track such things so that physics students will have some data to make decisions on. A lot will depend on the particular skill set the student develops and his or her interests. Many will go into engineering, programming, IT, or education, but those aren't the only options. There are options like technical sales or consulting that you could get into right away, or with some additional training I've know some physics graduates who have gone into technical professions like radiation therapy or ultrasonographer. There are a lot of open doors, but don't get discouraged because none of them are particularly labelled 'Physics BSc Required.'
 

Similar threads

Admissions Dropped out for 5 years -- What are my chances at Grad schools?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Admissions Graduating a year early anxieties + grad school
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K
Schools How good and well-known is the physics program at RPI?
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
1K
Studying Any tips for getting GPA over 3.7 in grad school?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
4K
Other How to Afford Moving to Another State For Grad School?
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K
Schools Is a top physics grad school possible with a lower tier undergrad?
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
4K
Schools Community college GPA and Chem grad school?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Other Physics PhD after working for few years
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
Schools Transfering From a Community College to a Uni
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Will a D in AP Physics C First Semester Impact My College Acceptances?
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
4K