No formal PostBacc in TAMPA

[cee]

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after extenstive research, I have discovered that there are no formal postbacc's close to where I live. USF is the major university in the tampa area, and they DO offer a "biomedical" degree, which would fulfill many of the prereqs required for med schools, but the program itself is not linked to any specific med school. on top of that, it features a lot of classes/electives that are not even prerequisites for all the med/DO programs in florida. After talking to someone who decided to go into medicine by taking some classes at USF, he said that he was more-or-less "creating his own post-bacc program".. in sum, he was just creating his own structured path, monitoring his own progress, etc...

I emailed most of the med schools/D.O. schools in the area and they all said that even community college classes would be acceptable to take for prerequisites. Now, with the knowledge that there are no formal postbaccs in my area and if I go to USF i'd have to simply "create my own program", wouldnt that be more or less like taking science classes at a community college but for twice the price? i have read some threads on the legitimacy of only doing postbaccs of they are "specifically linked" to med programs, but despite the fact that USF's isnt "linked", its not even a formal post bacc to begin with.. am i better off just taking these classes at a community college? i'm basically trying to disect the argument that "taking prereqs at a postbacc helps you, but taking at comm. college wont necessarily hurt you"..

 

[junebuguf]

after extenstive research, I have discovered that there are no formal postbacc's close to where I live. USF is the major university in the tampa area, and they DO offer a "biomedical" degree, which would fulfill many of the prereqs required for med schools, but the program itself is not linked to any specific med school. on top of that, it features a lot of classes/electives that are not even prerequisites for all the med/DO programs in florida. After talking to someone who decided to go into medicine by taking some classes at USF, he said that he was more-or-less "creating his own post-bacc program".. in sum, he was just creating his own structured path, monitoring his own progress, etc...

I emailed most of the med schools/D.O. schools in the area and they all said that even community college classes would be acceptable to take for prerequisites. Now, with the knowledge that there are no formal postbaccs in my area and if I go to USF i'd have to simply "create my own program", wouldnt that be more or less like taking science classes at a community college but for twice the price? i have read some threads on the legitimacy of only doing postbaccs of they are "specifically linked" to med programs, but despite the fact that USF's isnt "linked", its not even a formal post bacc to begin with.. am i better off just taking these classes at a community college? i'm basically trying to disect the argument that "taking prereqs at a postbacc helps you, but taking at comm. college wont necessarily hurt you"..

I'm from FL, Fort Myers to be exact (brace from IVAN!!!), graduated from UF a few years ago and decided to go through post-bacc for med school. First off, taking pre-req or other science classes at a community college is, by and large, considered second-tier. Look up the FAQ's at Miami's site--it pretty much sums up their opinion of community college classes. Second, last I checked, university level classes are not astronomically more than than CC courses per credit hour for in-state students. Its well worth paying the extra money (however little that may be) to get a university level education, if for no other reason than just about every school will give those classes more credence.

I looked at the Biomedical Science degree program at USF, and actually regret not having going to USF. I did my post-bacc in Washington, DC, not in a formal program, but pretty well structured. A formal program will not help you get into med school, unless they have a linkage program and even then its a longshot. Stay in FL, in Tampa if thats where you're from, take classes at USF. Going to USF will be just fine if you plan on staying in FL for med school.

 

[sidewalkman]

Is it really worth saving a few thousand bucks to risk having med schools throw your app in the trash on sight of your CC credits? That's why I strongly discourage them. Any decent 4-year school is fine for prereqs.

 

[cosmo]

I'm in Tampa, too, and am taking my pre-reqs at HCC. When I started taking pre-reqs I was active duty military and could only attend at night, so I started with Gen Chem at HCC. Coming from U of Nebraska, I turned my nose up for the longest time at CCs. I was pleasantly surprised. The major difference between CCs and the big Univ's is the bottom of the class...they are pathetic and shouldn't be in college period. The good students are going to do well wherever they go. I feel I've learned a lot. When I left active duty, I saw no reason to blow my money on USF for this reason-MOST OF MY INSTRUCTORS TEACH AT ALL THE AREA SCHOOLS. That includes USF, U of Tampa, St Pete College AND HCC. Why would I pay double the price for the same instruction and a larger class.

Sure, the ADCOMs may turn their collective noses up at my "subpar" education, but I'm sure that not every place will. If you put in the effort, you will get a good education at a community college and will be able to do well on the MCAT, the great equalizer. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[cee]

I'm in Tampa, too, and am taking my pre-reqs at HCC. When I started taking pre-reqs I was active duty military and could only attend at night, so I started with Gen Chem at HCC. Coming from U of Nebraska, I turned my nose up for the longest time at CCs. I was pleasantly surprised. The major difference between CCs and the big Univ's is the bottom of the class...they are pathetic and shouldn't be in college period. The good students are going to do well wherever they go. I feel I've learned a lot. When I left active duty, I saw no reason to blow my money on USF for this reason-MOST OF MY INSTRUCTORS TEACH AT ALL THE AREA SCHOOLS. That includes USF, U of Tampa, St Pete College AND HCC. Why would I pay double the price for the same instruction and a larger class.

Sure, the ADCOMs may turn their collective noses up at my "subpar" education, but I'm sure that not every place will. If you put in the effort, you will get a good education at a community college and will be able to do well on the MCAT, the great equalizer. Good luck with whatever you decide.

ya, i went to emory which is more or less a top 25 school, based on majority of the rankings out there, and community college is along the same line as the classes i took at emory.. you summed it up very well too-- community college is what you make of it. there are definitely the "boom-boom" classes out there for kids who literally could not get into universities and have to take these "remedial classes".. and then there are the sciences, which i really dont see much difference than the school i attended.. which makes me wonder: "would attending USF mean that much more, if i'm getting similar education".. i got burned by the whole "school prestige" hangup straight outta high school by electing to pay 100k+ for the whole "prestige factor" of emory... in the long run, we all know it really doesnt matter where you go for college, as long as it is accredited.. which is why this whole HCC vs. USF debate is going on in my mind.. i'm wondering, are the people who tell me to go to USF just thinking with the menatality that i did of "getting classes from schools with the 'sexy' name"

i hear that as long as i do well on the MCAT, it would just be a reaffirmation that "hey, this guy really did learn something in those classes"

 

[junebuguf]

I dont get all this talk about a community college being that much cheaper than USF. Emory, or any other private school, sure, but USF vs CC? USF is $1550 for 15 credit hours, HCC is $62 a credit, or $930 for 15 credits. Is $620 really worth having an asterisk by your transcript? Its a lot if you're working and going to school, but when schools *expressly* state their preference for university level credits, its not much. For those of you who think it wont really matter and that you'll get in somewhere regardless of where you took these classes, you may very well be right. But read through the horror stories of second and third time applicants--you want to do everything in your power to get in the first time. Even applicants with strong numbers have a tough time getting into med school. You dont want to shoot yourself in the foot by thinking that there are tons of med schools out there and one of them will give you a shot...truth is, there arent that many med schools out there (particularly if you're a FL resident: there are fewer in state seats per resident in FL than just about anywhere. Look at the numbers: even USF has an avg gpa around 3.7)

Don't count your pennies and wager your dollars.

 

[cosmo]

I dont get all this talk about a community college being that much cheaper than USF. Emory, or any other private school, sure, but USF vs CC? USF is $1550 for 15 credit hours, HCC is $62 a credit, or $930 for 15 credits. Is $620 really worth having an asterisk by your transcript? Its a lot if you're working and going to school, but when schools *expressly* state their preference for university level credits, its not much. For those of you who think it wont really matter and that you'll get in somewhere regardless of where you took these classes, you may very well be right. But read through the horror stories of second and third time applicants--you want to do everything in your power to get in the first time. Even applicants with strong numbers have a tough time getting into med school. You dont want to shoot yourself in the foot by thinking that there are tons of med schools out there and one of them will give you a shot...truth is, there arent that many med schools out there (particularly if you're a FL resident: there are fewer in state seats per resident in FL than just about anywhere. Look at the numbers: even USF has an avg gpa around 3.7)

Don't count your pennies and wager your dollars.

This sounds to be directed at me, and while I appreciate your concern, I don't think I am doing the wrong thing. This is a very personal decision to make, and I was simply giving the OP my take on the quality of education at a CC. For every person you name who was dinged for going to a CC, I can name you someone who was accepted. I am aware that there is a stigma attached to a CC, I personally believed the education was inferior, until I attended one due to scheduling reasons. People get a mighty chip on their shoulder about the name of their school, but honestly, basic Chemistry, Physics and Biology has not really changed that much in the past 20 or so years, and these classes are commodities...the same wherever you take them.

So, OP, if you don't want to deal with the stigma-and I admit there may be one-and want to pay the extra money (and depending on your location in Tampa, the traffic and headaches that go with that), I am sure you will get a fine education doing your pre-reqs in an "informal" plan there. If you want to save some cash, some time, and perhaps risk having to explain yourself, you will do just fine at a CC. This is contingent, of course, on the rest of your app being good.