Informal Postbac Premed Programs in California
Post-baccalaureate Premedical Programs on a Budget
Although California is expensive to live in, some of the colleges and universities are actually inexpensive, making do-it-yourself postbac premed programs financially viable for those not quite ready to stop their current career. Meanwhile, a formal postbac can cost more than $50k as a full time student in exchange for an improved chance to be admitted to medical school. Still, no formal program will guarantee admittance to medical school or give a refund if no medical school accepts the student.
There are two routes for students with a bachelor's degree who want to do premed coursework on a budget in California. One route is through the state community college system, which is very cheap, but premed courses in junior colleges are not well received by some medical schools. The other route is through the two state university systems. In both cases, students can work full time to make money while taking a part time courseload, which is not possible in a formal postbac program.
Disadvantages of an Informal Postbac
Since informal post-baccalaureate programs only involve taking classes, there is no formal support structure. The student signs up for a course, takes the course, and gets a grade. There is no counseling for students or support structure for postbac premed students applying to medical school. Meanwhile, some formal postbac programs have acceptance rates to medical school that exceed 90% with full support and free MCAT preparation.
Many formal postbac programs have linkages to medical schools that informal programs lack. Linkages allow students in a postbac program to be accepted to medical school before all postbac program requirements have been completed. This way, a student can enter medical school immediately upon completion of the postbac premed program without waiting an extra year for medical school admissions applications (also known as the Glide Year). Some programs with linkages include Goucher College, Tufts University, and John Hopkins University.
California Community College
At $20 per semester unit for in-state residents, California community colleges are among the cheapest in the United States. The cost of a textbook is often more than the cost of the class. Since community colleges accept almost everybody, it's possible to pre-register for the popular biological science courses needed for medical school. Because some medical schools do not trust the rigor of community college courses, a high MCAT score along with upper division work at a four year university is often needed to counteract this.
CSU Postbac
All California State University (CSU) campuses allow enrollment by the general public on a space available basis in a program called Open University. With Open University, postbac students have the lowest priority and cannot pre-register for a course. If there are any spaces after all matriculated students have had a chance to enroll during the first day of class, the instructor can then accept Open University students.
Bypassing Open University by being admitted to a CSU campus with a bachelor's degree is not easy anymore. Many CSU campuses no longer accept second baccalaureate students due to state budget cuts, therefore Open University is the only way for those with a bachelor's degree to enroll at many CSU campuses.
UC Postbac
At nearly all University of California (UC) campuses, enrollment of non-matriculated students is done through UC Extension. Just like with Open University, all matriculated UC students must have had a chance to enroll during the first day of class before the instructor can accept any UC Extension students.
UC campuses generally do not admit students in second baccalaureate status, but a few campuses such as UCSF, UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, UC Riverside, and UC Irvine have small, but highly competitive UC postbac premed programs. UC postbac programs are for disadvantaged students from communities that are underserved by healthcare.
There are many choices when it comes to taking premed courses, especially in California. It is up to each student to weigh the advantages and disadvantages, especially given the trade off between medical school admissions chances and cost.
Readers who are interested in this article are often also interested in reading about Post-Baccalaureate Premed Programs and MCAT Preparation for Premeds. Career changers may also be interested in California Nursing School Prerequisites.
Goal of a Post-Baccalaureate Premed
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