What's a Post-Bacc?

[2PacClone23]

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What's a post bacc?

Is it:

a) 1 year masters, non-thesis
b) taking classes after you get your bachelor
c) something else?



im not saying im in this position but id like to know what my options are if that day shall come. is it mostly a non-thesis 1 yr masters program? where can i read more about this? thanks

 

[sketo43]

b) taking classes after your bachelor's degree. You do not get a masters degree and there is no thesis. There are 2 reasons to do a postbac: (1) you never took the science prerequisites in undergrad, or (2) you did poorly and want to retake the courses.

 

[2PacClone23]

So it's just a bunch of classes that you take? Without organization? It can be any classes? Cause I mean, it's not like you're going for a masters or anything so you might as well just pick ANY class (presumably science classes)

 

[DividedByZero]

So it's just a bunch of classes that you take? Without organization? It can be any classes?

Yes, yes, and yes.

The main purpose of course is to raise that undergrad, science, or BCP GPA.

EDIT: SDN has an entire post-bacc forum here - http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=71&order=desc

 

[Tommy43087]

What's a post bacc?

Is it:

a) 1 year masters, non-thesis
b) taking classes after you get your bachelor
c) something else?



im not saying im in this position but id like to know what my options are if that day shall come. is it mostly a non-thesis 1 yr masters program? where can i read more about this? thanks

Its anything you complete after(post) your baccalaureate degree. Usually not including masters/phd but it might still fall under that category.

 

[2PacClone23]

So I mean, does that fall under a totally different GPA, the so-called "Post-Bacc GPA", and it can pretty much be any upper division courses right? I feel like if people don't get like 4.0's on the post-bacc (which is pretty much the same courses as undergrad), then it's a waste. I see tons of 2.7 GPA's on predents but with a post-bacc of like 4.0 or 3.9. how does THAT work

 

[DividedByZero]

It only falls under a different GPA if its a masters or other grad program. If you're just taking classes a la carte afterwards it all gets mixed in with your undergrad GPA.

And you're right about the fact that if you don't get at least a 3.7+ in post-bacc you'll be pretty much screwed. This added pressure is basically what causes the high disparity between the undergrad GPA's and post-bacc GPA's you see on predents.

 

[2PacClone23]

Well then I don't understand. How can 4 years of undergraduate GPA be suddenly strongly affected by only 1 year of post-bacc???

 

[uncbestyet]

I think someone with a very low GPA (<3.0) will need at least 1.5 -2 yrs minimum of post bacc (3.7-4.0 A-/A) to show a trend (Unless the last 2 yrs of undergrad were much better than the first).

Those with a GPA greater than 3.0 might be able to pull it up to a reasonable number with a solid run of As (1-1.5yrs).

I personally, did not consider dentistry as a job until I was 27. Maybe some people don't realize it until they are 20, 22, 25, etc.

I had a very low undergrad GPA 2.3 (C+). I did not realize, at that time, I would need straight As to do what I would want to end up doing for a career. So, when I was 18-22, I worked more hours while in school, socialized more, and got the grades I needed to get the BS Biology degree.

I think dental schools give this option to people who dicovered dentistry later in life.

If you knew you wanted to be a dentist when you were 18, did all the pre-dental stuff (knew the expectations of DS) when you were an undergrad, yet couldn't make the grades ... its harder for them to see how you might could turn it around and be able to handle DS. (maturity and drive can change though)

I think the post-bacc is a route to show ability (how you have changed study habits) .... along with a solid DAT score. If you can show a better work ethic (ie. - better GPA-post-bacc) and a solid DAT (a reason for them to think you might be brighter than other traditional students) .... then I think you should have a chance.

Also, I think you need a strong foundation in intro BIOL/Chem/Org CHEM to really grasp higher chem/microbiol/biochem/anatomy/physiology classes. I think the post-bacc route, maybe, lays that foundation better than a masters (which might be better for a recent grad with fairly good grades). I think it would be very difficult to excel at higher level science classes without a solid understanding of the fundamentals.

 

[2PacClone23]

Would it be better to do a post-bacc at a different institution than where I went for undergraduate?

 

[DividedByZero]

Would it be better to do a post-bacc at a different institution than where I went for undergraduate?

Why would that be better? If you can do a post-bacc at your undergrad, then go right on ahead. It will save you time filling out your AADSAS and hunting down transcripts from other schools. Besides that, there really is no real reason not to. I suppose if you hated the environment that much... j/k

 

[uncbestyet]

I would ask the dental schools you are applying to which is better, masters or post-bacc.

If you can take them (post-bacc) at a school with a better reputation (tougher school) it might look better. But if you take them at a different school that doesn't look as competitive (on paper anyway) and do better .... they might question wether it was you or the different/easier school that made the difference.

During my interview they saw the trends and asked where I did the post-bacc. I saw a few raised eyebrows (impressed look) when i said the same school I went to undergrad. (UNC-fairly good academic reputation)

 

[2PacClone23]

Yeah I guess I'm just worrying too much. I'm not even at that situation yet to be thinking about post-bacc.


However, why would anyone choose a post-bacc (which is just a bunch of classes) over a1 year, non-thesis masters program? A masters 3.5+ GPA sounds and looks so much better than anything else.

 

[dentalWorks]

post-bacc = undergrad level courses taken AFTER you have already completed your bacc degree. It could be 6 months after obtaining your degree or 10 years.

Make sure those classes are taken at the undergrad level, if they are masters level, they are NOT counted as post-bacc.

 

[dentalWorks]

Here is a nice discussion about this very topic that happend about 1 week ago. People (myself included) were expressing the advantages / disadvantages of post-bacc vs masters

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=680484

 

[dmd87]

I would ask the dental schools you are applying to which is better, masters or post-bacc.

If you can take them (post-bacc) at a school with a better reputation (tougher school) it might look better. But if you take them at a different school that doesn't look as competitive (on paper anyway) and do better .... they might question wether it was you or the different/easier school that made the difference.

During my interview they saw the trends and asked where I did the post-bacc. I saw a few raised eyebrows (impressed look) when i said the same school I went to undergrad. (UNC-fairly good academic reputation)

so does ur post bacc courses show up as a different GPA on aadsas? i think someone mentioned before that it doesnt, but on ur predents u hvae it as a dif gpa.

 

[uncbestyet]

The term post-bacc can mean either one. Masters or informal just taking classes.

I was using the pre-dents as such.

As the grade transcipt shows on AADSAS .... the top set of numbers just lumps them alll together as total/science/BCP GPA.

But under couse listings ... further down in the grade transcipt (AADSAS) .. it distinguishes them as POST BA/BS UNDERGRAD or (POST BA/BS GRAD)? - guessing on how written for masters

 

[adizzle87]

Some programs have very different placement rates as well. About 90% of the SFSU/UCSF post-bac students go on to dental school, a lot of these students get accepted to UCSF and UoP. Many DS have their very own post-bac programs so I would definitely contact those schools and see how often their own PostBac students end up being accepted into the school's DDS/DMD program.

 

[ballsin2win]

depending on the school, some post-bac programs are pretty competitive. I wouldn't necessarily say a 3.7+ is absolutely required to get into med or dental school. In the more competitive schools, the curve is a B- so most people decide to do something else. Getting a 3.3+ at the competitive schools is pretty good. Getting a 3.7+ at a regional school is way easier than getting a 3.3+ at a more nationally recognized school, like an Ivy.

You have to also be sure that you are ready to succeed in the Post-Bac. I know of several people who did poorly in their undergrads who applied to post-bac programs right after college hoping to boost their gpa. Predictably, they did just as bad. If you get a C- in orgo, what makes you think that you will do any better at a more competitive school? Some post-bac programs are much more competitive than undergrad programs. You have to remember that almost all post-bacs are there to boost their gpa and get into a dental/med/vet school. So you the level of competition is naturally higher.

 

[ballsin2win]

Some programs have very different placement rates as well. About 90% of the SFSU/UCSF post-bac students go on to dental school, a lot of these students get accepted to UCSF and UoP. Many DS have their very own post-bac programs so I would definitely contact those schools and see how often their own PostBac students end up being accepted into the school's DDS/DMD program.

Careful with the stats. You have to read the fine print. Usually, what the stats mean is that 90% of those that finish the program (I believe that a very large portion of entrants do not finish the program - that's just my experience), go on to grad programs, which essentially means that they can either go to med/dental/vet school or they can get their masters or PhD. Most people in a post-bac program will not end up at their desired destination, keep that in mind. But if you work hard enough, you should do ok. There are people in my post-bac that treat it like undergrad, and they are the first to leave the program. Then there are those that treat it like a grad school and end up where ever they want to go. My good friend ended up at UCLA med school. That's pretty damn impressive.