New York Postbacc - advice for someone limited due to health & finances

[melcs13]

Background: 4.0 GPA as a psychology (neuroscience concentration) and journalism major at a SUNY school. Already completed a couple of science courses, i.e. GenChem I and Genetics. I am 29 and have 8 years of clinical research and shadowing experience in immunology, epigenetics, and neuroscience (at Columbia, Mount Sinai, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering).

I live in Bayside, Queens, NY and I am limited in options due to finances and pretty time-consuming/debilitating personal health issues/being disabled. I cannot drive, so staying close to home and/or finding a good commute is the best option. I am very much a perfectionist, and maybe it's not as important as I'm making it out to be, but I would like to get into a top 20 med school. I am not sure how much the name of the postbacc institution matters in this case. I am looking at the following options:

-CUNY Queens College DIY postbacc (good flexibility, very close to home, just completed calc there with an A+, but no committee letter and not sure if the name will be looked down upon by med schools). I am honestly most concerned about the name, as I hear more about CCNY and Hunter as the "better" CUNY science schools. I believe I can study on my own and do well on the MCAT no matter where I go, so I'm not sure if this is an incorrect way of thinking.

-CUNY City College formal postbacc (good new structured program, a bit of a commute but not too long, and I think I’d have to retake gen chem even though I got an A).

-CUNY Hunter informal postbacc (annoying commute, large class sizes, but I've heard the quality of education and pre-med support are great)

-Fordham formal postbacc (on their website it says they offer more financial aid - $12,500 per year - compared to other private postbaccs in NY)

-NYU formal postbacc (good linkages, committee letter, not too far of a commute, but very expensive, although the med school, which I could potentially link into, is free).

-Adelphi or Hofstra (avoidance of having to trek to Manhattan, but expensive to get to because I don't drive, and I haven't heard much about either program).

Any insight would he appreciated! Thank you.

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[deleted1112122]

I can't speak to the specifics of your goal of getting into a top-20 Med school but I can speak to my personal decision making around NYC post baccs. Questions I asked myself that may help you decide:

1. What is my timeline?
2. What is my financial position?
3. What is the difference between types of programs?
4. Am I someone who needs a formal program to succeed?

After asking those questions and doing a great deal of research here/reddit, I ended up choosing a DIY post bacc with CUNY. Been able to epermit (i.e. audit) classes at different campuses with ease, which as someone who has been maintaining a fulltime job, has been crucial to my schedule making.

As for which CUNY school is best, I had heard the same thing about CCNY and Hunter—I've epermitted post bacc classes at both these schools ....and based on my limited experience, "best" does not really matter if you're just doing pre-reqs a freshmen/sophomore would normally take.

I am not an admissions expert, but if you get an amazing mcat score and great post bac gpa, why would they care where you did your post bacc?

Sounds like money and proximity are the chief concerns of yours, the CUNY route will by far be the cheapest, esp since it sounds like you have 9-10 credits already knocked out. Plus Queens College is next door.

 

[housestaffhustle]

I didn't do a postbacc, but I think I can maybe help provide some context. If your end goal is to be a physician, I wouldn't focus too much on the the "name" of the program. If you eventually want to apply to a competitive specialty (ex. neurosurgery) after medical school, being at a name brand program will certainly help, but there are plenty of specialties out there and the program you came from won't be the be-all-end-all for your application (ex. apply internal medicine, which is less competitive, then work really hard in residency and apply for cardiology, for example, which is more competitive). Being a big fish in a small pond may actually work out to your benefit. It may be easier to stand out, get honors on rotations, and get into the AOA honor society in medical school, setting you up for success when applying for residency. Bottom line is, if you work hard and are a top performer in your medical school (brand name or not) you'll have a good chance at being successful later on.

That being said, getting into medical is the first and most challenging hurdle of your medical career. From the stats you listed it seems like you have the work ethic to succeed wherever you end up and which postbacc program you select will come down to cost and convenience. Having a linkage program will be beneficial and if I were in your position I would consider NYU highly for that benefit and the possibility of attending medical school for free. Definitely would recommend trying to limit the debt your accrue throughout your medical career, but Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is an option and people have been successful with getting their loans forgiven with good bookkeeping. Limiting debt as much as possible, of course, would point you to CUNY, which again you could be highly successful with.

Another thought - Have you tried to get in touch with the faculty you worked with at Columbia, Mount Sinai, and MSK? They may not be directly tied to a postbacc program or medical school but they may know people who are. If you made a good impression, they may be able help in ways you haven't anticipated.

Best of luck!

 

[Goro]

Background: 4.0 GPA as a psychology (neuroscience concentration) and journalism major at a SUNY school. Already completed a couple of science courses, i.e. GenChem I and Genetics. I am 29 and have 8 years of clinical research and shadowing experience in immunology, epigenetics, and neuroscience (at Columbia, Mount Sinai, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering).

I live in Bayside, Queens, NY and I am limited in options due to finances and pretty time-consuming/debilitating personal health issues/being disabled. I cannot drive, so staying close to home and/or finding a good commute is the best option. I am very much a perfectionist, and maybe it's not as important as I'm making it out to be, but I would like to get into a top 20 med school. I am not sure how much the name of the postbacc institution matters in this case. I am looking at the following options:

-CUNY Queens College DIY postbacc (good flexibility, very close to home, just completed calc there with an A+, but no committee letter and not sure if the name will be looked down upon by med schools). I am honestly most concerned about the name, as I hear more about CCNY and Hunter as the "better" CUNY science schools. I believe I can study on my own and do well on the MCAT no matter where I go, so I'm not sure if this is an incorrect way of thinking.

-CUNY City College formal postbacc (good new structured program, a bit of a commute but not too long, and I think I’d have to retake gen chem even though I got an A).

-CUNY Hunter informal postbacc (annoying commute, large class sizes, but I've heard the quality of education and pre-med support are great)

-Fordham formal postbacc (on their website it says they offer more financial aid - $12,500 per year - compared to other private postbaccs in NY)

-NYU formal postbacc (good linkages, committee letter, not too far of a commute, but very expensive, although the med school, which I could potentially link into, is free).

-Adelphi or Hofstra (avoidance of having to trek to Manhattan, but expensive to get to because I don't drive, and I haven't heard much about either program).

Any insight would he appreciated! Thank you.

No one will care where you do your postbac, only that you do very well in it.

Will your health issues affect being in med school??

 

[melcs13]

No one will care where you do your postbac, only that you do very well in it.

Will your health issues affect being in med school??

While it's difficult to balance things and takes a toll on my health, I'm still able to do it. I maintained a 4.0 in college while having this condition (it's genetic, and not new). I have an eidetic memory which helps with studying. The only thing I've heard will be difficult is residency because I need a reasonable amount of sleep, but I guess I'll have to sacrifice some of my well-being because I'm not going to sacrifice my goal. The short answer is - yes, my condition will affect me, but not enough to avoid going.

 

[darkeon]

I'm from the CUNY system (various campuses). Do Queens. You won't be racing to get a seat in a class and frankly it's a more pleasant environment.

 

[10-13]

I did the postbacc at Hofstra. It's not a formal program and there was a lot of DIY - but support was there, and you do get a committee letter, if you do well enough.

I am from Fresh Meadows, so I understand the distance to Hotstra may be difficult if you don't drive. I would do Queens College if I were in your shoes.

I just got admitted this cycle and no one asked about where I did my post-bacc. Just do as well as you can. Save money, and save a headache of a commute.