SFSU Post-Bac Spring 2009 Registration Issues

[recycleruminate]

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I am starting the pre-health informal program. Do you estimate I will have trouble registering for Bio I & Gen. Chem I for Spring 2009 if I wait until the final registration period (Jan 5th)?

I was classified as a non-resident, and this means I must pay out-of-state tuition in order to register. An advisor in admissions has told me I will be reclassified as a CA resident after I return on Dec. 22nd (I am currently out of state finishing my last semester of undergrad) when I renew my Driver's license (it was stolen, so I couldn't submit it with my initial residency questionnaire).

Unfortunately, this means that I will either have to wait until the final priority registration period to register (Jan 5th -19th), or I will have to pay out-of-state tuition now in order to register before the first priority registration period ends (Dec. 19th) and hope to get reimbursed/refunded in January.

The out-of-state tuition is more than double what I was prepared to pay, and even though I will get refunded, it is still a burden to gather that much money. But at the same time, I don't want to risk Bio I & Gen. Chem I possibly filling up. Even though I should resolve the situation by the beginning of the final priority registration period (Jan 5th), I am unfamiliar with how the SFSU system works since this is my first semester there.

Any other informal pre-health students have a take on my situation?

 

[nebratu]

can't help too much, but being an informal post-bac, we now have last priority for registration anyways, and by then bio 1 and gen chem 1 will probably be full up. Regardless, I think you are going to have to try and crash both classes.

 

[echidna]

Yeah it's no fun. My registration date is Jan 16th, at which point all the classes will definitely be full. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if lower division courses were already full or about to be full.

That said, I've been an open U student at SFSU since last June and have successfully been able to enroll in every class I've attempted to crash (Gen Chem 2 + lab, O-chem 1& 2 + lab, Physics 1 + lab). It's unnerving but likely worth it if you can bite your nails for the first week or two.

Good luck!

 

[recycleruminate]

can't help too much, but being an informal post-bac, we now have last priority for registration anyways, and by then bio 1 and gen chem 1 will probably be full up. Regardless, I think you are going to have to try and crash both classes.

really? from talking to people at admissions/registrar, I have the impression that once I pay the tuition, I am eligible to register during the early priority registration period (now, Dec. 8th - Dec. 19th), and I am starting the informal post-bac/2nd bac program this spring.

On the Gator Reg website, there seem to be spots for the lectures, but the labs appear to be all filled? Seems strange that there aren't equal numbers of spots for both lectures and labs, since they are to be taken in tandem.

Is there a phone number for the informal program? They haven't returned my email about this...

 

[recycleruminate]

ahh, you're right...I am not eligible to register until the final priority date...so I guess I will wait until I am home and get my residency status change, so I will be billed instate tuition. After that, I will be given a registration time between Jan 5th - 19th I imagine.

Sheesh, seems risky to pay tuition to a school needing to take 2 specific classes before you have even registered your spot in those classes. But I imagine I can just get refunded if I am really unable to get into Bio I and Chem I.

I can see why those students are doing the Formal pre-health program with its guaranteed classes. I am having trouble seeing the benefit of doing the informal program vs. open U at this point.

 

[nebratu]

Being registered as a post-bac/2nd bac, we still get priority registration, it has just been bumped to the very end of priority registration (mine is dec 18).

 

[princessFEEDme]

My registration date was on 12/22 but Gen Chem and Bio I were all full way before that date.

Spring 09 will also be my first semester here. Does anyone know of SFSU's success rate? I've been searching on here, but most of the posts were written by current students, rather than successful postbac alumni.

 

[SchemeD]

My registration date was on 12/22 but Gen Chem and Bio I were all full way before that date.

Spring 09 will also be my first semester here. Does anyone know of SFSU's success rate? I've been searching on here, but most of the posts were written by current students, rather than successful postbac alumni.

I'm not sure when the first cohort started, but I don't think the program is old enough to have success rates. Maybe last fall was the first year that students applied. Maybe.

 

[sarahg]

Sounds like you've made your decision anyways, but I thought I'd add that CA is so broke right now that SFSU isn't even accepting informal students anymore, so I wouldn't trust them to give back any refunds in a timely manner. You're probably better off crashing the classes.

 

[SchemeD]

how do you think the budget affects the formal program? intuitively, it seems as though they would want more formal students because they pay the higher tuition. but who knows...

 

[3orchids]

Hi,
Help! I was wondering if any of you who are or were in the program

how do/did you like the program? any pros or cons?

I have an interview to get into the program for tomorrow am...do you have any suggestions on how to prepare for them? How did your interviews go?

Did you get into a dental school after?

I would greatly appreciate your help. Thank you very much!

 

[n3xa]

I'm not sure when the first cohort started, but I don't think the program is old enough to have success rates. Maybe last fall was the first year that students applied. Maybe.

Post-baccs were around, perhaps a lil more informally than noww, and so was dr. rothman (who is still in charge iirc?) when I was an undergrad (00-06). Most, if not all of those that were taking science classes with me ended up somewhere. YMMV.