Informal Post Bacc Length

[Iroh]

I've always been confused about this. When someone says do "2 years minimum of post bacc work of upper division sciences" are they referring to actual years

For example: Spring 15, Fall 15, Spring 16, Fall 16

of let's say 9 credits per semester (while working/volunteering), grand total 36 credits, this will show 2 years of dedication

or

2 years worth of classes, meaning technical "Full Load Undergrad, 15 credits"

, 30 credits per Year and total of 60 credits?

 

[joiedevivre86]

Who says you have to do 2 years? I don't think there's a technical definition of it - it's whatever classes you need to take or re-take to boost your GPA and satisfy pre-reqs, unless you do a formal post bacc program that basically picks your classes for you. I did an informal one (basically just signed up as a second degree undergrad bio major at a state school) and took 25 credits over the course of 1 year, with like 170 hours of shadowing and DAT studying thrown in there too.

 

[Iroh]

Who says you have to do 2 years? I don't think there's a technical definition of it - it's whatever classes you need to take or re-take to boost your GPA and satisfy pre-reqs, unless you do a formal post bacc program that basically picks your classes for you. I did an informal one (basically just signed up as a second degree undergrad bio major at a state school) and took 25 credits over the course of 1 year, with like 170 hours of shadowing and DAT studying thrown in there too.

I was just using an arbitrary time frame. I hear people say, take 1-2 years of additional classes as a non-matric, do well and show you're capable.

But I've never understood if they meant 1-2 credit years (~30 credits per year, 30-60) or just show consistency over 1-2 years taking as many classes as possible (30-40 credits)

 

[joiedevivre86]

I was just using an arbitrary time frame. I hear people say, take 1-2 years of additional classes as a non-matric, do well and show you're capable.

But I've never understood if they meant 1-2 credit years (~30 credits per year, 30-60) or just show consistency over 1-2 years taking as many classes as possible (30-40 credits)

I think people say 1-2 years because it depends if you've taken any prerequisites or not. If you have taken zero science classes (I'm guessing this is not the case based on your username), then I'd say a 2 year post bacc is fine/necessary, because you can't possibly fit everything in in one year. Take one year if you've done half of them, or your GPA is borderline. Otherwise, if you've taken most or all of the prereqs and your GPA is low, I would say go the SMP route instead of post bacc. Just my opinion, but there are lots of threads on this on SDN. Or try calling schools and asking about your specific situation.

 

[jmcunnin]

I think the 2 year suggestion is just an estimate. Between the Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 semesters, I've been able to complete 10 science classes. I will take classes again in Fall 2015 and also Spring 2016 and apply next cycle. I won't have all prerequisites completed by the time I apply though. So it really just depends how many classes you can get completed in any given semester. Best of luck to you.