I am also currently in the program and I wanted to echo much of what was already said. There is not much of any support. We are not complaining that they don't hold weekly sessions with us and hold our hands and highlight what we need to know. No one in the program expects or expected to be coddled. It is just hard to estimate the rigor of the courses at the medical school level until you are there. There were also some changes in some of the syllabi that happened that were not well communicated (issues with certain instructors that are not necessarily specific to this program [as in could happen anywhere but they did...]). When my colleague was trying to point out that you cannot recover, they are referring to the fact that there are several courses where poor performance on one exam can make it near impossible to end the course strong (again not unique to this program but something to make sure you are aware of when courses start). No one is here trying to scare you away or tell you not to enroll. For many people, it turns out to be beneficial as there numbers likely excluded them from consideration to MD program. For others it has done more of a disservice. I am confident there are other programs out there that are disorganized and feel more sink and swim like than supportive. It is far more common than one thinks.
If you do struggle, it is hard to get support, as there is very little to find. It is largely how the post bacc programs that are based on medical school courses at Drexel are run. The IMS program also had many students leave after the fall, and they also take courses alongside us that are based on the medical school curriculum, many of them with much higher base stats (incoming GPA/MCAT) then students in the DPMS program so you may assume they would do better. Your grades are largely based on a handful of exams, with one exam carrying a disproportionate weight of your total average, and face time with instructors is hard to come by. It is also near impossible to review past exams, but this is likely not something exclusive to this program, but a larger medical school policy. The medical school courses are streams of the actual classes. The faculty that teach the courses also have several responsibilities that they must juggle, far more than they had at my different undergraduate institutions. They are medical school faculty, many of them are phenomenal lecturers, but med student teachers first and foremost. Their time is valuable and very limited. DPMS is part of the other post bac system at Drexel. the general organization leaves much to be desired across many of the programs. If you don't believe me look up their SDN forums...
If you do get in and enroll, do the best you can and hope for the best, that is really all you can do.
Do I regret coming here, no - but it is still a gamble I decided to take. I bet on myself as we all are doing here on SDN. My GPA was low so I was going to take classes regardless. Attrition this year has been higher than usual. Just know this is not a post bac program (or the IMS program!) where it is common to end the year with a very high GPA. Again, not saying it is not possible. There are a handful of students that I believe are 3.7 + but over a 1/3 of our program has already knows they will not make it (I am being conservative). The medical school admission committee decides who to accept into the program, and are likely staffed by faculty that are involved with the general medical school admissions. They are putting medical school seats up, it only makes sense that they decide who they may offer them to. Hopefully, this year has been a learning experience for them and will result in improvements for you guys.
If you feel that you have a story to tell that can explain your background and why you believe you may be disadvantaged - apply. If you are not sure - apply. If you are - apply. Let the admission committee decide if you should be a member of the next incoming class, then decide for yourself AFTER you get in if it is what you want to do. You can be of any group (racially/ethnically/combination of them) and from anywhere and still be disadvantaged, it is not my place or anyone else's to tell you otherwise. I understand that you may not want to spend the money or the time preparing for and sending an application that will not result in anything, but you should have enough of an idea if you may have a chance or not - especially if you went to an info session and got the fee waiver. If you are so uncertain that you do not apply, you have decided for yourself that the program is not for you.
If you have a high GPA and a low MCAT, please re-evaluate whether you need a post bac (any post bac not just DPMS)... A MCAT class (or another one if you already took one) and a few months off where you study full time will yield more for your application than more classes of (potentially) great grades and save you months of stress in the process. More good grades does not address the fact that you have shown yourself to be a weak test taker. Address your weaknesses, but that is my humble opinion.
If you are wondering, everyone who is currently in the program who has posted are not bitter people who were not able to make contract. I will not say any names but I know for a fact that some people who will matriculate posted here. You can do well and not be happy. No one is bitter to be frank, it just seems that some of you may not believe it (which at the end of the day is not our problem...). Some students had challenges in their own lives that pulled them in different directions. Life happens, school happens, bad things happen to good people. Some were overwhelmed academically and could not find any support, you cannot make a blanket judgment for why someone does not succeed - that's the whole basis of this program existing in the first place.
I kind of typed everything all at once so sorry if its all over the place. Good luck to everyone else that is applying. Do the best you can in any program that accepts you that you choose to enroll and hope for the best. Even the worst program out there can potentially help you get where you want to be. We just don't want anyone to enroll and be surprised - that is all. We want everyone who gets into make it to DUCOM.
TL;DR this program is very hard, everyone does not make it but some will. Wait until you actually get in to decide if you are coming... and Good Luck!
