Advice please for Best Degree for CAA Route

[bjcheung77]

Basically, yes, do the undergrad at Excelsior, TESU, UMPI, etc, it really won't matter who you finish with as long as you've got the prerequisites completed. You can decide on a quick degree and then an extra online science year, it doesn't have to come from the expensive universities, you can get them from the community colleges as they're first/second year classes. Another option is to take these classes on route to your bachelors, moving these into the electives of the degree, the timeframe will be almost the same...

[LopsiddedMind84]

Basically, yes, do the undergrad at Excelsior, TESU, UMPI, etc, it really won't matter who you finish with as long as you've got the prerequisites completed.  You can decide on a quick degree and then an extra online science year, it doesn't have to come from the expensive universities, you can get them from the community colleges as they're first/second year classes.  Another option is to take these classes on route to your bachelors, moving these into the electives of the degree, the timeframe will be almost the same...

After talking to admission at PSU, researching more about benefits of pros and cons of CAA/CRNA. The restrictiveness of CAA in certain states does worry me for the future and now that I am young(32 I really believed i was too old.) with out kids or any financial burden and financially set. I have decided between CRNA and Med Route. CRNA  3-4 BSN Program + 2 Years of ICU experience, 3-4 years CRNA School = 8-10 years Minimum . 2-4 Pre Medical Bacc + 4 years of Medical + 4 year of residency + 1 Year of fellowship = 11-13 years minimum. I don't have a family, I don't have a wife. Not planning on getting married anytime soon. I will shoot for the stars and like many of us give it my best shot now with no excuses to go for medical route. I am also planning if accepted into medical try to shoot for USUHS or the HPSP to have everything covered by the military and in return serve for 7 years for USUHS route and 4 year minum for HPSP while have everything covered and being paid as a O1 Officer at USUHS. 

Things  I have to do before starting my journey.
# Academic Renewal at Penn State PSU Academic Renewal
- Academic renewal allows GPA to start anew upon re-enrollment
- Grades from prior courses remain on transcript
- Only courses with minimum grade of C earn credits toward degree requirements

# Planned Steps
1. Apply for Academic Forgiveness to reset GPA to 0

2. Retake classes with grades below A

(to show from a decade ago i am serious about this mission)

3. Transfer Gen Ed credits from: [url=PSU CheatCode Transfer][/url]PSU CHEATCODE TRANSFER
   - Sophia.org 

   - Study.com 

   - Straighterline.com

4. Complete medical school requirement labs at Penn State (1-2 semesters) 
Question
is there any faster way to take these classes or just community college? 

# Pre-Med Required Classes

## Biology (8 Credits including Lab) Transfer 8 Credits
- SDCM - STUDYCOM 0188 INTRO TO BIOLOGY WITH LAB 4
- SDCM - STUDYCOM 0247 ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY II W/LAB 4

## Physics (8 Credits including Lab) Transfer 4 Credit (Need 4 more)

- OOSL - STRAIGHTERLINE 0023 GENERAL PHYSICS I (3 credits)
- OOSL - STRAIGHTERLINE 0085 GENERAL PHYSICS I LAB (1 credit)
- *Will need one more semester with lab*

## General Chemistry (8 Credits including Lab) Transfer 4 Credit
- SDCM - STUDYCOM 0194 CHEMISTRY I WITH LAB 4
- *Will need one more semester with lab*

## Organic Chemistry (8 Credits including Lab) Transfer 3 credit need 2 labs
- OOSL - STRAIGHTERLINE 0112 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 3
- *Will need one more semester with  2 labs*

- **Biochemistry**: 1 semester (Must take at Penn State - no transfer available)

- **English**: 2 semesters (Transfers from ACE) 6 credits

- **Math**: 2 semesters (Transfer from ACE) 6 credits

# Next Steps
- After completing , consider transferring to UMPI

- UMPI offers biology B.A. with pre-medical concentration: [Program Link](https://www.umpi.edu/academics/academic-...entration/)
( Fastest self paced and GPA accredited university to test graduate with a degree and apply Summer of 2026 for classes of 2027)

- Focus on achieving high MCAT scores 510 is Goal and above.

- Gain clinical volunteering experience


thank you for everyone for your help, Can't believe just the end of october i found out about this "Degree Hacking" when trying to just look to finish my degree and test into CAA school because I thought it was too late for me to take any other route. Thank you so much for all of the advice and I read through each one and researched extensively . Sorry for the many questions!

[Hotdogman1]

From my previous post:
"If you do more research on this, you will inevitably see "start fresh" or "Academic Renewal" policies. Penn state does seems to have an Academic Renewal policy:
"If a grade forgiveness request is approved, the original course still will appear on the student's official transcript, but will not earn credit or count towards the student's term or cumulative GPA." https://www.registrar.psu.edu/grades/gra...veness.cfm

Don't get your hopes up. It doesn't matter because CASAA factors in the failed course anyways.
"CASAA does not recognize an individual school's policies for forgiveness, academic renewal, or grade replacement for repeated courses. CASAA will verify based on how grades for repeated courses are reported on the official transcripts. All grades earned for repeated courses are factored into your CASAA GPA." (https://help.liaisonedu.com/CASAA_Applic...lculations)"

The policy is similar to most other medical related schools. This means it doesn't matter what the gpa says on PSU's transcript. Even if the PSU transcript says 4.0 GPA on it, schools will still factor in the the original course. This also means there is no difference between retaking the courses at PSU or at any other institution.

DO NOT DO SOPHIA, STUDY.COM or STRAIGHTERLINE for the science prerequisites. The type of credit you receive are ACE credits from those sites, but you need RA credits at the very least. I do not know of a single Medical school that accepts ACE credits to satisfy the Science Prerequisites. If you don't want to take the courses in person or online at a RA institution, you're better off doing Portage Learning, UNE, or others such as OSU (https://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/online-d...s/science/). For a better idea, search for "medical school prerequisites aamc 2024 pdf" on google (https://students-residents.aamc.org/syst...ements.pdf)

[Stonybeach]

.................................

[bjcheung77]

Instead of doing the classes from community college or the more expensive options, and the UMPI BA Biology, you may want to get the sciences at Logon University, I think they're still $275/credit, which isn't bad - I haven't checked their tuition in years, it may have gone up to say $300/credit. I would still recommend community college options first, you can go for a degree at UMPI quickly and add in an online year for sciences right afterwards.

[Hotdogman1]

Isn't that UMPI biology with pre-medical concentration program only for on campus students? Is it self paced?

[Duneranger]

Isn't that UMPI biology with pre-medical concentration program only for on campus students? Is it self paced?

He might have meant TESU

[MSK9]

Just to throw in an experienced-based anecdote after talking with the OP privately, online pre-reqs don't make a difference as long as they're RA. Doane and UNE transcripts don't differentiate the classes as online or not and medical schools likely aren't going to ask.

To the OP: as stated in our other conversation, if you want to do it, do it. Don't let anyone talk you out of it, bearing in mind the caveats we discussed, of course.

Medical school admissions (and I suspect other competitive health professions) are highly arbitrary. Racial and ethnic identifiers don't count as competition and the fact that we've entered an era where people actually put this in their personal statements leaves me dumbfounded. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how good you are or whether this or that course was online, but know there are always workarounds. Always.

I know a guy who started here who showed up here looking for advice on how to get a BALS and ended up with an MD in a competitive residency..

[Stonybeach]

Just to throw in an experienced-based anecdote after talking with the OP privately, online pre-reqs don't make a difference as long as they're RA. Doane and UNE transcripts don't differentiate the classes as online or not and medical schools likely aren't going to ask.

To the OP: as stated in our other conversation, if you want to do it, do it. Don't let anyone talk you out of it, bearing in mind the caveats we discussed, of course.

Medical school admissions (and I suspect other competitive health professions) are highly arbitrary. Racial and ethnic identifiers don't count as competition and the fact that we've entered an era where people actually put this in their personal statements leaves me dumbfounded. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how good you are or whether this or that course was online, but know there are always workarounds. Always.

I know a guy who started here who showed up here looking for advice on how to get a BALS and ended up with an MD in a competitive residency..

I think the hesitancy of "online" premedical sciences comes from a lack of a lab or if it does have a lab, then a hands-on lab component versus a virtual lab. This is why I provided a link to the University of New England (UNE): https://online.une.edu/post-baccalaureate-pre-health/
"Laboratory sessions are 100% online and offer sophisticated science experiments and lessons that don’t require a campus commute." Inference: Distance learning technology now provides an acceptable level of "lab" experience.

Many pre-medical/nursing/healthcare prerequisites require "labs." I don't know how one can "walkaround" that requirement. Overall, I believe online premed programs like those offered by UNE or encouraging premedical coursework with lab components taken at a local school is appropriate.

Drexel appears to offer online pre-med with on-campus labs: https://www.online.drexel.edu/online-deg...index.aspx

Colorado State: "online" but no physics coursework and no labs: https://www.online.colostate.edu/certifi...re-health/

Interesting article on MCAT scores: https://www.ama-assn.org/medical-student...-correlate

[Duneranger]

Basically, yes, do the undergrad at Excelsior, TESU, UMPI, etc, it really won't matter who you finish with as long as you've got the prerequisites completed.  You can decide on a quick degree and then an extra online science year, it doesn't have to come from the expensive universities, you can get them from the community colleges as they're first/second year classes.  Another option is to take these classes on route to your bachelors, moving these into the electives of the degree, the timeframe will be almost the same...

After talking to admission at PSU, researching more about benefits of pros and cons of CAA/CRNA. The restrictiveness of CAA in certain states does worry me for the future and now that I am young(32 I really believed i was too old.) with out kids or any financial burden and financially set. I have decided between CRNA and Med Route.  CRNA  3-4 BSN Program + 2 Years of ICU experience, 3-4 years CRNA School = 8-10 years Minimum . 2-4 Pre Medical Bacc + 4 years of Medical + 4 year of residency + 1 Year of fellowship = 11-13 years minimum. I don't have a family, I don't have a wife. Not planning on getting married anytime soon. I will shoot for the stars and like many of us give it my best shot now with no excuses to go for medical route. I am also planning if accepted into medical try to shoot for USUHS or the HPSP to have everything covered by the military and in return serve for 7 years for USUHS route and 4 year minum for HPSP while have everything covered and being paid as a O1 Officer at USUHS. 

Things  I have to do before starting my journey.
# Academic Renewal at Penn State PSU Academic Renewal
- Academic renewal allows GPA to start anew upon re-enrollment
- Grades from prior courses remain on transcript
- Only courses with minimum grade of C earn credits toward degree requirements

# Planned Steps
1. Apply for Academic Forgiveness to reset GPA to 0

2. Retake classes with grades below A

(to show from a decade ago i am serious about this mission)

3. Transfer Gen Ed credits from: [url=PSU CheatCode Transfer][/url]PSU CHEATCODE TRANSFER
   - Sophia.org 

   - Study.com 

   - Straighterline.com

4. Complete medical school requirement labs at Penn State (1-2 semesters) 
Question
is there any faster way to take these classes or just community college? 

# Pre-Med Required Classes

## Biology (8 Credits including Lab) Transfer 8 Credits
- SDCM - STUDYCOM 0188 INTRO TO BIOLOGY WITH LAB 4
- SDCM - STUDYCOM 0247 ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY II W/LAB 4

## Physics (8 Credits including Lab) Transfer 4 Credit (Need 4 more)

- OOSL - STRAIGHTERLINE 0023 GENERAL PHYSICS I (3 credits)
- OOSL - STRAIGHTERLINE 0085 GENERAL PHYSICS I LAB (1 credit)
- *Will need one more semester with lab*

## General Chemistry (8 Credits including Lab) Transfer 4 Credit
- SDCM - STUDYCOM 0194 CHEMISTRY I WITH LAB 4
- *Will need one more semester with lab*

## Organic Chemistry (8 Credits including Lab) Transfer 3 credit need 2 labs
- OOSL - STRAIGHTERLINE 0112 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 3
- *Will need one more semester with  2 labs*

- **Biochemistry**: 1 semester (Must take at Penn State - no transfer available)

- **English**: 2 semesters (Transfers from ACE) 6 credits

- **Math**: 2 semesters (Transfer from ACE) 6 credits

# Next Steps
- After completing , consider transferring to UMPI

- UMPI offers biology B.A. with pre-medical concentration: [Program Link](https://www.umpi.edu/academics/academic-...entration/)
( Fastest self paced and GPA accredited university to test graduate with a degree and apply Summer of 2026 for classes of 2027)

- Focus on achieving high MCAT scores 510 is Goal and above.

- Gain clinical volunteering experience


thank you for everyone for your help, Can't believe just the end of october i found out about this "Degree Hacking" when trying to just look to finish my degree and test into CAA school because I thought it was too late for me to take any other route. Thank you so much for all of the advice and I read through each one and researched extensively . Sorry for the many questions!

This has been repeated multiple times, but do NOT take pre reqs with ACE sources such as SL or Sophia.

Some med schools might not care about UNE ( some still accept online labs) but ACE credits are a NO GO if you want a shot.

---

Just to throw in an experienced-based anecdote after talking with the OP privately, online pre-reqs don't make a difference as long as they're RA. Doane and UNE transcripts don't differentiate the classes as online or not and medical schools likely aren't going to ask.

To the OP: as stated in our other conversation, if you want to do it, do it. Don't let anyone talk you out of it, bearing in mind the caveats we discussed, of course.

Medical school admissions (and I suspect other competitive health professions) are highly arbitrary. Racial and ethnic identifiers don't count as competition and the fact that we've entered an era where people actually put this in their personal statements leaves me dumbfounded. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how good you are or whether this or that course was online, but know there are always workarounds. Always.

I know a guy who started here who showed up here looking for advice on how to get a BALS and ended up with an MD in a competitive residency..

OP intends to do his pre reqs at SL, Sophia and Study, these are waaaaaay different and wont be accepted