Loyola Post Bacc? and Pre-Req Question

[jabber]

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I'm a non-trad student, 30 with about half of my pre-req's completed 10 yrs ago (taken in 1996/1997).

My undergrad GPA was 3.75 (completed in 2000) and my MBA completed 4 yrs ago in 2004 I had 3.75 GPA.

I am currently trying to decide between taking the pre-req courses ad-hoc through a local community college (which is $72/ch) vs the Loyola Chicago Post Bacc program ($560 /ch)

I ultimately plan to apply to the medical schools in Chicago, with Loyola being one of the top choices.

I will be taking the pre-req to take them and to prep for the MCAT, my GPA has been pretty consistent and I earned the MBA while working full time so I think I can show multi-tasking skills etc.

I know it's been asked on the boards a few times already but do you think there is a big difference between going through the Post Bacc and or just taking the needed courses through community college?

Do you think if it's been 10 yrs for some of the pre-reqs
(Bio 1, Org Chem 1, Chem 1) that I should retake them, or just go on to fulfill the Org Chem 2, Chem 2 etc?

Any advice or insights would be great.

If I did the Post Bacc, obviously it would be much more expensive and take longer, if I did the cc route, I could finish my pre-req's this summer.

Are things like the pre-health advisory committee worth the time and money of enrolling in a post bacc?

 

[DrMidlife]

In general, it's not the best option to do prereqs at a community college. There's a stigma, even though some CC's are terrific. A CC is not the rigorous academic environment you should choose to demonstrate your mettle.

However, on top of a 3.75, assuming you do really well on the MCAT, I think you could get away with finishing prereqs at a CC. But I would also do some upper division science (such as biochem) at a university to allay any concerns. Isn't there a state university around there somewhere, that wouldn't be as expensive? You need to start collecting letters of recommendation from faculty, and I personally wouldn't look to CC faculty for this. Let me reiterate: you might get away with the CC plan.

Keep in mind that you need labs to go with all those prereqs. Generally you need one year with labs of each subject (genchem, ochem, bio, physics).

There are some schools that expire prereqs, but they're the exception, not the rule. Dig hard into the Chicago schools' websites. Nobody gave me any grief over my 20 year old physics.

Don't underestimate MCAT prep. This is a good place to spend some money.

Premed advisers were a waste of my time, but I think Loyola's have a good reputation. A committee letter is never a requirement, but again, start thinking about letters of recommendation now.

Now is also a good time to start volunteering in a hospital or clinic. Usually the gig is 4 hours a week or suchlike.

Best of luck to you.