post bacc program or biology undergrad degree

[Smittyballz]

Hello,
I have posted many questions on this website and have been given great advice. Where I am at now is debating on whether I should go directly into a post bacc program or go back and get my undergrad biology degree. In earning my degree I will be taking chem I and chem II also bio I bio II. Also 8 courses in biology. I have not taken any science courses and am going to be graduating from a small state school in may with a bachelor's degree in Psych gpa 3.77. My past transcripts at other schools bring my total gpa down to a 2.8. I am in no rush to get into med school. I was wondering if it will look better, worse, or the same if I got my second bachelor's degree in biology at the school I am currently attending(financial reasons) My plans if I got my bachelors degree would to go to Harvard Extension after to finish with my other prereques. Any advice would be appreciated. Is this too long of a process? I am very confident that I can get all A's Thanks

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[Sundarban1]

Hello,
I have posted many questions on this website and have been given great advice. Where I am at now is debating on whether I should go directly into a post bacc program or go back and get my undergrad biology degree. In earning my degree I will be taking chem I and chem II also bio I bio II. Also 8 courses in biology. I have not taken any science courses and am going to be graduating from a small state school in may with a bachelor's degree in Psych gpa 3.77. My past transcripts at other schools bring my total gpa down to a 2.8. I am in no rush to get into med school. I was wondering if it will look better, worse, or the same if I got my second bachelor's degree in biology at the school I am currently attending(financial reasons) My plans if I got my bachelors degree would to go to Harvard Extension after to finish with my other prereques. Any advice would be appreciated. Is this too long of a process? I am very confident that I can get all A's Thanks

There is no reason for you to be in undergrad for another 4+ years. You already have a bachelor's degree. You need to take 30+ post bacc credits, do well, and acess your options at that time. HES is a good choice, providing you are serious about the commitment. There are plenty of really intelligent people who failed to get "all A's" at HES, so I would do a bit more research before making that commitment. Good luck.

 

[Smittyballz]

There is no reason for you to be in undergrad for another 4+ years. You already have a bachelor's degree. You need to take 30+ post bacc credits, do well, and acess your options at that time. HES is a good choice, providing you are serious about the commitment. There are plenty of really intelligent people who failed to get "all A's" at HES, so I would do a bit more research before making that commitment. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice, but this bachelor's would only take 1 and a half years and year for the extra classes needed for med school. So does this change you opinion? Anyone elses input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[2bkiddoc]

Thanks for the advice, but this bachelor's would only take 1 and a half years and year for the extra classes needed for med school. So does this change you opinion? Anyone elses input would be greatly appreciated.

I think it depends on where you are getting that bachelors in 1.5 years. There are a number of amazing post-bacc programs (in addition to HES). You may be better off trying to do a post-bacc at a more competitive program. I'm glad I chose a more competitive program in my post-bacc efforts. Although I have yet to apply to med school (this summer), the little extra push is nice. Its a great way for me to set these years apart from my last.

 

[sidewalkman]

Be very careful when pursuing a second degree; make sure you don't need to take tons of useless prereqs that will be a huge drag on the courses you really need to do well in. You can size up the situation by getting an audit of your transcript before you start. (If it's the same school you got your first degree at, then forget I mentioned this.) I ultimately chose not to pursue a second degree due to the number of useless courses. That and I wanted true course flexibility; no more 'I have to take a humanities or I can't graduate' nonsense. Still, if the school and the degree float your boat, then go for it.

 

[Sundarban1]

Thanks for the advice, but this bachelor's would only take 1 and a half years and year for the extra classes needed for med school. So does this change you opinion? Anyone elses input would be greatly appreciated.

I still fail to see what the degree would give you in terms of med school if you're just going to have to do a post-bacc to take the required classes anyway. Your just adding an extra year to the process. You can take upper level classes with your pre-med requirements at HES. You can look into "more competative" programs, however with your GPA you may find other options are not realistic, especially if your trying to start this Fall. HES, although fairly easy to get "admission" into, is just as good as any program in terms of preparation for the MCAT.