Trying to Decide on where to do my Post-Bac

[AmaniTumor]

I just graduated two weeks ago with a non-science major and a 3.1 cumulative gpa, and have been motivated to pursue a medical career for about a year and a half now, but didn't want to change my major and prolong my undergraduate time. After checking out these forums, researching online, library, etcetera, I understand that I'll be thought of as a non-traditional student once I complete my pre-reqs.

My question is that with my lower-end gpa and absence of prerequisite courses, would I even be a viable candidate for a post-baccalaureate school? Or would a post-bac program even be recommended for my situation?

The second part of my question is that if I could get into a post-bac program, what would be the best school to attend in the NJ-NY area to give me the best chance to get into medical school? It's such a risky proposition to pony up the tuition for a post-grad degree without solid odds of even getting into med school, so I just want to get as many opinions as possible.

Thank you for reading, and I look forward to responses! All advice will be greatly appreciated.

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[Snivellus]

You can do a post bac program or sign up for pre med courses as a non degree student. In NY, I would recommend a SUNY or CUNY to save money. Plus there are some good programs out there. Other places, such as Columbia or NYU are much more pricey. Going to those schools would not guarantee an admission either.

Being successful in the classes is more important than going to a prestigious school and doing poorly.

 

[AmaniTumor]

You can do a post bac program or sign up for pre med courses as a non degree student. In NY, I would recommend a SUNY or CUNY to save money. Plus there are some good programs out there. Other places, such as Columbia or NYU are much more pricey. Going to those schools would not guarantee an admission either.

Being successful in the classes is more important than going to a prestigious school and doing poorly.

Thanks for the reply!

Since I'm coming from a non-science background, I would most likely need ample volunteer and shadowing experience. That said, is it common for post bac programs and state schools to offer opportunities to volunteer or gain experience in real world practice, or would I have to undertake this mostly on my own?

 

[adoctoralawyer]

Thanks for the reply!

Since I'm coming from a non-science background, I would most likely need ample volunteer and shadowing experience. That said, is it common for post bac programs and state schools to offer opportunities to volunteer or gain experience in real world practice, or would I have to undertake this mostly on my own?

I'm not speaking from experience because I haven't started a post-bacc yet, but from poking around the boards, post-bacc websites and so on (and just from common sense) it seems it would be easier to find volunteer opportunities once in a program than completely on your own, because the schools might have connections to hospitals or at least be able to provide info on opportunities, you can network with other students, you are a bit more credentialed. and so on.

I think this is the case at Hunter post-bacc for example, where they require a certain number of volunteer hours to be completed during the program, but I'm pretty sure they post-volunteer opportunities and there's some internal networking so it makes easier to find something.

 

[clausewitz2]

Finding volunteer experiences on your own sounds intimidating but is really not that hard. Every hospital of any significant size is going to have an office of volunteers. Call them up and find out what is available. Generally EDs can always use more clerks, this is a time-honored way of getting the hours in. FYI, you should shoot for at least 200 hours of volunteering time that is done on a consistent (rather than patchy) basis.

 

[Snivellus]

Even if you do go to a set up program, I don't think they just hand you volunteer opportunities. You still have to apply for them.

 

[ghostman]

I agree with the other response that suggested CUNY/SUNY schools as a non-degree student if you are from NY. The tuition is cheap, it's from a 4-year college (not a 2-year community college), and your chances of getting into med school will likely be no different than if you paid for bigger name postbacc programs. This is especially true if you're living with your folks or already have a cheap place to stay for housing.

If you're not getting free/cheap housing through your folks and you're willing to move, I would also suggest Harvard Extension. Their course prices are comparable to those of CUNY/SUNY and you don't have to be in their postbacc program to take the courses. The classes are also in the evening, so it leaves your days to volunteer and gain experience. This is exactly what I did.

As for volunteer experience, don't expect any program to hand you volunteer positions. You have to seek them out and apply for them yourself. Just go to a hospital's website and you're liking to find out more. NYC (and Boston) both have a bunch of hospitals, so finding a volunteer gig is not hard. Some postbacc programs may have compiled resources of various opportunities. I volunteered at 3 hospitals over the course of my postbacc time.

Lastly, getting into med school depends on your course grades, MCATs and other life experiences (volunteering, working, etc.). The postbacc school itself doesn't matter as long as you understand the material and get good grades.

 

[AmaniTumor]

Thank you all for your advice! I'm planning on taking a three-week Biology I course at a local community college this summer to just make sure I can handle the material again, and make sure that I am fully committed to the long path of science and medicine. After that however, I will be looking at schools to do my post-bac courses at.

Can any of you give me some personal experience from your time at a post-bac program and if you would do it any differently looking back? I've even been looking at Bar-Ilan University outside of Tel Aviv, Israel because of the lower tuition costs and one-year completion time frame. What are thoughts on an international program and how they stack up/ judged by medical schools?

 

[clausewitz2]

Thank you all for your advice! I'm planning on taking a three-week Biology I course at a local community college this summer to just make sure I can handle the material again, and make sure that I am fully committed to the long path of science and medicine. After that however, I will be looking at schools to do my post-bac courses at.

Can any of you give me some personal experience from your time at a post-bac program and if you would do it any differently looking back? I've even been looking at Bar-Ilan University outside of Tel Aviv, Israel because of the lower tuition costs and one-year completion time frame. What are thoughts on an international program and how they stack up/ judged by medical schools?

You absolutely must take your pre-reqs inside of the United States for them to be counted. In fact, you cannot report international grades inside of the normal application system. Take this advice from someone who did an undergraduate degree at a "name-brand" foreign institution - you will needlessly impair your chances and reduce your options by doing any pre-medical coursework abroad, regardless of the school's reputation.

 

[AmaniTumor]

You absolutely must take your pre-reqs inside of the United States for them to be counted. In fact, you cannot report international grades inside of the normal application system. Take this advice from someone who did an undergraduate degree at a "name-brand" foreign institution - you will needlessly impair your chances and reduce your options by doing any pre-medical coursework abroad, regardless of the school's reputation.

Thank you! This is why I love forums.

 

[occams_razor]

Another SUNY program you should check out is SUNY Stony Brook. You may not be able to get into the formal post-bacc pre-med program with a 3.1, but it's definitely worth a shot. Also, if you don't get into the formal post-bacc program, you can still take post-bacc classes at Stony Brook as a non-matriculating student (I believe that you would have to go through the school of professional development to do this, but I'm not 100% sure). Stony Brook offers a lot of clinical volunteer and research opportunities within the hospital, free clinic, primary care center, etc.