Pay for a Certificate-granting post-bacc @ a UC or informal Cal state?

Nontraditional Premed Discussion
1

Hi friends,


I have the option of enrolling in UC Berkeley’s newly established certificate-granting Pre-Medical Post-Bacc program or of enrolling in a relatively inexpensive, INFORMAL post-bac program at Cal State Long Beach, closer to home. What are your thoughts on obtaining a certificate from a UC or of just doing this informally through a state school? Would having that certificate from a UC make a world of difference? What would you do?


Thank you very much!


Pauline

2

Certificates don’t make a world of difference. Since they’re both universities go where you’ll get taught the best. I would opt for the less expensive route since applying for med school and med school are expensive enough.

3

I concur that the certificate is unlikely to make a significant difference in applying to med school. Is the Berkley program offering anything else that might make their program worth the other cost? (smaller classes, advising assistance, MCAT study groups/assistance, LOR help, etc.)

4
  • Emergency! Said:
I concur that the certificate is unlikely to make a significant difference in applying to med school. Is the Berkley program offering anything else that might make their program worth the other cost? (smaller classes, advising assistance, MCAT study groups/assistance, LOR help, etc.)



They are, but the state school has a Pre-Health advising office as well. Thanks, Crooz and Emergency, for your input - I think I'll opt for the state school, even though it's informal. I would be paying an extra couple of thousand dollars for that UC certificate. At the state school, each semester runs about $1700 (you can take up to four classes per semester). At Berkeley, it's about $1500 for ONE chem class and its associated lab.

So as long as these post-bacc classes are taken at a 4-year university, it doesn't matter whether it's a UC or a Cal State?
5
  • etc1007 Said:
  • Emergency! Said:
I concur that the certificate is unlikely to make a significant difference in applying to med school. Is the Berkley program offering anything else that might make their program worth the other cost? (smaller classes, advising assistance, MCAT study groups/assistance, LOR help, etc.)



They are, but the state school has a Pre-Health advising office as well. Thanks, Crooz and Emergency, for your input - I think I'll opt for the state school, even though it's informal. I would be paying an extra couple of thousand dollars for that UC certificate. At the state school, each semester runs about $1700 (you can take up to four classes per semester). At Berkeley, it's about $1500 for ONE chem class and its associated lab.

So as long as these post-bacc classes are taken at a 4-year university, it doesn't matter whether it's a UC or a Cal State?



I would definitely opt for the lower cost program. And correct, it would not matter whether it was the UC or Cal State for your post-bac.

Kris
6

I agree with the above–UNLESS your previous undergraduate institution was absolutely unknown and/or you did poorly there. If either of those are true you could consider the marginal benefit of UC vs Cal State. That said, I was a UC Santa Cruz graduate, went to SF State (ie also a CSU school) for informal post-bac, and then had great acceptances to choose from. The biggest factors will be making sure your grades are good wherever you go (more important than where you go); getting a decent MCAT (I know, no duh); and then the less obvious but equally important factor of having a story to tell about who you are and why you’re doing this, and having other experiences besides going to school and taking a test. Lots of posts here about this latter part.


Good luck!


joe