Need advice: Hunter vs. CU

[H0ldenCaulfield]

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Please pardon the long post...

I'm at a crossroads; currently I am a first year postbacc at Columbia (I have taken Calc, currently taking Chem), who also happens to work full-time (and live about an hour and half outside of the City). The demands of both are killing me. My quality of work has slipped in both regards and I'm realistically in danger of seriously damaging my GPA - especially regarding future classes and anticipation of work intensifying.

Something obviously needs to change, and I'm thinking it might have to be the CU postbacc program. The intensity of the academics and structure of the program (i.e. no summer classes, have to take Orgo and Bio at the same time) do not mesh well with the fact that I work full-time and live far away. In searching for options, I came across Hunter's program and it seems to offer the kind of flexibility I'm looking for (as well as a unique linkage option with Cornell).

Essentially, I would love to get some feedback and other opinions about the virtues of switching from CU to Hunter. Aside from the obvious differences (price, prestige, etc.) can anyone speak from experience regarding a switch of this kind? Additionally, does anyone know the success for entrance in to med school and/or a list of schools that Hunter post-baccs have attended (this would be very helpful/encouraging; I'm surprised Hunter doesn't have a list like this posted on their site).

My main concern, of course, is that I will not have a wide range of choice regarding med schools to which I can apply (obviously predicated by how well I do academically). How much will it really matter if my core requirements are completed at Hunter vs. Columbia?

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Some info about me:

Attended a competitive undergraduate college - majored in Clinical Psychology and Philosophy - 3.5 GPA

Currently considering a one-year MPH or MS at Columbia

Currently a psychiatric and neuroscience researcher at Columbia - daily, in-depth clinical experience (running experiments, clinical ratings/evaluations, neuropsychological testing, phlebotomy, etc.), will have opportunities to publish research, be on posters, etc.

Volunteered in a rural medical clinical in Africa for two-weeks - gave vaccinations, compiled demographic data, screened patients, etc.

Currently a mentor for an organization that represents underprivileged or underrepresented New York City area students

Published illustrator

Plans to expand volunteer work


Thank you for suffering through this obnoxiously long post. Any advice, suggestions, (commiseration) would be greatly appreciated.

 

[darkjedi]

How are you finding the postbac advisors at CU? Also how are the classes?

I'm considering doing the postbac at CU

 

[csc123]

are you only taking 1 class at Columbia? what does your course load look like?

even balancing a PT job and courses at CU is rough and they usually advise you against it.

Might look a little akward if you switched from Columbia to Hunter, especially if your getting bad grades, they'll obv. realize you couldn't handle the courseload and went to an easier school, but then again your working FT which is crazy also taking courses at the same time, so its all about convenience for your case id say.

that being said, if your grades are decent/fine, you can spin it off as financial/convience reason or some other bs reason for a switch that would look okay as opposed to the 'dang i couldn't hack ivy league academic rigor'

I don't know much about the exit/grad rates or info at Hunter, so i guess someone else can comment on it.

it doesn't matter much where you get your pre-reqs done as long as they are finished, and esp. with high grades.

your range of applying will be fine, its all about the end GPAs anyways, unless your taking like 1 class a semester for x amount of years to finish, cause 'course load' is looked at

 

[H0ldenCaulfield]

How are you finding the postbac advisors at CU? Also how are the classes?

I'm considering doing the postbac at CU

Honestly, advising isn't terrible - not as bad as people have made it out to be at least. I haven't experienced anything stellar regarding classes or teaching - in fact, I feel it has been far inferior to my undergraduate (non-ivy) experience. Essentially, you will be expected to do immense amounts of coursework (which is fine if you have the time, I'm assuming you have the motivation) and take absurd exams (as a friend says, these are "weed out" classes, everything is much harder than it actually has to be given what we all know about learning and information recall). Keep in mind you'll be paying about $4,000 per class to be teach yourself the material and be stressed out all the time. I would suggest checking out CULPA; it's a site that allows you to check out student ratings of professors at CU. Specifically, check out Deborah Mowshowitz for bio; there are literally poems about suicide on there inspired by her and her notorious class (she is THE ONLY bio prof you are allowed to take).

The decision I'm considering, which I would encourage you to consider, is can you get into the medical school you want to go to without killing yourself for 2 (in my case more like 3) years in a postbacc program - i.e. is the stress of CU worth it? Many would argue that it prepares one better for the MCAT and perhaps even medical school. I think the validity of these claims is obviously directly related to what kind of student you are and how you retain information. Personally, the more I read, it seems the best option (keeping in mind we already have undergraduate degrees) is to focus on doing really well in a solid program (like Hunter) that is also flexible (night classes, summer classes, etc.) and perhaps even a bit - dare I say it - easier.

 

[H0ldenCaulfield]

are you only taking 1 class at Columbia? what does your course load look like?

even balancing a PT job and courses at CU is rough and they usually advise you against it.

Might look a little akward if you switched from Columbia to Hunter, especially if your getting bad grades, they'll obv. realize you couldn't handle the courseload and went to an easier school, but then again your working FT which is crazy also taking courses at the same time, so its all about convenience for your case id say.

that being said, if your grades are decent/fine, you can spin it off as financial/convience reason or some other bs reason for a switch that would look okay as opposed to the 'dang i couldn't hack ivy league academic rigor'

I don't know much about the exit/grad rates or info at Hunter, so i guess someone else can comment on it.

it doesn't matter much where you get your pre-reqs done as long as they are finished, and esp. with high grades.

your range of applying will be fine, its all about the end GPAs anyways, unless your taking like 1 class a semester for x amount of years to finish, cause 'course load' is looked at

Thanks for your input! I was just taking one course and I dropped it so that it wouldn't damage my GPA. My reasons, when asked, would be definitely the program flexibility (I can finish the Hunter program much faster than CU), price (no brainer here), and linkage option with Cornell (a very unique kind of linkage: apply after first semester, if selected paired with Cornell MD for research for remainder of program...). I actually only took one class at Cu for credit - Calculus and got a C because I missed half the semester 😡. I know that AMCAS requires ALL grades, but I'm honestly considering pretending like I never even stepped foot in the Calc class and just starting fresh. Do you think there is anyway this could screw me down the line?

Thanks again.

 

[csc123]

Have you looked at NYU? its generally easier from what I hear. My friend whose at columbia now got an A- in bio with her, so Idk?

um, you not saying you went to columbia will instantly disqualify you, and you'd get into no where. i believe they can findout where you went to school based on your SS#, and also coming off as a liar is like auto-no thanks.

you would def. retake calc and get a better grade, but the C will always be there (its awful i know), but if apply to D.O. schools, they take the highest grade only.

Taking a W, is very frowned upon and looks pretty bad, especially if its only 1 class you were taking. you can try to spin off the FT job thing, but that can only go so far and they have other applicants that have steller grades to pick from that are 'dedicated' students that do school FT. but everyone has their own story i guess. just saying they have a lot of options, so its a oh well tough-luck, there's another 4.0 applicant, etc.

I haven't looked into hunter so idk how their thing works, so if u can juggle a FT job and classes there, great! but i'm not sure about taking 1 class at a time deal - hopefully someone more senior in the forums can give their info on it, but from what i've read, its bad cause then everyone would take like 1 science class etc and get a 4.0 science GPA

 

[Emsy]

You definitely have to send the Columbia transcript along, can't just pretend you didn't go there unforunately.

I'm going to be honest with you, the second year of post bacc at Columbia is basically hell on earth because you are forced to take Bio and organic chemistry together plus on top of that, prepare for the MCAT.

I was a commuter to columbia from Brooklyn, it took me 90 minutes to get up there and that's three hours of your day killed right there for studying. Plus Columbia is very rigid in that year in that you have to take Debbie M's biology class with your organic lecture. Debbie may be a good lecturer and you'll actually think you have a great grasp on your biology and you know your sodium channels backwards and fowards and then you'll sit for her exams which are total mind****s. You'll barely get the mean on the exam unless you devote your life to biology which is rather hard to do when you have to devote your entire life to orgo to get a passing grade.

If you are already having doubts about Columbia, then I suggest you run far far away from it and consider transferring the NYU or Hunter. I work in a major hospital in NYC and let me tell you, some doctors are absolutely stupid people that somehow got their license to practice medicine and there's a wide range of schools being represented from ivy league to medical schools out of the country.

You've got very valid reasons to transfer ranging from your hellish commute to your FT job to just not feeling you click at Columbia. People transfer all the time, frankly it looks better to transfer than just drop out of the postbacc program.

 

[H0ldenCaulfield]

Have you looked at NYU? its generally easier from what I hear. My friend whose at columbia now got an A- in bio with her, so Idk?

um, you not saying you went to columbia will instantly disqualify you, and you'd get into no where. i believe they can findout where you went to school based on your SS#, and also coming off as a liar is like auto-no thanks.

you would def. retake calc and get a better grade, but the C will always be there (its awful i know), but if apply to D.O. schools, they take the highest grade only.

Taking a W, is very frowned upon and looks pretty bad, especially if its only 1 class you were taking. you can try to spin off the FT job thing, but that can only go so far and they have other applicants that have steller grades to pick from that are 'dedicated' students that do school FT. but everyone has their own story i guess. just saying they have a lot of options, so its a oh well tough-luck, there's another 4.0 applicant, etc.

I haven't looked into hunter so idk how their thing works, so if u can juggle a FT job and classes there, great! but i'm not sure about taking 1 class at a time deal - hopefully someone more senior in the forums can give their info on it, but from what i've read, its bad cause then everyone would take like 1 science class etc and get a 4.0 science GPA

Yea, I didn't actually "withdraw" from the class, I dropped it, so it doesn't show up on my transcript. From what I've read, Calc is not a big consideration for a lot of schools, but I would probably retake it at some point anyway. I think NYU is one of the most expensive programs out there, so that wouldn't really be an option.