Post-Bacc Costs Lotsa Money. Advice?

[GoJoeyMojo]

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So, I'm getting cold feet at the last minute. I have three options:

1. I was accepted to a post-bacc that has a conditional acceptance to medical school assuming you do reasonably well. It'll set me back around $50,000 in loans.
2. I only have a few pre-reqs left, so I could also take the last of my pre-req classes at a branch of the local state school for around $7,000 in loans.
3. I could pay cash for classes at the local CC.

I can't decide if a conditional acceptance is worth the extra 40,000+. Anybody ever turn down a formal post-bacc for the local uni or CC route? Any opinions are welcome.

 

[relentless11]

So, I'm getting cold feet at the last minute. I have three options:

1. I was accepted to a post-bacc that has a conditional acceptance to medical school assuming you do reasonably well. It'll set me back around $50,000 in loans.
2. I only have a few pre-reqs left, so I could also take the last of my pre-req classes at a branch of the local state school for around $7,000 in loans.
3. I could pay cash for classes at the local CC.

I can't decide if a conditional acceptance is worth the extra 40,000+. Anybody ever turn down a formal post-bacc for the local uni or CC route? Any opinions are welcome.

1. Conditional acceptance is better than "thank you for your money, and good luck applying".

2. A potential option but does not provide you with any significant advantage to get into med school. Everyone else will have pre-reqs for obvious reasons. You will also have to get loans.

3. Schools prefer the "more rigorous" option. Since you have completed a bachelors degree already it is somewhat expected that you try to complete your coursework at a university. Most schools will accept CC coursework, but they may still discriminate against CC coursework without showing adequate proof of doing well in harder science (e.g.: doing well on the MCAT, takiing upper div science classes).

Seriously unless you will hate your life while doing that post-bacc program or know for a fact that you will not be able to maintain a high enough GPA to meet the conditional acceptance clause then don't do it. But really if it was because of the latter, then that doesn't really justify that you can handle a med school curriculum anyway.

Now if those aren't the reasons, then I'd personally do choice #1 because at least there is SOME light at the end of the tunnel, rather than a dark abyss😉.

 

[GoJoeyMojo]

I'm just flipping out a little over the amount of debt. "What if" scenarios keep popping into my head. What if I can't live on the allotted loans (I doubt I'll qualify for alternative loans)? What if I've lost all intellectual ability since college (I've been out a few years) and bomb the classes? And so on. I guess I'm overthinking this since I've never committed to such a large chunk of debt. I know I'll probably do well in the program. It's not in a prime location and I don't have family near the area, but I suppose that means less distractions, right?

 

[spo01]

I'm just flipping out a little over the amount of debt. "What if" scenarios keep popping into my head. What if I can't live on the allotted loans (I doubt I'll qualify for alternative loans)? What if I've lost all intellectual ability since college (I've been out a few years) and bomb the classes? And so on. I guess I'm overthinking this since I've never committed to such a large chunk of debt. I know I'll probably do well in the program. It's not in a prime location and I don't have family near the area, but I suppose that means less distractions, right?

you are not alone. "what if" plagues everyone at some point if not a lot. taking the chance is what seperates YOU from some depressed person sipping their starbucks so they can just survive the day at their desk job at some corporation.

as far as being intellectually capable, i'm sure you're being hard on yourself. what's important is that you are truely dedicated and a hard worker. plus, you also have nothing but more wisdom and experience on your side assuming you're older. also, from what i've been told by numerous resources, don't take your pre reqs at a community college. you should not go from a good university to a worse one, it should be the other way around.

not to sound like zig ziggler, but going to med school is a risk like anything else. everyone there is in debt. what if you decide it's too tough? what if your post bac grades are poor and don't get into any med school? what if you can't pass organic? what if you get sick or fail out of med school? what if you don't pass your boards? what if you get charged with malpractice your first week on the job as a doctor? what if what if what if what if. f*ck 'what if' man. 30 years from now are you gonna look back and say you were too afraid to try? or you gonna atleast say you tried, or better yet (and more probable) succeed.

bottom line is for me personally, i'm scared sh*tless, but determined and excited as hell. i only had 8 more credit hours and i would of graduated with my BSN (nursing). but instead i dropped nursing, took my liberal arts degree, and applied to post bac for 2 years. i dropped what would of been a secure, well paying job to pursue my dream as a doctor. yeah i'm a late bloomer, but better late then never. i'm leaving behind my family, friends, and my incredibly hot ass asian girlfriend to go to school 9 hours away in a state that ranks top 5 in crime and one of the most expensive to live in. oh yeah, i'm in huge debt too. i plan on achieving my goal, but if for some reason i don't, i will know i atleast tried.

 

[relentless11]

I'm just flipping out a little over the amount of debt. "What if" scenarios keep popping into my head. What if I can't live on the allotted loans (I doubt I'll qualify for alternative loans)? What if I've lost all intellectual ability since college (I've been out a few years) and bomb the classes? And so on. I guess I'm overthinking this since I've never committed to such a large chunk of debt. I know I'll probably do well in the program. It's not in a prime location and I don't have family near the area, but I suppose that means less distractions, right?

The way I see it is you can always make money to pay off loans. It just depends on how long😉. However not everyone can go into medicine (e.g.: motivation, academic/interpersonal skills, etc). You have clearly expressed desire to become a physician, why not go all out to see if you can make it.

I personally don't want to be in one of those "what if" situations down the road where I wondered "what if" i did a post-bacc that more or less guaranteed admission to med school. The what if scenario can go both ways. Stay positive, stay the course, and push forward🙂.

Theres a fine line between being disillusioned vs. paranoia. If you had a 2.0 GPA after 4 years of undergrad, and a 6 on your MCAT without any rhyme or reason, then yea, I would say you are probably fooling yourself. But since you were admitted to a post-bacc program, then you clearly have what it takes to survive🙂.

 

[mmi]

hi GoJoey,

I'd say if you're already a competitive applicant (high gpa from a challenging undergrad, strong work or other experience, ability to perform well on the mcat, etc) then hands-down go for the state uni option, esp since you only have a few pre-reqs left. It will be cheaper and it may increase your options for med school-- are you already so sure, geographically and program-wise, that the med school into which you'd be conditionally accepted is among your top choices? You might not regret checking out other schools and the quality and type of their programs, too.

If you're less assured, then maybe $50k is worth it for you, though I've never heard of a structured postbac costing that much. Even JHU which is a full academic year sandwiched by two summers of classes shouldnt rack up a bill like that unless youre shacking in a penthouse and eating free range endangered animals. Is the extra $10-15k being charged for the conditional acceptance? You can apply to LOTS of med schools and afford to fly all over the country for visits and interviews with a wad of cash like that, not to mention lavishly fete on-the-fence adcoms.

I second the opinion of the forum here: Definitely don't take classes at the community college if state university is an option.

If you know yourself to be disciplined then the good grades should follow. No reason to spend too much energy being anxious about your future performance.

Anyway, all this is coming from a 26 y/o kid about to start his postbac at a 12-month structured program--for which I'm footing the $40k bill with stafford and alternative loans... If I'd done some of my pre-reqs already, (I've taken not a single science course since hs) I would have chosen a cheaper 1 year non-structured program-- state school or private university-- hands down.

Good luck

 

[stiffany]

Have you looked into the possibility of finishing up your requirements part time (either in that conditional acceptance program or at the regular university) and working for the university/program? I've been able to get most of my postbac classes paid for at an expensive private school by working full time on a research project and then taking 2-3 classes a semester. It's a lot of work, but if you're truly worried about landing further into debt, it may be a viable option.

 

[BKMD]

Man, CONDITIONAL GUARENTEED ACEPTANCE? 50k is a drop in the bucket compared to what you're going to spend to fund medical school.

There will be plenty more what if's in medical school and afterwards. Don't let what if's stop you from pursing an opportunity. It sounds like you have an excellent opportunity to have a guarenteed spot in a med school. I wouldn't turn it down, but what if you don't wake up tomorrow?

I would say the assurance of a guarenteed acceptance, outweighs the debt by far.

 

[eag]

I don't know if you are in the NY area, but the CUNY system is available and it's so cheap for an excellent education. Maybe look at city schools. I can't speak for other city schools except the ones in NY. Realize when you go to med school, you'll need that loan money for school. If you use all of the maximum that you can borrow from the govt, you'll be forced to take out private loans with their outrageous interest rates. So make sure to think ahead and make sure while you are trying to do all that you can to get into medical school, that you don't affect medical school finances.

 

[Runner25]

Thank you spo01!! I stumbled upon this thread and had to tell you that! The 'what ifs' have nearly made my head explode but you have certainly made me feel better.

 

[spo01]

Thank you spo01!! I stumbled upon this thread and had to tell you that! The 'what ifs' have nearly made my head explode but you have certainly made me feel better.

you're welcome =)

 

[georgia_md]

So, I'm getting cold feet at the last minute. I have three options:

1. I was accepted to a post-bacc that has a conditional acceptance to medical school assuming you do reasonably well. It'll set me back around $50,000 in loans.
2. I only have a few pre-reqs left, so I could also take the last of my pre-req classes at a branch of the local state school for around $7,000 in loans.
3. I could pay cash for classes at the local CC.

I can't decide if a conditional acceptance is worth the extra 40,000+. Anybody ever turn down a formal post-bacc for the local uni or CC route? Any opinions are welcome.

good luck

 

[DavidC]

if you don't mind me asking, what school is offering conditional acceptance and are there lots of schools out there that do this?

also, i thought the post bac programs were for people with no or very little science classes. but you said you only have a few pre-reqs left.

i'm just asking since I am kind of in the same boat.

thanks

 

[georgia_md]

if you don't mind me asking, what school is offering conditional acceptance and are there lots of schools out there that do this?

also, i thought the post bac programs were for people with no or very little science classes. but you said you only have a few pre-reqs left.

i'm just asking since I am kind of in the same boat.

thanks

These 3 links should help:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=114425

A lot of the more popular programs have been discussed on this forum so try doing a search for the name of the school. This can give you good info about how current and past students liked/disliked the program. Also, the AAMC has a good post-bac site with all of the programs:

http://services.aamc.org/postbac/

Also, the Health Professions Advisory Program at Syracuse U. has a fantastic site for getting information on post-bacc programs:

http://hpap.syr.edu/LISTPB.HTM