How do normal people pay for post-baccs? Apply now or spend 2+ years saving up money?

[twixmoments]

Hi all, I am looking to apply to several of the 1-year career-changer post baccs (Goucher, Bryn Mawr, Scripps, UVA, GWU, etc.)

There are two challenges: 1) getting accepted and doing well in the program, and 2) (and arguably more important) is finding a way to afford the ~$80-90K+ estimated COA out of pocket (living costs + tuition).

After doing some thorough research, all of these programs (except Goucher) only qualify for approx. $12k in financial aid (federal loans). Am I the only one shook by the absurdity of this? How on Earth is a normal person supposed to afford these programs? Like, how do the people working almost minimum-wage research/hospital jobs, EMT, or peace corps who attend these programs afford it, seriously? I genuinely don't understand how it's possible unless they have an inheritance / their parents are paying for it all.

With 200+ clinical hours at a hospice and 250+ nonclinical hours accrued this past year, and a seriously hard-earned and well-thought "why medicine", I do feel ready to apply for these programs.

However, if I apply now or next year and get accepted I basically only have two options:

A) Basically beg to defer the acceptance to next year. and continue saving aggressively This is extremely risky as schools might just pull out my A, or I will have to reject their offer and there is no guarantee they will admit me again next cycle (in fact, it might hurt my chances). Am I correct in this thinking?
B) Beg private loan lenders to provide me loans which will have horrible interest rates and don't qualify for PSLF or REPAYE or anything. I understand that private loans of these nature are seriously no joke and can be extremely dangerous.

The alternative is to wait, live as frugally as possible, and save as aggressively as I possibly can for the next 2 years minimum. I've already saved a decent amount, but $90k+ liquid is no amount to sneeze at, and it will take me time. I likely have enough now to cover tuition, but not nearly enough to cover living costs + misc expenses during the program. I am lucky to have a decent-paying tech job, but the con is that I work in an extremely high COL area. I unfortunately don't have the privilege to live at home with parents in my current role.

I considered a DIY / part-time approach, but A) I don't think it's realistic to take classes like Orgo on a 60hr+ week FT job B) I really only have one or two shots left at this dream of becoming a doctor, and I want to take the approach of going through a structured system that has a proven history of getting students into medical school. The risk of a bad professor, bad advising, missteps, etc that could permanently derail my chances are frankly just much higher in a DIY program. I want to pour my soul into my schooling alongside a cohort, confident that I'm on the right path.

Every part of me wants to start as soon as I can. I really do think I am ready to move onto the next step. Or I could spend these two years saving up and getting another 200-300hrs of volunteering. Another concern is that I'm already 25 - if I wait two years, start the program at 27, and take a glide year, I will start medical school at 28-29. And that's only if everything goes perfectly. It would be nice to just get started now and become a doctor / have kids before my parents pass away. The fact that I start later isn't a disqualifying issue for me, but DAMN would it be nice if I was able to start this earlier. I know I'm thinking a little too far ahead here, but it's something I have definitely chewed on.

TL;DR: Should I just apply and see what happens/beg for a deferral? Or wait 2 years to save?

Am I missing something here about financing these post-baccs? Would love your insight.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted1146619]

I really only have one or two shots left at this dream of becoming a doctor

You're 25. Why? Continue reading through this forum. 25 is relatively young here

Like, how do the people working almost minimum-wage research/hospital jobs, EMT, or peace corps who attend these programs afford it, seriously?

That's not really who these programs are targeted for.

When researching how to do my post bacc, it seemed that these formal post bacc programs are costly and tend to be limited in the amount of aid they will offer. I ended up doing a DIY post-bacc and met a few people along the trail who did formal programs; they used private loans or familial support. Many nontrads can finance DIY post baccs solely with FAFSA loans (second-degree students) or out of pocket as they work.

If finances are a big concern and you are willing to wait two years before even beginning, I would encourage you to rethink a formal post bacc program and consider doing it the DIY approach. In the time you hope to save this much money (2 years), you could finish all of the prereqs. While working full-time while taking classes is nothing to sneeze at, you would be surprised how effective a dedicated nontrad can be with their time management. Leveraging asynchronous classes, weekend classes, etc. could go a long way.

The risk of a bad professor, bad advising, missteps, etc that could permanently derail my chances are frankly just much higher in a DIY program.

Higher? I guess. Just being aware of that factor allows you to navigate that fear pre-emptively. RateMyProfessor can help, but med school pre-reqs tend to primarily be self-taught no matter what school you take them at. Many of the undergrads at my DIY post bacc where I took my courses, considered professors terrible when in reality, one had to be a self-teacher... The same was true for my undergrad (top institution). I was just too young to realize it at the time.

I believe the concern for inadequate advising is a bit of a misnomer these days; thanks to SDN and Reddit, it's amazing how much information can be gathered to embark on this journey.

Again, I say this all to say a DIY post bacc is the affordable option that allows you to begin immediately. Speaking from personal experience, I have had a successful cycle, and I did mine just fine. If it helps, I worked a very busy professional job in a very HCOL area as well... It's possible; it takes time, discipline, and remembering your why in the periods of sucks.

Plus, using all the money you save from going the DIY way, you can feel better about financing other parts of the application cycle because this process is expensive!!

No matter what direction you end up going in, I wish you luck.

 

[officially_apostate]

I started my post bacc at 29, I needed 2 years to complete all my pre-reqs and quit my full time job. I also only qualified for the $12K federal loans. Unfortunately, I took out private loans to cover the rest.

 

[Glassdyr]

I genuinely don't understand how it's possible unless they have an inheritance / their parents are paying for it all.

Alas, with premeds, this is the answer 90% of the time. And loans.

Frustrating for me, too. I had issues fitting in with my premed culture at my school. I remember asking "what are your plans for this summer?" to some friends for some small talk. The things they said so casually -- cruises, trips to Italy, etc. -- were once-in-a-lifetime experiences for me.

Sorry I can't be of much direct help, but I can at least empathize.

 

[bomba]

How on Earth is a normal person supposed to afford these programs? Like, how do the people working almost minimum-wage research/hospital jobs, EMT, or peace corps who attend these programs afford it, seriously? I genuinely don't understand how it's possible unless they have an inheritance / their parents are paying for it all.

I saved for several years, then moved to an area with cheaper cost of living for a DIY post-bacc. Personally, my preference would have been to continue working while taking classes part-time, but it just wasn't an option because my job required frequent travel. Whatever you do, make sure to factor in all costs associated with this path, not just tuition and living expenses (e.g., MCAT materials/testing fees, application fees, interview travel expenses, moving expenses, etc.).

There are two challenges: 1) getting accepted and doing well in the program, and 2) (and arguably more important) is finding a way to afford the ~$80-90K+ estimated COA out of pocket (living costs + tuition).

I just want to point out that my DIY post-bacc tuition will end up being ~$15-20k total. There are definitely cheaper ways for you to approach this, and I would be skeptical that any of these programs are worth the hefty price tag. I've read about people who have completed all of their prereqs online or at community colleges and received an acceptance. Would that put you at a disadvantage with some schools? Most likely, but you can't be all things to all people. If one path is financially untenable, then you have to find an alternative.

Another concern is that I'm already 25 - if I wait two years, start the program at 27, and take a glide year, I will start medical school at 28-29.

I wouldn't worry too much about this. Even if you matriculate at 30, you can become an attending in your mid-to-late 30s and have a 20+ year career.

 

[twixmoments]

Hey all, thanks for the advice. I will definitely give DIY Post-Baccs some more thought - it would require me to move to a new city where I know literally no one, which might be pretty isolating without a structured program, but definitely something to chew on. Financially, it does make far far more sense. Just worried about having to travel for work as well. We will see.

And I won't stress too much about my age anymore hahaha. This is a marathon not a sprint. I just have the itch to GET GOING, you know? But this needs to be tempered with not shooting myself in the foot.

Just to confirm if I were to go through the formal post-bacc route, applying this year on the precondition that I would have to basically beg to defer for a year is an unwise idea, right? Is "saving up money" to afford the program a valid reason to defer enrollment? It would be nice to know what program I am going to attend while I save/prepare rather than saving for uncertainty. It would be frustrating to wait two years and save up all this money just to get rejected and being forced to start a DIY anyways. But, I also don't want to leave a poor taste in these post-bacc adcoms mouth and risk throwing a way an acceptance from a good program.

 

[FloatingThrough]

Hey all, thanks for the advice. I will definitely give DIY Post-Baccs some more thought - it would require me to move to a new city where I know literally no one, which might be pretty isolating without a structured program, but definitely something to chew on. Financially, it does make far far more sense. Just worried about having to travel for work as well. We will see.

And I won't stress too much about my age anymore hahaha. This is a marathon not a sprint. I just have the itch to GET GOING, you know? But this needs to be tempered with not shooting myself in the foot.

Just to confirm if I were to go through the formal post-bacc route, applying this year on the precondition that I would have to basically beg to defer for a year is an unwise idea, right? Is "saving up money" to afford the program a valid reason to defer enrollment? It would be nice to know what program I am going to attend while I save/prepare rather than saving for uncertainty. It would be frustrating to wait two years and save up all this money just to get rejected and being forced to start a DIY anyways. But, I also don't want to leave a poor taste in these post-bacc adcoms mouth and risk throwing a way an acceptance from a good program.

Hey, so I'm just starting my own premed journey, but am considering a DIY Post-Bac. Have you considered ones where you can take classes online (UCLA Extension, UCSD Extension, etc...)? They're likely to be more expensive than CC courses and maybe even local university courses, but they'd solve your issue of needing to move and having to balance travel for work.

 

[Sky1.3]

California Virtual Campus – Find online classes, degrees and certificates across 115 California Community Colleges. Many classes available for instant enrollment – no additional application needed.

Here is a database of all the online courses offered at California community colleges. You can find any prereq you need on there for only a few hundred dollars a course. I'm not sure how accessible this is to people not living in California but it's something to look into.

 

[charleydogmom]

I was in your position last year. I got into the Harvard Extension Schools postbac which was much cheaper. It'll be about $16,000 total for the 32 credits I need, paid for by federal study loans. Couldn't recommend them enough, friendly and available advising, strong fellow postbac classmates. If you are willing to work hard it's a great program that I don't think is mentioned often enough. There are no linkages but their committee letter is very well received by medical schools.

Just to add- the average age of the students is 27 in the postbac, I'm in my early 30s. Don't sweat.