Post bacc question

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Stpierre9696

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Hello. I graduated 2 years ago with a BS in Neuroscience. My cGPA was a 3.889. After graduation I had to start working to help my family out as much as I can ( I’m an underrepresented minority and come from a family with a very low income). I’ve been working since then and really haven’t studied for the MCAT or anything. Right now I am thinking of doing a post bacc to get back into the student vibe and get back to being able to grind out the MCATs along with courses for the Post bacc. Is this a good idea? Does anyone have any inputs from there experiences or know of good programs that may suit my situation? I definitely do feel as if the gap after undergrad has affected my study skills and thing of that sort.
 
Stpierre9696 said:
Hello. I graduated 2 years ago with a BS in Neuroscience. My cGPA was a 3.889. After graduation I had to start working to help my family out as much as I can ( I’m an underrepresented minority and come from a family with a very low income). I’ve been working since then and really haven’t studied for the MCAT or anything. Right now I am thinking of doing a post bacc to get back into the student vibe and get back to being able to grind out the MCATs along with courses for the Post bacc. Is this a good idea? Does anyone have any inputs from there experiences or know of good programs that may suit my situation? I definitely do feel as if the gap after undergrad has affected my study skills and thing of that sort.
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Have you completed all of your pre-requisites?
- If so, you do not need a post-bac.
- If not, then take the classes that you still need in a DIY post-bac.

You can "get back into the student vibe" by self-studying for the MCAT, no need to pay schools for that privilege. Just my thoughts
 
Stpierre9696 said:
Hello. I graduated 2 years ago with a BS in Neuroscience. My cGPA was a 3.889. After graduation I had to start working to help my family out as much as I can ( I’m an underrepresented minority and come from a family with a very low income). I’ve been working since then and really haven’t studied for the MCAT or anything. Right now I am thinking of doing a post bacc to get back into the student vibe and get back to being able to grind out the MCATs along with courses for the Post bacc. Is this a good idea? Does anyone have any inputs from there experiences or know of good programs that may suit my situation? I definitely do feel as if the gap after undergrad has affected my study skills and thing of that sort.
Click to expand...
I see no need for a post-bac unless you consider yourself seriously deficient in MCAT prep.

Most post-bac programs are for career-changers.
If you're serious about the student vibe, go audit the courses instead.
 
Goro said:
I see no need for a post-bac unless you consider yourself seriously deficient in MCAT prep.

Most post-bac programs are for career-changers.
If you're serious about the student vibe, go audit the courses instead.
Click to expand...

I do feel as if I am deficient in terms of MCAT prep. I took most of my premed reqs my first two years of college which I now am 4 years removed from... so it’s definitely been a while.

Do post-baccs offer any aid when it comes to finances? If not, how do most students who pursue post baccs pay for it?
 
Stpierre9696 said:
Lol and what exactly is a DIY post-bac? Would a post-bac or masters be better to prep for the MCAT?
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Why not start preparing for the MCAT rather than signing up for a post-bacc? Premed classes give you the foundations you need for the MCAT, but since you've already learned the material, that should come back to you while you study. Check out the MCAT forum here and on reddit. Good luck!
 
Dr. Faust said:
There are no scholarships/aid for post-bac. If you just need a refresher, just do questions/personal study. Retaking Orgo, gen chem, etc, is going to be more of a burden than a benefit.
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I was able to get financial aid for my postbacc, but I'm not sure if that's the norm or not.
 
Dr. Faust said:
That's awesome! But aid is different than scholarship. Be wary of interest rates, talking from experience. lol
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Very true! I was just adding that some places might allow you to get federal aid, but only if you didn't max it out during undergrad. Definitely no merit aid in my experience either. Good luck to you all!
 
On a side note , I’m starting to see the benefit in just powering through and self studying for the MCATs. If I do that, I would continue working. Like I mentioned, I would need to study for a while since it’s been some time since undergrad. If I take the MCATs 9 months from now (in June) would that be too late if I were to apply in next summers cycle?
 
Stpierre9696 said:
Hello. I graduated 2 years ago with a BS in Neuroscience. My cGPA was a 3.889. After graduation I had to start working to help my family out as much as I can ( I’m an underrepresented minority and come from a family with a very low income). I’ve been working since then and really haven’t studied for the MCAT or anything. Right now I am thinking of doing a post bacc to get back into the student vibe and get back to being able to grind out the MCATs along with courses for the Post bacc. Is this a good idea? Does anyone have any inputs from there experiences or know of good programs that may suit my situation? I definitely do feel as if the gap after undergrad has affected my study skills and thing of that sort.
Click to expand...
Might consider a Post Bac with a linkage to admission . If you meet the threshold for admission to their med school during the course, you're in.Most require a MCAT score, some do not. I think LECOM and Temple are some of those. Having said that, going straight to a Post Bac after being out of school for 4 yrs might not be the best idea. Its Med School Lite and you better be ready to lock yourself in a room for 6 or 7 months to study. Whatever you decide, good luck and best wishes!
 
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Angus Avagadro said:
Might consider a Post Bac with a linkage to admission . If you meet the threshold for admission to their med school during the course, you're in.Most require a MCAT score, some do not. I think LECOM is one of those. Having said that, going straight to a Post Bac after being out of school for 4 yrs might not be the best idea. Its Med School Lite and you better be ready to lock yourself in a room for 6 or 7 months to study. Whatever you decide, good luck and best wishes!
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Do you know where I can find a list of these programs? Also, I’ve been out of school for a full year now , will be 2 next May. I’m one of those people that can automatically turn the switch on when it comes to that though. However, with work it’s been hard to turn that switch on in terms of mcat studying.
 
Stpierre9696 said:
Do you know where I can find a list of these programs? Also, I’ve been out of school for a full year now , will be 2 next May. I’m one of those people that can automatically turn the switch on when it comes to that though. However, with work it’s been hard to turn that switch on in terms of mcat studying.
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I do not know specifically, lecom and Temple are two I know of as far as linked to admission. Might need to Google it. Also, throw the question out to the SDN community. Many here are way more knowledgeable about this topic.
 
Stpierre9696 said:
On a side note , I’m starting to see the benefit in just powering through and self studying for the MCATs. If I do that, I would continue working. Like I mentioned, I would need to study for a while since it’s been some time since undergrad. If I take the MCATs 9 months from now (in June) would that be too late if I were to apply in next summers cycle?
Click to expand...

Take it earlier if you can. That way you can have your score ahead of time of submitting your applications so you can better tailor your list of schools or decide if you want to retake it.

Since you've been out of school for two years now, you need to start contacting people about letters of recommendation soon.
 
Stpierre9696 said:
I do feel as if I am deficient in terms of MCAT prep. I took most of my premed reqs my first two years of college which I now am 4 years removed from... so it’s definitely been a while.

Do post-baccs offer any aid when it comes to finances? If not, how do most students who pursue post baccs pay for it?
Click to expand...


If its for MCAT prep, I was even more far removed from my prereqs than you are when I started studying for the MCAT and I ended up doing quite well. You should at least think about doing content review for a month or so and taking a free practice test and reevaluate then before spending at least a couple hundred to couple thousand on classes.

Also, I think taking classes is of questionable MCAT value given the pace of a typical semester classe and your time line of taking it in June.
 
Dr. Faust said:
There are no scholarships/aid for post-bac. If you just need a refresher, just do questions/personal study. Retaking Orgo, gen chem, etc, is going to be more of a burden than a benefit.
Click to expand...

That's only true if you do a formal program. If you apply and are accepted to a second bachelor's program then you are eligible for federal financial aid.
 
DNAJB6 said:
That's only true if you do a formal program. If you apply and are accepted to a second bachelor's program then you are eligible for federal financial aid.
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Second bachelors program ? Is that a thing, just curious ?
 
DNAJB6 said:
That's only true if you do a formal program. If you apply and are accepted to a second bachelor's program then you are eligible for federal financial aid.
Click to expand...
Good to know. When I was in school my FAFSA would mandate that I was going to school for a minimum of 12 credit hours, and many post-bac students may not take a full course load if they work etc.
 
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