Drexel IMS 2014-2015

[gandalf1]

I haven't seen this thread yet so I thought I would start one! As of now, this is where I will be heading this fall. Anyone else? I hear a mix of negative and positive comments on this school, so I'm still a little unsure myself, but I'm thinking that doing really well in this program should help greatly no matter where we apply.

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[YourMD]

I will be applying to this program. I'm interested of what negative comments you've heard regarding this program. Everything I heard has been positive.

 

[doktorcardinal]

I will be applying to this program. I'm interested of what negative comments you've heard regarding this program. Everything I heard has been positive.

One such review I remember is a former student from the IMS class a few years back.. I think 2010? Summary is that even though he was the top performing student he wasn't able to get into the Drexel med after the interview. He eventually got into another med school few years later but he does not think IMS program helped much in this respect. As with everything said on this forum, take everything with a grain of salt.

 

[doktorcardinal]

I just wanted to write some background information on pros and cons of this program. I was a recent graduate of the IMS program within the last 3 years, successfully completing it with over a 3.8 gpa. There are some great things about this program, but then there are some not so great things about this program, and I just wanted to write a full review of it. Just to be very clear, these are my opinions based on my observations.

Let's start with the pros:
The program itself is a great idea. You get to take medical school classes, albeit through a projector, but you ARE indeed learning the material before you get into medical school, so by the time you go, you should be even better the second time around. Some may say this is a con, because it's a waste of tuition money to learn things twice, but I would say it's better to learn something twice, and knock it out of the park the second time when it really matters.

You're also being compared to Drexel's own medical school students. The way the grading scheme works is that if you get the median medical school score, you score a B in IMS. The A range is basically honors level if you were at Drexel med. In other words, if you get a straight 3.0 across the board, you were the average medical school at Drexel. Obviously you want to do better than that though, because they're taking a couple classes that you're not, such as anatomy (a real tough one) and genetics. But the great thing is that in theory, if you do extremely well in this program, you can say that you basically would be one of the top medical students at Drexel.

Lastly, some of the people are just phenomenal. Christy Streeper is one of the most dedicated people I know, and she puts a lot of effort into trying to get you in the best position to apply for medical school. I highly suggest getting to know her. Plus she's always got candy in her office that you're free to take.


And to the cons:
While the ideas are great, for some reason the actual results in my opinion are not that good. The people from my year who got interviews and acceptances at other schools besides Drexel are those who did well in the program, but ALSO came in with a pretty decent GPA already (like 3.6, 3.7ish). I had a decent GPA from an Ivy league school, I did not receive that many interviews despite doing phenomenally in the program. At Drexel, I was waitlisted with a >3.8 gpa, as was the valedictorian of our class. Eventually I received a rejection and had to reapply the next year, where I was not even extended an interview, perhaps because I did not do the MMS program. But I think it speaks volumes about a school if you can excel in a program supposedly built to funnel great students into the med school, and then not even be considered after you outperform the med school's own students. I believe many of my classmates feel the same way after experiencing the same thing. Now I am in medical school, but I believe it is more due to my efforts before and after the IMS program than anything else.

To summarize, I think the program itself is a great idea, and I think it could potentially bring a lot of great students into Drexel's medical school. It's a great program if you want to get a sense of what the medical school curriculum is like, and if you can perform well in medical school. It's also got some really friendly, helpful people. However, if you are only doing it because you think this will boost your chances at medical school by a significant amount, I would suggest a different program. Having applied three times, I saw very little change from my first application to my second application with 1 semester of grades, to my third application with a full year's grades, and most of the schools I interviewed at were more interested in the activity I did after IMS, and a bit dismissive of my performance in the program.


Other notes for people interested in the program:
It is not that difficult to get a 3.0 across the board. Yes it will be challenging material. Yes you will need to work hard. But if you sit down and seriously put in the effort, don't waste your time throughout the day, and keep in mind that this is a do-or-die situation (if you do well, you might get a shot at med school, if you do poorly it's basically a nail in the coffin) then you will succeed. As I said, I had above a 3.8 GPA, and I still did my fair share of partying and going out, albeit mostly after tests.
The average day in the program varies student to student. I tried to go to every class, but knowing myself, that always starts out great but then fades. This is the case with most people, I feel like. Classes are usually packed in the beginning of the program, and then becomes like 10 people sitting in a huge class at the end. The trick is, if you DO decide not to go to class, you HAVE to keep up with the lectures. I skipped most classes, but mostly because I just didn't feel like waking up and walking there. You can also watch the lectures at home at 1.5 or 2x speed. Much of the time I'd still wake up and watch the lectures the same day, or go to the library and do the work.

good luck everyone on the path to medical school! keep trying, you'll get there one day!

here you go

 

[loltopsy]

Eh. I disagree with a lot that guy said. I had a terrible undergrad GPA and finished IMS with a similar GPA to his. I was accepted and nearly everyone else who made the cutoffs did too. Basically, if you screw up the interview, I'm sure it hurts you a lot. I'm guessing that guy did something to that effect or the rest of his app was just terrible (no volunteering/shadowing, some red flags, etc).

I used to think that IMS was pretty much med school minus a bit of classes but actual first year is much harder. There's way more things to take up your time and more classes than just genetics and gross anatomy he mentions.

However, IMS is, in my opinion, harder than actual med school because it's probably going to be the most stressful year of your life. It's crazy knowing that literally every point matters. As an M1 right now, I'm pretty much coasting by and still doing quite well. I'm pretty sure I study way less than most of my classmates.

 

[gandalf1]

Yep I saw that review. In general though, whenever people talk about the best SMPs to attend, Drexel is not often on the lists and is probably purposefully emitted rather than just forgotten. That's just an assumption since the Drexel program is well known and has been around for so long. But hopefully that's just because other SMPs get more attention! @loltopsy I'm glad to hear Drexel worked out for you.

 

[doktorcardinal]

From my research, I feel that the biggest issue with drexel is that it has one of the largest class sizes, and is not very selective with their admissions process (which probably translates to less individual care).

Drexel's class size is larger than RFU's but doesn't have nearly as many students that go into the host medical school. While SMPs like UCinny shoot for the stars and try to get 100% of their students into medical school, Drexel sees weeding out as part of the process, which they don't really seem to lose out from since students would have already paid for a semesters worth of tuition.

I talked to current students from Drexel, and they said a large portion of the incoming IMSers drop by the end of fall quarter and only a fraction of the class actually qualified for the interview (gpa requirement 3.0... which was really surprising because 3.0 is not a competitive SMP gpa at all)

So, my conclusion is. If you are SURE, like really SURE you can rock this, then this is the school for you.. don't waste money and become the portion that don't even meet the GPA requirement for the interview. (But then again, who goes in paying $10k + for a semester thinking they won't do well).

For above reason, it is kind of hard to "recommend" this program to just anyone.

 

[mlsmith16]

As a current MMS student (at the Sacramento campus), I can give you my personal experience from the program.

The Drexel IMS program is definitely not your typical post-bacc program. I've had friends who've enrolled in more traditional programs where they take gen chem, bio, o chem, labs, etc. This program is not that - which is precisely why I was interested in it. I had already taken all of the required (and some of the recommended) pre-med courses. I had done well in some and not so well in the others, but I wasn't left in a position where I could just retake those pre-med courses. I was looking for a program that would supplement my undergrad coursework and prove that I could handle med school work.

The IMS program allows you to do exactly that. You take a majority of the 1st year DUCOM course load. You are graded based on the mean of the med school class (our IMS group took pride in beating the med school means). It was a great opportunity for me to 1)reinforce that I truly do want to go to med school and become a physician, 2)prove to myself and to adcoms that I can handle med school, 3)earn an interview to DUCOM.

I said earn for a reason - it is not easy to earn the guaranteed interview. A previous poster mentioned the requirements for getting the guaranteed interview ("gpa requirement 3.0... which was really surprising because 3.0 is not a competitive SMP gpa at all"). That's not quite right, however. You are required to earn at least a B in every course and must take the full course load, including the optional courses (immunology and nutrition). Many of the students in my class (class size about 22) had above (some well above) a 3.0 gpa. However, they did not qualify for the guaranteed interview because they received less than a B (yes, B- is less than a B) in 1 course. We had 3 people qualify for the interview during the IMS year: 2 got in and 1 chose to defer his/her interview til this year (he/she wanted to do the MMS year and earn a master's degree). A few others from our class got in to other med schools (MDs and DOs) after IMS year, and the rest of us continued into the MMS year. For those of us that applied during MMS year, I believe we all ended up receiving interviews to DUCOM, as well as other schools. Thus, it seems that DUCOM is very respectful of the fact that even if you didn't meet the requirements for the guaranteed interview during IMS year, if you do well in the program overall, and continue to work hard, you will likely be rewarded with an interview.

The program is not perfect - I'm not sure any post-baccs/SMPs are. However, many of the issues I encountered had to do with being in Sacramento instead of Philly (and there has been some improvement, so they seem open to our comments and suggestions). Also, the program seems to be more well known by adcoms on the east coast, but we're trying to get it known out here on the west. And, as a previous poster mentioned, this program is not easy. It is med school work.

For me, it was the right choice. I'm very glad to have done the program, and I'm excited to be receiving my master's degree this spring. Take my information with a grain of salt: I have not been accepted to med school yet. But, I did receive 3 interviews (that's 3 more than I had in my previous application cycles), and am eagerly awaiting decisions.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[doktorcardinal]

I said earn for a reason - it is not easy to earn the guaranteed interview. A previous poster mentioned the requirements for getting the guaranteed interview ("gpa requirement 3.0... which was really surprising because 3.0 is not a competitive SMP gpa at all"). That's not quite right, however. You are required to earn at least a B in every course and must take the full course load, including the optional courses (immunology and nutrition).

Thank you for that correction. Now I remember that it is correct, somehow I translated all B requirement as GPA 3.0, but it makes sense how that would be harder.

 

[mlsmith16]

Thank you for that correction. Now I remember that it is correct, somehow I translated all B requirement as GPA 3.0, but it makes sense how that would be harder.

Honestly, I was very confused about this at first also.

 

[loltopsy]

People do drop out after 1 semester, but that's a relatively small number. Most people just drop a few classes and focus on those, which does exclude you from guaranteed interview.

140 enter in the fall, ~20 drop out, 70 apply that cycle, ~15-30 make the guarantee or don't make the guarantee but Drexel interviews them anyway. I know of quite a few that got in despite having a B-. It's not 100%, but I found they tend to be lenient depending on how many spots they have open.

If you get an interview and don't screw it up (it happens when someone doesn't follow obvious directions), then they accept you. That has been my experience to date.

 

[gandalf1]

Wow only 3 qualified for the interview? How many were in your class @mlsmith16 ?

 

[mlsmith16]

Wow only 3 qualified for the interview? How many were in your class @mlsmith16 ?

The Sacramento class is much smaller than the Philly class. My IMS class was only about 22 people, whereas the Philly class can be around 150 people. 13 of us continued to MMS year, and I believe 7 out of 7 who applied this year got interviewed (though I can't say for sure).

 

[mlsmith16]

The Sacramento class is much smaller than the Philly class. My IMS class was only about 22 people, whereas the Philly class can be around 150 people. 13 of us continued to MMS year, and I believe 7 out of 7 who applied this year got interviewed (though I can't say for sure).

I should also say that not all of the 22 took the full course load, so they were automatically disqualified from the interview. I think there were less than 15 Sacramento IMS students in my immunology class.

 

[KDneuro]

Hey everyone, I just got accepted into the IMS program in Philly and to be totally honest I feel like I might barf! I applied to med schools this past cycle and didnt get any interviews, so I applied for post-bacs: Drexel IMS, Temple ACMS, and medical masters at EVMS. I have a 3.1 cGPA and a 27 MCAT. I'd like to get into medical school within the next couple years, but what I'm concerned about is whether I'll be able to get into a med school right after the IMS year or if I'll have to continue on to the MMS program. Is this determined only by my success in the IMS program? I guess I'm just not sure if the IMS program is really going to be a two-year thing (which I'm fine with) or if I should be more focused on a post-bac that is definitely only a 1-year program. Any info/comments would be appreciated!

 

[mlsmith16]

Hey everyone, I just got accepted into the IMS program in Philly and to be totally honest I feel like I might barf! I applied to med schools this past cycle and didnt get any interviews, so I applied for post-bacs: Drexel IMS, Temple ACMS, and medical masters at EVMS. I have a 3.1 cGPA and a 27 MCAT. I'd like to get into medical school within the next couple years, but what I'm concerned about is whether I'll be able to get into a med school right after the IMS year or if I'll have to continue on to the MMS program. Is this determined only by my success in the IMS program? I guess I'm just not sure if the IMS program is really going to be a two-year thing (which I'm fine with) or if I should be more focused on a post-bac that is definitely only a 1-year program. Any info/comments would be appreciated!

I can really only comment on the Drexel program:
In my opinion, in order for the program to really impact your application, you'd have to complete IMS year and then apply (obviously this would not be true if you receive the guaranteed interview at DUCOM and matriculate there after IMS year). I entered the IMS program with a 3.2 cGPA, 3.04 sGPA, 31 MCAT, and I felt I needed to have finished the coursework in order for the program to actually mean something to adcoms. It would be my guess that even programs that are designed to only be 1 year would have greater significance once you can show your grades from the program. I'm by no means an expert on applying to med school, but I've certainly been through the ringer a few times.

 

[KDneuro]

I can really only comment on the Drexel program:
In my opinion, in order for the program to really impact your application, you'd have to complete IMS year and then apply (obviously this would not be true if you receive the guaranteed interview at DUCOM and matriculate there after IMS year). I entered the IMS program with a 3.2 cGPA, 3.04 sGPA, 31 MCAT, and I felt I needed to have finished the coursework in order for the program to actually mean something to adcoms. It would be my guess that even programs that are designed to only be 1 year would have greater significance once you can show your grades from the program. I'm by no means an expert on applying to med school, but I've certainly been through the ringer a few times.

I think I would need to wait until after I complete the program to show that I can do well. Did you go into the second year MMS program? I'm not sure how much it would benefit me to do the second year if I apply after the IMS year. Is MMS more of something that IMSers do just to fill their gap year? Or does it carry extra weight to actually get the masters degree?

 

[mlsmith16]

I think I would need to wait until after I complete the program to show that I can do well. Did you go into the second year MMS program? I'm not sure how much it would benefit me to do the second year if I apply after the IMS year. Is MMS more of something that IMSers do just to fill their gap year? Or does it carry extra weight to actually get the masters degree?

You can read more in one of my previous posts above, but to answer your question, yes, I am currently finishing my MMS year (at the Sacramento campus). Most of us who did not get into med school right after IMS year (or didn't apply other than to DUCOM), did come back for MMS year. 1) DUCOM does look favorably upon those students who do well in the program (even if they didn't quite qualify for the guaranteed interview) and return for MMS year. 2)If we were going to have a gap year, we might as well come out of it with a master's degree. 3) For people without a lot of research experience (I had plenty), the 2nd year is mainly geared towards that, with some 2nd year med courses mixed in.

Please let me know if I can answer any other questions.

 

[jxpham]

Wow. Other smp threads have so much activities. Lol I am nervous about this program now

 

[jackbauer29]

Hey. I just got accepted into the IMS program and I'm really excited about it!
I just wanted to ask if someone could give give me some general info about life in Philadelphia for someone who has never been there and hasn't experienced life in a big city.
What are the good places to live in on or off campus and where do students usually get their groceries and what not?
Thanks in advance!

 

[ryanc6060]

how long ago did you apply?

 

[jackbauer29]

About 3 weeks ago

how long ago did you apply?

 

[ryanc6060]

Yeah I was about a week ago. Are you going to live there, davis or where you do now and stream the lectures?

 

[jackbauer29]

I'm planning on Philadelphia. What about you?

 

[ryanc6060]

sacramento more than likely

 

[heparingtt]

I have a few questions about applying to this program --
Is it too late to apply now? Also, for the essay questions that ask about your extracurriculars, etc, did you guys write them in essay format or listed your experiences with a brief description?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[jackbauer29]

Hey. I don't think it's too late to apply.
I just listed mine with a small description and duration along with each one.
Good luck!

 

[tomz1385]

Feel free to PM me any questions if you can't find the answer to it in any threads and you don't want to post here. I did the Sacramento IMS/MMS program 3 years ago. I'll be an MS2 at Drexel after this month - so I can field questions about DUCOM too.

 

[CooIBreeze]

I was recently accepted to the Philadelphia program and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations in reference to housing. Should I look for an apartment (if so, where is the best area) or do they have student housing for IMS?

 

[type12]

Are the sacremento and philly apps separate? Like, can you apply to both?

 

[airix]

Hello,

I was recently accepted to this program: Drexel IMS for Sacramento and I was wondering what is the current consensus on this program. I have seen mixed reviews through these forums and I am trying to take it with a grain of salt; however, it is making me hesitant to committing to this program. I have a 3.0x cumulative gpa and 31 mcat and my end goal is to attend an MD program, ideally without a gap year. My extracurriculars, personal statement, letter of recommendation, clinical experience and shadowing are all relatively strong.

I have also applied to several other schools: Waitlisted at Georgetown and EVMS; Have not heard back from: Loyola, Tufts, Toledo, University of Cincinnati, and VCU. I know I should wait for the other responses, but when I called the admissions office, they mentioned that the results may not come until after the date I have to pay my deposit for Drexel.

So my two questions are this:

1) Would the Drexel IMS be of benefit for me to reach my end goal, and has the program somehow changed in the past few years? I would love to be able to talk to students in this past cycle or so, especially those in the Sacramento program because I am not sure if it is a drawback to be living in CA vs. PA.

2) If one were to rank all of my programs I applied to, what would the best to worse program be for my situation. I have done a lot of research in all the programs and quite frankly I am not sure which is the best fit for me. It seems like with any program I plan to pursue, there is a huge risk factor, most notably because of my below average GPA and average MCAT.

Thanks for your time!

 

[mlsmith16]

airix - I am finishing my MMS year at Sacramento. Message me and I'll share my experience of the program.

 

[rb121]

airix - I am finishing my MMS year at Sacramento. Message me and I'll share my experience of the program.

Don't they reserve 25 spots for IMS people who apply while in the program? I believe it says so on the website.

 

[mlsmith16]

Don't they reserve 25 spots for IMS people who apply while in the program? I believe it says so on the website.

They reserve 25 spots for students from MMS/IMS/MBS programs from both Sac and Philly

 

[rb121]

Oh great. :/

 

[mlsmith16]

There are about 13 MMS Sac (7 or 8 applied to DUCOM), 15 MMS Philly (not sure how many applied), 2 IMS Sac qualified, ~12 IMS Philly qualified. Keep in mind, I'm in Sac, so my Philly numbers are based on word of mouth.

 

[rb121]

I realize that the orientation for the IMS Sac program starts the first week of August but what if I get accepted into a program I prefer after paying my tuition? Is there any way to get out of it?

 

[LMurphy]

I was recently accepted to the Philadelphia program and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations in reference to housing. Should I look for an apartment (if so, where is the best area) or do they have student housing for IMS?

If you are looking to rent off site, I am currently looking for a roommate. I live in the fishtown section of phila in a lovely renovated 2 bedroom 2 bath, very close to transportation ( bus & el). Reply if interested.

 

[heparingtt]

Just applied to the IMS Phila program - all I need to do now is send in my GPA form and committee letter. It's weird that they require you to mail the documents in, other programs just have an online submission form. I just want to know if anyone has any idea how long it takes to hear back once all documents have been received by the office? Thanks!

 

[mlsmith16]

Hey... Just wondering if anyone who has been accepted and is going to be attending IMS in Sacramento is interested in buying my furniture. I just graduated, and I have a 1 bd apartment's worth of furniture I'm trying to get rid of. PM me if interested.

 

[mermaidbloop]

Hi guys. I actually just joined SDN because I wanted to know more about this program. I was accepted this morning and have also been accepted to CSU East Bay's post-bacc. I'm a little nervous about the rigor of Drexel IMS Sacramento. Just wanted to see if anyone had any input on which program you would commit to? Also, wondering if I should apply to medical school this summer (2014) or next summer (2015) after completion of the entire program?

 

[rb121]

The IMS Sac has a guaranteed interview during IMS year if you take all the courses with a 3.0 GPA with no course under B. I would go with that one. As far as I know CSU Easy Bay doesn't have that. I'm going to be applying this year to hopefully get the guaranteed interview because my MCAT expires for the next application cycle.

 

[mermaidbloop]

Thanks, rb121.
I'm just a bit worried I guess. Two of my friends did the DPMS and IMS programs in Philly at Drexel this past year, and both couldn't deal with the rigor of classes. I knew them in college and they did fairly well in their classes. I don't want to get a low GPA at IMS Sacramento and risk my med career being over. If I go to CSU East Bay, I feel I can get a higher GPA just because their program doesn't seem as rigorous. Is the prestige of Drexel's program worth it? Or, is everything ultimately just a numbers game and I should go with the less rigorous program?

 

[bella14]

If you are looking to rent off site, I am currently looking for a roommate. I live in the fishtown section of phila in a lovely renovated 2 bedroom 2 bath, very close to transportation ( bus & el). Reply if interested.

I was recently accepted to the Philadelphia program and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations in reference to housing. Should I look for an apartment (if so, where is the best area) or do they have student housing for IMS?

Hi,

I'm also planning on entering the program this fall and was also looking for a roommate. I'm a female (don't necessarily about single-gender rooming) and looking for something around the $800-$900 price range. Reply if you're interested!

 

[ryanc6060]

Doing the Sac Program, if anyone is looking for housing, (30,male,with a dog; don't care about guy or girl for the share). Probably will do something in midtown downtown sac.

 

[rb121]

It's a requirement to buy an iPad for IMS? I just got the email. Goodbye, money.

 

[mlsmith16]

It's a requirement to buy an iPad for IMS? I just got the email. Goodbye, money.

We had all our module notes printed out for us even though I believe the med students all had them on iPads. I can't say for sure what they're requiring this year, though.

 

[loltopsy]

Even if they switch to digital only notes, any type of computer will have full access to them. You can just bring your laptop everywhere you want to read your notes or print them out if you really want a hard copy. There's nothing on the iPad that you don't have access to on a regular computer.

 

[rb121]

The email said that the iPad is mandatory and that they strongly encourage you to have a computer...

 

[ryanc6060]

"As of this academic year, students in the DPMS, DPMS II, IMS, MBS, MIHS Medical Sciences Track, and MMS programs are required to ownan Apple iPad running IOS version 7 or higher in order to access course and other curricular materials. Other tablet devices are not acceptable. In addition, you are strongly encouraged to own a Windows or Mac computer. "