Formal Post-Bac VS. Community College

[CJW]

Hello Everyone!

Question: From a non-traditional student perspective, is it better to take the prerequisite courses for application to medical school via a formal post-bac program (Washington University in St. Louis in my case) or from a local community college? Specifically, in terms of GPA, the formal program at Washington University is so rigorous that even the brightest students rarely attain a 4.0 average. Conversely, at a community college, the chances of attaining a perfect 4.0 average are much greater. One must also factor in that a formal post-bac program would better prepare individuals for medical school and provide a formal letter of recommendation. However, on the community college side, one would most likely show a higher overall GPA and the cost would be much lower. When considering only the factor of getting accepted into medical school, what are your thoughts? Formal post-bac or community college?

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[Quix]

Formal post-bacc. (1) Looks better to ad-coms, (2) CC's tend not to have the same resources or level of teaching as a 4-yr college (the caliber of student is more consistent at a university, and hence, the depth of material covered tends to be greater), (3) I'm inclined to say that you will likely get a higher MCAT with pre-reqs done at a university; your 4.0 may not be so appealing with a 24 MCAT.

 

[Beau Geste]

Hi CJW -

You can find a few threads on this exact topic if you use the search function for this thread.

It's an exhaustive topic, and you'll find that many are split down the middle as to which type of program you should do. There seems to be consensus that for those who hold a graduate degree or have significant experience in the health-care industry, and only need the pre-reqs to prepare for the MCAT/application, then a community college is not a bad idea. This is the position I'm in, and I've had positive feedback from med school adcoms when I've asked them this question. However, if you have a degree in something other than Biology or related, and are coming from a totally different field than medicine, a formal post-bacc is not a bad option, or a post-bacc that you arrange yourself is not a bad option.

Wash U is a great school - I'm from So. Ill. and know its reputation. However, there are other 4-year universities in the area that might not be as expensive (UMSL or SIUE depending on whether you live on the MO or IL side). Sometimes people need structure in the form of a formal post-bacc, but if you can coordinate your schedule yourself and know what you need to take, there's no reason you can't do your work at any university.

Ultimately, you can check with the med schools you are interested in applying to and see what their reaction is to what you want to do.

 

[Beau Geste]

Formal post-bacc. (1) Looks better to ad-coms, (2) CC's tend not to have the same resources or level of teaching as a 4-yr college (the caliber of student is more consistent at a university, and hence, the depth of material covered tends to be greater), (3) I'm inclined to say that you will likely get a higher MCAT with pre-reqs done at a university; your 4.0 may not be so appealing with a 24 MCAT.

This is what I was talking about - you will have various answers to what is the "right" path.

In California, this probably holds true. Not so much in IL. Check with the med schools you want to attend. Better to get it from the horse's mouth than on an anonymous web-board, no matter how good our intentions are.

 

[Quix]

Just offered my $.02 because I teach at both a CC and a 4-yr university.

 

[pingouin]

Hello Everyone!

Question: From a non-traditional student perspective, is it better to take the prerequisite courses for application to medical school via a formal post-bac program (Washington University in St. Louis in my case) or from a local community college? Specifically, in terms of GPA, the formal program at Washington University is so rigorous that even the brightest students rarely attain a 4.0 average. Conversely, at a community college, the chances of attaining a perfect 4.0 average are much greater. One must also factor in that a formal post-bac program would better prepare individuals for medical school and provide a formal letter of recommendation. However, on the community college side, one would most likely show a higher overall GPA and the cost would be much lower. When considering only the factor of getting accepted into medical school, what are your thoughts? Formal post-bac or community college?

Don't forget the local state school option which offers day and evening pre-req classes, and whose tuition is more than Meramec/Flo/FP but a heckuva lot cheaper than WU/SLU. it may not have their reputation(s), but it is a 4-yr accredited university.


oops- megboo already touched on this!

 

[Beau Geste]

Just offered my $.02 because I teach at both a CC and a 4-yr university.

Cool!

I was just emphasizing how different the responses are going to be for this question.

It's hard because the answer depends a lot on the student!

i will agree, though, when in doubt, go for the university option over CC.