Some advice would be appreciated

[Howspooky]

Hello all,

I don't know if this is the proper place to post this, but here it goes. I am a 26 year old URM, I just graduated undergrad with a 3.9 gpa in Anthropology and now I am enrolling in post-bacc programs. I'm still waiting to hear if I get into UCR via the UC-consortium but in the meanwhile I accepted CSUSM's post-bacc. The pacing of CSUSM's post-bacc seems perfect, hower the funding is my current barrier. I will have to take out private loans. If anyone has any advice on that, that would be so helpful. I am the first in my family to make it this far academic wise; I funded undergrad on my own and now I'm in a spot where I don't know what to do.

As a doctor I want to work with underserved communities. I really want to work in rural areas and give back and help those who do not have equal access to healthcare. this whole journey thus far has been stressful and I just need some advice from someone who has been there. I tried looking for scholarships for that kind of work, but they've all been for MD/DO and I'm not quite there yet. Does anyone know of anything at the post-bacc level? Calling my financial aid office at school today was super not helpful...

thank you so much !

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[CUatthefinishline]

Hello all,

I don't know if this is the proper place to post this, but here it goes. I am a 26 year old URM, I just graduated undergrad with a 3.9 gpa in Anthropology and now I am enrolling in post-bacc programs. I'm still waiting to hear if I get into UCR via the UC-consortium but in the meanwhile I accepted CSUSM's post-bacc. The pacing of CSUSM's post-bacc seems perfect, hower the funding is my current barrier. I will have to take out private loans. If anyone has any advice on that, that would be so helpful. I am the first in my family to make it this far academic wise; I funded undergrad on my own and now I'm in a spot where I don't know what to do.

As a doctor I want to work with underserved communities. I really want to work in rural areas and give back and help those who do not have equal access to healthcare. this whole journey thus far has been stressful and I just need some advice from someone who has been there. I tried looking for scholarships for that kind of work, but they've all been for MD/DO and I'm not quite there yet. Does anyone know of anything at the post-bacc level? Calling my financial aid office at school today was super not helpful...

thank you so much !

I am not sure how helpful I can be but I want to say that I applaud you for taking steps towards your goal. The biggest hurdle is starting and applying, but you did. You're on your way and that's important.

ADVICE: My initial thought when reading your post is have you thought about doing a self-paced or do-it-yourself postbac? The formal ones seem to be a tad expensive and/or may not be worth it if you get no degree at the end. That's just my feelings about it. I also funded all of my own college and grad school via scholarships & loans (lots of loans ) but it is doable. You have a great gpa and seem to need to take some BCMP courses (& volunteer/shadow/research?); these are all things that you can do on your own time and without forking out a ton of money. You could take a few courses at a time, while working and building your application. That's what I would do, but that's based on growing up pretty rough and having very little support. Private loans tend to scare me due to growing up surrounded by payday loan places and I am extremely partial to federal aid.

Clearly, I have some biases but I am also the most educated in my family. Starting out I knew zero doctors, and I have been supporting myself and my family since I graduated high school. It's hard out there with no support so my advice would be to do the most professionally and financially sound thing by going at your own pace with the courses and taking the time to work, study, and volunteer.

Anyway, whatever you do, know that you are not the first or only person on this journey. It'll be ok and you'll get there.

 

[Nathan17182]

Hello all,

I don't know if this is the proper place to post this, but here it goes. I am a 26 year old URM, I just graduated undergrad with a 3.9 gpa in Anthropology and now I am enrolling in post-bacc programs. I'm still waiting to hear if I get into UCR via the UC-consortium but in the meanwhile I accepted CSUSM's post-bacc. The pacing of CSUSM's post-bacc seems perfect, hower the funding is my current barrier. I will have to take out private loans. If anyone has any advice on that, that would be so helpful. I am the first in my family to make it this far academic wise; I funded undergrad on my own and now I'm in a spot where I don't know what to do.

As a doctor I want to work with underserved communities. I really want to work in rural areas and give back and help those who do not have equal access to healthcare. this whole journey thus far has been stressful and I just need some advice from someone who has been there. I tried looking for scholarships for that kind of work, but they've all been for MD/DO and I'm not quite there yet. Does anyone know of anything at the post-bacc level? Calling my financial aid office at school today was super not helpful...

thank you so much !

I would agree with @CUatthefinishline. I would do a DIY Post-Bacc and just take the required classes for med school. You have a great GPA and there's no need to pay for an entire post-bacc program when all you need is a few classes. Look up the prereq coursework for medical schools and just take those classes. You might be able to access federal loans if you take enough credits.