Piecemeal vs. Structured Programs

[rayychellmarie]

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hi all-
just inquiring of all the post bac grads and current post bac students what they think of taking initiative to complete the premed prerequisites independently vs. applying and enrolling In a traditional program. I am aware of the pros and cons of both....one con of the programs being the extra 45k+ of debt...but as far as I've researched it, it seems to be worth it in my case.

just looking for some first hand advice and testimonials from both parties

 

[Goucher2013]

hi all-
just inquiring of all the post bac grads and current post bac students what they think of taking initiative to complete the premed prerequisites independently vs. applying and enrolling In a traditional program. I am aware of the pros and cons of both....one con of the programs being the extra 45k+ of debt...but as far as I've researched it, it seems to be worth it in my case.

just looking for some first hand advice and testimonials from both parties

I'm finishing up a structured one-year postbac and will start med school in August (via a linkage). My wife is doing an unstructured post bac. Her preference was structured, but she's pre-veterinary and couldn't find a program to accommodate her (weird as that sounds...the courses are the same).

When I start my MD in August, my wife will transfer to a local state school and take the orgo/physics portion of her pre-reqs. Then she'll have to do a glide year. The bottom line is that I'll very likely be at least an M3 by the time she starts vet school. It's definitely weird for both of us - especially since we're in our 30s - but the key is to just keep pushing forward, whichever path you choose.

Bottom line: if you're young and wouldn't have earned much money from working anyway, an unstructured postbac can look more favorable from the time/money perspective. There's plenty of other threads extolling the academic and other differences between the two routes.

 

[rayychellmarie]

I'm finishing up a structured one-year postbac and will start med school in August (via a linkage). My wife is doing an unstructured post bac. Her preference was structured, but she's pre-veterinary and couldn't find a program to accommodate her (weird as that sounds...the courses are the same).

When I start my MD in August, my wife will transfer to a local state school and take the orgo/physics portion of her pre-reqs. Then she'll have to do a glide year. The bottom line is that I'll very likely be at least an M3 by the time she starts vet school. It's definitely weird for both of us - especially since we're in our 30s - but the key is to just keep pushing forward, whichever path you choose.

Bottom line: if you're young and wouldn't have earned much money from working anyway, an unstructured postbac can look more favorable from the time/money perspective. There's plenty of other threads extolling the academic and other differences between the two routes.

Being able to compare your experience to your wife's, do you believe you're gaining something extra from the structured post-bac? Are the "amenities" they offer such as mcat prep, linkages, etc. everything they talk it up to be? I am still young, will be graduating undergrad next spring at 21...(I am in a BSN nursing program and have decided to reroute my career choice). I work In a research lab through JH med school and plan to use that as my source of income if time allows during post bac (my PI is very flexible)...I have heard many formal programs don't leave much time for work on the side. Essentially, I am doing everything I can to focus on the courses, get them done the quickest way possible without entering the field of nursing, while using the best route to focus on the MCAT.

 

[Goucher2013]

Being able to compare your experience to your wife's, do you believe you're gaining something extra from the structured post-bac? Are the "amenities" they offer such as mcat prep, linkages, etc. everything they talk it up to be? I am still young, will be graduating undergrad next spring at 21...(I am in a BSN nursing program and have decided to reroute my career choice). I work In a research lab through JH med school and plan to use that as my source of income if time allows during post bac (my PI is very flexible)...I have heard many formal programs don't leave much time for work on the side. Essentially, I am doing everything I can to focus on the courses, get them done the quickest way possible without entering the field of nursing, while using the best route to focus on the MCAT.

I found a structured postbac to be enormously advantageous for the following reason:
1. I don't think I could get a higher GPA elsewhere - even if I took twice as long - because the quality of teaching, TA'ing and students has ensured that I'm always doing well with the material. There's no pointless weeding out, either, which I've realized (through my wife's experiences) is largely a game of chance rather than identifying the best.
2. MCAT prep has definitely helped, as has my program director's constant prodding to ensure we're staying on top of the prep.
3. I'm linking to what would have been a dream "reach" school if I had applied during the regular cycle, and it's the kind of school where I'm getting more need-based financial aid than I probably could gained via the merit-based route at any school. So, nothing lost, lots gained.

There's definitely zero time for paid work, but Tuesday is a research day, so you could continue in a limited capacity.

 

[rayychellmarie]

I found a structured postbac to be enormously advantageous for the following reason:
1. I don't think I could get a higher GPA elsewhere - even if I took twice as long - because the quality of teaching, TA'ing and students has ensured that I'm always doing well with the material. There's no pointless weeding out, either, which I've realized (through my wife's experiences) is largely a game of chance rather than identifying the best.
2. MCAT prep has definitely helped, as has my program director's constant prodding to ensure we're staying on top of the prep.
3. I'm linking to what would have been a dream "reach" school if I had applied during the regular cycle, and it's the kind of school where I'm getting more need-based financial aid than I probably could gained via the merit-based route at any school. So, nothing lost, lots gained.

There's definitely zero time for paid work, but Tuesday is a research day, so you could continue in a limited capacity.

Thanks so much for the insight! I figure I will go with a structured post bacc considering I know I personally thrive In competitive environments that push me to the next step. I think the rigor combined with the extra perks is worth the extra financial investment. thanks for the break down! I'm assuming you're in gouchers postbac....my top choice. very insightful.