Should've listened to you guys (UCBx = no good)

[theunderachiever]

Well gang, the UC Berkeley Extension is simply not good. Some folks here and elsewhere have warned against it, but I applied in order to balance out school and work.

The rest of this is just ranting / warning to people considering UCBx

There's no doubt that UCBx caters to the full-time working crowd. The classes are a la carte and easy to apply to. Since I have a heavy work schedule and haven't taken my sciences in a long time, I decided to start with General Chem I and the Lab. Mondays and Wednesdays, 3.5 hour evenings, not bad.

Here's the problem: the lecture and lab sections are so woefully out of sync, it's like a joke. For example, in lecture we're at about Chapter 4. In lab, we're somewhere in Chapter 16. This is because the Extension operates on UC Berkeley's undergrad schedule, whether or not the Extension itself wants to use a schedule of its own (which it does).

Next, you'd be hard-pressed to craft the perfect schedule. General Chemistry II and Lab II (which would clearly be foolish to take concurrently) aren't even offered during the summer semester. If you're a greenhorn in the natural sciences, you'll be rusty by the time those classes are available, let alone Organic Chemistry I and II.

Another thing-- my classmates who are taking Biology I and Lab I warn against it. Their complaints are that the instructors are more seasoned researchers than instructors, and tend to teach by banal powerpoints with ill-crafted quizzes and tests to follow.

All in all, what I see here is a program that doesn't care much about preparing you well for the MCAT, let alone medical school, or any discernible future in medicine.

I'm going to redirect my energy towards applying to Mills College, where I would resolve to be a full-time student and get an education that's proud of their program and tends well to individual students' medical pursuits.

This warning is inapplicable to those of you who had science majors in undergrad. Perhaps totally out-of-sync class and lab sections wouldn't bother you if the course materials are kind of fresh in your minds. For the rest of us who haven't taken sciences in years and years, it's alarming and disconcerting, as virtually no effort is made to justify this sloppy structure.

Good luck to everyone getting into their post-bacc programs. Seriously, best of luck. If you're in the East Bay I'd strongly recommend looking into Cal State or Mills, or any other place before considering the curious program that is UC Berkeley Extension.

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[yourethewurst]

I know this was a month ago, but I attend Mills right now and you may want to take a look back into staying at UCBx.
Mills has long been going through internal struggles with their adjunct faculty, and while an excellent school, is going through a major restructuring. I know this because I am a full-time post bacc at Mills, who loves it, but is starting to see (and will continue to see) things change dramatically.

That being said, if you have talked to the Mills coordinator, you should also know that she is one of the best parts of the program and she's actually leaving to become the director of the post-bacc program at UCBx. I'm not sure if that will be a good or bad thing, but her departure is a huge loss for the Mills program. We still haven't found a replacement, so next year may be a bit of a transition period. If you're doing it because you've been in contact with her, it might be a wise idea to stay. That being said, the professors at Mills are wonderful and you will have great relationships, but I am warning you that things may change at both Mills and UCBx. Our loss is UCBx's HUGE gain. I would give it another chance if you're already in their program.

 

[Jonny Seed]

Are people getting decent grades in Mills or UCBx?

 

[yourethewurst]

Are people getting decent grades in Mills or UCBx?

Uh. I mean I can't answer that for everyone.... People at Mills tend to do fairly well as if you get below a C on an exam or in classes, the professors will be super straight up with you and tell you to drop the class (Mills has a very generous drop deadline- it's around halfway through the semester!) I failed an OChem exam and my professor told me that I wouldn't get anything higher than a B- in the class....

I was going through some personal issues but I dropped the class and was able to retake it

 

[theunderachiever]

I know this was a month ago, but I attend Mills right now and you may want to take a look back into staying at UCBx.
Mills has long been going through internal struggles with their adjunct faculty, and while an excellent school, is going through a major restructuring. I know this because I am a full-time post bacc at Mills, who loves it, but is starting to see (and will continue to see) things change dramatically.

That being said, if you have talked to the Mills coordinator, you should also know that she is one of the best parts of the program and she's actually leaving to become the director of the post-bacc program at UCBx. I'm not sure if that will be a good or bad thing, but her departure is a huge loss for the Mills program. We still haven't found a replacement, so next year may be a bit of a transition period. If you're doing it because you've been in contact with her, it might be a wise idea to stay. That being said, the professors at Mills are wonderful and you will have great relationships, but I am warning you that things may change at both Mills and UCBx. Our loss is UCBx's HUGE gain. I would give it another chance if you're already in their program.

Hi Yourethewurst (love the name),

Thanks so much for your message, and I apologize for the delay. I haven't logged in quite a while. I very much appreciate your insights about Mills. I have indeed been in touch with the Mills coordinator, but I wasn't aware that she was leaving! UCBx will absolutely triumph having her, but she's also got a lot of work cut out for her. UCBx has to iron out their program's infrastructure, which isn't much of anything right now.

This is just my own speculation, but even without the coordinator, Mills' greatest triumphs are the way the classes are organized and the smaller class sizes. The faculty, as you point out, is also reputable. Nevertheless, I'm still here, and I have put in my application to Mills. If Mills accepts me, I'll still be thorough with how I size up my options. Thanks again for this warning, and I wish you lots of luck in your classes!

 

[theunderachiever]

Are people getting decent grades in Mills or UCBx?

Speaking on behalf of myself and my general chemistry/bio classmates, the grades are a little all over the place. Two of our labs aren't even part of the lecture curriculum, so that threw a wrench into how we prepared for the exams. Some of us did well, many of us slumped into the C range. I've come out with a B in lab and an A- in lectures. It's okay but not ideal.

 

[HealingGrace]

I know this was a month ago, but I attend Mills right now and you may want to take a look back into staying at UCBx.
Mills has long been going through internal struggles with their adjunct faculty, and while an excellent school, is going through a major restructuring. I know this because I am a full-time post bacc at Mills, who loves it, but is starting to see (and will continue to see) things change dramatically.

That being said, if you have talked to the Mills coordinator, you should also know that she is one of the best parts of the program and she's actually leaving to become the director of the post-bacc program at UCBx. I'm not sure if that will be a good or bad thing, but her departure is a huge loss for the Mills program. We still haven't found a replacement, so next year may be a bit of a transition period. If you're doing it because you've been in contact with her, it might be a wise idea to stay. That being said, the professors at Mills are wonderful and you will have great relationships, but I am warning you that things may change at both Mills and UCBx. Our loss is UCBx's HUGE gain. I would give it another chance if you're already in their program.

Thank you for this! I have heard this. Do you know any students who are currently at UCBx and can attest to the advisor being a huge advantage? I have heard great things about her from others...

 

[HealingGrace]

Has anyone gone through UCBx and successfully matriculated into medical school? Or know of anyone that has?