Second Bachelors

[premedbrah]

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Hey ya'll,

I have recently applied to several 2nd bachelors programs in Biomedical Science in my region. I have a pretty damning GPA (you can see my previous posts), and I am hoping A's in this program will make me a strong enough candidate. My first degree was in Anthropology, and I will be graduating this spring with my completed Med School pre-reqs.

I am curious if anyone here has completed a 2nd bachelors and has it benefitted them significantly in comparison to a DIY? I prefer a structured program and it seems like a 2nd Bachelors is pretty much the second best thing to a formal post-bacc. I'd love to hear everyones thoughts or experience on the matter. Thanks in advance!

 

[DocJanItor]

Your profile is limited, so people can't see your previous posts. Additionally, it's helpful to present your information again so that multiple people don't have to spend time digging through your comment history. Make it easy for people to help you. 😉

 

[NuttyEngDude]

I got a second bachelors as sort of an afterthought to a DIY-post-bacc, I dont think it helps beyond having the additional coursework. Your cumulative gpa will still be used and your science averages will still be calculated. Among schools that are more forgiving and look at more recent credits they will see those as listed in time but you will get no special advantage for just having another degree.

 

[Crayola227]

Your profile is limited, so people can't see your previous posts. Additionally, it's helpful to present your information again so that multiple people don't have to spend time digging through your comment history. Make it easy for people to help you. 😉

They can still see the posts. You click on the avatar, and where there is a number for messages, you click on the number.

Or you search SDN using their username

Either way

 

[premedbrah]

Your profile is limited, so people can't see your previous posts. Additionally, it's helpful to present your information again so that multiple people don't have to spend time digging through your comment history. Make it easy for people to help you. 😉

Thanks for that. My question is more based around 2nd Bachelors in general as opposed to my specific situation. I'm more curious as to how it stacks up against a DIY/ Formal Post-Bacc program in terms of cost, structure, academic resources, etc.

 

[DocJanItor]

They can still see the posts. You click on the avatar, and where there is a number for messages, you click on the number.

Or you search SDN using their username

Either way

I did NOT know that, thank you!

 

[premedbrah]

Bump

 

[DarklingThrush]

Thanks for that. My question is more based around 2nd Bachelors in general as opposed to my specific situation. I'm more curious as to how it stacks up against a DIY/ Formal Post-Bacc program in terms of cost, structure, academic resources, etc.

You're asking the difference between getting a second bachelors degree vs doing a post bacc (formal or informal)? The answer is money, credits and time. That's it. Doing a second bachelors degree is pointless if you're trying to go to medical school to be honest. If you're doing an informal post bacc, you can sign up as a degree seeking student, not finish the degree, get priority enrollment, have access to an advisor, and qualify for financial aid. What matters is the grades you get in your post bacc. I don't really understand why people do formal post bacc programs and pay 3x as much with no financial aid, when you can structure yours the exact same and get all the same benefits for much cheaper at your state school

If I were you, I'd take the time to look up the structure of a formal post bacc program and plug in your state school classes plus some other upper level bio classes. What more structure do you need as a college graduate?

 

[premedbrah]

You're asking the difference between getting a second bachelors degree vs doing a post bacc (formal or informal)? The answer is money, credits and time. That's it. Doing a second bachelors degree is pointless if you're trying to go to medical school to be honest. If you're doing an informal post bacc, you can sign up as a degree seeking student, not finish the degree, get priority enrollment, have access to an advisor, and qualify for financial aid. What matters is the grades you get in your post bacc. I don't really understand why people do formal post bacc programs and pay 3x as much with no financial aid, when you can structure yours the exact same and get all the same benefits for much cheaper at your state school

If I were you, I'd take the time to look up the structure of a formal post bacc program and plug in your state school classes plus some other upper level bio classes. What more structure do you need as a college graduate?

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I'm in CA and we don't have that option (non-degree seeking student or informal post bacc w/ priority enrollment). You would have to crash each course and you receive NO financial aid. That's why I'm considering the 2nd Bachelors route: some structure, financial aid access and no crashing classes (priority enrollment). I guess I've already made my decision, but I'm curious about what the overall consensus is here...Seems like it doesn't really matter all that much (DIY/Formal/2nd Bach.)

 

[DarklingThrush]

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I'm in CA and we don't have that option (non-degree seeking student or informal post bacc w/ priority enrollment). You would have to crash each course and you receive NO financial aid. That's why I'm considering the 2nd Bachelors route: some structure, financial aid access and no crashing classes (priority enrollment). I guess I've already made my decision, but I'm curious about what the overall consensus is here...Seems like it doesn't really matter all that much (DIY/Formal/2nd Bach.)

I'm confused. So you can't enroll as a degree seeking student and just not finish the degree? I enrolled as a second bachelors degree student in Biology and took all my pre reqs. That allowed for financial aid and priority enrollment. Are you sure? What you're saying doesn't make sense.

 

[premedbrah]

I'm confused. So you can't enroll as a degree seeking student and just not finish the degree? I enrolled as a second bachelors degree student in Biology and took all my pre reqs. That allowed for financial aid and priority enrollment. Are you sure? What you're saying doesn't make sense.

I'm saying that I would enroll as a 2nd Bachelors student in Biology. If I take classes via the DIY route there is no financial aid or priority enrollment involved (in California). Due to the CA university system being so impacted, they don't typically accept 2nd bachelors students (only 2 are currently accepting them). I've applied to both programs as well as 2 OOS schools in AZ.

 

[Magus5454]

I'm saying that I would enroll as a 2nd Bachelors student in Biology. If I take classes via the DIY route there is no financial aid or priority enrollment involved (in California). Due to the CA university system being so impacted, they don't typically accept 2nd bachelors students (only 2 are currently accepting them). I've applied to both programs as well as 2 OOS schools in AZ.

I know you cant at the UCs, what about something like CSU or SJSU?

 

[premedbrah]

I know you cant at the UCs, what about something like CSU or SJSU?

Ya I applied to CSU Bakersfield, it's currently the only CSU accepting second bachelors for the Fall start. CSULB accepts 2nd bachelors for the Spring only, which is due in October I believe. I also applied for 2nd bachelors in Human Bio at USC! Its slim pickings in CA

 

[Magus5454]

Ya I applied to CSU Bakersfield, it's currently the only CSU accepting second bachelors for the Fall start. CSULB accepts 2nd bachelors for the Spring only, which is due in October I believe. I also applied for 2nd bachelors in Human Bio at USC! Its slim pickings in CA

Yeah i got my BS in MCD at UCSC

 

[premedbrah]

Yeah i got my BS in MCD at UCSC

USC not UCSC!

 

[Magus5454]

USC not UCSC!

I get that, im just saying i know what its like college wise there

 

[Dullhead]

I'm confused. So you can't enroll as a degree seeking student and just not finish the degree? I enrolled as a second bachelors degree student in Biology and took all my pre reqs. That allowed for financial aid and priority enrollment. Are you sure? What you're saying doesn't make sense.

I think Brah already kind of answered your question, but I'll add in more details. CA public schools are all impacted. Most don't allow second bachelor's. Some only allow it in specific majors, example, nursing. Some do not allow financial aid. Snippets from different universities below. Folks not from CA typically do not know such info, so it confuses...

"UCSB accepts very few second baccalaureate degree candidates each year. Students seeking a second baccalaureate degree must apply for admission and be approved by the college or program for which they have applied. International students may not apply for a second baccalaureate degree at UCSB. Second baccalaureate students are not eligible for financial aid or on-campus housing [emphasis mine]. If you have specific questions about an academic program, consult with your intended major department or the UCSB Catalog."

"UC San Diego/UCLA/UC Merced/UC Riverside does not accept applications from students who have earned a four-year degree."

UC Berkeley "The College of Chemistry currently considers applicants for a second bachelor's degree for the Chemistry and Chemical Biology majors only." and "Applicants who have already earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited university cannot apply for undergraduate admission to either the College of Engineering or the College of Letters and Science"

University of California - Second baccalaureate

Cal States have similar policies.

"CSULB accepts applications for a second baccalaureate degree only from highly qualified applicants to the following majors: Nursing, Engineering, Mathematics, Foreign Languages, and Natural Sciences (excluding options in Biological Sciences). Due to the special admission requirements for second baccalaureate programs, students admitted to these programs cannot change their degree objective or declare additional majors or minors."

"Fall 2018: CSUN will accept second bachelor's degree applications for the Radiologic Sciences major only. Applicants must apply between October 1 and November 30, 2017."

"CSU, Chico is not currently open to students pursuing a second bachelor’s degree except for students who already possess a B.A. or B.S. degree and who seek to earn a B.S. in Nursing. Students who wish to apply for a second bachelor's degree in nursing must apply during the priority filing period."

Cal State Sacramento takes it a step further "[admissions requirements stuff]... ... ... ...Registration priority is that of an unclassified graduate student." I'm guessing this means last priority because graduate students typically don't have priority for undergrad coursework.

 

[Dullhead]

...but I'm curious about what the overall consensus is here...Seems like it doesn't really matter all that much (DIY/Formal/2nd Bach.)

IMO, not much difference between DIY and 2nd bachelor's with the exception of the points you have made - priority in enrollment, financial aid etc. The better formal post baccs will have linkages, which is an advantage over both 2nd bachelor's and DIY, but I also feel that when I view their student profiles, they are all rock stars from non-science fields (law, music, etc). I think the formals also eliminate the gap year somehow. If you have a low gpa or have already taken some of the pre-reqs, the formals are likely not to take your application.

 

[DarklingThrush]

IMO, not much difference between DIY and 2nd bachelor's with the exception of the points you have made - priority in enrollment, financial aid etc. The better formal post baccs will have linkages, which is an advantage over both 2nd bachelor's and DIY, but I also feel that when I view their student profiles, they are all rock stars from non-science fields (law, music, etc). I think the formals also eliminate the gap year somehow. If you have a low gpa or have already taken some of the pre-reqs, the formals are likely not to take your application.

Also wanted to add that they sometimes "trick" you with linkages. I used to live in NYC and went to a Columbia info session for their post bacc program... in order to "link" to a school, you had to meet undergraduate GPA requirements which were no less than 3.6 cGPA for any school they had a linkage agreement with. Some schools also had a post bacc GPA requirement as well.

 

[premedbrah]

If you will go to med school, I don't think a second bachelors degree is worth your time and money.

To increase my uGPA and sGPA, it seems like a viable option. Priority enrollment and financial aid alone are reasons enough to pursue a 2nd bacc. Just the thought of doing DIY is daunting due to the amount of students trying to crash classes as is (in California especially).

The point of this thread was to see if anyone has done a 2nd bacc and their experiences with it.

 

[DarklingThrush]

To increase my uGPA and sGPA, it seems like a viable option. Priority enrollment and financial aid alone are reasons enough to pursue a 2nd bacc. Just the thought of doing DIY is daunting due to the amount of students trying to crash classes as is (in California especially).

The point of this thread was to see if anyone has done a 2nd bacc and their experiences with it.

I'm still a little lost. You have the option to apply for a second bachelors, correct? That's what you're saying. What is the difference between attending school for a second bachelors and finishing it vs. not finishing it? you still get all the tuition benefits, enrollment benefits etc, but you don't waste your time getting a degree you don't need. I applied as a second bachelors student with no intention of actually finishing my bachelors. I don't get why you're so insistent on actually finishing the bachelors. If you do your research on here, you'll find that increasing your GPA isn't the goal. It's 60+ credits of upper level coursework that matter.

 

[premedbrah]

I'm still a little lost. You have the option to apply for a second bachelors, correct? That's what you're saying. What is the difference between attending school for a second bachelors and finishing it vs. not finishing it? you still get all the tuition benefits, enrollment benefits etc, but you don't waste your time getting a degree you don't need. I applied as a second bachelors student with no intention of actually finishing my bachelors. I don't get why you're so insistent on actually finishing the bachelors. If you do your research on here, you'll find that increasing your GPA isn't the goal. It's 60+ credits of upper level coursework that matter.

Oh no I don't intend on finishing the degree. If it's possible to finish I suppose that's an added bonus, but I dont plan on extending my time at the 2nd bacc to complete it. I'm purely using the 2nd bacc for enrollment/financial aid