Are Post-Baccs as Effective as SMPs?

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amaghsou

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Hi Guys,

Sorry to flood SDN with all these Post-bacc and SMP questions. My university advisors are literally good for nothing, so I come here for advice.

Basically, I'm deciding on taking upper level classes before I apply to dental school to raise my GPA. Many have recommended enrolling as a "Non-degree" student to take higher level classes (AKA a post bacc) while many others have pointed me towards SMPs (as it showed successful results). They each have their pros and cons but the big thing about a non-degree post bacc is the fact the cost is half the price of the SMP.

But the big question is, are they as effective?

Any advice is appreciated!

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What is your current science gpa? If it's below 3.0 a post bac will help. Post bac courses are calculated with your undergrad gpa. It would help you meet the min requirements of most schools. When putting in your courses you'll mark the classes as undergraduate. Then in a section on your app you can list that you attended the post bac program. The app separates your gpa by institution so adcom would be able to see your post bac gpa by itself. Your SMP gps is considered as grad gpa. It will not be calculated into your undergrad. The program is effective depending on your gpa. If you have a 3.4 a post bac would be less effective than an smp. You've already demonstrated that you can do well with undergraduate courses.
 
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What is your current science gpa? If it's below 3.0 a post bac will help. Post bac courses are calculated with your undergrad gpa. It would help you meet the min requirements of most schools. When putting in your courses you'll mark the classes as undergraduate. Then in a section on your app you can list that you attended the post bac program. The app separates your gpa by institution so adcom would be able to see your post bac gpa by itself. Your SMP gps is considered as grad gpa. It will not be calculated into your undergrad. The program is effective depending on your gpa. If you have a 3.4 a post bac would be less effective than an smp. You've already demonstrated that you can do well with undergraduate courses.
Awesome and thank you for the reply. My sGPA is like a ~2.9 and my cGPA is like a ~3.3. So you would say a post-bacc would be fine?
 
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Yes, a post-bacc should be fine. A formal post-bac that allows you to get a committee letter would be great too. Use the GPA calculator/excel sheet to predict how many units it would take for you to raise your GPA above a 3.0. An SMP may be better if the SMP is connected with a dental school--this makes the cost to attend more worth it. Unfortunately, you'll need to wait for more replies or research more to see if anyone below a 3.0 with an SMP was able to get in.
 
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Yes, a post-bacc should be fine. A formal post-bac that allows you to get a committee letter would be great too. Use the GPA calculator/excel sheet to predict how many units it would take for you to raise your GPA above a 3.0. An SMP may be better if the SMP is connected with a dental school--this makes the cost to attend more worth it. Unfortunately, you'll need to wait for more replies or research more to see if anyone below a 3.0 with an SMP was able to get in.
Thanks for the info! Thankfully, the SMPs I'm looking at consider cGPA and DAT scores. But I don't know any school in my state that actually offers a formal post bacc. Otherwise, I would have added that to my list. Thank you for the help!
 
From what I've seen, post baccs as effective as SMPs. If there is any difference between the two in terms of consideration of applicants, it can be considered negligible.
 
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Yes, a post-bacc should be fine. A formal post-bac that allows you to get a committee letter would be great too. Use the GPA calculator/excel sheet to predict how many units it would take for you to raise your GPA above a 3.0. An SMP may be better if the SMP is connected with a dental school--this makes the cost to attend more worth it. Unfortunately, you'll need to wait for more replies or research more to see if anyone below a 3.0 with an SMP was able to get in.

What do you mean by a "Formal post-bac"? And how do you tell the difference between what is considered formal and what is not? I'm in a similar situation as @amaghsou but my GPA is lower than that, so I'm trying to figure out what my options at this point would be.
 
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What do you mean by a "Formal post-bac"? And how do you tell the difference between what is considered formal and what is not? I'm in a similar situation as @amaghsou but my GPA is lower than that, so I'm trying to figure out what my options at this point would be.
PM me and I will go into more details
 
What do you mean by a "Formal post-bac"? And how do you tell the difference between what is considered formal and what is not? I'm in a similar situation as @amaghsou but my GPA is lower than that, so I'm trying to figure out what my options at this point would be.

I'd like to know the answer to this question also as I'm currently considering doing upper level courses - what's the difference between doing, say, 18 credits of upper level courses and a 'formal' post-bacc?
 
I'd like to know the answer to this question also as I'm currently considering doing upper level courses - what's the difference between doing, say, 18 credits of upper level courses and a 'formal' post-bacc?
You can PM and I can give you a more thorough response but "post-bacc" as per definition means post baccalaureate, as in courses taken after graduation (with a bachelors degree). Obviously, if you take 18 credits before graduation, then it is not really post-bacc. "Formal" post-bacc usually have a fixed curriculum; depending on what program you choose, all classmates will start with the same/similar courses and will graduate roughly at the same time. There is a lot of variables involved but depending on the program, some will have one strict curriculum for everyone but some allow you to choose your classes.
 
You can PM and I can give you a more thorough response but "post-bacc" as per definition means post baccalaureate, as in courses taken after graduation (with a bachelors degree). Obviously, if you take 18 credits before graduation, then it is not really post-bacc. "Formal" post-bacc usually have a fixed curriculum; depending on what program you choose, all classmates will start with the same/similar courses and will graduate roughly at the same time. There is a lot of variables involved but depending on the program, some will have one strict curriculum for everyone but some allow you to choose your classes.
Thanks for the quick reply. I'm in the situation where I'm not graduating after 4 years - it will be 4.5 before I graduate as I have to do an internship this next semester. However, I was also thinking of doing upper level classes to fill up my time and to gain those valuable extra credits to boost my science gpa and BCP gpa. If I'm still technically in school, does this mean that the upper level courses won't count towards improving my undergraduate GPA?
 
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Thanks for the quick reply. I'm in the situation where I'm not graduating after 4 years - it will be 4.5 before I graduate as I have to do an internship this next semester. However, I was also thinking of doing upper level classes t fill up my time and to gain those valuable extra credits to boost my science gpa and BCP gpa. If I'm till technically in school, does this mean that the upper level courses won't count towards improving my GPA?
No Problem! They will equally effect your GPA. When you submit your application to AADSAS, ADEA will consider every course taken regardless of it being community college, bachelors, graduate, etc.
 
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