Hi There,

Looking for advice ...there are no post bac programs in my area and i cant move because of personal reasons.. what are the alternatives..
Bye
Amy

Amy,

An option for you would be to take the pre-requiste classes at a four year university (or community college but I wouldn't recommend that path). You need:

Bio I&II
Chem
Organic Chem
Physics
Calc (optional)

Try to get to know a science professor so they can write a stellar letter of recommendation and you should be fine. Getting all A's and acing the MCAT would help too. Wish you the best of luck.

Mike

I ditto what Mike said! For me, all a post bacc program would do is provide support and make enrolling in classes much easier. If I don't get into any programs, I'll be going to a local university (no community colleges) to finish my prereqs.

good luck!

There was a post-bacc program in my area, but I chose to do it on my own at a 4-year state university instead. I found it a lot easier as a non-traditional (...older ;) ) student to get to know my professors and to get time with the people in the pre-professional committee, which made it pretty easy to get recommendations when the time came. I was able to form a support-network with other pre-med students in the classes I was taking, and I saved a lot of money -- so for me it worked out great.

With the budget problems that a lot of state schools are having recently, though, taking classes ? la carte is probably going to get a little more difficult. From what I understand, it's getting harder to get into the class sections you want/need (less sections offered), and as a non-degree-seeking student you're usually at the bottom of the registration totem-pole which further lowers your shot at good class picks. Also, with some classes only offered in the fall or spring, you might find yourself waiting a year to get into a pre-req you need (organic II was only offered spring semester where I went) or scrambling to find it at another school. Doing the pre-reqs on your own is do-able, you just need to be a little more aggressive in your planning and execution than you would in a tailor-made program.

Good luck! :)

If you're just prepping for the MCAT, then the 8 aforementioned courses (in the 4 sciences) is sufficient. But read up on the
"suggestions" from the websites of med schools you may be interested in -- some *like* to see biochem and/or genetics, so if time/$ permit, consider one of those.

-pitman

And if I were you I would SERIOUSLy take Biochemistry at same time or semester following Organic II. A lot of schools are now allowing you to substitute and most 'highly reccommend' it.

Originally posted by AlphaKi
And if I were you I would SERIOUSLy take Biochemistry at same time or semester following Organic II. A lot of schools are now allowing you to substitute and most 'highly reccommend' it.
Ditto that suggestion -- if time permits, since for most people that would entail an additional semester.