Hey,
Is anyone here in the bay area? I am interested in peoples experience with the different post-bacc programs/options (UCB extension, cc, SF State, Cal State Hayward, Mills, etc.)
Thanks!
Hey CaliGirl,
I’m from the Bay Area (born and raised in San Jose), currently living in Stockton but will be moving back to the Bay Area this summer. I have not offically begun my Post-Bacc program yet. I will be attending this coming Fall. Currently accepted to CSU East Bay (Hayward) and is waiting to hear back from SFSU. So I don’t have first hand experience yet but does have a really good idea of how they operate.
Here’s my take on them:
SFSU:
-Formal Post Bacc for Career Changer or Enhancer
-Been around for 6 years
-Solid support staff
-Application is more time consuming
-Tight community within program
-At $600 per unit, isn’t the cheapest but is fair. Does offer open university which is non-formal approach which is much cheaper. However, student loans only available in formal program.
-Semester system, Formal PB starts in the Summer, usually allows some transfers in Fall or Spring.
-Classes are guaranteed in formal PB.
CSU East Bay
-Formal Post Bacc for Career Changer or Enhancer
-Much newer, been around about 3 years. Fairly similar support as SFSU, in fact SFSU director helped put CSU East Bay program together. So they should also have a good supporting staff.
-Prices similar to SFSU
-Growing program and community
-Is on a quarter system which is 11 weeks and is much faster than a semester system.
-Classes are guaranteed.
Mills College:
-Formal Post Bacc for career changer and ennhancer
-Program has been around for a long time, nearly 30 years I think.
-Linkage programs to actual Med Schools (don’t remember which ones)
-Very expensive, about 3 times the cost of SFSU or CSU East Bay
-Tougher admissions process.
UC Berkeley Ext:
-Non formal
-Cost a little more than SFSU and CSU East Bay but is still cheaper than Mills College.
-Not really supportive structure, kind of on your own with no true advisor
-Offers UCB prestige???
-Flexible with classes, but classes are not guaranteed.
-May have some unofficial linkages, does offer another program upon completion of post bacc where students do a 5 year med school joint program with UCSF where students spend 5 years split between berkeley and UCSF medical school.
Things to consider:
Cost, not just the program but living expenses. Bay Area is expensive, San Francisco is insanely expensive. The East Bay might be slightly cheaper. Luckily, the Bay Area is perfect for commuting because you have access to all sorts of transportation methods and can live at cheaper locations.
Community, do you want a support group? Fellow classmates that are in the same program is very beneficial. Being in a non-competitive community is something I look for. The last thing you want is to compete with your classmates for the highest grade in the class. Then again, people might view this differently. I know SFSU and CSU East Bay promotes a non-competitive atmosphere, not sure about the others.
Semester vs Quarter:
Are you familiar with each system? They have their own pros and cons. Some people aren’t able to adjust when making the switch. Usually easier to go from Quarter to Semester but a little tougher when switching from Semester to Quarter.
San Francisco vs Oakland (Berkeley, Mills, Hayward):
Culture is fairly the same with both regions being very diverse. So if anyone is familiar with the Bay Area, know that you will run into probably every single ethnic group you can think of. Be culturally sensitive if you know what I mean. SF maybe a lot more liberal but Oakland isn’t far behind. Don’t be caught being a 49er fan in Oakland and vice versa in San Francisco as a Raider fan (just kidding but I have heard stories)
Berkeley is more of a college town I think. Hayward more of a commuter town, most people that attend CSU East Bay, are from the nearby cities.
There’s more stuff but I can’t seem to think of anything at the moment. Feel free to ask any questions.
-Cliff