Hi,
So I'm new to these forums as in this is my very first post. I'm currently an English major at one of the Penn State locations--and no, this is not because I couldn't get into University Park. I know there tends to be that stigma following around the students at other Penn State campuses. In any case, I was wondering if anyone had any information on the Penn State post bacc program.
I know there have been posts about UPenn and the Penn State Brandywine post bacc program. But I couldn't find anything on the Penn State University Park program with Dr. Rodriguez--well, I haven't seen any recent posts on the program. So any help would be much appreciated, especially in the form of GPA, extracurriculars, SAT/ACT scores etc.
Greetings! I can speak to the Brandywine program as I am actually just finishing as a member of cohort 3. (The group beginning this month will be entering as cohort 4.) Allow me give you the low-down on this program from my perspective.
First off, do NOT give in to any pre-conceived notions of a PSU satellite campus somehow being inferior to or less prestigious than its more well-renowned mother campus in University Park. By all accounts, the difficulty and thoroughness of the course material are very much equivalent to what would be seen at the main campus. As a matter of fact, I would say that PSU Brandywine's status as a satellite campus devoid of the trappings of big campus academia and politics allows the professors and instructors to be far better teachers than would be found at University Park. You can expect to receive individualized attention and to have full and regular access to the faculty teaching these classes. Further, they are (mostly) very personable and highly eager to help you through any difficulties you might encounter during your time in the program.
With that being said, I will inform you of the fact that I had started this program in March 2009 with the intention of finishing in March 2010; obviously, things did not go down this way. I will therefore offer you my story as a caveat, in the event that you are planning to complete this program in 1 calendar year while working a full-time job and balancing a social and love life or any other responsibilies us adults tend to have.
The program starts off with what I would consider to be the "easier" classes (i.e. Intro Bio and General Chem I with Gen Chem Lab from March through June, then Physiology and Physiology Lab with the continuation of Gen Chem Lab from June through September), which were quite manageable and easily completed without much disruption to my day-to-day life. However, and I must emphasize this statement, DO NOT allow the initial manageability of the course load to lull you into a false sense of security. In my case, I had little clue just how difficult the second half of the program would prove to be; in sum, the combination of Organic Chem I, Physics I and Cell Biology (in combination with their accompanying labs), followed by Organic Chem II and Physics II knocked me ON MY ASS! Therefore, I ended up accepting a poor grade in Physics I, dropping Cell Bio and Physics II, and getting a mediocre result in Organic Chem II. Needless to say, I was emotionally devastated and (for a short while) felt like giving up.
After 6 months away from the program between last April through September, I geared myself up to handle the remaining courses with much greater enthusiasm (amazing how the perception of failure can have a paradoxically motivating effect on some people); I have sacrificed many nights of sleep and have gone many long periods without seing my friends or engaging in any meaningful form of social interaction. Anyhow, to make a long story less long, the current situation is that I am getting ready to finish in just a little bit more than 1 week from today with a projected 3.58 postbacc GPA. (Perhaps not the 4.0 I had originally set out to attain, but nevertheless not too shabby given my unexpected setback.) In sum: (1) if you intend to finish the program within 1 year--while working full time, raising children, et al.--then you had better plan accordingly (unless you happen to be particularly gifted in the hard sciences, which likely is not the case if you are considering a postbacc); and (2) DO NOT underestimate the difficulty of any of these classes (easy mistake to make, considering the aforementioned notions about branch campuses, in addition to the online component of the program).
With that lesson out of the way, more about the program that is not in the pamphlets, web page, etc. The program is a GREAT option for anybody that does not have a rich daddy to pay for them take an entire year off work. (Although I must admit I am annoyed at the many people in my cohort who do not have a job, which I believe gives them an unfair advantage considering the design of the program. But I shall not further digress to that point.) The faculty and instructors are very supportive and understanding of individual differences in a way that a University Park professor or teaching assistant would not be with a lecture hall packed to capacity. The maturity factor is yet another great advantage, in that the typical age in this program is between 24 and 35 years old. (A lot of other programs in the area have much younger and therefore less mature cohorts.) Also, the calibur of student that has pursued this program is far greater than I think you might be expecting. I have shared the classroom with engineers, lawyers, physical therapists, and all sorts of high level professionals. Finally, I would have to emphasize the point that the instructors in this program are very much invested in your future success and will give you EVERY opportunity possible to succeed at this course work. Nobody is here to "weed out" or otherwise antagonize their students, so long as you demonstrate a will to succeed in spite of any personal flaws or foibles. I have no regrets and would not have made no other decision even with the knowledge I have today.
I hope this was at least somewhat informative, even if my writing style tends to be a little verbose
If you have any specific questions, feel free to reply to this post.
