Is A Post-Bac A Good Idea?

[Ellyracat13]

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Hello!

I am so torn between going to a post-bac program or continuing getting my credits from my local community college. I am making a career transition (currently a teacher) into veterinary medicine and need to make up the credits. Which do you think makes more sense?

The Post bac is expensive but shorter
Community College is Affordable and longer

Vet schools Im Considering: VMRC, MN, Wis, Tuskeegee

 

[WildZoo]

Well, how much shorter and how much more expensive is the post-bac? Generally I would say go with the least expensive option - you'll be spending enough money on vet school itself. But also keep in mind that even if you go the CC route, some schools do require that you take some upper level pre-reqs at a 4 year university. So definitely check on that with the schools you'll be applying to, and see if that will change the price difference between your two options.

 

[DogtorCK]

I did a post-bacc for the very reason that WildZoo mentioned. A LOT of schools require upper-level courses be taken at a 4-year program, and some even require that for all the pre-reqs. Look into the specific requirements for those schools.

Also, a post-bacc will *potentially* look better. Not only because it's at a 4-year school, but because it's shorter. You're cramming a lot of science into a short amount of time, and it's a much heavier work load than a traditional 4 year degree program. Our advisor who is also on the VMCAS board (whatever that means) told us that when vet schools see completion of a post-bacc with a decent GPA, they will feel confident you are prepared for the workload. I haven't started yet, and I'm sure the actual work load for vet school is going to be sooooooo much harder that I doubt anyone is really prepared, but it *may* help you get accepted. Just my 2 cents. If you can get away with CC and save money, I'm all for it.

 

[vetmedflutist]

Hey, I also did a post-bacc! I found that it was really easy to get into the right classes because of the program. For example, if a class was full, my advisor was able to get me into it because I was part of the post-bacc program. I was also able to get around specific pre-reqs for the upper level classes that I didn't need to take for vet school (like cell biology as a prereq for microbiology). My post-bacc program also offered a science department letter of recommendation for my application, which I thought was a nice bonus (although not completely necessary for vet schools). All of that being said, it's definitely possible to take the classes at CC, these are just some of the perks I ran into by being part of a post-bacc program. 🙂 Good luck!