DIY Postbacc-ers: difficulty getting into required courses?

[alienwares]

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Hello all,

I have been researching my nearby post-bacc study options and, as it turns out, they are fairly slim. I can either

A) Take the courses at a local CC (cheap, work-friendly, not a 4y college though) and
B) Take the courses at the local state school (pretty cheap, not so work-friendly, and not very post-bacc friendly).

However, option B is a little scary because post-bacc students register after EVERYONE else in the university. For those of you who have done informal postbaccs, how much difficulty did you have getting into required courses?

This is a little scary for me because I do NOT want to lose a year because a class filled, but the community college route has its own problems too...

 

[kia ora]

I was told by a premed adviser at the very large state university near my home that as a non-matriculated student I would have a great deal of difficulty getting into the courses I wanted and that it would be "impossible" for me to get into the intro biology courses. I didn't want to deal with the hassles and so I did all my prereqs (and then some) at a small, private university in my city. of course, this cost me $$$ but it turned out to be an excellent decision. I had no trouble getting the classes I wanted. I had small classes with amazing professors (mostly) and ended up getting really involved there as a TA, tutor and a research student. this isn't for everyone, though; I was fortunate to have the $ and time to go to this school rather than the huge state school.

you probably could go and plead your case to the professors at the start of each term and try to get into the classes off of the waitlists that way, but it would be a hassle and the results would not be guaranteed

as for the CC route, call the admissions offices of the med schools you're most interested in and ask how they feel about ppl taking prereqs at CCs. some schools don't care; some do

 

[voitokas]

If they don't have a post-bac program, could you register as a transfer student (degree-seeking)? Then you'd get to enroll with the upperclassmen... Do you need to stay where you are? I don't know anything about CC's, as I was a DIY post-bac. It can be aggravating, depending on what school it is, since you end up having to explain your situation many many times over to everyone and their secretary. Where are you?

 

[SalemK]

I was advised to enroll as a degree-seeking student and declare a major. It's also much cheaper this way because I'm classified as a senior, not a graduate student (which I would have been, for tuition purposes).

 

[alienwares]

I was told by a premed adviser at the very large state university near my home that as a non-matriculated student I would have a great deal of difficulty getting into the courses I wanted and that it would be "impossible" for me to get into the intro biology courses. I didn't want to deal with the hassles and so I did all my prereqs (and then some) at a small, private university in my city. of course, this cost me $$$ but it turned out to be an excellent decision. I had no trouble getting the classes I wanted. I had small classes with amazing professors (mostly) and ended up getting really involved there as a TA, tutor and a research student. this isn't for everyone, though; I was fortunate to have the $ and time to go to this school rather than the huge state school.

you probably could go and plead your case to the professors at the start of each term and try to get into the classes off of the waitlists that way, but it would be a hassle and the results would not be guaranteed

as for the CC route, call the admissions offices of the med schools you're most interested in and ask how they feel about ppl taking prereqs at CCs. some schools don't care; some do

If they don't have a post-bac program, could you register as a transfer student (degree-seeking)? Then you'd get to enroll with the upperclassmen... Do you need to stay where you are? I don't know anything about CC's, as I was a DIY post-bac. It can be aggravating, depending on what school it is, since you end up having to explain your situation many many times over to everyone and their secretary. Where are you?

My main fear is not getting into the classes that I need. I am located in College Station, Texas-- aka, about 2 hours away from the nearest big cities (Austin and Houston). Texas A&M is the only 4-year university within that radius. We're basically an island in a sea of ranches and cows.

I COULD theoretically do postbacc work elsewhere, but I wasn't planning on considering it before I got really desperate. My spouse is pursuing her PhD here, so I want to stay grounded here if at all possible.

 

[kia ora]

My main fear is not getting into the classes that I need. I am located in College Station, Texas-- aka, about 2 hours away from the nearest big cities (Austin and Houston). Texas A&M is the only 4-year university within that radius. We're basically an island in a sea of ranches and cows.

I COULD theoretically do postbacc work elsewhere, but I wasn't planning on considering it before I got really desperate. My spouse is pursuing her PhD here, so I want to stay grounded here if at all possible.

gig 'em, Aggies. is the Dixie Chicken still in business?

well, it sounds as if this is your only option. what I would do, then, is look into enrolling as a degree-seeking student (as suggested above). if that's not possible, I would go and talk to the professors (in person) before the classes even start, explain your situation, attend the classes even if you aren't officially in and hope that people drop (some will). also, get to know the department secretaries and get them on your side. if A&M does online registration, wake up at odd hours of the night during the first week or two of class and check to see if spots have opened up, then snag them while all the undergraduates are sleeping. good luck!

 

[20minutes]

However, option B is a little scary because post-bacc students register after EVERYONE else in the university. For those of you who have done informal postbaccs, how much difficulty did you have getting into required courses?

Not sure how A&M works, but I registered as a second degree seeking student and was actually frontloaded for registration and had the pick of the litter because I already had so many credits. If I had registered as a post-bac I think I would have been in the same boat as you are now. Because so many pre-req classes are sequential, it would have taken forever (with a ton of luck too) to finish the series in any reasonable timeframe. Hope A&M has that option as well.

 

[alienwares]

A&M has post-baccs register after all other students, unfortunately. I am presently looking into applying as a transfer student to see if I can avoid that nastiness. Thanks for that suggestion--I had not thought of it. I'm not sure if A&M will allow it though...

And yes, Dixie Chicken is still functioning and is extremely popular last time I checked. 🙂

Edit: transferring is impossible for degree-holders, looks like. It appears I can only pursue the post-bacc/last-registration-possible option. Ideas are very welcome at this point; it looks like unless I want to spend every semester begging to be let into classes, TAMU cannot help.

 

[Anita817]

Hello all,
However, option B is a little scary because post-bacc students register after EVERYONE else in the university. For those of you who have done informal postbaccs, how much difficulty did you have getting into required courses?

This is a little scary for me because I do NOT want to lose a year because a class filled, but the community college route has its own problems too...

I did a DIY postbacc at my local state school (for VERY cheap compared to my private undergrad), and this info is very surprising to me--maybe it's just that my state school sees more post baccs, but I actually got to register for my classes BEFORE many of the more traditional students. I was classified as a UWD (undergrad with degree) and registered after seniors, but before juniors, sophs or frosh. Since all of the premed courses are basic sciences, I never had trouble getting the classes I wanted because most of the other people signing up had lower status than me.

On the other hand, while some people say that taking the basic science classes at a CC comes with a stigma about their easiness-- you should ignore that if it's the only way you'll be able to finish in a timely manner.

 

[IamAriDO]

I was also a Non-Trad DIY Post-Bacc and would like to second that I think its wierd that they make you hold out for the current undergrads. Much like Anita817 I was able to register for my classes ahead of the lowely freshman since I was considered a "senior" for scheduling purposes. I would ask the advisor for any loopholes that exist..such as the above suggestion as a transfer or degree seeking student.

With regard to your CC worries I would check with the schools you are considering to see their preferences. Otherwise who cares? Classes are classes and its still Ochem or whatever.

best of luck
IamAriDO

 

[murfettie]

enroll as a full time student..

i just registered for next semester yesterday, all first choices.
and I go to a california state university where our professors take a 10% furlough...
i'm enrolled as random grad student.

 

[mathgrl83]

I did my own "DIY Post bacc" at a large state school as well. I was VERY worried about this before I started, but it all worked out just fine. I registered as a second bachelor's degree student in the biology department, and I got into every class I needed. Sometimes it was difficult and I had to wait for drop/add or stalk the chemistry department secretary to get into the lab I needed, but in the end it all worked out. If you enroll as a degree seeking student and be persistent you should be able to work it all out. Another part of doing that is that you will get access to all the perks that the regular students have - the prehealth advisor, the gym, and whatever other campus amenities are available. This is definitely the way to go, as opposed to non-degree seeking.

 

[ruiner]

I was advised to enroll as a degree-seeking student and declare a major. It's also much cheaper this way because I'm classified as a senior, not a graduate student (which I would have been, for tuition purposes).

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