Hello! I have listened to tons of your episodes, they’ve been extremely helpful! I would love some feedback on a specific certification program I am looking at.
Some feedback details how several of the courses offered in the certification program are alongside actual UCLA pre-med students, and therefore makes the argument that the rigor is top notch. However, I’ve seen other feedback which essentially says anyone can take UCLA extension courses, and therefore this certification program will be considered ‘lesser than’ if you did a post bacc at a four year university instead (enrolled in their actual school rather than an extension route).
This program is much more expensive than classes at a community college, or other 4 year universities in the area (CSUN, etc.). I essentially want to know if it will be worth my time and money if I jump right in and spend ~$1,000+/class through UCLA extension, or if I would get a similar effect doing my post bacc elsewhere, or even doing an a la carte post bacc, etc.
Is the UCLA extension name strong enough to justify their hefty price point? Any feedback is very welcome, thank you for your time!!
Did you ever make a decision? I am currently looking into that program. From my understanding, yes, anyone can take the courses for the program because it is not a formal post bacc. It is a DIY so regardless of where you do an a la carte or DIY at any other university it is the same. I am not sure how strong the name it but honestly I think it has to be worth something because the classes are rigorous, they are equivalent to the undergrad pre-med classes as if we had done our undergrad degree there previously. They are all night classes which I thought was nice because it still gives me a chance to work. I’d really love to know what you ultimately decided to do. This also was the only program that offered Financial Aid as though we were undergrads and not graduates, every other program I looked at only offered FA for 1 year because certificates are limited for FA purposes so paying the $16,000 tuition seems more manageable than formal post-bacc tuitions of $30,000+ with only 1 year of FA.
Yes, I ultimately have decided to do my post bacc through UCLA Extension. I’m currently enrolled in my first class (sociology), but next quarter I should be starting bio and gen chem. I didn’t really get a definitive answer about whether this is the best route. If you search in the forum there are other posts from students with similar questions about UCLA Extension. From everything I’ve gathered, I think it’s most important to stick to one place/program, and do the best you can in that program, so that’s how I’ve decided to move forward. I agree, I saw for example USC has a formal post bacc but it’s so extremely expensive, it’s immediately off the table for me. I think this extension program is a nice middle ground between being somewhat reasonably priced (compared to a lot of formal programs) and being attached to a great institution.
If you’re still undecided in a few months, feel free to check back in, I’ll probably have a better idea of what I think of the program after taking a few more courses.
Although I am a post-bacc student at UC Berkeley Extension, I couldn’t help but comment for two reasons: 1) one of my classmates is taking classes at UCLAx and 2) my BA is also in English.
Assuming all UC “Extension” campuses are the same, UCBx also allows anyone to take classes there. However, these classes are separate from the “traditional” UCB students. I didn’t want to attend a post-bacc integrated with undergrads as I wanted my classmates to have life experience. As far as I’m aware, med schools don’t look poorly on post-baccs through the extension route as many post-baccs are offered this way. UCBx is very a much a DIY program in that they don’t make you retake classes you’ve already taken and performed well in elsewhere, or make you take all classes in house. I took both semesters of bio at UDC, and didn’t have to retake it at UCBx as I got A’s both semesters. The price tag of $1000/class seems hefty, but in reality it’s less expensive than paying for classes at a 4 yr university + the associated fees 4 yr universities charge.
As another career changer with an English degree, don’t let that scare you from the sciences! I hated math, HS chem, and a college bio class for non-majors so of course I wanted nothing to do with premed subjects in undergrad. The changing points were my own patient experiences (all after college) and realizing that teaching and social work weren’t my calling. I applied to both teaching and social work programs at different points in my mid-20’s. In addition to teaching (mostly subbing with some long term gigs) and facilitating after school programs, I considered social work as I have a psychology minor and one of my career goals in college was school counseling. Both chemistry and the MCAT scared me about pursuing medicine, but I decided I wasn’t going to let these fears hold me back.
Although I have not taken the MCAT yet, my friend with a math degree from Cal has told me multiple times I’ll kick ass on the CARS section. She’s not the only person who said that, and many schools screen the hardest for that section because it’s more difficult to teach critical reading skills than science. I have been in my current position as a medical scribe for 5 months and one reason I got the job was my strong writing background. Not sure if you’re looking to get clinical experience, but I highly recommend scribing because you learn a lot about medical terminology, clinical presentations, and provider-patient communication. I work for a urologist, so I get to see a lot of office procedures I might otherwise not have seen as a pre-med. Finally, we will be able to stand out with our degrees from applicants with science degrees!
Hi! @ Futuredoc129 Your response has been insightful. I majored in music therapy, music performance, and got a psychology minor in my undergrad and am currently finishing up a masters in music psychology in England.
I’m considering a non-trad post-bacc program, but am so intimidated with the courses since I also did pretty poorly in math in high school and never took AP Bio/Chem compared to my peers. After working as a therapist, I’ve felt more called towards medicine. That high school trauma still lingers a bit and I wonder whether I am fit to do a complete career change from music to medicine.
Hi @Joy! I’m glad my response was helpful. I love music and sang in HS and college choirs. Are you a singer or do you play an instrument? The 2 AP classes I took in HS were in the humanities, so don’t let not taking AP science or math courses stop you. I hated chem in HS because of my teacher, but I’m sure the math played a role. The math was why I struggled with gen chem 2 lecture, along with my terrible instructor. Fortunately, the other 3 instructors I’ve had at UCBx are great so terrible one was the exception rather than the norm. Also, a lot of math and science instructors don’t get that not everyone understands the material as well as they do. I can relate to wondering if I am good enough to be a doctor, especially when I’m first learning challenging topics in ochem. Once you work in medical settings, you’ll learn that there’s more to being a great doctor than being book smart - being people smart is just as if not more important!
Thanks for your response! I have definitely thought about scribing. I guess my biggest question for you as a scribe is what the expectations look like. I already have a full time job, am enrolled in classes, and attend the e-shadowing sessions Dr. Gray hosts every week, so if I added scribing on top of that my hours would be really limited. Do you work part time in scribe work, or is it a full time gig for you?
I’ve heard the same about the CARS section - glad something will at least be easier than for your average pre-med!
Where are you planning on eventually applying? I’m still a few years out as I am just starting what will be a long post-bacc because of my BA.
Many scribe positions are part time, including mine. My schedule is a little different since I work in an outpatient clinic as opposed to an ED (where scribe companies like Scribe America typically place people). I scribe for a urologist 24 hrs/week (3 days) maximum, often less if he’s in surgery 1-2 of those days. I work regular business hours of 8:30 am-4:30 pm, which isn’t often the case at an ED as scribes usually have to work a certain number of night and/or weekend shifts in a given month. Another thing to keep in mind is that companies like SA pay poorly because most people use scribing as a stepping stone to med or another health professions school.
I’m not sure exactly where I’m applying as that will depend a lot on GPA and MCAT. I won’t be able to take the MCAT until early 2022 as I plan to finish my pre-reqs at the end of 2021. My overall and sci GPAs are around 3.6, which would be competitive for many DO schools and some less prestigious MD ones. I will for sure apply to DO schools as those are more open to non-trads and a little less competitive compared to MD ones.
Thank you @Futuredoc129 for your response. Being in choirs is an amazing experience! I majored in Classical piano as my primary instrument, but I also sing, play the cello, and the guitar. Thanks for the encouragement! My current choices are to take a formal, and quite rigorous post-bacc program that’s 12-14 months, or spread out my time more and take extension classes online. The former choice seems like a bigger risk, with the tuition being expensive, while the second option would require more time. I’d be going in as a non-trad career changer, so in terms of the maths/sciences, I’m a blank slate (with the expecting of a statistics and anatomy class I took in undegrad). I’m currently finishing up a Master’s in music so the figures for medical school are staggering, considering I now have both undergrad and grad school loans to consider.
The nice thing about extension classes online is that you can take as many or as few as you want/need in a given semester. I started out slowly and gradually worked my way up. In the spring, I’m taking 2 lectures and 2 labs (OChem 2 & Physics 1). I’m a little nervous about physics since I never took it ever and math is my weakness. Fortunately, the physics instructor splits the class into groups which will reduce the workload and I’m taking the same OChem instructor I had this semester who is easy. Also, the reason I gradually increased my course load is that I started working part time in June and taking more classes in a given semester meant that I could take the MCAT/apply sooner than I anticipated when I was working full time.
Most med schools (especially DO) don’t require math or they will accept stats for the math requirement. I’m sure adcoms will like that you took anatomy, provided you did well in it. I took stats my freshman year of college and hated it (but passed with a C).
I haven’t had to take out loans for UCBx classes, but if UCBx is similar to UCLAx, they won’t accept federal loans for classes since extension campuses are not degree granting universities.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences - it’s very inspiring. I’m a business major and now on my path to the journey as well.
As a non-traditional student, I found it hard to get clinical exposure. Do you mind sharing more about your scribing experience? How did you find the position? Did you have clinical exposure before scribing? Were you certified (I heard some position needs certification)?
I had a very difficult time getting clinical exposure, even when I applied for jobs while working as a medical receptionist. I think one of the issues I had was that I lived/worked near Stanford, where there’s a lot of people trying to get the same kinds of experiences I was looking for. I found my current position on Indeed and was offered the job after almost a year of job hunting. My current job was the second offer I received during that year, as I was offered another scribe job several hours before CA’s SIP went into effect. Because of the SIP, the HR person at the first job couldn’t give me a firm date as to when I would start. I didn’t want to quit without another job lined up, so I spent an additional 2.5 months applying and interviewing. I was not certified and most if not all of the scribe jobs I applied to did not require certification. I was a medical receptionist for 2 years before I started my current job so I think my already having healthcare experience played a role in why I was offered my current job.
