Post bacc vs. DIY

[Dude700]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I graduated back in May '14 with a BA in Psych., earning a GPA of 3.7x. As a Psych. major, I didn't take any of the necessary science courses, so now I'm looking into fulfilling all of my prerequisites.

I'm interested in attending a school in the CUNY system (NYC), more specifically the Hunter and CCNY post bacc programs.

The thing is, I plan on working full time, which very well may interfere with class, especially if the post bacc programs require a minimum number of credits per semester.

If I don't enroll in a program, and take as many courses as time/finances permit at Hunter or CCNY (as a second degree student), can I ultimately achieve the same result? I know that attending these programs makes you eligible for a committee letter, but can one still get a letter if he or she goes the DIY route?

Hopefully someone who's been in a similar situation can offer some insight or guidance. Thanks!

 

[banana_phone]

Hi Dude. I graduated '13 with a degree in Education, so also didn't take the science courses -- but I think students like us will have an advantage with our knowledge in the social sciences 🙂

I applied to and was accepted to several post-bacc programs across the country. Ultimately, I decided to it DIY for reasons similar to yours. I needed to work, and wanted more flexibility than the post-baccs offered, in addition to it being thousands of dollars cheaper to do it myself at the local 4-year university. So far, I have not had problems. I'm finishing up with my first year of the prerequisites (Gen Chem I + II, General Bio, and Genetics). I'll be done with classes this December, study for the MCAT, take the beast in March/April '16, and apply next spring, so doing the DIY post-bacc has not taken any longer than a formal program would have, in my case. Though I don't have the same network of non-trads in my classes that I would have had in a post-bacc program, the ability to work and save money is invaluable.

The downsides of doing it this way, so far, in my experience:
1. Less guidance from advisors, etc., as far as what classes to take when.
2. Harder to establish relationships with professors to get meaningful LOR at a big state school. Takes more effort to form the relationship than a post-bacc that offers a committee letter. I don't think you are eligible for a committee letter if you take DIY classes at a university, though I could be wrong.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. Many post-baccs strongly discourage working during the programs, especially full-time. But they offer support and resources you won't find doing a DIY.

 

[Dude700]

Regarding your second point, I worry that if I opt for the DIY, and aren't eligible for the committee letter, schools may inquire as to why I didn't receive one, even though the school offers it.

 

[TheShowGoesOn]

Hey @Dude700, I will be doing a "DIY program" after I finish my current undergrad so that I am able to knock off some pre-reqs I didn't do during UG. As far as what classes to take, you can look at schools you are interested in and they will have a list of pre-req courses.

 

[banana_phone]

I would ask the school directly if you would be eligible. Are you going to work towards a second degree? If so, you may be eligible. I am a non-degree student (just taking the courses I need without being enrolled in a degree program) so some services available to normal undergrads are not available to me. Hunter/CCNY should be able to give you a clear answer, but if you aren't eligible for the committee letter than your lack of one is easily explained!

 

[Dude700]

Not necessarily, I'd enroll as a second degree student, but I'd only take the necessary prerequisite courses. This would help financially. I suppose I can finish the degree if there is enough time after finishing all of the necessary courses, however.

 

[Dude700]

Hey @Dude700, I will be doing a "DIY program" after I finish my current undergrad so that I am able to knock off some pre-reqs I didn't do during UG. As far as what classes to take, you can look at schools you are interested in and they will have a list of pre-req courses.

Are you going to do so as a non degree student?

 

[Old&InTheWay]

Regarding your second point, I worry that if I opt for the DIY, and aren't eligible for the committee letter, schools may inquire as to why I didn't receive one, even though the school offers it.

Just ask the pre-medical advising folks what you would need to do to be eligible. If you aren't eligible for a committee letter and schools inquire why you do not have a committee letter, you would tell them "I was not eligible for the committee letter."

 

[Dude700]

Just ask the pre-medical advising folks what you would need to do to be eligible. If you aren't eligible for a committee letter and schools inquire why you do not have a committee letter, you would tell them "I was not eligible for the committee letter."

I see. If that's case, do you think that it would be a potential negative on my application, assuming my GPA and MCAT scores are competitive?

 

[Old&InTheWay]

I see. If that's case, do you think that it would be a potential negative on my application, assuming my GPA and MCAT scores are competitive?

If I were on the admissions committee I wouldn't hold it against you. The real red flag would be if you were eligible for a letter but didn't get one because the committee didn't feel that they could write a recommendation for you.

 

[alalia]

I took postbac classes at CCNY and applied with individual letters. No interviewers brought it up. I think my individual letters gave a better sense of me as a person. Your letter writers know you a lot better than a committee or pre-med adviser. I really don't get the committee letter as an institution.

If you do CCNY - watch out for the availability of the classes. They're often filled up. You have to jump through hoops to try to get the classes you want. If your schedule is inflexible (working full time) it may be basically impossible. There are other threads about this. CUNY is a great option ($10k instead of $60k+ for the classes), but if I were doing it over again, I'd look at the other CUNYs to see if any of them have more availability in pre-med classes.

 

[TheShowGoesOn]

Are you going to do so as a non degree student?

I am getting my degree first and then taking pre reqs through DIY .

 

[TheShowGoesOn]

Some thoughts:

1) You have a good original UG GPA; DIY will raise no questions
2) No one will notice or care lack of committee letter from your DIY. You still may be able to get committee as alumus of your original school, but frankly that is not worth the effort in your case.

What if you are looking to improve your GPA, would you still suggest a DIY? Will that raise questions? Do committees look at a post-bacc/DIY differently?

 

[JGNYC]

Hi guys and gals, I have a question! 🙂

I graduated 2013 with a BS in Business. My CGPA is 3.1. Initially, I was a chemistry major so I have about two years worth of sciences done but my grades were not that great. My existing SGPA is 2.7. I plan on retaking all the courses over that I received lower than a B. So my problem is:

For the fall semester, I got into the following programs:

Pre med post bacc at Hofstra University

Non-matriculated program at NYU (applied for post-bacc in the spring)

Non-matriculated program at Hunter (applied for post-bacc in the spring)

Which program will be the best choice? The general public will obviously choose NYU based on its prestige but I will have no perks of the pre-health advisory and I’ve been warned about their “weeding out” courses. Hosftra, although not the best school, I have all the perks that come with a structured post bacc program but I don’t know if it will give me the competitive edge that I will need to separate myself. I’ve heard great things about Hunter but again, I will have no guidance and I am concerned with not impressing the adcoms. Lastly, I don’t want to wait around an entire semester to see if I got into any of the programs in the spring. I just want some feedback. I just don’t know what to do...

 

[JGNYC]

But do medical school care where you complete your pre requisites? Besides the obvious questionable 2 year colleges. Or is it all about numbers?

Aka NYU or Hunter? Both DIY

 

[SpicyFalafel]

But do medical school care where you complete your pre requisites? Besides the obvious questionable 2 year colleges. Or is it all about numbers?

Aka NYU or Hunter? Both DIY

No, it does not matter really. Any school wants to see good grades. Any reputable program won't salvage bad grades.

 

[CMagPBPM]

NYU post-bacc alum here. If I were in your shoes I'd do a DIY at Hunter. NYU is outrageously expensive. I was able to absorb the cost because I had some help from my parents, but looking back I'm not 100% sure it was worth the cost.

All lectures are in gigantic lecture halls (Biology and Physics were literally taught in the theater on campus). This means that the teacher you interact with most are TA's in lab or recitation. Occasionally, your TA is an actual professor (where I got my LOR), but usually its just a grad student. This means that the quality of your labs/recitation is really hit or miss. Then there are surprising cost saving measures, like no physics recitations, no biology labs (replaced with truncated 1 credit course), and all biology and physics tests being multiple choice. Not to mention, the advising appears to be understated and as a result isn't always as responsive as I would have liked.

Bottom line is get A's, nail the MCAT, and the institution you attend won't hold you back, so long as its a 4 years school.