Need Advice Quick - Physics outside my formal post-bacc?

[Chrissy]

Hey all,

I have a very important question and i really need some advice quickly. I have to take physics this summer at Penn. I'm a post bacc but this summer will be with the undergrads. I started taking it last fall and dropped it after not doing well on the first midterm. The prof just posted the summer syllabus and I'm beginning to freak out again that I can't get the grade I need. The real reason i'm posting is I've been long considering taking it at a nearby school (temple, villanova)...it is less than half the price and presumably less difficult. Would a move like this be a red flag in my application...i know plenty of people do post baccs anywhere but penn is a structered program so i think it will stand out as strange....is cost a good enoug reason?? please thoughts.

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[postbacker]

Hey all,

I have a very important question and i really need some advice quickly. I have to take physics this summer at Penn. I'm a post bacc but this summer will be with the undergrads. I started taking it last fall and dropped it after not doing well on the first midterm. The prof just posted the summer syllabus and I'm beginning to freak out again that I can't get the grade I need. The real reason i'm posting is I've been long considering taking it at a nearby school (temple, villanova)...it is less than half the price and presumably less difficult. Would a move like this be a red flag in my application...i know plenty of people do post baccs anywhere but penn is a structered program so i think it will stand out as strange....is cost a good enoug reason?? please thoughts.

Posing this question to the SDN Peanut Gallery, you should expect to hear that what you are thinking about is a terrible idea that will surely torpedo your app. Frankly, I say go for it, and make a good grade. Good luck...

 

[njbmd]

Moving to Post Bac Forum

 

[lawnboy313]

What does your advisor think? I don't think it'd necessarily be a red flag for your application, as cost is a good excuse. But if you're already in the program, and are trying to avoid physics within that program, that would likely be a red flag to your advisor who might think less of you if you can't handle Penn physics. Not a good thing when they're writing your committee letter.

 

[lawnboy313]

BTW, unless you've actually heard from folks at Temple or Villanova, it's not a safe assumption that physics at either place is easier than at Penn. I've found class difficulty varies more between professors at a given institution than between different institutions. That's just my limited experience, but I've now taken classes at an ivy leaguer, two small liberal arts colleges, and a state school, and found that prestige has little correlation with class rigor.

 

[Chrissy]

that's an interesting question....to be honest, the advisor here is new so it is important to develop a rapport with the people who will write my committee letter. That being said, I have taken both gen bio and gen chem at villanova as an undergrad and while I agree with your assertion that difficulty varies widely, they were infinitely easier for me and less competitive than Penn classes (took orgo and a bunch of upper levels at penn). Not to mention these basic pre-reqs are graded on a curve as we all know so for better or worse, i'm focusing more on competition than the material. I already study as much as i can and i consider myself relatively bright; so i'm just trying to assess whether a B+/A- at Nova would be better than a B- or something here at Penn. So anyway, I have not directly asked the current advisor because she is booked for like the next 3 application cycles....I did however, ask the old advisor who basically said "if you get an A, it will likely not matter"....they obviously don't encourage this, but i'm trying to read between the lines. sometimes it bothers me a lot how much more difficult particular schools can be relative to others...i guess thats what the MCAT is for....last point: because it's a summer schedule I do need to quit my job for a few months....so the fact that it is half the cost is legitimate...i just don't know if it's good enough!

 

[drizzt3117]

I'd say go for it. It honestly won't be a big deal and anything that raises your GPA isn't a bad thing, IMO, at least.

 

[MedChic]

that's an interesting question....to be honest, the advisor here is new so it is important to develop a rapport with the people who will write my committee letter. That being said, I have taken both gen bio and gen chem at villanova as an undergrad and while I agree with your assertion that difficulty varies widely, they were infinitely easier for me and less competitive than Penn classes (took orgo and a bunch of upper levels at penn). Not to mention these basic pre-reqs are graded on a curve as we all know so for better or worse, i'm focusing more on competition than the material. I already study as much as i can and i consider myself relatively bright; so i'm just trying to assess whether a B+/A- at Nova would be better than a B- or something here at Penn. So anyway, I have not directly asked the current advisor because she is booked for like the next 3 application cycles....I did however, ask the old advisor who basically said "if you get an A, it will likely not matter"....they obviously don't encourage this, but i'm trying to read between the lines. sometimes it bothers me a lot how much more difficult particular schools can be relative to others...i guess thats what the MCAT is for....last point: because it's a summer schedule I do need to quit my job for a few months....so the fact that it is half the cost is legitimate...i just don't know if it's good enough!

Definitely check the fine print on your official program requirements. The post-bac at my undergrad for example, states that if any courses are taken outside your formal post-bacc once enrolled in the post-bacc, it makes you not eligible for the committee letter, so just talk to an advisor or research your requirements prior to enrolling somewhere else.