Hey,
Oh okay, sounds great! How's the MBS program going? I've been told to consider the MBS program as well as the PPC program is sort of competitive. Do you think the MBS program has better prepared you for medical school academically, or have given you experiences that will prepare you for medical school? I saw that the PPC students get a lot of support in regards to resources regarding research/shadowing/volunteering. Do the MBS students get a similar treatment? Sorry for the barrage of questions. Thanks alot!!
Here is something that I sent to someone else a few months ago - maybe it will help answer some of your questions, as well as help some others:
Ok so let me first start by saying the PPC Program and the MBS Program at very similar, yet also very different. The MBS program has a LOT more business courses, which are required the first year and is also more units.
The PPC program gives more flexibility in the types of classes you can take and I'm pretty sure only has a few (maybe zero) required courses. However, every course at KGI is heavily geared towards the biotech industry (see below) and the "hard science" classes are pretty slim. This is definitely not the program where you will get molecular biology or cancer biology or things of that nature. So far, my hardest science class has been "Molecular Basis of Disease" and it is just a high level overview of a few things. Honestly, not that hard. The good news here is that the PPC students definitely get in to medical school. There is a lot of opportunity to get in A in your classes so you can definitely help your GPA, which is probably why you are looking for a post-bacc, yes?
So, what is it like at KGI? Like I said earlier, our program (especially MBS) is geared toward the biotech industry and therefore, you will have a lot of biotech-type classes. There are a lot of required courses for the first year MBS students, and we do not get to take electives until the second year. Contrastingly, the PPC students get to take basically any classes they want with the exception of a few required courses. Basically, I'm treating my second year at KGI like the PPC program, and taking all of the classes the PPCs take the first year (except the PPC-only class which is not allowed for MBS students).
SO, what is biotech industry? I can honestly say I had no clue prior to coming here. These courses teach about things like how clinical trials are completed, the process of finding a pharmaceutical drug lead and then going through all of the research and development to bring it to the consumer market, what it means to make that drug (physically manufacturing it), the money it costs, etc. The science is integrated in to these courses but I wouldn't say they are strictly science. Its more of like, you need a science background in order to understand what the professors are talking about. These classes also include learning about medical devices and diagnostics and stuff like that. Both PPCs and MBS students take these courses, it is just a matter of which ones you take and when. It is all about which classes you want to take and which you think will be most helpful is getting you to med school, which the PPC advisors can help you with.
Advising: The advisors are SUPER helpful. They are ALWAYS willing to talk to you (Joon especially) and are willing to help you with your application, your personal statement, life in general, etc. As a PPC student, you get to go on trips to different medical school, have practice MMI interviews, and you get a lot of support. MBS students do not get to go on these trips or do the practice interviews. They do, however, get to attend the lunches with the med school reps coming to campus to talk about their school. These visits are mostly (from what I have seen) the caribbean schools, but it is still good to learn about them. Joon likes to give students exposure to these different options because he really believes that not one size fits all when it comes to med school. Overall, the advisors really care about the students and want them to succeed, whether that be medical school or otherwise. There are only 150 in the MBS and PPC program combined so the individual attention is definitely there. Also, if you decide that you don't want to go to medical school, they are willing to help you figure out what you may want to do. Actually, a fair amount of students decide that they like the Biotech industry and want to go in to that instead. PPC is good because you have the option to stay for the second year and get your MS or MBS (the different is doing an internship in the summer to get an MBS).
Class Averages: Hardly anyone gets a C in our school. Our school has a policy that if you get below a 3.0, you get put on academic probation so the teachers try really hard to avoid students getting below a B-. I think the average is about 3.5? I'm completely guessing though. Most people I know have at least a 3.5 or above. I will say though, that the classes are a lot of work. There are tons of group projects and papers. The difficulty in the program comes less from the material and more of the massive amounts of assignments you have to complete.
Curving: Some classes are curved, some aren't. It really depends on the professor and type of class. The more science-y classes are definitely curved. I think about 1/2 of my courses have been curved so far. It also depends on how well the class is doing as a whole. If someone is getting 100% in the class, the professors won't curve because they don't need to. Make sense?
Living: There are TONS of apartments around and Claremont is SUPER cute. It is like a tiny village and it has a lot of private colleges nearby. The atmosphere is a happy mix of college-town and family. Basically every day, there are people outside, walking their dogs, hanging out, etc. There are tons of shops, eateries, cafes, etc. I actually really love this town. Is is a little expensive, though. An average meal out will easily cost you $15-20 before tip. Personally, I commute from an hour away but very few of us do. Most students live in the apartments in the surrounding areas: Claremont, Pomona, Upland, Ontario, etc. Rent, like the city in general, is also fairly expensive but it gets cheaper the farther away you get. I think rent in Claremont is around 1300-1600 for a 1-2 bedroom? I would say the majority of students live about 15 minutes away from campus. There aren't any options for on-campus housing as our school is literally two buildings but they are expanding and one day that should change. Although, I doubt it will be in my lifetime as a student here. The other nice thing is that Claremont is about an hour away from anything super fun - the beaches, mountains, desert areas. All are a reasonable distance so IF you get time on the weekends, its not hard to go on an adventure.
If I'm being completely honest: Our program is good as it gives people a broad insight in to things that are not just med school. However, if you are looking for hard sciences, you may want to consider a different program. I think you definitely have a good shot of getting in to med school if you come here but it is really about what you want out of your program. If you are worried about the degree you will earn by the end, yes PPC is only a certificate, but you do have the option of staying the second year. The downside to that is that you are staying a second year. More time. More money. But it is all up to you.
I hope this helps and I answered your questions. Let me know if you have any others.