Medical DIY postbacc or formal career change postbacc to complete pre-reqs as a non-trad medical school applicant?

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TheBoneDoctah

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Hello,

I did my undergraduate degree in computer science two years ago and hence I am a non-traditional medical school applicant.
I completed my master's, however, in health informatics from one of the top medical schools in the country and have taken some courses in public health. I have a publication in health informatics and currently work for a radiology based research organization.
I will also start clinical volunteering at a local hospital soon. I am passionate about pursuing medicine and I need to complete the prereqs to apply.
My stats: Undergrad GPA: 3.85, Masters GPA: 3.75

I was researching some formal postbacc programs for career changers and found some of them that I would be interested in applying to however I will have to move to another nearby city if classes are on campus in the summer or fall of 2021. I am also looking into DIY postbacc at local universities where I can complete the prereqs while working my regular job and staying at my current place.
I have a few questions while trying to decide between DIY postbacc and formal post bacc.

  1. I found out that there is a considerable difference in tuition fees for formal postbacc and DIY postbacc. Is the formal postbacc really worth it given the expensive tuition especially if there is not a medical school linkage associated with the program?
  2. Do admissions committees prefer formal postbacc over DIY postbacc especially for non-trad career changers?
  3. Does the prestige of the institution where you complete your pre-req courses matter?
Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
My advice would be to do the DIY-post bac. It's cheaper and will give you more flexibility to get in your EC hours and study for the MCAT. The prestige doesn't matter as much as the grades you get in the classes. You need to do well on your prereq courses. From your track record it doesn't seem like this will be an issue for you.
 
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