Is choosing this post-bac program a huge mistake?

[EsmeraldaJellyB]

As of right now I'm planning to enroll in the post-bac program closest to home. I have a family and I don't want to move them out of state for a post-bac program only to have to move them again for med school in a couple of years.

It sounds like a good program. It's accredited, accelerated, it has all the requirements and then some, access to observe in the gross anatomy lab, student groups for pre-med, lots of mentoring opportunities, placement opportunities for shadowing and volunteering, etc.

Here's my dilemma: The post-bac program isn't even a year old. They don't have any acceptance statistics, MCAT scores, nothing. On top of that, the school used to be a chiropractic school. It still has a prominent chiropractic school alongside it's Chinese medicine program. It's actually internationally renowned for it's Chinese dispensary. I'm worried credits from this place are going to be worse than community college credits when it comes time to apply to med school.

What do you think, should I count on the accreditation and not worry about it, or am I setting myself up for failure associating with a school that promotes what most allopaths consider "quackery"?

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[Goro]

Can you PM me a link to this program?

if it's accredited, and you ace it, then there's nothing to worry about it.

As of right now I'm planning to enroll in the post-bac program closest to home. I have a family and I don't want to move them out of state for a post-bac program only to have to move them again for med school in a couple of years.

It sounds like a good program. It's accredited, accelerated, it has all the requirements and then some, access to observe in the gross anatomy lab, student groups for pre-med, lots of mentoring opportunities, placement opportunities for shadowing and volunteering, etc.

Here's my dilemma: The post-bac program isn't even a year old. They don't have any acceptance statistics, MCAT scores, nothing. On top of that, the school used to be a chiropractic school. It still has a prominent chiropractic school alongside it's Chinese medicine program. It's actually internationally renowned for it's Chinese dispensary. I'm worried credits from this place are going to be worse than community college credits when it comes time to apply to med school.

What do you think, should I count on the accreditation and not worry about it, or am I setting myself up for failure associating with a school that promotes what most allopaths consider "quackery"?

 

[aspiringXdoc]

Are you talking about the Integrated Accelerated Science Program?

 

[EsmeraldaJellyB]

No, the sciences aren't integrated, the school just operates on a trimester system.

 

[NonTradJp]

I hope you got the personal check from Goro about your school. Goro is an AdCom and has given me lots of great advice over the last couple of years.

I would like to add that if it's a real program and you do well then I wouldn't worry. I have family and choose to do a DIY post bacc for practical considerations. Did not have any groups or networking to go with it. But the fact that I took recent classes and did well in them resolved any previous worries. For post bacc, having real classes and great grades is really 90% of the benefit. Everything else is great but can be done with or without. If your program offers decent classes and all that bonus then that sounds great.

 

[EsmeraldaJellyB]

Yes, I did. Looks like a no-go. That being said, I'm currently torn between a DIY and going out of state for a dedicated post-bac program.

 

[UnlikelyPreMed]

Can you provide some insight on why this program was a no-go? Thank you!

Yes, I did. Looks like a no-go. That being said, I'm currently torn between a DIY and going out of state for a dedicated post-bac program.

 

[EsmeraldaJellyB]

Can you provide some insight on why this program was a no-go? Thank you!

Well, initially I was told this program "reeks of quackery", HOWEVER, upon further review and after having spoken to the head of the program and several members of it's first graduating class, I've reconsidered, and am planning to start there in the summer. It seems the program has existed unofficially for some time, and the majority of the students who've attended score in the high 90th percentile on the MCATs. In addition, they have a good relationship with the local university, and in fact when the university's biology and biochem sections fill early, they often refer students over to this campus to fulfill their credit requirements. As this university's med school is my top choice, and furthermore, the year long program will be covered by financial aid, I see no reason not to attend.

 

[GreenDuck12]

If Goro's advice is that it is a no go, I would trust what he says. The reality is every program is going to try and get students to attend (that is how they pay for it all). There is absolutely no need to complete a formal program to get into medical school. You can take all the classes that you need using a DIY approach and can be eligible for financial aid (enroll as second degree student). You can also take all of the required classes in 12 months, if you structure your schedule correctly.

As a side note, I'm very skeptical of the claim that a majority of this program's students earned scores in the 90th percentile on the MCAT. That claim defies logic. If this claim were true, there is no way that it would be obscure as it would be filled with applicants.

 

[EsmeraldaJellyB]

Lol. Well considering the first graduating class was an astonishing four members large, the stats were pretty easy to come by. ;-) That being said, I consulted a few other adcoms at schools I'm actually looking to attend and they saw no problem with the program provided my grades and scores were good. As I said, it's a very new program, but it seems to be very well structured and they built it in accordance with the admissions guidelines of the local med school requirements and the advice of their faculty and administration. And as for doing a DIY program, unfortunately the community colleges in my area don't provide the requisite coursework.

 

[banana_phone]

For what its worth, I have taken courses at the university you are referring to, and found them comprehensive, challenging, and comparable to the courses at the big med-school affiliated university nearby

I am finishing up with one course there this semester, after having taken accelerated Physics and Organic there last summer. The support at the school is tremendous and the staff very much wants you to succeed. I took several other pre-reqs at the big state school, and the support system there is non-existent. I was able to secure very strong letters from the faculty at the smaller, less-known school, and my advisor at the major university saw no problem with taking courses at the "quackery" school. Go for it. Feel free to PM me with questions.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Lol. Well considering the first graduating class was an astonishing four members large, the stats were pretty easy to come by. ;-) That being said, I consulted a few other adcoms at schools I'm actually looking to attend and they saw no problem with the program provided my grades and scores were good. As I said, it's a very new program, but it seems to be very well structured and they built it in accordance with the admissions guidelines of the local med school requirements and the advice of their faculty and administration. And as for doing a DIY program, unfortunately the community colleges in my area don't provide the requisite coursework.

There is no such thing as "stats" with an n of 4.

 

[EsmeraldaJellyB]

There is no such thing as "stats" with an n of 4.

Yes, thank you, I took stats too. It's been a minute since the last Q&A there, but as I recall, of the students who did the majority or all of their pre-med coursework there, with or without the actual program in place, most ended up in their preferred schools and most scored competitively on the MCATs. They only established the formal program this past year, but they've had a number of DIYers over the last 10-15 years. POINT BEING, it's not an unprecedented path, nor one that would bar anyone from success outright.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Schools don't tend to advertise about their students who didn't do well.

Regardless, you are ignoring everyone in this topic, including Goro who sits on an adcom and is generally regarded as the most or one of the most reputable posters on this website. Why are you even posting?

 

[EsmeraldaJellyB]

I haven't ignored anyone. If you'll look at the date stamp, I started this thread about eight months ago. I only checked back in because someone asked me a question about my decision. I wasn't looking to open a debate about it. I took Goro's advice into consideration. I also contacted members of the adcoms at my top two schools for their advice, spoke to the pre-med advisor at my current university and spoke to current and former students at the post-bacc program. And weighing all the advice I received here and elsewhere, I decided to go forward with it. I wasn't aware I had to follow this forum's advice to the letter in order to post here.