Hi @rarariss!
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!