Question about SGU's post bacc program

[Parm1234]

Long story short, I want to apply to SGU's post bacc program. My chemistry professor took one look at the ciricculum and said its very heavy and very difficult. She also said that if they are cramming that in to just 1 year, that means they are skimming, and I might have a tough time in med school because of it.

Thoughts?

http://www.sgu.edu/school-of-arts-and-sciences/post-baccalaureate-program.html

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[NoTownPreMed]

Thoughts?.... Avoid the program like a plague.

 

[Parm1234]

Thoughts?.... Avoid the program like a plague.

Could you elaborate?

 

[Shotapp]

Caribbean school...you will be easy pickings for them if you choose that path. Peruse the sdn forum and you will see what I mean.

 

[theSmurfette]

Why do a program at a non-US institution? Do you want to attend a Caribbean school for medical school? There are so many options in the US that would be a much better choice. Even a CC to start out with. It just doesn't make any sense to attend this program unless there is something in your background that would make it unlikely for a US-based medical school (whether MD or DO) would accept you.

And nothing prepares you for med school. Especially not undergraduate courses (at most schools).

 

[DrMidlife]

The biggest mistake to make with a Carib school is to base ANY decisions on their marketing materials. The business model of Carib schools is to fail out med students after they take out a couple years of federal student loans that won't be discharged if the dismissed student can't pay. Ask your buddies who graduated from the big three how many of their first year classmates were still in the class after the preclinical years. You will hear things like class sizes that start at 400 and end at 150. There are plenty of Carib grads who do great - that's not the point. The point is that getting to be a Carib grad is not a given when you enroll in a Carib school. Compare this with the 95%+ graduation rate of US MD schools and the 80%+ graduation rate of US DO schools. And we're not even getting into the issues with getting a residency, much less getting access to decent stateside clinical rotations.

So, basically, if your bet in going to SGU's postbac is that it will help you get accepted at SGU, this is entirely cringeworthy. You're being tantalized by the prospect of getting to be a med student, anywhere, on any terms, and your future self is going to be very, very sad if that's how you make decisions right now.

There is no possible situation where doing the SGU postbac is the smartest choice you can make. It may be the most comfortable choice you know of, and/or the perceived quickest and/or least expensive path, which SGU's marketing department has very very successfully communicated in their glossy posters and web ads, but there is no way on this earth that it's the smartest choice. Search SDN on "low GPA" and educate yourself.

Best of luck to you.

 

[GreenDuck12]

It sounds like, based on your other post, you are concerned with the amount of time it is taking to complete post-bac classes. Completing pre-med classes outside of the US is a mistake as many US medical schools require you to complete pre-reqs in the US. Best bet is to complete pre-reqs in the US, even if it is at a community college, and pursue osteopathic medical schools using grade replacement.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

You'd be better off doing a DIY postbacc (enrolling as a non-degree student) literally anywhere in the US, your local state school, community college, anywhere!! As others have said, search "Caribbean" on SDN and you'll find post after post about how these schools dupe unsuspecting premeds like yourself. Basically, they take your money and run, leaving you with very few options for practicing medicine in the US. A postbacc here will likely be looked down upon by any US med school.

 

[WGSgrad]

OP, something you haven't brought up, and perhaps because it is not a concern, is the cost of this program. Setting aside whether or not it is strategically a good idea to go to the Caribbean to do your prerequisites (I think this has been covered sufficiently by the posters in this thread and others), have you considered what sort of debt you would have to take on to attend this program?

If your are not financially independent, then I think this warrants serious consideration. It would be exponentially cheaper to do a formal post-baccalaureate in the U.S. if that is the route you would like to pursue. (Are you not considering formal U.S. post-baccalaureate programs because you don't have the grades to qualify? If so, this is another discussion entirely, and another reason you should stay stateside.) If you are open to a DIY route, depending on the state you live in and/or the relative availability of community colleges, it could be very cheap.

In any instance, setting the Caribbean debate aside (again, because I feel like it has been well covered) even if you have already decided you want to go to SGU for medical school, why take on considerable debt to do so BEFORE attending medical school (because SGU is expensive)? That is, even if you decide to go to SGU for medical school, there can be no financial justification to be made for the associated cost (flight, food, higher living expenses, etc.) of doing their post-baccalaureate program when there are much cheaper options.