CCNY vs Hunter post bacc

[Moon1234]

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Hi guys,

I recently graduated from UCLA in June with a 2.92 gpa. Got a D in Bio :S. Prior to UCLA, I was at a community college for two years with a 3.4 gpa (mostly A's in classes, and 3 B's in chem, 1 C in organic chem)

I applied to the Hunter and CCNY Postbacc programs and have been admitted to the ccny post bacc program for the spring 2011 semester. Truthfully, I wanted to go to hunter but they lost my transcripts and by the time they got around to my application, all the spots were taken.

I guess the two things I am most skeptical about is how ccny doesn't have as high a rate of students successfully matriculating to medical school vs. Hunter, and that the Hunter program is a formal program with linkages and a supportive community whereas ccny has no linkages and doesn't seem to have such a structured program. also hunter seems to have a better reputation than ccny.

What is your honest opinion? honestly at this point I am considering taking classes at hunter as a non-degree student then applying again, and making sure all my materials get in on time. I don't even know how to do that bc getting an answer out of admins is like asking them to part with a piece of their soul

any help is appreciated.

 

[Toastayy]

Hunter is highly overrated anyway

Its not about the school, its about what you do at the school. Just because a school doesn't have a "high" % of admittance to medical school should not deter you from attending.

You just need to do what it takes to get there, and going to Hunter will not improve your chances if your not doing your part to get into med school.

 

[Moon1234]

thanks toastayy

I think maybe I do freak out too much. I just keep thinking about those linkage programs. come on, they do sound appealing. 🙂

 

[Toastayy]

thanks toastayy

I think maybe I do freak out too much. I just keep thinking about those linkage programs. come on, they do sound appealing. 🙂

Ha, actually I never heard of the linkage programs and just went to check them out. They are really appealing especially to schools such as MT. Sinai, Rochester, Stony Brook and Cornell.

But for the 2 they have listed (Sinai and Rochester) It seems they are only open to sophomores with high SAT scores, and from your post it seems you've already graduated and wouldn't be eligible.

They do mention Cornell and Stony Brook post bac programs but I'm sticking with my original post. Hunter really isn't all that and since you've already got into CCNY you should just make the most of it.

I also found another thread about the post-bac program and hunter in general if your still interested:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=359175

 

[ar2388]

ccny is a good school. my bf graduated from there and went on to a chem phd program at nyu. i think ccny may have a higher emphasis on science than hunter.

 

[Postal]

Hunter is a good look.

CCNY is good as well but if I had to do it all over again, I would go to Hunter again. It used to be that the lady in charge of the pre-med program there was really well known by the NY med schools but she left. I think they gave me a pretty good letter of rec.

You could start off at CCNY and just finish up at Hunter. At Hunter, you need 6 lec + labs to qualify for a letter and evals from every pre-req prof.

 

[KayBrus]

I am currently a Hunter Post-Bacc and I am almost done. I have to say I am very impressed with the quality of education (I did my BA at NYU and do not have as many nice things to say about it). I chose Hunter because my uncle also did the post-bacc program and he is now a radiology resident 🙂

I think the main reason why I like Hunter is the community here. The pre-med community is a tight-knit group and everyone always helps each other. It is a lot easier to go to a school where you can find individuals who are going through the exact same thing you are...not to mention that there is a wealth of information you'll get from your classmates that you can't get anywhere.

The pre-med advising office has been getting much better this year. If you are accepted as a pre-med post bacc then you register super early, so all the classes are usually available. If all of your things for the committee letter are in early enough, you should not have any issues.

Here are the courses I took at Hunter: Bio, Chem, Physics, Ochem, Calc, (Biochem and Anatomy-these you don't need).
Bio and Ochem were unbelievable; the professors and the class itself was great. It was great preparation for the MCAT.
Chem and Physics were not so great.

There is a discouraging aspect about Hunter and it is the level of stress. Since half of the school is pre-med there is lots of competition and it got so bad that I had to quit my part-time job to make sure I can get really high grades. But if you do extremely well and get to know the professors you can even become a TA.

As far as CCNY, my friend took a class (also a post-bacc from NYU). She wasn't particularly thrilled with the school and went back to NYU for the rest of the pre-med req's.

I may be biased but I think Hunter has a lot more to offer than CCNY.

 

[Postal]

There is a discouraging aspect about Hunter and it is the level of stress. Since half of the school is pre-med there is lots of competition and it got so bad that I had to quit my part-time job to make sure I can get really high grades.

oh yeah that's so true

 

[emc0105]

I can't directly comment on the programs at either school, but I come from a school that also has linkages with many of the schools listed above. So, a word about linkages:

1) Most have a 3.5 undergraduate GPA cutoff. If not it will be 3.0 or a little higher. I know Mt. Sinai requires a 3.5 uGPA, 3.6 post bacc GPA, and a 33 MCAT. The requirements for the other schools are a little lower.

2) Even if you meet those stats, it is by no means a guaranteed admittance. You are not only competing with everyone else that is applying for the linkage but also for most schools everyone on their wait list. Different schools run their linkage programs in different ways so it's all up in the air, but usually linkages just consist of filling empty spots.

I don't want to sound discouraging, I just know a lot of people who chose a school based entirely on linkages not really understanding what a "linkage" was. It's just a very small window of opportunity, NOT a guarantee.

 

[wanderer]

As far as name goes, outside of NYC no one will know the difference between the two schools. Even within NYC I don't think any medical school will care about the relatively small difference between the two. If it is more convenient to go to CCNY then you should probably do that, otherwise choose Hunter.

 

[Moon1234]

thanks so much guys, I really appreciate your input.

I'm going to go ahead and stick with ccny, not like I have a choice haha. But I am going to call Hunter and ask them about a possible plan of action (how many classes to take at ccny so I still have enough left for hunter to still be in their program, when to apply, etc.) if I were to transfer. At the end of the day... it's the grades that count, right?

🙂

 

[PubMed2012]

I was wondering what the average or typical area your GPA needs to be admitted to CCNY or Hunter pre med post bac?? Does anyone know??

 

[gmcguitar4]

I take post-bac courses at ccny now. If you have 2.8-3.0 they will still accept you into their program. It's not about getting in though, it is about getting the courses you want. CUNY schools are notorious for over enrollment. A lot of students are there for premed so they all want the classes you want. Courses with labs are the worst.

As for CCNY vs. Hunter, it doesn't matter. Just get the courses you need.

 

[theWUbear]

At the end of the day... it's the grades that count, right?

🙂

Yes. OP - I got into med school with similar grades (2.9). It took me a year of 4.0 grades in a postbacc at a school similar to CCNY. Location is far second to your ability to get straight A's at all costs as a priority. Good luck