Hey everyone…
FIrst off, I gotta say that this is the most inspirational/helpful webgroup I have ever seen. Thanks to all, whether you know it or not, for the motivation!!!
I was curious…I am about to embark on the post-bacc classes and have a few options…
Is there any benefit to taking a “certified” Pre-Health Post-Bacc program or just re-take classes at the university down the street as a “Student-at-Large”…(ie no official pre-health program)
Beyond the support offered by students in similar situations, I do not see a particular difference…is there something I am missing?
Hi, Mickey,
I’m doing an informal, do-it-yourself post-bacc, and I’m finding it very satisfying. Formal post-bacc programs offer structure, dedicated advisors, and sometimes formal or informal relationships with med schools. I think it’s also easier to get financial aid for full-time study under a dedicated program, but since I’m working and only going to school part-time this isn’t an issue for me.
I think if you’re the independant type and you don’t have past bad grades to overcome, there’s no reason you can’t roll your own. Be sure you take time to read up on the other things you’ll need to do, since your university advisor may or may not be available to hold you hand: set up some kinds of volunteering and shadowing experiences for yourself, and read everything you can on the AAMC site to make sure you know the prerequisite courses for the schools that interest you and all the application timeline information.
But it’s certainly doable to do your own thing.
I agree. Doing it on your own is often not only cheaper but is more flexible and every class you are in won’t be full of cut-throat pre-meds. I also ‘did it on my own’ when I had to go back to take Biology and Organic Chemistry. To help with the financial aid issue I just registered as a degree-seeking student (I put down Biochemistry) even though I already had a degree and nobody seemed to bat an eye. As a half-time student I didn’t qualify for much aid but if I had not been in a degree program I wouldn’t have qualified for anything. I didn’t finish the degree of course but that didn’t seem to matter. Good luck…
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I agree. Doing it on your own is often not only cheaper but is more flexible and every class you are in won’t be full of cut-throat pre-meds. I also ‘did it on my own’ when I had to go back to take Biology and Organic Chemistry. To help with the financial aid issue I just registered as a degree-seeking student (I put down Biochemistry) even though I already had a degree and nobody seemed to bat an eye. As a half-time student I didn’t qualify for much aid but if I had not been in a degree program I wouldn’t have qualified for anything. I didn’t finish the degree of course but that didn’t seem to matter. Good luck…
Fair enough. BUT . . . . some post-bacc programs are not cut-throat - and have some have real benefits. I’ll tout my own (Loyola) and some of the reasons I am so glad that I made the decision to go here:
1. Access to classes. As a post-bacc, you get to register right behind the ‘honors’ students and ahead of EVERYONE else in the university (you register about 2 hours after registration opens on the first day). This is an enormous help when it comes to getting classes - especially those nasty lab classes that fill up quickly. Also - all pre-reqs have night or weekend sections, so you can do the program part time if you spread it out over a couple years.
2. Loyola has a very good pre-health advising office, with the same advisors taking care of undergrads and post-baccs, so they know what they are doing. I always felt like I was ‘part of the family’ when dealing with them.
3. A solid committee process. Because of #2, and years of practice, Loyola is very good at getting you ready to apply to med school. You are assigned a faculty advisor who works with you one on one for the entire spring semester before applications. You go over your personal statement, do mock interviews, and get to know each other. This person then acts as your advocate when the entire committee meets. Also - this process forces you to get LORs early - by late March - which is a GODSEND when you actually have to have them for applying. A committee process IS NOT a requirement - but if it is good, it can be so helpful.
4. Loyola is a good school, but obviously not a top-tier school like Columbia (sorry to name names). I think this is a GOOD thing. Instead of being a small fish in a big pond, you have the chance of being a big fish in a small pond, and really standing out. You still get a fantastic education - I was personally taught by 2 department chairs (Chem and Physics) - but there is not a cut throat attitude, and if you do really well, you can really shine come committee time. (By the way - those 2 department chairs ended up writing my letters of recommendation. I was able to get to know both of them very well over the course of the year - and they LOVED talking to someone with life experience who was coming back).
Downside: Cost. It is private, so you will pay for it.
Sorry for long rant. I realize that you can do this on your own, and there are good reasons for doing that. Some people don’t have the opportunity (geographically or financially) to attend a school with a good post bacc program. I also realize that not all post-bacc programs are created equal, and they may not have the positive experience I did. But I wanted to point out how much a really good post-bacc program can help you if you find the right fit. And not all of them are full of cut-throat pre-meds!!!
True, you can apply as a degree seeking student and get financial aid that way. At my university, my friend who did that gets pretty high priority registration because of the number of hours she has already accumulated.
I registered as a Continuing Ed non-degree student. As a non-degree student, you are eligible for 12 consecutive months of financial aid to fulfill pre-requisites for professional school (loans only). At my university, continuing ed students get fairly high priority in registering for classes.
If I had to do it over again, I might go the pretend “degree” route. I have really burnt myself out with trying to take as many pre-reqs as possible in one year of financial aid. I took 20 quarter hours winter and spring, and am taking the entire year of organic chemistry this summer. It is quite possibly the hardest thing I have ever done.
Amy
it just might not be one you’re looking for. I have to disagree that post-baccs are cut-throat. Some may be. But I am in a formal post-bacc and it is not cut-throat at all. In fact, it is quite the opposite and that is the benefit I have found. It is more than just being around people like me (older than 22 and medically-inclined later in life)…the professors and administration bend over backwards to make sure that you succeed. If you are not doing well in a class, the professor can offer to meet with you outside of class on a daily basis one-on-one and even hire you a private tutor. My fellow peers have also been very helpful and willing to answer/address questions when I have them. I’ve been quite a few academic situations and NEVER have been in a situation quite so supportive. I think the opportunity to go to a linkage school right off the bat. I just knew that jumping into science at this point in my life would be really hard to do it alone at my local state university…and doing it at one of the local private university would not be very helpful. My post-bacc takes care of LORs, registering/scheduling classes and getting you on track with volunteering, etc…making sure I give myself the best chance to get into medical school. I’m sure these are things I could arrange myself, but I prefer to dedicate my time to studying. There are many different types of post-baccs and I realize that I may have a very unique experience, but it has been very helpful and I have no doubt that it will make my road to medical school easier…and more expensive. If saving $10,000 one year is one of your more important factors in this decision (and that is completely understandable), then maybe the do-it-yourself local state university would be a better option for someone else. Trust me, I’m not taking this tuition lightly and I did consider the costs, but in the end, I felt that I wanted to give myself the best chance to succeed…maybe I’ll try to go to state medical school instead of private and save the $10k a year there, but I just didn’t want to scrimp on the requirements to get me into medical school.