Was just accepted into Fordham, have I made a HUGE mistake!?

[marsle85]

I had applied to Drexel's post-bacc evening pre-medical program after hearing very good things about it, but VERY late- two weeks before the deadline. I loved the idea of living in Philadelphia and figuring it was worth a shot. I was shocked to have been accepted the Friday before classes started and so I packed up everything and literally moved to Philadelphia within 48 hours. I am happy here, i enjoy the city, am learning the transit and find the classes appropriately challenging.

Well what do you know, my dad calls me today and says I received a letter from Fordham College (THE Fordham) saying I have been accepted into their pre-med post-bacc program. Now, I sent in an application and sent my transcripts over before finally talking to one of their representatives. The program seemed unorganized and the person I really needed to talk to was unavailable. Financial aid at Fordham told me I was ineligible to receive F.A. in this program. At that point I figured the point of going any further was futile- I could never spot that much money without some sort of loan.

Being accepted however made me curious, and of course Fordham is a respected campus and ranked fairly high among national schools. As I looked on the website today it looked like there WERE some financial aid options and suddenly my world seems to be crashing down on me. Have I made the wrong decision? Would my application to medical school be all the sweeter having attended Fordham instead of Drexel?

From what I found out from the adviser, this was Fordham's first year making the program official. Also, which unnerved me even more- as I looked at their evening tuition, it was LESS that what I'm paying at Drexel! What have I done?

Is Drexel's program worth risking Fordham's name? I'm so confused and very worried that I may have unintentionally risked attending a prestigious school.

Please be honest in your remarks and counsel.

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[Bru]

I've honestly heard nothing about the Fordham postbacc program.

I also don't think the Fordham name is particularly impressive especially in the context of schools in NYC. I mean it's a good school but it's not "the FORDHAM" status. In terms of cost, I would factor in the higher cost of living in NYC and it'd probably even out. I don't know anything about Drexel's program in terms of reputation or rigor.

I don't think you are making a mistake but then again I don't know you entire situation.

 

[Moki]

A friend of mine once told me to trust where I have placed myself. I find myself often going back to his words. They help me. Perhaps, they may help you as well.

 

[bigloley]

Don't second guess your decision - what matters most is doing well in the program. Concentrate on your studies!

 

[Smiler]

Stay at Drexel and absolutely kill it. Now here is why I think Drexel is good. Now I don't know how many courses you are looking to take but since you are enrolled in Drexel PMED I will assume you need to take all basic pre-reqs. Assuming that, it will likely take you 1.5-2ys to complete. The only way you get it all done in 1 year is if you take condensed chem over the summer, which is risky. Plenty has been written on SDN re: whether it is smart to take condensed science courses over summer. I will leave it to you to perform your due diligence on the subject. So, going to Fordham will likely not get you to med school any faster.

Also, Drexel is good b/c the last semester is only MCAT prep. That is huge b/c you will have no other classes to worry about. This gives you plenty of time to prepare for April MCAT and get your apps in early. Additionally, Drexel has linkages, which Fordham doesnt. Also, Philadelphia is a more affordable city for a student to live in. NYC is expensive. BTW, Are you working while going to Drexel?

 

[Morsetlis]

a friend of mine once told me to trust where i have placed myself. I find myself often going back to his words. They help me. Perhaps, they may help you as well.

+1

 

[PTO]

Just to clear something up, the deadline for drexel is august 12th for the Fall term that starts ~September? Or is that the deadline for the following year? It seems either extremely early or late to me.

 

[zorroy2k]

It's gotta be deadline for that year. August is way too early to be deadline for following year. Are you considering the program?

 

[PTO]

Yeah, it's one of the programs I'm considering. The deadline seemed so odd to me.

 

[Shathi]

Hi, I am planning to apply to Fordham University School of professional and continuing studies. I have my bachelor degree in psychology and GPA 3.3.
I Talked to one of the advisors and she said the class size will be smaller and I will be taking classes with all other postbacc students who are in same position as me. Is this better than taking classes with undergrad students? I haven't taken any sciences throughout college so will it be more challenging for me?