Is 10 a good number of post-baccs to apply to?

[deleted1080778]

I have a list of ten schools ranked from reaches to safeties I'm thinking of applying to with a 3.7 undergrad GPA. I have a few pre-reqs under my belt (Biology, Chemistry, Calculus, Statistics) but I'd mostly be relying on the program to fulfill the needed pre-reqs for medical school. I'd prefer a California post-bacc but I'm not opposed to somewhere else. I'm just wondering is this enough? This seems like I'm covering my bases, no?

Also, does anyone have any advice about the post-bacc process in general, or any of these schools' programs specifically? Thanks!

UC Berkeley
USC
UC Irvine
Mills College
Hawaii Pacific University
Florida State University
UCLA Extension
Cal State Fullerton
Cal State LA
Cal State San Marcos
And I'm also interested in Bryn Mawr for its reputation but I don't wanna bother applying if I don't stand a chance. Also PA is cold haha.

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[deleted1080778]

Your GPA is fine and you already have most of your pre-reqs completed, why do you need a post-bacc? You could just take orgo, physics, and maybe a few upper sciences like anatomy and biochem DIY then apply.

I've only taken a quarters worth of each of these courses though, isn't it recommended you take a years worth before applying to med school?

 

[Doctoscope]

UCLA Extension and UC Berkeley Extension (their informal one) have open enrollment for their courses. It's DIY, first-come first-served, and do not require an application. The first ones to pay are the first ones enrolled. Classes do fill up quickly for some sections, so it's wise to enroll ASAP.

UC Berkeley Extension does have a formal program IN ADDITION to the open enrollment stuff. You get some advising and a committee letter out of it, and the program is much more structured. This formal one does require an application.

The "certificate" for UCLA Extension is worthless; you just get the certificate by taking the classes (there is no GPA requirement to get the certificate, or a percentile rank, so its just a certificate of completion), so save yourself the $80, and just take the classes you need.

 

[deleted1080778]

UCLA Extension and UC Berkeley Extension (their informal one) have open enrollment for their courses. It's DIY, first-come first-served, and do not require an application. The first ones to pay are the first ones enrolled. Classes do fill up quickly for some sections, so it's wise to enroll ASAP.

UC Berkeley Extension does have a formal program IN ADDITION to the open enrollment stuff. You get some advising and a committee letter out of it, and the program is much more structured. This formal one does require an application.

The "certificate" for UCLA Extension is worthless; you just get the certificate by taking the classes (there is no GPA requirement to get the certificate, or a percentile rank, so its just a certificate of completion), so save yourself the $80, and just take the classes you need.

Ok thank you. This answered a few questions for me. Would you recommend Berkeley over UCLA or vice versa?

 

[Doctoscope]

Ok thank you. This answered a few questions for me. Would you recommend Berkeley over UCLA or vice versa?

I think both are comparable costs & similar number of course offerings, so I'd just go with whichever is more convenient living-wise. NorCal is disgustingly expensive, but so is the LA area.

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

I've only taken a quarters worth of each of these courses though, isn't it recommended you take a years worth before applying to med school?

You can take the rest of the classes without getting an official post bacc. People use official post baccs as a last resort if they really need to repair their GPA. For people with a good GPA but just needing science classes, there’s no reason to pay for a whole post bacc program.