SFSU Post-Bac

[247_sandwich]

A lot of the forums regarding the SFSU Post-Bac program are a little dated. I'll give you my perspective on the program. I did complete the Career Changer track and was accepted into dental school. I haven't decided on what dental school to attend (Loma Linda/USC/CaseW and waitlisted for UCSF), but I'll begin this August-ish.

To begin with, the program offers courses for pretty much any health profession. That means you're taking courses with pre-med, pre-dent, and pre-nursing students. A huge plus is that you're not mixed in with undergraduates at SFSU. Therefore, no waitlist for courses and the only students in your class are post-bacs.

The program really does emphasize a cooperative environment. It was weird at first that they emphasized this, but it makes sense now. A lot of the friends I made came from big UC's and state schools, so they'd often talk about how crappy their experiences were in large science classes. (I was prior Military, so I didn't have that typical college experience).

I was a Career Changer, which meant I had to take all of the pre-requisites for dental school (Chem, Orgo, Bio, Physics + Biochem/Anatomy). Yes, it did take me a year and a half to finish. It seems long, but honestly you want to do this ONCE and RIGHT. Many of my friends were AETs, so their time in the program depended on their BCP or BCPM GPA. (They still got into dental schools as well, perhaps more competitive ones than me so don't worry if you're an AET).

The best thing about the program was my assigned an academic advisor. I would say this is probably the best thing about the program. (You can take coursework anywhere to be honest, but advising makes such a big difference). All my coursework was planned out, and often I would just go in and discuss everything from academics even to my personal life with my advisor. This was especially important when it came to dental school interviews and personal statement writing.

Many of my peers did get into California dental schools. This is pretty much the same for the pre-meds with regards to getting into MD/DO schools. It was expensive, but the friends I made and of course accomplishment of getting into a professional school made it worth it.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[10thousandhours]

Thank you so much! That helped a lot. I submitted my application last week and I really hope I get in!
How difficult were the classes? Were they curved?

 

[247_sandwich]

Thank you so much! That helped a lot. I submitted my application last week and I really hope I get in!
How difficult were the classes? Were they curved?

I can’t really speak for the upper division electives, since I only took anatomy and biochemistry apart from the core prerequisites, but the courses were fair. People share google docs and class notes and prepare together for exams. Courses were challenging, but you know what to expect. No tricks. My professors didn’t curve.

 

[dillydilly2]

Were you able to choose your professors and class times, etc? I'm keeping work, volunteer, and research schedule in mind. And, did you hear anything about going through Open U instead of formal post bacc and the success of getting into a class?

 

[247_sandwich]

Were you able to choose your professors and class times, etc? I'm keeping work, volunteer, and research schedule in mind. And, did you hear anything about going through Open U instead of formal post bacc and the success of getting into a class?

You do get to pick the courses you want; professors are pretty much assigned to those courses. Since it's a small program, there are not too many options as far as picking professors. I haven't heard too much about Open U to be honest. It is a waitlist basis depending on what courses you need. People in the SFSU post-bac that had tight schedules would take a course here and there at UC Berkeley extension. That seemed to be the popular choice due to flexibility and price.

One thing to note, getting the committee letter in the SFSU Post-Bac program requires that you at least complete 20 units in program. It does come in handy when it comes time to applying.

 

[10thousandhours]

247_sandwich, what would you say about the SFSU MCAT preparation?

 

[v4n808]

A lot of the forums regarding the SFSU Post-Bac program are a little dated. I'll give you my perspective on the program. I did complete the Career Changer track and was accepted into dental school. I haven't decided on what dental school to attend (Loma Linda/USC/CaseW and waitlisted for UCSF), but I'll begin this August-ish.

To begin with, the program offers courses for pretty much any health profession. That means you're taking courses with pre-med, pre-dent, and pre-nursing students. A huge plus is that you're not mixed in with undergraduates at SFSU. Therefore, no waitlist for courses and the only students in your class are post-bacs.

The program really does emphasize a cooperative environment. It was weird at first that they emphasized this, but it makes sense now. A lot of the friends I made came from big UC's and state schools, so they'd often talk about how crappy their experiences were in large science classes. (I was prior Military, so I didn't have that typical college experience).

I was a Career Changer, which meant I had to take all of the pre-requisites for dental school (Chem, Orgo, Bio, Physics + Biochem/Anatomy). Yes, it did take me a year and a half to finish. It seems long, but honestly you want to do this ONCE and RIGHT. Many of my friends were AETs, so their time in the program depended on their BCP or BCPM GPA. (They still got into dental schools as well, perhaps more competitive ones than me so don't worry if you're an AET).

The best thing about the program was my assigned an academic advisor. I would say this is probably the best thing about the program. (You can take coursework anywhere to be honest, but advising makes such a big difference). All my coursework was planned out, and often I would just go in and discuss everything from academics even to my personal life with my advisor. This was especially important when it came to dental school interviews and personal statement writing.

Many of my peers did get into California dental schools. This is pretty much the same for the pre-meds with regards to getting into MD/DO schools. It was expensive, but the friends I made and of course accomplishment of getting into a professional school made it worth it.

Hello, I came across your response and noticed you were prior military. I was wondering if you used your GI bill for the SFSU Post-Bacc? And if so, how did you prove income to apartment complexes? (if you lived in an apartment)