Final post on this post-bacc stuff...time for a decision!

[SEK1208]

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Ok, so I have been grappling with the post bacc options for about 1.5 years now. I was accepted into Loyola's post bacc (not the SMP) program last year, deferred due to medical reasons, reapplied and was accepted for this summer start. I also decided to apply to Northwestern's similar program (due to evening class format), and was recently accepted as well (contingent upon taking an intro to BIO class and passing the math CLEP).

It seems everyone on this forum associates those taking post bacc's as having poor undergrad GPA. Mine is 3.52, which I know could be better for a non-trad, but it isn't horrible. I have always been a solid student and never struggled with grades much (well as of 7 years ago, ha...could be different story now, lol). My thought process behind the formal post bacc was simply because I needed to complete virtually all of the science pre-reqs and I thought it would be beneficial to do so at a 4 year, rather than community college. Plus, financial aid is available via the formal route.

Being that there hasn't been too much feedback on either program, that isn't making my decision as to which program to go with any easier, and then I wonder should I just take classes as a student at large at my undergrad, a 4 year private school close to him? Then again, this would also be costly. I also have the fear, that I am sure many of us have (and these are fears I never had when I was younger!!!), of spending the time and money on this, and potentially not getting accepted or doing well on the MCAT. Seems the older I get (I am 30), the more fear holds me back!

Basically, I would really love to have some more feedback, advice, guidance...anything!!!

Thanks!

 

[drizzt3117]

Ok, so I have been grappling with the post bacc options for about 1.5 years now. I was accepted into Loyola's post bacc (not the SMP) program last year, deferred due to medical reasons, reapplied and was accepted for this summer start. I also decided to apply to Northwestern's similar program (due to evening class format), and was recently accepted as well (contingent upon taking an intro to BIO class and passing the math CLEP).

It seems everyone on this forum associates those taking post bacc's as having poor undergrad GPA. Mine is 3.52, which I know could be better for a non-trad, but it isn't horrible. I have always been a solid student and never struggled with grades much (well as of 7 years ago, ha...could be different story now, lol). My thought process behind the formal post bacc was simply because I needed to complete virtually all of the science pre-reqs and I thought it would be beneficial to do so at a 4 year, rather than community college. Plus, financial aid is available via the formal route.

Being that there hasn't been too much feedback on either program, that isn't making my decision as to which program to go with any easier, and then I wonder should I just take classes as a student at large at my undergrad, a 4 year private school close to him? Then again, this would also be costly. I also have the fear, that I am sure many of us have (and these are fears I never had when I was younger!!!), of spending the time and money on this, and potentially not getting accepted or doing well on the MCAT. Seems the older I get (I am 30), the more fear holds me back!

Basically, I would really love to have some more feedback, advice, guidance...anything!!!

Thanks!

You're in good shape. If you do any of these programs and do well and study hard for the MCAT you'll be fine. Your GPA is an asset to you and will help.

 

[DrMidlife]

I agree w/Drizzt.

I took the same leap at age 38. Browse the nontrad forum if you want to feel more normal about it.

If you want to test the waters before leaping in, you can take one science or math class (such as at night) and start volunteering in a hospital. See if you love it or not.

Best of luck to you.

 

[DrMidlife]

It seems everyone on this forum associates those taking post bacc's as having poor undergrad GPA.

Indulge me a rant on this. "Post bac" is not descriptive, and the label makes this forum schizo. Describing what people need from additional coursework, instead of saying "postbac", would be more effective. Do you need the prereqs? Do you need to fix your GPA? Do you need more bake time as a med school candidate? Are you bored during your gap year? Etc.

1. Premeds don't own postbacs.
2. A postbac is any coursework taken after receiving a bachelors degree. Usually any undergrad coursework, but not always.
3. There are structured, formal, premed postbacs such as Bryn Mawr, Goucher, Scripps, Loyola, Northwestern etc. These are usually aimed at people who have non-science bachelors degrees with an untarnished transcript.
4. There are GPA repair structured postbacs such as URM programs (Wake Forest, UCs) and such as UT Dallas.
5. There are SMPs, special masters programs, which put you through the first year of med school to prove you can do med school. Doing an SMP when you don't have a GPA problem makes no sense, and doing an SMP when you can still improve your undergrad GPA by taking more undergrad makes no sense.

// end rant

 

[SEK1208]

Thanks guys. I have browsed the non-trad forums for maybe a year (if that long) and also the post-bacc forums and read the various descriptors (SMP vs formal post bacc, etc) and have learned a great deal. This has been extremely helpful. While I understand that postbacc means just that ("after receiving bachelor degree"), it seems many in the post bacc forum associate the formal post bacc programs as a means to raise the GPA, but in my case, it is required since I do not have any of the science pre-reqs. I guess it seems the general consensus is that if raising of the GPA isn't the main criteria, then where the formal post bacc is taken, or whether it is even "formal" for that matter, doesn't matter much.

 

[SEK1208]

I agree w/Drizzt.

I took the same leap at age 38. Browse the nontrad forum if you want to feel more normal about it.

If you want to test the waters before leaping in, you can take one science or math class (such as at night) and start volunteering in a hospital. See if you love it or not.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks DrMidlife...I have volunteered in the past, and am soon to start that back up, and I also shadowed my physician just last week. I guess I am ready to jump in the cold water!!