Hi everyone!

I graduated with a BA in philosophy, gpa ~3.2, barely took any science classes at all during that time. I'm 31 and want to switch careers.

I'm leaning towards study in Australia or NZ. I've gotten the impression from all the forums I've been on that they are considered to be very excellent programs. I also like smaller cities surrounded by nature.
After emailing a bunch of schools, they've all pretty much told me the same thing: I need the equivalent of a BSc in some kind of applied science before I'm eligible for a masters. Also, almost none of my credits from my BA are transferrable because they're all humanities related. I wish I had more direction and foresight way back when to change that, but what's done is done, amirite...

I looked at official postbacc premed programs and they don't seem to fill the requirements of a lot of the PT programs since they tend to focus on foundational bio+chem+phys above the more focused anatomy,physiology,etc prereqs that PT masters programs are asking for. Columbia postbac prePT seems to offer everything needed, but I'm not so sure I can get in.

So I've been shopping around and it seems like there are a few ways to it, all requiring complete academic reinvention (read: lots of time):
1) DIY postbacc at CC (~2yrs, cheap!) --> do super super well, network like nuts --> masters
2) accelerated BSc at avg school (ideally ~3yrs, not so cheap) --> do super well --> masters
2) Stop bitching, just do a full 2nd UG degree at the competitive school (~4yrs, pricey) --> do super well --> masters

If I were to try to save money/time by going to a community college and doing a DIY postbacc and acing that, then applying to a top PT program, would that hurt my chances of getting into a competitive PT masters vs starting off by doing a second bachelor's at a competitive school?
I'm afraid that even if I complete all the classes that I think I need in a DIY, I'll end up missing something, screwing everything up, wasting time and having nothing to show for it.

Are the really competitive/prestigious programs even worth the time/money investment? How important is the school when it comes to the teaching quality? I want to learn as much as I can to get off on a running start since I'm starting relatively late to the game, but I'm not excited to spend an extra 1-2 years at a place just so my shiny $200000 piece of paper has a name brand school on it if I can get a similar education at a cheaper, lesser known school.

Thanks for reading my rambling message -- I greatly appreciate comments, advice

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