Post Bacc Advice??

[mship221]

I am about to graduate from undergrad at a large university with a History major (my second love). My GPA is lacking in the science department and I have not taken all the prereqs I need...tried to be superwoman for much of my undergrad career instead of focusing on only a couple passions and strengthening my foundation in science and as a student overall. My cGPA is around 3.0 with two semesters of undergrad to go. I want to start fresh with my premed pre-reqs (a recommendation I've gotten from advisors and a couple physicians) after graduation.

So my plan is to resurrect my chances of med school/DO school somewhere down the line with Post Bacc courses, something I feel I can really master without the distraction of being a "college student." I am seriously ready to bear down and do what I have to do no matter what it takes.

QUESTION: So, anyone with experience or just plain advice...would you recommend a formal or informal Post-Bacc program IN GENERAL? I have spoken to a few schools like Western U in Pomona and they say it does not matter whether it is a well known formal program or simply post bacc courses taken at local CCs. But I get conflicting advice. I would love to do the formal program, hopefully in state and public (to cut down on costs) but if that doesn't work out, is it worth just taking classes either as Open University courses at state schools/CCs rather than waiting another cycle to reapply to these formal programs? For many of these programs, I'm assuming I would be considered a "career changer".

Any other advice about going this route, or the problems with it, would be greatly appreciated! (But I did just read that nice thread on success stories of non-trad students so no brutal negativity please!!!)

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[zoner]

there are a lot of threads about "formal vs informal" post-bac thread. Use search function.

Yes, Western U is correct, it really doesn't matter. I did mine at a local state school for FREE! and I know for a fact that Western U loves students from the state school I attended for post bac and I will be attending medical school next year. So save your money and find a state school with health profession advising office and do well. Good luck

if you got the money to burn go for it

 

[theWhat]

I am about to graduate from undergrad at a large university with a History major (my second love). My GPA is lacking in the science department and I have not taken all the prereqs I need...tried to be superwoman for much of my undergrad career instead of focusing on only a couple passions and strengthening my foundation in science and as a student overall. My cGPA is around 3.0 with two semesters of undergrad to go. I want to start fresh with my premed pre-reqs (a recommendation I've gotten from advisors and a couple physicians) after graduation.

So my plan is to resurrect my chances of med school/DO school somewhere down the line with Post Bacc courses, something I feel I can really master without the distraction of being a "college student." I am seriously ready to bear down and do what I have to do no matter what it takes.

QUESTION: So, anyone with experience or just plain advice...would you recommend a formal or informal Post-Bacc program IN GENERAL? I have spoken to a few schools like Western U in Pomona and they say it does not matter whether it is a well known formal program or simply post bacc courses taken at local CCs. But I get conflicting advice. I would love to do the formal program, hopefully in state and public (to cut down on costs) but if that doesn't work out, is it worth just taking classes either as Open University courses at state schools/CCs rather than waiting another cycle to reapply to these formal programs? For many of these programs, I'm assuming I would be considered a "career changer".

Any other advice about going this route, or the problems with it, would be greatly appreciated! (But I did just read that nice thread on success stories of non-trad students so no brutal negativity please!!!)

I was also a history major and am currently doing an informal post bacc at a state university. Couple of things: as a post bacc you are still a "college student" and will have distractions. That said, I've found pairing up with other Non trads had been immensely beneficial as many of them are quite focused. It has been working well for me, the sciences weren't my strongest suit initially, but now that I'm solely focused on my prereqs I am at the top of my class. That said, nobody is going to hold your hand, you have to take the initiative. My one major complaint as a post bacc is having a limit on financial aid and scholarships, which are much more readily available to undergrads. I took accelerated gen chem in the summer and am finishing up my prereqs in two years. I strongly advise you to take the two year route, as not only do you have less stress but you are more likely to do better in your classes, have more time to build up your ECs and you can take more upper divisions to bolster your science GPA. If you are hesitant about completely immersing yourself into this process as it is a lot of work, I strongly suggest you take some time off from school and work. I worked for two years in healthcare prior to working to school and it made a huge difference. Also, I don't know if its worth it to spend a lot of money on formal post baccs unless you are absolutely sure this is the field for you. Just my two cents. Good luck.

 

[spacetomatoes]

I went the formal post-bacc route. I'd been out of school for some time, and really foresaw needing the support of peers to get through the work. It turned out really well for me - I met some amazing people and got that formal committee letter. It did cost more money, but I did get all my pre-recs (I didn't have a single one) done in twelve months, which I don't think I could have done without the formal program.

Just be careful about doing your courses at CCs. Some medical schools don't accept CC coursework.

 

[sjlamb77]

We don't have any formal post-bacc programs here, but I'm also a liberal arts graduate looking to get into med school. I emailed the ADCOM for my local medical school, and the reply was "We accept classes from all accredited programs. That being said, the more you take at a 4 year institution, the better."
Not sure if that helps, but I think I'm going to take the advice and do mine at the local state university, but this is also because our CCs are very lacking, and the time slots are really inconvenient for having to work. But really, what I've heard is that so long as the medical school accepts CC credit, it is fine if you prove yourself on the MCAT that you learned the material well.