When entering a medical profession, you might be under the impression that your only path to success lies in gaining admission to a prestigious college or university.
However, this is hardly the case.
There are many avenues that will lead to the college degree you seek, regardless of what you decide to major in, and going to community college provides many students with a springboard that will help them to reach the next level of education.
For example, not everyone applies themselves fully in high school.
Many see it as a time to goof off and have fun rather than attending to homework and striving for the best grades. As a result, many will not pull the GPA required for acceptance into top-notch universities. Others simply can't afford the sky-high tuition. And still others are not yet ready to leave behind the comforts of home in order to head to college in another city or state. So can going community college help you to reach your professional goals?
Absolutely. But what can it offer students interested in a career in plastic surgery in particular?
Community College to Plastic Surgeon?
As you may have guessed, your time at community college will not result in the credentials needed to become a plastic surgeon.
For that you must first obtain a Bachelor's of Science, preferably pre-med, followed by a graduate program that results in a Medical Doctor degree (that is if you pass the MCAT and get accepted into medical school after obtaining your BS).
Then you'll be required to do your residency; in this case you'll have to do a general residency and a plastic surgery residency, or a program that combines the two. Finally, you'll have to pass the United States Medical Licensure Exam (USMLE) in order to become a licensed plastic surgeon.
All told you're looking at about fourteen years of combined schooling and residency, not to mention licensure, before you can open your own practice. But everyone has to start somewhere.
So Why Should You Start in Community College?
Well let's just begin with the practical matter of money. Medical school is expensive! Certainly the career waiting at the end of your many years of schooling will pay for the debt you accumulate as a student, but you have to survive until then.
Although community college may only account for two years of study, it can afford you many opportunities - first and foremost to get your general education out of the way at far less cost, as well as save on living expenses by staying on with your parents. And many community college students are able to hold down a part-time job, which will only add to your savings for continuing education. But there's more.
Attending community college may provide you with the opportunity to significantly improve your GPA before you start applying to 4-year institutions. This could not only make a difference in your acceptance rate at schools you apply to, but it could also result in additional chances for scholarships since your competition at the junior level is somewhat diminished (as opposed to the number of freshmen vying for acceptance and financial assistance).
Further, the courses you take in community college could put you ahead of the game in terms of prerequisites so that you're more prepared than classmates for the courses you'll take in your pre-med program. And all of this is good news for the student looking to one day deliver Xeomin injections, perform rhinoplasty, and help people to overcome disfigurements caused by illness and injury.
