Poll: which should I choose?

[scota]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I need to finish up 1 year of g. chem, o. chem, and physics. I am torn between 4 schools. Which would you choose, and why? Here are some pros and cons:

Pros-

SMC: tuition is free (fee waiver) and they manage to transfer many students to top universities. Classes are supposed to be taught well. I can live at home. There are many post bac students. I can continue volunteering at UCLA med. center.

SFSU: the pre-health advising is great, as are the classes. They offer a decent financial aid package (mostly loans, however). SF is a great place to live. There are many post bac students. Tuition is only $2400 per year.

SJSU: I don't know too much about this school. Tuition is only $2400 per year.

CSULA: excellent pre-health advising, I can live at home, tuition is only $2400 per year.

Cons-

SMC: it is a community college. What will adcoms say?

SFSU: i'll be forced to sell my car to pay for moving expenses. Rent in SF is pretty expensive. I'll need to borrow an additional $15-20k. I'll be all alone as all my family is in So. Cal.

SJSU: same as SFSU

CSULA: they are on the quarter system! I hate the quarter systems. The campus is creepy, and I hate the way they number their courses. The financial aid offered is limited.

Thanks for the input!!!

 

[LoneCoyote]

I am not sure how much help I can be, but if you do decide to come north I would take SFSU over SJSU. This is based on purely anecdotal stuff I have heard from people who have gone to both schools. I have heard great things about the SFSU post-bac program. I have heard from people who went to SJSU for undergrad in the past few years that a lot of the classes are overcrowded and impacted. Personally, I think San Francisco is a much cooler place to live than San Jose. Rents have come down in the city though, so you could probably find something near SFSU for $550/mo or less, and I believe San Jose is about the same or maybe a little less.

I can see the appeal of staying in L.A. though. If it's only a year is it worth borrowing $15,000 and moving? If $ was my top concern I might opt for CSULA, save the money, do the courses at a CSU to avoid any JC stigma from adcoms, and just deal for 1 year with the things you dislike about the campus.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[El Chupacabra]

Keep in mind Cal State Fullerton has a post bacc program. In terms of cleanliness, your can't go wrong with orange county.

 

[elvingomez]

CSU fullerton has a pre med program? any links or details?

 

[scota]

Last I heard, Fullerton wasn't taking any post bacs. Has that changed?

 

[El Chupacabra]

That may be true....news to me.

aamc.org

 

[setasai]

Last I heard, Fullerton wasn't taking any post bacs. Has that changed?

I'm looking into that as well. Does Cal state fullerton or long beach have a post bac option? If someone knows that'd be great.

Also, what other options do i have for postbac in southern california, orange county region besides those 2 colleges?

I looked at some other ones but they seem to require me to be financially disadvantaged or a minority...

 

[bootz]

I would say go with the school that has the best advising out of this bunch since all of these schools have comparable programs. I had a friend that is doing his post-bac at SFSU and is very happy there. Definitely stay away from the CCs if you are planning to apply to Case Western or Boston.

Plus, if you go to the SF you can volunteer at San Francisco General. I did this a couple of years back and did the PVP program. Lots of GSWs, stabbings, and abcess draining.

 

[NRAI2001]

I think premeds put more weight on trivial things like this than adcoms do. Go where ever it will be easiest and most convienient for you. If you dont need to move, then why move? There maybe a bit of a stigma against cc's but i think it is probably minimal. In the end your test scores will be the equalizer.

Adcoms definitely doesnt give one state school more weight than the other.

 

[skid]

Chapman has a post-bac I was looking at. Not much info though and $$$.

 

[madonna]

if you already have your BS dont go back to CC unless you have a very compelling reason. if you have good gpa, it may be ok, but if you are less the 3.3 dont go to CC.
it probably does not matter which calstate you go to but i'd consider these things:
$$$ is moving, selling your car and getting a loan worth it?
advising- good advisor with good committee letter
go where you know peopl- they will advise you on what professors to take
location- sf is fun but you are going to study, not party. staying home- less stress
good luck