Which postbac to accept

[sdnsn]

Hello,

I've been reading this site for a while, but this is my first post. There is a lot of good, genuine advice given here, so I hope that I may benefit from some of that myself. And as I embark upon my journey to become a physician, I hope I can return the favor here.

Basically, my question is, which to choose?

I applied and was accepted to a few post-bac programs. I need to decide by 1 May. I am considering the following:

Bennington (1-yr program)
Boston University (self-paced)
CSU Fullerton (2 yrs)
Harvard Extension School (HES, self-paced)

Applied to WashU for the fall so I will probably not hear from them until late summer. I also got into a small school in upstate New York, but it's a brand new program so I will probably not go there.

I love the idea of small classes (attention, deep learning experience) of Bennington, but I'd think it lacks the opportunities of a big city (volunteer, research).

CSUF and HES have big-city resources and opportunities. HES will prepare me for the MCAT really well, but what if I can't get all As? I think I could get all As at CSUF, but what if it doesn't prepare me well for the MCAT? (Hopefully the self-study will make that not matter?)

More detailed information to follow below.

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[sdnsn]

Goal: to attend a good med school (MD). Currently interested in surgery, but I am open to anything as I learn more. Interested in being a military doc, astronaut - basically, I have lots of interests and am adventurous, but again, I am not locked into anything at this point.

My strengths:
- I have good undergrad and grad GPAs and think I am a good standardized test-taker. I also have a good work ethic (though anyone going into the medical field should have this). I also have diverse life experiences (outside of medical field).

My weaknesses:
- I could improve my medical-related volunteering experiences (have been volunteering in the ED of a VA for only 2 months, though I have already accumulated 300+ hours, and I just started in the ICU. I will start at a community hospital in their surgery clinics. I have been volunteering at a medical equipment store for 4 months, 8 hrs/wk). However, my volunteering experiences could change depending on where I end up for the post-bac.

- No research experience - I am interested in research, but lacked the science background to do this

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This is why I am thinking a 2-year program would give me more time to build my application rather than a 1-year program. There will be a glide/gap year after the 1- or 2-year program anyway. I turn 27 this year, so I will be ~30 when I start med school. Not sure if that 1 extra year (between a 1-year and 2-year program) will make a big difference? I have to take all the prereqs except Physics I.

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Schools comparison:

Bennington (1-yr program):
Pros: small classes => you really learn the material, you can ask tons of questions, good letters of rec because faculty know you
Cons: cost is $50K+ (including living costs), isolated location so it lacks the volunteer/research experiences of a big city. Not sure if I can get all As.

HES (self-paced):
Pros: tuition cost, quality of classes, networking, opportunities in Boston area
Cons: cost of living, will there be a lot of competition for volunteering/research opportunities? Not sure if I can get all As.

CSUF (2 years):
Pros: free room/board, tuition ($20K for 2 years), I talked to professors and it seems like I can get into a lab early on, many opportunities to volunteer/network in LA/OC area. I think I could get all As.
Cons: I wonder how top med schools look at CSUF? Alums have gone to UCLA, UCSF, Harvard <= but I wonder if they were of an underrepresented population or something (I'm not) - if they had a special story, and if this is a REALLY RARE exception (not even just an exception)

BU: tuition is expensive and if I'm going to live in the Boston area anyway, I might as well do the postbac at HES

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Anyway, I appreciate any advice you can provide. Ultimately it is my choice but I would like to get the advice of Internet strangers I mean people who may have more experience or insight!

Let me know if I can give any more information.

Thank you very much!

 

[DrMidlife]

Oh how I wish I'd gone to Bennington.

Everything in med school gets boiled down to multiple choice questions and checklists and slide counts, and after living in that meat grinder for 2 years you're expected to have a qualitative FEEL for the science. Which might be fine. But if you have the chance, definitely think about spending your postbac at a place where you can easily, regularly have actual CONVERSATIONS with faculty about what's interesting to them and to you. Consider having classmates who aren't just empty nothing blank shells who are following the premed formula. Do you want to measure your worth in exam points, or do you want to be able to THINK?

The cost is definitely a problem, yes, but if you get into a UC on the other side, imho it's justified.

Best of luck to you.