Formal program vs a la carte

[lainey234]

I live in Colorado and the local schools where I live do not ofer any formal post bacc programs. I initially graduated from UCI in 1997 with a 2.79 and was thinking that i would go back and get a second bachelors, this time in Bio. I was wondering whether being formally enrolled as a degree seeking undergrad was the best route. Any advice would be appreciated, I am kind of new to this and have limited choices on where I can go to get these req's done.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Sundarban1]

I live in Colorado and the local schools where I live do not ofer any formal post bacc programs. I initially graduated from UCI in 1997 with a 2.79 and was thinking that i would go back and get a second bachelors, this time in Bio. I was wondering whether being formally enrolled as a degree seeking undergrad was the best route. Any advice would be appreciated, I am kind of new to this and have limited choices on where I can go to get these req's done.

Welcome.

Usually students who already have a bachelor's degree do not go back to get a second degree, as it usually requires adding extra years to an already lengthy road.

So, most people do a post-baccalaureate program either in an established program or on their own. Which you chose depends on many factors: GPA, location, family, financial, etc. The only real benefit is that some more structured programs have affiliations with medical schools and others do not.

Typically, if you've gotten below a B grade in any of the 4 pre-med required science courses, you would want to re-take those courses either on your own or in an official program. That way, you can also take upper level science courses to raise your GPA.

If your GPA is still not competative enough for the schools you want to apply to, you can look into Special Master's programs (SMP's) which are basically medical school and graduate level courses combined. These are geared twords students who have exhausted all other academic advancement options, and want to prove to medical schools that they can handle the coursework. Again, there are many and you can do the research here to find what best fits you.

Good luck.

 

[lainey234]

Thanks for your reply. There is so much information to digest and so many different ways to get things done! I am so glad I found this board. If you don't go back and get a second BS though, how do you get your foot in the door at your local school? Is it acceptable to med schools if you just go back and take college courses as a non-degree seeking student? I guess what I am asking is, without any formal post bacc program and without any formal declaration, how do I get back into school?

I see alot of ppl here going to big name schools, but are there any others like me who are geographically limited in their choices? I have a CC nearby and a state school, but it is not the best one by any means. I am 31 with 2 kids a husband and a mortgage, I can't just up and leave to pursue my dreams at this point. I have to get the grunt work out of the way where I am at now before I can consider moving my family. Again, thanks for the replies, I haven't felt this positive about my choice to go back to school in a long time, it's nice to see so many ppl out there supporting and helping one another.

 

[Sundarban1]

If you don't go back and get a second BS though, how do you get your foot in the door at your local school?

Most colleges have open enrollment policies where if you have already completed a bachelors degree, you do not actually have to be "accpeted" in order to take classes at the undergraduate level. I would check with your local 4 year school to see what their policies are.

Is it acceptable to med schools if you just go back and take college courses as a non-degree seeking student? I guess what I am asking is, without any formal post bacc program and without any formal declaration, how do I get back into school?

Great question, as I said above a lot of students do the remainder of their classes at any local college and this is perfectly acceptable to medical schools. Others, like myself, sought established programs for other reasons. Mine being that my undergraduate institution did not have an offical pre-medical committee, so I entered Harvard Extension School post bacc program because one of their benefits is that providing you meet the requirements, they will act as your pre-medical committee if your school does not have one. Granted, there are ways of getting around a committee letter, like getting individual science professors to write letters for you, but Harvard has a great reputation.

I see alot of ppl here going to big name schools, but are there any others like me who are geographically limited in their choices? I have a CC nearby and a state school, but it is not the best one by any means.

One thing to keep in mind is that medical schools do frown upon (and some flat out will not accept) taking pre-medical requirements at the community college level. I would look into other local 4 year schools if possible.

Good luck