best option?

[Hinglish]

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Hi Guys,
I posted in the pre-med forum and they suggested that I post this topic here, so I'll just copy and paste it


I have decided that i am going to go into medicine. Now, I am just wondering what you guys think is a better option for me. I have to take all of the pre-reqs so, should I go to a post-bacc program or go to a local state college to take the requirements? I live in CT so I would go to UCONN for the post-bacc (SCSU for the college). UCONN is like an hour-hour and a half drive for me so the state college seems like a better choice. However, I hear that it is almost a guarenteed acceptance if you do well. It's also 2 years though :/ . I can get through the other classes faster if I go to the state college (and it's cheaper, and closer), but it's riskier. Ahhh the choices. What do you guys think?

btw,
My previous GPA is a 3.73

i have a double major in education and english and a double minor in history and psychology.

i have worked a summer school teacher and I have been a psychiatric residential counselor for 4 years now.

Hope that helped! I plan on starting my volunteer at a hospital/special olympics/homeless shelters/ hospice asap!!

Thanks!

 

[Code Brown]

Hi Guys,
I posted in the pre-med forum and they suggested that I post this topic here, so I'll just copy and paste it


I have decided that i am going to go into medicine. Now, I am just wondering what you guys think is a better option for me. I have to take all of the pre-reqs so, should I go to a post-bacc program or go to a local state college to take the requirements? I live in CT so I would go to UCONN for the post-bacc (SCSU for the college). UCONN is like an hour-hour and a half drive for me so the state college seems like a better choice. However, I hear that it is almost a guarenteed acceptance if you do well. It's also 2 years though :/ . I can get through the other classes faster if I go to the state college (and it's cheaper, and closer), but it's riskier. Ahhh the choices. What do you guys think?

btw,
My previous GPA is a 3.73

i have a double major in education and english and a double minor in history and psychology.

i have worked a summer school teacher and I have been a psychiatric residential counselor for 4 years now.

Hope that helped! I plan on starting my volunteer at a hospital/special olympics/homeless shelters/ hospice asap!!

Thanks!

Go to your state school and get your easy 3.7-4.0 and you are money for medical school. UCONN will not get you any brownie points from the adcom. Only a top-10'sh program will. There is this big misconception from pre-meds that the undergrad counts. Yes if it's cornell or harvard. No if it's uconn, umich, or north east south carolina. There is no multiplier factor.

Get your GPA as high as it can go and that part of your app is taken care of. With a 3.73 Ugrad, you are set.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hi Guys,
I posted in the pre-med forum and they suggested that I post this topic here, so I'll just copy and paste it


I have decided that i am going to go into medicine. Now, I am just wondering what you guys think is a better option for me. I have to take all of the pre-reqs so, should I go to a post-bacc program or go to a local state college to take the requirements? I live in CT so I would go to UCONN for the post-bacc (SCSU for the college). UCONN is like an hour-hour and a half drive for me so the state college seems like a better choice. However, I hear that it is almost a guarenteed acceptance if you do well. It's also 2 years though :/ . I can get through the other classes faster if I go to the state college (and it's cheaper, and closer), but it's riskier. Ahhh the choices. What do you guys think?

btw,
My previous GPA is a 3.73

i have a double major in education and english and a double minor in history and psychology.

i have worked a summer school teacher and I have been a psychiatric residential counselor for 4 years now.

Hope that helped! I plan on starting my volunteer at a hospital/special olympics/homeless shelters/ hospice asap!!

Thanks!

A formal postbac had added advantages of having "handlers" who give you advice, market you to med schools and make sure you don't miss deadlines. Some people benefit from this coddling and so it's worth the money. But since you are starting with a high GPA, you can probably do okay simply taking the courses informally and do fine. I would, however, caution you about your concern about it taking 2 years to take the prereqs. Most people will take 2 years, whether doing it formally or informally. You probably will end up with a "glide" year if you rush through the prereqs anyhow, between when you finish and when you attend.

The single BIGGEST mistake premeds make in this process is rushing things. Med school will still be there a year later. But your GPA can take a huge hit if you try to pile on the courses and don't do it at whatever pace is right for you. If you haven't taken the prereqs, you should know that these courses are going to take a lot more hours/week than your english and history and psych courses. You are going to need to do many many problems nightly until you understand everything, and if it takes a few days of solid work to understand a concept in a particular subject, you are going to have to spend that time. Which doesn't work if you are a non-sci person trying to take 3 prereq courses and a lab each semester just to get it done. You need to take it at a pace where you can get A's. Because as a non-sci major, getting A's in the prereqs is the only thing that's going to tell med schools you can handle the fairly rigorous basic science years. So you need them. You can't afford to rush through, get B's and expect to get in. Folks who do that often have to still prove themselves in SMPs because the med school can't point to your BCPM and say, this person is money. You need to get "mostly" A's or you are SOL. And most people find this easier to do at a leisurely two year pace. Good luck.