Rutgers postbacc vs. Cal State LA second bacc

[LAcmw]

my time is short and i'm torn between two schools...on two different coasts..with two different costs. i've done my pros and cons and if anyone has anything advice to give on a CA school vs. a NJ school...relative to whatever...please tell!! i don't know what to do and i have to make a decision fast...here are the facts--

Rutgers/New Brunswick -- formal postbacc program at 10K in-state (i'm originially from NJ)

Cal State LA -- second bacc with a linkage through there HCOP (they tend to network highly with the UCs..no guarantee, but LOTS of networking etc). also an in-state resident at 1200 a quarter.

there are the bare minimums...and here is my background. i went to 4 schools and managed to graduate in 4 yrs...my GPA suffered and i ended up with a BA in philosophy. i have a lot of inconsistency jumping from school to school....lots of factors i have to consider here. any thoughts on any of this will be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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[eccles1214]

How do their classes stand up to eachother? Look at a copy of an MSAR to see which classes med schools want versus what Rutger's and CalState LA offer. Now compare their offerings to what you did as an undergrad. If you did poorly in the sciences, you need to not only redo those science classes that you fared poorly in, but take more advanced stuff, like biochem, cell biology, physiology, etc. Does Rutgers offer these courses? If not, I'm sure that CalStateLA does.

I, too, was trying to choose between a post-bacc and a state college route, both in California. I got turned down to one post-bacc, but accepted to another for next Fall 2006. In the meantime, I started taking courses at a local state college. Another student suggested a second bachelor's degree, so I'm applying for that as well in September. Right now, I'm leaning toward pursuing the second bachelor's degree in biology. Turns out, it provides all the classes that the post-bacc would provide, plus lots more, which I would had planned on taking at a UC school. So, as it stands, the 2nd bachelor's degree is the better choice, even if it does take a year-and-a-half longer to complete. I think I'll be a better applicant to med school, if I get into the 2nd bachelor's degree program. Otherwise, there is the post-bacc.

 

[EastWestN2grt]

I am currently about to begin my second year at CSULA as a Post-Bacc -2nd Bachelors. IMO Cal state LA is an excellent way to complete all the necessary premed requirements you are looking for and LOTS cheaper than the Rutgers program. The faculty is very good, and in many of your classes you will be working with many other post-bacc 2nd bachelors, as well as traditional 1st time college students. I graduated from a private liberal art college, and I did not want to have to fork out more $$$ for a post bacc educ. Cal state also has both HCOP and HCAO for premed students. They offer(once a week) lectures, MCAT prep. classes, and lots of other benefits for premeds-1st timers or post baccs.

And of course, you get to be(or stay) in wonderful LA. What more could you ask for?

 

[RUscrewed]

I'm not sure how grade inflation is at Cal st, but at least for undergrad, theres virtually no inflation at rutgers in the biosciences. i knew A students at ivy leagues that were struggling to crack a B in summer classes at rutgers. not saying the education is any better or anything at rutgers, but in the end the only thing the medical schools have to judge you on is your grades. make sure you get As whereever you go. and its hard to get As at rutgers.

my time is short and i'm torn between two schools...on two different coasts..with two different costs. i've done my pros and cons and if anyone has anything advice to give on a CA school vs. a NJ school...relative to whatever...please tell!! i don't know what to do and i have to make a decision fast...here are the facts--

Rutgers/New Brunswick -- formal postbacc program at 10K in-state (i'm originially from NJ)

Cal State LA -- second bacc with a linkage through there HCOP (they tend to network highly with the UCs..no guarantee, but LOTS of networking etc). also an in-state resident at 1200 a quarter.

there are the bare minimums...and here is my background. i went to 4 schools and managed to graduate in 4 yrs...my GPA suffered and i ended up with a BA in philosophy. i have a lot of inconsistency jumping from school to school....lots of factors i have to consider here. any thoughts on any of this will be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lindyhopper]

One important factor may be that (I believe but don't know) that an NJ resident, generally, has an easier time getting in as an in-stater than CA. It sounds like you need some work to get your academic record properly enhanced. If after the Rutgers post-bacc, as an NJ resident, you could move fairly easily into the UMDNJ SMP if need be. Basicly, an NJ resident who keeps working has a reasonable shot at UMDNJ. CA in state is notoriously difficult. (Again these are my impression based on second hand knowledge.)

 

[hopster]

I'm not sure how grade inflation is at Cal st, but at least for undergrad, theres virtually no inflation at rutgers in the biosciences. i knew A students at ivy leagues that were struggling to crack a B in summer classes at rutgers. not saying the education is any better or anything at rutgers, but in the end the only thing the medical schools have to judge you on is your grades. make sure you get As whereever you go. and its hard to get As at rutgers.

Hard to get As at Rutgers?!?!?

ive taken chem I and II and the curve in those classes has been enormous. a 70-100 on the first test was considered an A for chem II. It may be that this teacher is different than others, but from what ive heard most science classes have at least some sort of a curve. I went to a top-tier liberal arts college and if you didnt crack a 90 percent in a class, you did not get an A, it was as simple as that. In my opinion Rutgers is WAY easier than most places. Just my opinion though.

 

[RUscrewed]

the chem dept is fine. my gpa was fine to: 3.6. i found the biochemistry and biology depts ridiculous in the number of As they give out. currently i am in the grad program there. they give 2/3 of the students in the classes Bs (and of course a handful of poor bastards get Cs), and only 1/3 As and B+. In grad school, a B is the equivalent of a C in undergrad by most standards, and they give 2/3 of the class this grade. undergrad is not much different, with about 10% getting As, as opposed to a more lenient% at other places.

Hard to get As at Rutgers?!?!?

ive taken chem I and II and the curve in those classes has been enormous. a 70-100 on the first test was considered an A for chem II. It may be that this teacher is different than others, but from what ive heard most science classes have at least some sort of a curve. I went to a top-tier liberal arts college and if you didnt crack a 90 percent in a class, you did not get an A, it was as simple as that. In my opinion Rutgers is WAY easier than most places. Just my opinion though.

 

[LAcmw]

i'm a resident of both states. i was born and raised in NJ, so i will always have the default status of being a resident here.... i've lived in LA for 6 yrs so not only do i have CA resident on my own merits...i'm also a NJ resident.

as for getting into schools 'easier'... you can say the same thing about going to school in CA. state residents will have more of a chance getting into the UC's or USC...than a NJ resident--these are the kind of things i'm trying to determine between. and, if i solely go on that... there isn't a UC that doesn't outscore UMDNJ or Robert Wood Johnson per MSAR...so in that respect sticking it out in CA and getting only A's and kissing a whole lot of ass 'may' help me get into a top-tier school, but there's never a guarantee for anything. these are the kinds of things i debate between...

nothing is a guarantee

One important factor may be that (I believe but don't know) that an NJ resident, generally, has an easier time getting in as an in-stater than CA. It sounds like you need some work to get your academic record properly enhanced. If after the Rutgers post-bacc, as an NJ resident, you could move fairly easily into the UMDNJ SMP if need be. Basicly, an NJ resident who keeps working has a reasonable shot at UMDNJ. CA in state is notoriously difficult. (Again these are my impression based on second hand knowledge.)

 

[aimsz88]

hi y'all,


im a usc graduate and decided to switch from music to medicine. i took pre med classes in college, didnt really do well at all.

so i'm working full time and doing night extension classes at ucla...they have a certificate program which is essentially a post bacc program, but more informal. just letting you know it's out there. my classes are filled with nothing but pre med kids trying to take classes while working.

anybody heard about anything good about this program? i notice it's really not mentioned on these forums...

 

[cosmicstarr]

hi y'all,


im a usc graduate and decided to switch from music to medicine. i took pre med classes in college, didnt really do well at all.

so i'm working full time and doing night extension classes at ucla...they have a certificate program which is essentially a post bacc program, but more informal. just letting you know it's out there. my classes are filled with nothing but pre med kids trying to take classes while working.

anybody heard about anything good about this program? i notice it's really not mentioned on these forums...

Aims,

As a UCLA extension student, do you have access to the school's premedical committee? I looked at the offerings and all the required classes appear to be offered during various quarters, although the combination of Gen Chem and O-Chem into 4 quarters seems a little short. Also, the chemistry labs don't seem to be offered in the evenings, so that seems to pose some problems for those that work during the day. I was wondering when it comes time to applying to med schools, how would you handle a premed committee letter? Or would you just get individual recommendations from the instructors?

 

[aimsz88]

cosmicstarr...

thanks for investigating for me so thoroughly...i really appreciate it!

yes, you're right. they offer all the pre med classes during the year, and if you schedule it right, you can complete the whole thing through ucla at night. great, huh?

the downside is if you try to ask for a committee letter, you probably won't get one. i haven't tried, but we're not normal students in the sense that we pay all the fees and stuff that brings the academic support as regular students would have during the year. doesn't hurt to try to ask though.

i was planning on just getting really good letters from my professors...and my bosses (academic or medical doctors that i do research for)...what do you think? should i be pursuing some kind of committee letter?

 

[daisyage]

hey aimz,
i went thru a formal post-bacc at rutgers and a big reason was to get the committee letter. med schools are looking for that letter vs. individual letters of rec. try contacting your helath prfessions office and starting a relationship with them. even if you're not in a formal program, as a student at the school they should support you with a committee letter as long as you have all the requirments.

regarding the rutgers post-bacc program and classes in general - i found it tough to get As, so maybe hopster's experience was particularly blissful...and i do think physics and bio were togher than chem...but anyway, the program is solid and can provide you with a means to link to either NJMS or RWJ

good luck either way you go.

 

[cosmicstarr]

cosmicstarr...

thanks for investigating for me so thoroughly...i really appreciate it!

yes, you're right. they offer all the pre med classes during the year, and if you schedule it right, you can complete the whole thing through ucla at night. great, huh?

the downside is if you try to ask for a committee letter, you probably won't get one. i haven't tried, but we're not normal students in the sense that we pay all the fees and stuff that brings the academic support as regular students would have during the year. doesn't hurt to try to ask though.

i was planning on just getting really good letters from my professors...and my bosses (academic or medical doctors that i do research for)...what do you think? should i be pursuing some kind of committee letter?

aims,

I was looking at their offerings because I'm considering taking some classes there as well since I work during the day. A lot of the med schools I've researched recommend that you get a committee letter, but if as an extension student, you don't have access to this, then I guess the only choice is to get individual letters of recommendation. It's good that you have medical doctors that you can get work-related recommendations from. What classes have you taken?

 

[aimsz88]

that's cool, maybe we'll bump into each other at some point..

i've only taken a year of physics and half year of calc so far. As and A+s. hehee. woohoo! much better than my college grades. you have to do alot of sit down and study your butt on your own in these classes...not a lot of hand holding.

yeah, i'm banking on those letters of recommendation, but now i'm worried...

 

[jbing]

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[LAcmw]

hey!! i've been reading about this and i've even taken classes at UCLA extension...but can you tell me more about this program. i would love to go there and work during the day, but the last class i saw they offered this past spring at night was some high end bio class. and, after contacting the extension program it seemed there wasn't a possibility to do the general science classes at night. should i just checkout the uclaextesnsion.edu address??

that's cool, maybe we'll bump into each other at some point..

i've only taken a year of physics and half year of calc so far. As and A+s. hehee. woohoo! much better than my college grades. you have to do alot of sit down and study your butt on your own in these classes...not a lot of hand holding.

yeah, i'm banking on those letters of recommendation, but now i'm worried...

 

[benelswick]

who needs grade inflation at a Cal St when most of the students are dumb as rocks. these are the bottom of the barrel high school students you are talking about, if you can't stand out among this crowd you don't deserve to be in medical school. harsh i know, but that is just the reality.

Yes and no jbing. I go to sf state and while there is some obvious truth to what your saying there is also a certain group of people who are seriously smart and who bust their butts to get good grades. Remember not everyone goes by the straight road....high shcool over-achiever-->Berkley. Personally I know I could hang at any school in the country, because as much as higher education likes to convince us we're inherently better than all the others its a simple matter of hard work that can produce good results at any school.--Ben.

 

[EastWestN2grt]

who needs grade inflation at a Cal St when most of the students are dumb as rocks. these are the bottom of the barrel high school students you are talking about, if you can't stand out among this crowd you don't deserve to be in medical school. harsh i know, but that is just the reality.

I can tell you dont know one thing about Cal State LA. Contrary to your callous(and clueless) remark, Cal State has quite a diverse student body composed on many types of students including the traditional straight from high school student. But it also has many graduate students, post-baccs,(many from top tier undergraduate universities and colleges) and some very intelligent Doggie Howser types(15 - 16 yos) who have skipped high school directly to college. Many of these people I have had the privilege to work with in all my post-bacc classes, and the majority are outstanding, intelligent students. Maybe the only disadvantage that many of these students at CSULA have is financial. No trustfunds, no sugar daddies..Even so, they have the opportunity for a great education at Cal State. And most importantly many will become successful doctors one day. So jbing, since you are a member of the network, I will assume you wish to be a doctor. Piece of advice, think before you speak next time and know the facts. It will save you from future criticism, and most definitely prevent a future patient from suiing your arse, which could easily happen if you let tongue slip without thought.

Thats enough of my tongue lashing..you may resume with your day....