Need help, post bacc in California.

[alexwong]

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Hi everyone,

I graduated from UCLA with a degree in Electrical Engineering, but recently I've been considering moving into the medical field. I'd like to go back to school and get a medical degree so I can be a general practitioner. After calling some schools, it seems that some of them offer certifications while others don't. Is it important to have this cert, or is taking all the required pre-med classes enough (especially for the top ranked schools)?

I live in the Bay Area, so if anyone can recommend any good programs, I'd appreciate it. Thanks for your help.

-Alex

 

[Pemulis]

Alex,

Your basic question comes down to: do you want to do a "formal" post-bac, or a do it yourself (aka DIY) option. If you do a search on these, you'll find a TON of existing threads about this topic.

To give you the quick answer though, it doesn't matter which way you do it, although its generally considered a good idea to take your pre-med courses at a reputable school (a good, 4-year state school is probably fine; avoid taking them at a community college, or a no-name university). As long as you do that, do well in the classes, and score well on the MCAT, you should stand a good chance of gaining admission somewhere.

The "formal" post-bac programs tend to be more expensive, but the better ones offer some advantages in terms of giving a lot of support/advising, small class sizes, and relationships with medical schools that sometimes get students direct admission (do a search for linkages for more on this). I know that in Cali, both Mills college (in Oakland) and Scripps have very well regarded programs.

 

[LoneCoyote]

In addition to the privates, check out SFSU and CSU-Hayward in the Bay Area. Both programs seem to get people where they want to go. Good luck.