I posted this on another thread and under the suggestion of SDN.com member "Kaustikos", I am posting the same message here:
I would rate my level of dissatisfaction at a ten and would suggest the aspiring preprofessional look into other post-baccalaureate programs.
The selling point for many students in this program is that their entry into, and successful completion of, this year-long program will result in acceptance into professional schools. The message we received seven days ago from our "adviser" (which will be discussed later) suggests otherwise:
"Now lets move on to what you can expect this year. The IUSM admissions committee has been carefully looking at data from new applicants (current college and university seniors) at the same time as students who are part way through (one semester in your cases) an advanced degree. This is a change from the practice in previous years, which was that students from this and other graduate programs were reviewed early in spring as a group and admissions decisions were made separately for that group. Now these decisions are made across all applicants. For some in the program admission may be granted early and for others it will be delayed until second semester grades are available. This means that some students who did not receive offers early in the admissions cycle will be placed on the wait list in May. We have every reason to be hopeful that admission from the wait list for students in the program will be more common this year. We also believe that high performing students who are waitlisted but not admitted for 2011 will be in a good position from the outset for admission next year."
The message goes on to read:
"We wish we could be more specific but please remember that this is our first time through this new process as well."
Which leads into the second low point of this program: lack of adequate advising. While advisers were certainly helpful in two thirty-minute long appointments to schedule our coursework for first and second semester (and explaining to every student that they were contractually-bound to complete the program), there have been several instances throughout the year that myself, and my colleagues, have attempted to meet for advice regarding grade grievance or attempts to try to understand why masses of students are being placed on wait lists, and answers are met with uncertainty at best. It seems as though because students enter and exit this program within one year, there is inadequate advising and very few faculty members willing to advocate for a student whose name they don't even know.
While one may think that this a student's response to an unsuccessful completion of this program, I will suggest that I have finished both semesters well above a 3.5 grade point average - which certainly took a great deal of effort on my part, which is to be expected from the program. However, cheating has run rampant throughout the year and has come to the forefront within the past few weeks - yet, nothing has been done to counteract these measures even though students have told several professors about the "state-school clique" that cheat on every one of their exams. While faculty are certainly aware and have taken time out lectures to provide open threats to lecture halls full of students, academic dishonesty is an integral part of this program.
I have finished my year, got the grades I needed, but I cannot stress how myself, and many of my colleagues, are leaving with terrible tastes in our mouths because of the way this program has concluded.
I would rate my level of dissatisfaction at a ten and would suggest the aspiring preprofessional look into other post-baccalaureate programs.
The selling point for many students in this program is that their entry into, and successful completion of, this year-long program will result in acceptance into professional schools. The message we received seven days ago from our "adviser" (which will be discussed later) suggests otherwise:
"Now lets move on to what you can expect this year. The IUSM admissions committee has been carefully looking at data from new applicants (current college and university seniors) at the same time as students who are part way through (one semester in your cases) an advanced degree. This is a change from the practice in previous years, which was that students from this and other graduate programs were reviewed early in spring as a group and admissions decisions were made separately for that group. Now these decisions are made across all applicants. For some in the program admission may be granted early and for others it will be delayed until second semester grades are available. This means that some students who did not receive offers early in the admissions cycle will be placed on the wait list in May. We have every reason to be hopeful that admission from the wait list for students in the program will be more common this year. We also believe that high performing students who are waitlisted but not admitted for 2011 will be in a good position from the outset for admission next year."
The message goes on to read:
"We wish we could be more specific but please remember that this is our first time through this new process as well."
Which leads into the second low point of this program: lack of adequate advising. While advisers were certainly helpful in two thirty-minute long appointments to schedule our coursework for first and second semester (and explaining to every student that they were contractually-bound to complete the program), there have been several instances throughout the year that myself, and my colleagues, have attempted to meet for advice regarding grade grievance or attempts to try to understand why masses of students are being placed on wait lists, and answers are met with uncertainty at best. It seems as though because students enter and exit this program within one year, there is inadequate advising and very few faculty members willing to advocate for a student whose name they don't even know.
While one may think that this a student's response to an unsuccessful completion of this program, I will suggest that I have finished both semesters well above a 3.5 grade point average - which certainly took a great deal of effort on my part, which is to be expected from the program. However, cheating has run rampant throughout the year and has come to the forefront within the past few weeks - yet, nothing has been done to counteract these measures even though students have told several professors about the "state-school clique" that cheat on every one of their exams. While faculty are certainly aware and have taken time out lectures to provide open threats to lecture halls full of students, academic dishonesty is an integral part of this program.
I have finished my year, got the grades I needed, but I cannot stress how myself, and many of my colleagues, are leaving with terrible tastes in our mouths because of the way this program has concluded.