SFSU formal post-bacc

Here's the story:
I have a 3.2 ug GPA, around there for science too. Pre reqs done. I got a 29o on the MCATby stdying from a book, but I am going to take a kaplan course in January, so hopefully that will go up to mid 30's(or Kaplan's not doing their job). I went to a UC, don't want to pay UC prices again. So.... What's the best course of action? Does anyone have any success stories about the SFSU post-bacc? Anyone with ug stats similar to mine? THANKS!!!

caseofthemndays said:

Here's the story:
I have a 3.2 ug GPA, around there for science too. Pre reqs done. I got a 29o on the MCATby stdying from a book, but I am going to take a kaplan course in January, so hopefully that will go up to mid 30's(or Kaplan's not doing their job). I went to a UC, don't want to pay UC prices again. So.... What's the best course of action? Does anyone have any success stories about the SFSU post-bacc? Anyone with ug stats similar to mine? THANKS!!!

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formal post bac is for people who havnt taken their pre-reqs. you have 2 options: 1) take classes via open enrollment and pay $/unit 2) enroll yourself as a second baccalaureate student and pay a semesterly tuition. if u take more than 9 units a semester, its cheaper to enroll as a student. i had your gpa and took 9 units to boost my gpa from a 3.28 to 3.3.... not much of a difference but i wanted the nice and flat 3.3. sfsu has a active post bac community, its a very good place to do some science gpa boosting. i highly recommend it.

Espensive postbac program is to SFSU as Slippers are to Hound dog.

Try as it may. It just don't make whole lotta sense.


SFSU is still a good option for the blue collar commuter population it serves but it is increasingly trying to join the long line of institutions that ***** themselves to as many corporate and monied interests that will pay them for their services. And guess who will help them in this service...yep.

So I hope this program fails miserably to attract its suckers from around the the state's UC's and elsewhere because we just don't need this kind of crap in one of the only places that are accessible and cheap enough for a working person to use to try move up in the world.

Nasrudin said:

So I hope this program fails miserably to attract its suckers from around the the state's UC's and elsewhere because we just don't need this kind of crap in one of the only places that are accessible and cheap enough for a working person to use to try move up in the world.

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Oh please. Most folks I knew at State were taking out loans just like everyone else. They'll have a lot less to pay back than the folks who went to Mills/Scripps/USC.

The guy working down at the lumber yard while taking a full time load at State is as rare a bird at SFSU as most college campuses. And sacrificing years and education possibilities to avoid an extra couple of thousand dollars while preparing to take out $180K loans to attend a UC medical school doesn't make for good math.

Anyway, OP- there are about three live threads about SFSU. Do not do the formal postbac. It's a rip off. Apply for a second bachelors (assume they haven't cut this off yet; they go back and forth on this) and just take the classes you can get in to that fit your schedule.

Do not be penny wise and pound foolish though. Lots of folks try to eek out a few extra hours at work to save taking out a thousand in loans and sometimes grades suffer. And excuses won't cut it. Just get the prereqs out of the way, buff the GPA as quick as you can, and get yourself in to medical school. I wish you the best of luck.

notdeadyet said:

Oh please. Most folks I knew at State were taking out loans just like everyone else. They'll have a lot less to pay back than the folks who went to Mills/Scripps/USC.

The guy working down at the lumber yard while taking a full time load at State is as rare a bird at SFSU as most college campuses. And sacrificing years and education possibilities to avoid an extra couple of thousand dollars while preparing to take out $180K loans to attend a UC medical school doesn't make for good math.

Anyway, OP- there are about three live threads about SFSU. Do not do the formal postbac. It's a rip off. Apply for a second bachelors (assume they haven't cut this off yet; they go back and forth on this) and just take the classes you can get in to that fit your schedule.

Do not be penny wise and pound foolish though. Lots of folks try to eek out a few extra hours at work to save taking out a thousand in loans and sometimes grades suffer. And excuses won't cut it. Just get the prereqs out of the way, buff the GPA as quick as you can, and get yourself in to medical school. I wish you the best of luck.

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This is my school. Paid for by my tax dollars and my loan money and my sweat. WTF do know about how common what is at SFSU. And whatever small percentage of people we are who just can't seem to grasp the economics of success we (or ****...just me for that matter) will defend our turf because there's just not that much of it left in this world. If I offend I can't say that I'm too sorry about that in this case.

You see I can't remember a vote being taken whether or not this school should use its paltry resources to cater to a separate upper class clientele. So I express my views directed at the system mainly. If you or the op get hit by verbal shrapnel and don't like it stick to Mills where you won't be bothered by loud aggressive music pumping from the Malcom X plaza.

Nasrudin said:

This is my school. Paid for by my tax dollars and my loan money and my sweat. WTF do know about how common what is at SFSU.

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Uh... 'cause I've taken classes there? And taught a class there? I think the first classes I took at State was in '94. I have a bit of history there.

Nasrudin said:

And whatever small percentage of people we are who just can't seem to grasp the economics of success we (or ****...just me for that matter) will defend our turf because there's just not that much of it left in this world. If I offend I can't say that I'm too sorry about that in this case.

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No sorry needed. I don't actually have a clue what you're trying to say here.

Nasrudin said:

You see I can't remember a vote being taken whether or not this school should use its paltry resources to cater to a separate upper class clientele. So I express my views directed at the system mainly.

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I think that the formal postbac is ridiculously overpriced at State as well. Though ironically, folks who are willing to pay that crazy money will end up benefiting the folks paying lower priced tuition for the same classes.

As for "upper class clientele", it's all in the eye of the beholder. I know folks who won't take classes at State because it's too expensive (god bless City College). But I'd hate to think that they'd give you attitude for doing so. You take out loans for what you think is worth it and walk away from what isn't, you know?

Nasrudin said:

If you or the op get hit by verbal shrapnel and don't like it stick to Mills where you won't be bothered by loud aggressive music pumping from the Malcom X plaza.

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Sorry, I'm laughing a bit here at the imagery. It will be much appreciated by folks who know the Bay Area and have strolled through the beatific residential neighborhood SFSU is in and those who have hung out in the neighborhood in Oakland that Mills College is in. The mean streets of State's Lake Merced? I think I can handle the music in Malcolm X plaza, thanks.

Not interested in arguing anyway. You've got a lot of SFSU pride. Very cool. I respect that. It's a great school. I know kids with money there and folks painfully taking out loans there, just like at most colleges. And you know what? Most of both seem glad they went. I'm sure you will too.

Oh, one other suggestion: I'd be careful about your judging folks as "upper class clientelle" just because they're paying big money for their education. I'm not sure where you're applying to medical school, but most (if not all) of your options will end up costing a whole lot more than a postbac at places like Mills or SFSU will. And that's assuming you get into a "cheap" UC, which will still set you back about $180K in loans.

Judging a person's class by the amount of loan they're willing to take out is a bit short-sighted and may come back to haunt you when you become one of the "rich kids" someone turns their noses up at, solely because you were willing to pay a whole lot of money to go to medical school.

Anyway, best of luck in your application process. Hope you find a happy home.

Look I'm not judging anyone I'm saying it's a bad idea.

The kids who end up paying this money are going to be waiting in the same long line for the same $3 taco and eventually will say "hey....wait a second..." after they figure out what kind of deal their getting.

I'll ignore your back-handed slights. I do my homework. The kind not on any syllabus but rather from a genuine interest in history, socio-political issues and because I have insatiable curiosity for talking to people like my adviser who's been here almost thirty years and friends of mine who got dumped from teaching here because their sincerity for teaching was just not what these people were looking for because they didn't come with a trailer full of corporate research dollars with them. Then I mix that with molotov cocktails and toss it at what I see as a fundamental shift in priorities that is in it's initial malignant stages in the science department that will soon be metastatic.

And yes it is class warfare. If you don't see it that way you didn't work you through school taking out trash for yuppies and cleaning after them as your 2nd job just to get to your books. When poor people don't get involved in their own back yard you get 10 city blocks of Cabrini green with soviet style cockroach motels primed for crack epidemics--it's the same pattern in academics.

I can't help it that most of my constituents are docile young kids who lack the cunning to see what's shaping up around them. Their parents came with the shirt on their backs from places like luzon and work two jobs to take good care of them. Their nice. But I see the space in between their parents who feed me adobo on my lunch break and what's happening to what their paying for their kids. SFSU is not in a rough neighborhood, of course, so don't get freakin cute for public show if your not sincere about what's happening here. I speak metaphorically because I enjoy language. Your smarter and better than pointing out my grammatical and literal liberties.

ps. I went to city college for 2 years and so while I do frequently talk to myself, thankfully as of yet my tirades are directed outward.

pps. Pride is nothing I feel. Public institutions either get beat into submitting to the will of the people by groups of rebellious @ssholes like me or they become corrupt.

Nasrudin said:

The kind not on any syllabus but rather from a genuine interest in history, socio-political issues and because I have insatiable curiosity for talking to people like my adviser who's been here almost thirty years and friends of mine who got dumped from teaching here because their sincerity for teaching was just not what these people were looking for because they didn't come with a trailer full of corporate research dollars with them.

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Oh, I hear that. I looked into going the academic route, but the whole Publish or Perish thing didn't go over well with me. And that isn't a SFSU thing, it's just a college thing.

I told other folks looking at academia that if they truly want to teach in upper education, they need to look at the community college system, because it's the only one out there that hires teachers to teach. Period.

Nasrudin said:

Then I mix that with molotov cocktails and toss it at what I see as a fundamental shift in priorities that is in it's initial malignant stages in the science department that will soon be metastatic.

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A little background: SFSU is a victim of its own success. For years, it tried to overcome the reputation it had as a very second rate university. It was viewed way low on the totem pole among the rest of the CSUs. Not good.

To raise its reputation, it had to focus more on research. That's how funding comes in. That's how graduate programs grow. That's how students get opportunities for better lab courses.

Unfortunately, what happened was that SFSU essentially went from being a four year community college to an actual university. And that ain't all a good thing.

Nasrudin said:

And yes it is class warfare. If you don't see it that way you didn't work you through school taking out trash for yuppies and cleaning after them as your 2nd job just to get to your books.

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This is where you start to lose steam. Your first posts on this were all about "WTF do you know about SFSU", which is a bit offensive, because you don't know who you're talking to, and the idea that possibly you're speaking to someone with a bit more background at the place didn't enter your thinking. That's a bit sloppy.

As for class warfare? Meh. I went to college (and a college a lot more political and left-leaning than SFSU). And I've taught at a lot of college campuses, as well. My only thoughts on the subject are that class warfare happens way off campus. Living in the Tenderloin or Mission for 10 years, you see where the class warfare is happening. SFSU or any other college campus? $hit, these people have arrived. It ain't easy, and it's still a struggle, but it's a nice, happy foxhole.

As for doing work study for the rich kids? Don't let it get to you. Man there are way bigger injustices out there than college tuition. For real. The fact you're going to college is a victory.

Nasrudin said:

When poor people don't get involved in their own back yard you get 10 city blocks of Cabrini green with soviet style cockroach motels primed for crack epidemics--it's the same pattern in academics.

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Personally, I'm more interested in what's going on in the actual 10 city blocks than the metaphor in academics. Shoot, going into academics and complaining about campus politics/funding/research/publish issues is like going to med school and complaining about the sight of blood.

Nasrudin said:

SFSU is not in a rough neighborhood, of course, so don't get freakin cute for public show if your not sincere about what's happening here. I speak metaphorically because I enjoy language. Your smarter and better than pointing out my grammatical and literal liberties.

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Nah, I'm not getting cute. I'm just trying to keep it real. Saying things like...

"If you or the op get hit by verbal shrapnel and don't like it stick to Mills where you won't be bothered by loud aggressive music pumping from the Malcom X plaza. "

... is just plain funny. I see you like playing with language. Which is cool. But you can stretch artistic license to the point that it becomes just plain misleading and self-serving. Then it makes me wonder if you've either never been to Malcolm X plaza or never been to Oakland, you know? I'm sure you'e been to the former and have probably been to the latter, but you'd be suprised how many campus radicals out there get bitten by the radical politics bug and start going on about "class warfare" and wearing the Che Guevara gear and all that, but the Sunset is about as familiar with the streets as they get.

By the way, Nasrudin, and don't answer this if I'm prying, but can I ask if you underwent some big event over the last year?

I've read your posts on SDN over the last year. And I noticed that your early posts were pretty standard, premed fare, with the usual question, comments, and concerns. But several months ago your style of writing changed all of a sudden and all the politics really started sprouting up.

I was just curious if it was a class you took or an event in your life that you underwent or something.

Anyway, take care and best of luck with the admissions process. For someone as big into class warfare as yourself, you can't beat health inequities as a pretty good battleground. I hope you end up finding a medical school you're happy with. If you think the research influence on a school like state is eye opening, just wait til you see what NIH funding does to a med school's priorities.

notdeadyet said:

By the way, Nasrudin, and don't answer this if I'm prying, but can I ask if you underwent some big event over the last year?

I've read your posts on SDN over the last year. And I noticed that your early posts were pretty standard, premed fare, with the usual question, comments, and concerns. But several months ago your style of writing changed all of a sudden and all the politics really started sprouting up.

I was just curious if it was a class you took or an event in your life that you underwent or something.

Anyway, take care and best of luck with the admissions process. For someone as big into class warfare as yourself, you can't beat health inequities as a pretty good battleground. I hope you end up finding a medical school you're happy with. If you think the research influence on a school like state is eye opening, just wait til you see what NIH funding does to a med school's priorities.

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Well good then. This is good conversation which beats the usual fair here. I'm not above being put in my place and I understand my faults to some degree. I get tired of angry posturing but then....**** keeps pissing me off.

I owe you an apology for making those assumptions--which 99 times out of 100 would have been close enough--but in your case apparently not and so I'm sorry for that. There are always risks in preaching fire and brimstone at unnamed targets which in my quieter moments makes me regretful but you know...I don't know what else to do when I look at the world it's hard not get angry. I was chill young lad of slow southern origin. The Class War was brought to me with a fury since moving to SF and stripped from me everything that was once sweet and forgiving. My wife and I suffered too much abuse working under rich San Francisco snobs--as the Irish maids of the past century--as I tried to crawl my way out of the low wage SF trap for me to forget their scorn and disregard for poor people. It nearly tore me from the love of my life. So this is personal business and I don't plan on losing.

I stick to my side of the battlefield in the Class War because the sleeping Scarsdales of the mind in between feel like a slow death. I intend to smolder secretly into med school where I will take my notes and bide my time patiently until I'm big enough to pick a fight. Scientific Research that doesn't serve the people but doesn't mind milking their public institutions is a marked target for me as well as some of the other things you suggest.

I am glad you got into med school in California and I do wish you well despite myself.

P.s. In the interest of disclosure I am now in Boston. But the fight in me is as I depicted it. I will graduate from SFSU after transferring in my last semester of courses taken here.

Nasrudin said:

There are always risks in preaching fire and brimstone at unnamed targets which in my quieter moments makes me regretful but you know...I don't know what else to do when I look at the world it's hard not get angry.

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Good man. Just keep in mind as you fight the class warfare to watch out for friendly fire, yeah? You can have folks on your side even if they're not wearing the same uniform.

Nasrudin said:

I stick to my side of the battlefield in the Class War because the sleeping Scarsdales of the mind in between feel like a slow death. I intend to smolder secretly into med school where I will take my notes and bide my time patiently until I'm big enough to pick a fight.

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Good strategy. Folks flying banners and doing the marching around places like SF are dime a dozen. Folks with radical ideas with MD after their name are a whole lot more rare and have a whole lot more impact.

Nasrudin said:

P.s. In the interest of disclosure I am now in Boston. But the fight in me is as I depicted it. I will graduate from SFSU after transferring in my last semester of courses taken here.

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Well, I'll be interested in hearing your take on Boston down the road. San Francisco has lots of rich, but I found a lot more folks making good money after poor backgrounds in SF than east coast. The one thing about the tech boom is that it had an egalitarian heart in one respect: if you could code well, nobody cared if you were gay, latino, african american, etc. I consulted a lot of these companies and in SF you see a fair few african american and latino guy with director as a job title. I didn't see this in a lot of other cities. I found the whole east coast scene, with old money, a lot harder to crack.

Enjoy your time in Boston. The nice thing about SF is that it's such a transient town that you can leave for years out of time and be welcomed back as if you never left.

notdeadyet said:

Good man. Just keep in mind as you fight the class warfare to watch out for friendly fire, yeah? You can have folks on your side even if they're not wearing the same uniform.

Good strategy. Folks flying banners and doing the marching around places like SF are dime a dozen. Folks with radical ideas with MD after their name are a whole lot more rare and have a whole lot more impact.

Well, I'll be interested in hearing your take on Boston down the road. San Francisco has lots of rich, but I found a lot more folks making good money after poor backgrounds in SF than east coast. The one thing about the tech boom is that it had an egalitarian heart in one respect: if you could code well, nobody cared if you were gay, latino, african american, etc. I consulted a lot of these companies and in SF you see a fair few african american and latino guy with director as a job title. I didn't see this in a lot of other cities. I found the whole east coast scene, with old money, a lot harder to crack.

Enjoy your time in Boston. The nice thing about SF is that it's such a transient town that you can leave for years out of time and be welcomed back as if you never left.

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I hear you. California does all the things everybody else wants to do but lacks the guts to just try it. I suppose the transience is no accident as you indicated.

But it would also be remiss to ignore that this country's bloodiest racial wars were fought there. Such that when I think of Stanford University I think of the chinese slaves and starving immigrant farmers that lined the railroad tycoons pockets with wealth not some lovely place where all that is happening in science is going down, hence my original position, that SFSU must stay true to its purpose.

And so cheers and yes I will try to be more discerning.

So... thumbs up for SFSU?

Yes my man thumbs up. I just have a hair trigger on my middle finger don't mind me.

Nasrudin said:

Yes my man thumbs up. I just have a hair trigger on my middle finger don't mind me.

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Seconded. Just be sure to do the second bachelor's admission. Get caught in that formal postbac situation and you'll be paying for an insanely overpriced program.

Thanks guys,
The general consensus from friends, SDN and my advisor (she just responded to my e-mail) is that one year of kicking ass at a state school should be sufficient, especially if I can score 32+ on the MCAT. So, good advice for peeps with similar stats, fyi....