Scripps Post Bacc

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ybalison

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Hi, ybalison!

I myself is preparing to apply to Scripps as well. I don't have any concrete answers to your questions, but I thought I'd share some things I learned at their info session about a month back. The program accepts students on a rolling basis, and the director of the program said it has interviewed 2-3 students so far. One of the current students, however, said that he didn't hear back about his acceptance until around March of the year he was supposed to start. So I think it all depends on the individual and the admission committee's schedule.

Your stats look good so you should keep your fingers crossed! Try to practice interview questions to better prepare yourself, if you can. Hope you hear back from them soon!
 
Student at the program here...

I think your gpa is right where the average gpa for the current class is (although I have nowhere near that... sigh..). I don't know the scale for ACT very well so I can't judge, but I think the average SAT breakdown was like 700 reading and 680 math or something. I've seen about 3-4 students so far come in for an interview, and possibly another 2 in the next upcoming week or two. There's also one already scheduled in the beginning of January as well. I had about 40 hours of shadowing when I applied--it seemed to be enough. But I also made clear of my intentions to begin my clinical volunteering regardless of my acceptance or not.

The program is very much about fit--and the quality of your personal statement will make a pretty big impact. My impression is that the majority of my class are pretty good writers with solid personal statements. Kill the interview!!
 
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Hi musicalfeet,

Thank you for sharing about Scripps!

At the information session, I was quite impressed with current students' work experience and advanced degrees. I believe one student had an MBA. How heavily would you say your work experience or the rigor of your previous studies weigh into the admission decision?

Thanks in advance, and hope your studies are going well!
 
ybalison said:
Hi everyone,
I'm pretty new here. I've applied for the Scripps Post Bacc starting summer 2014. It's my first choice and so far the only school I've applied to -- I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to hear from them about an interview. Has anyone who's applied this cycle gotten an interview yet?
I think my numbers are pretty good -- 3.7 gpa (English major, Bio (ecology) minor) and a 34 ACT nine years ago -- but I'm worried about my minimal clinical experience/volunteering. I've shadowed one doctor a few times, and I do charity runs (similar to Team in Training). I'm training to volunteer for a sexual assault hotline, but that just started. Anyone have thoughts on my chances?
Any advice/affirmations would be so appreciated! Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Hi, I am a recent alumni of the Scripps post-bac program. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have, but in a nutshell, it was the biggest academic mistake of my life. I would give anything to have gone to a different program. The website looks good, the director promises a lot on interview day, but none of it is actually accurate. The current director has been there less than four years and has no prior med school admissions experience (I have literally no idea how she got hired). I seriously seriously recommend looking into all your other options.

Let me know if you have specific questions, happy to help.
 
anonymous1200 said:
Hi, I am a recent alumni of the Scripps post-bac program. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have, but in a nutshell, it was the biggest academic mistake of my life. I would give anything to have gone to a different program. The website looks good, the director promises a lot on interview day, but none of it is actually accurate. The current director has been there less than four years and has no prior med school admissions experience (I have literally no idea how she got hired). I seriously seriously recommend looking into all your other options.

Let me know if you have specific questions, happy to help.
Click to expand...

Did you get into med school? How many did you apply to? How many acceptances and declines? What specifics can you provide in your experience that proved Scripps to be a less than adequate program? Thanks.
 
Of the class I know, out of 17 who began, 3 dropped out completely, 3 linked, 6 are going to DO schools, 3 don't know yet, 1 is applying next cycle, and 1 is going vet school. So, for a "prestigious" program, half of those starting med school in the fall are attending a DO program. Nothing wrong with DO at all, just somewhat different than the "Harvard, Yale, WashU, etc" acceptances that are listed on the website. I can say with confidence most people applied to 20+ schools and I am not aware of anyone who was accepted into more than 2 schools, and no one into their top choice school (yet).
 
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anonymous1200 said:
Of the class I know, out of 17 who began, 3 dropped out completely, 3 linked, 6 are going to DO schools, 3 don't know yet, 1 is applying next cycle, and 1 is going vet school. So, for a "prestigious" program, half of those starting med school in the fall are attending a DO program. Nothing wrong with DO at all, just somewhat different than the "Harvard, Yale, WashU, etc" acceptances that are listed on the website. I can say with confidence most people applied to 20+ schools and I am not aware of anyone who was accepted into more than 2 schools, and no one into their top choice school (yet).
Click to expand...

Interesting enough. But what about you and your personal experience that you explicitly stated?
 
I'm a current scripps post-bac student...I don't think anonymous1200 is part of either of the recently graduated classes 1 or 2 years ago. From my experience, the class 2 years before mine have gotten almost half into california MD schools and the ones that aren't chose to link. The class before mine is currently getting their interviews and acceptances, and many of them have gotten interview invites at very good schools (California MD and Yale, etc ). My current class..there is no attrition rate currently. Everyone seems to be doing really well (all seem to be pulling at least 3.7 gpa) and out of 17 of us, 3 of us are not premed, and 11/14 of the premed students are currently waiting on their linkages. Only me and 2 other students chose not to link in hopes of getting into a CA MD. The other two students that aren't linking are perhaps the top students in the program.

Anonymous1200, it looks like you joined sdn just to specifically troll on Scripps post-bac. Most of your posts center on trashing the program. Perhaps you are one of the ones who didn't do well?
 
UC schools and Yale? That's interesting. Is that something you know because you've personally talked to every single of the recents grads from the past two years, or from what you've been told? Would love for you to PM me and verify that.

And I'm not on here to troll on Scripps, I've had a profile for ages but created a new one to be more anonymous. There isn't a lot of feedback or opinion on Scripps from actual alums, and I think some more voices are needed.
 
If you don't think I'm an actual recent alum, feel free to verify the very specific stats I quoted earlier.
 
Actually, I'm pretty good friends with a girl who's very close with the majority of her class last year, and she's been updating me on how the class has been doing in general--they're doing great. Also, one of the girls personally told our whole class where she had interviews...and they included CA MD and yale.

How could I verify the stats? Like I said, I had different stats given to me by members of the previous 2 classes. They definitely don't align with yours. They also would have no reason to lie since I'm already committed to this program.
 
I'm guessing the girl you're talking about is the one currently working in the office, so feel free to let me know if the "3 dropped out, 3 linked, 6 are going to DO schools (tho that could be 5 DO, 1 military), 3 don't know, 1 is applying next cycle, and 1 is going vet school" is incorrect. I'm sure you're not lying, but I do think there is some misinformation going around.
 
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Well, I'll be sure to verify tomorrow--but regardless of how your class did, the program is a solid program and most, if not all of the current post bacs are doing great--and I'm pretty sure our class is going to have a really solid cycle coming up.
 
Hi there, another Scripps alum here (2012). I thought I would post and add to the discussion.

While I can't speak to the current year (or the previous), I can most definitely speak to my own and would say we were quite successful. A quick list of where my some of my classmates were accepted: Mount Sinai, UCLA, UCI, USC, Dartmouth, Rochester, Pitt, Emory, Einstein, GW, Drexel, Rosalind Franklin with multiple people receiving multiple acceptances. Feel free to peruse my MDapps for my story. I really enjoyed my experience at Scripps and feel that the program definitely put me in a position to be successful this cycle. I can honestly say that I received some of the best instruction of my academic career at Scripps (sorry UCSD) and felt that the program nurtured a collaborative and supportive community to lean on when needed. While new to the game, Mrs. Mulay (the program director) is very passionate about helping each and every student be successful and showed a dedication to learning about and forming new connections in the admissions community.

Anonymous - I'm sorry to hear that you were unhappy with your time there and that the class was not as successful (supposedly) as others, but it sounds like this current class is more in line with my experience and the experiences of those before me. I hope you were able to work through it and find success, either in med school or somewhere else.

Feel free to PM me with any questions!
 
Also, the advisors can only do so much to help you. I did hear that last year had a couple of instructors that were less than ideal...however any post bac program can only be the first step to how well you ultimately do in your cycle. The undergrad institution itself gets a fair amount of its pre-meds into med school. The environment is there to help you best succeed--how well you do in the program is on you.
 
Anonymous1200, I've also just verified your stats are false! From the very source I talked about. For your information she was also just accepted to a CA MD herself. Only 2 of her class are going DO, and of the 3 that dropped out, 2 chose to do something else.

People, don't believe this person.. They're out with the intent to trash the program. PM me or the person above...
 
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Thank you j1feldma and musicalfeet for the added conversation. It is valuable to hear. Can either of you commntt on Scripps' presumed weakness of lacking CA med school relationships and lack of research connections for it's students? Further, I've heard both positive and negative regarding the program director, can either of you elaborate further on your experiences with him/her? More specifically his/her understanding and ability to help through the process?
 
First of all I don't think any school really has any relationship to CA MD school. CA schools are just too selective for that. That being said, a disproportionate amount from scripps do get accepted... If you're looking at CA MD, this place is probably your best bet .

Second, the advisor is great. She regularly talks to those on the admissions committee. For example, UCI requires students to have at least a year of research. Because of this, supposedly in the past almost none of the scripps students got into UCI. However , the advisor spoke to the admissions committee and pointed out how it was a bit unreasonable to expect career changers in a one year program to have one year of research by the time they apply. Since then, a number of students have gotten into UCI. Just an example of how she's always trying to look out for us.

Also, everyone in my class who wanted a research opportunity got it. There is some connection to two places for research, and the majority of students do research at one of the two institutions. I'm currently doing research and I didn't have much trouble getting the opportunity through scripps.
 
Fair enough. Thanks for the prompt feedback. Encouraging to hear.
 
I definitely second everything musicalfeet said. I have not heard of any post-bac program having a "relationship" with a Cali med school, but I do know that the UC's and such do respect Scripps and the quality of students it graduates (through what classmates have told me). And while I don't have any specific stories regarding the director, she was perpetually in conversation with admissions committees at various med schools, always available to help with any concern/issue, and served well as a guide through the process. I would assume she has gotten even more knowledgable and will continue to do so as time goes on.

As far as research goes, I do think that it is incumbent on the student to be proactive and perhaps other programs had more set-in-stone avenues. With that being said, there were still ample opportunities, either through the Claremont consortium (Scripps, Pomona, Keck Science, etc) or the shadowing each student does during the year. My one and only publication and presentation at a national conference ended up coming from the research I did with the surgeon I shadowed at Scripps.
 
musicalfeet said:
Anonymous1200, I've also just verified your stats are false! From the very source I talked about. For your information she was also just accepted to a CA MD herself. Only 2 of her class are going DO, and of the 3 that dropped out, 2 chose to do something else.

People, don't believe this person.. They're out with the intent to trash the program. PM me or the person above...
Click to expand...


Sorry, I really don't have the energy to argue with you. I have the names of the DO people, and there are more than two. But sure, go ahead with that statistic, since it's from someone who represents the program and to whom people don't really give unfiltered information. To clarify - are you talking about a UC MD or just a CA MD? And of course, there are always people who are going to succeed and get into the Yales, Harvards, etc - they are the people would have gotten in with or without Scripps. I'm just saying that I think Scripps is more of a place to do the requirements and less of a place that gives you a "boost" - it is a path to do what you need, but I don't think it offers the admissions edge that is advertised.

And I do think previous classes did better admissions-wise, and that the current class will do better due to the high number of linkages. When 11 are linking, you don't need anywhere near the admissions support needed throughout the cycle. I frankly don't think that is a sufficient reason to say why the advising is good - Scripps likes their linkages and do everything they can to keep those relationships. For applicants during the regular admissions cycle, the story is very different.

And sure - the director may speak with UCI & other admissions committees, but I do know for a fact that her outreach is far lesser than other reputable programs. I think the fact that Scripps only has 4 MD linkages is quite telling. For example, here are Goucher's linkages (10):
  • University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
  • The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
  • George Washington University School of Medicine
  • Stony Brook University School of Medicine
  • Tulane University School of Medicine
  • Weill Cornell Medical College
  • Hofstra North Shore - LIJ School of Medicine
  • University of Maryland School of Medicine
  • University of Michigan Medical School
  • University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
And here are Bryn Mawr's linkages (20):
And then you have Scripps:
  • Drexel University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
  • George Washington University, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC
  • Hofstra North Shore LIF School of Medicine, Hempstead, NY
  • University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pomona, CA

So, sure - talking to UCI is great, but I think fact that other post-bac programs have far more linkages is indicative of Scripps relationship with med schools (or lack thereof).
 
Different question altogether:
I applied to Scripps and other postbac programs in early January. I have been accepted to Bryn Mawr and JHU. Other than an email weeks ago that they received my application, as of today (10 days after their overall deadline), I have not heard a peep from Scripps. What gives?
 
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Current student here to chime in:

If you are a prospective student, I highly encourage you to keep the comments from anonymous1200 in perspective. I do not know anonymous1200 (the glory of anonymity!) and I do not begrudge them their opinion; however, it is one opinion, and one which I feel does not offer constructive insight into the program.

A post-baccalaureate program in inherently stressful. Not only are you taking a heavy course load, you also spend every day with the knowledge that you must succeed. You've walked away from a previous career and put all your chips on one spot. This can and will keep you up at night. But I can guarantee you that you will experience this no matter which program you enroll in, be it Goucher, Bryn Mawr, or even, Scripps. If you have decided to take this risk, then you should also be prepared to encounter setbacks and persevere through them. No one is going to hold your hand through the program at Scripps, but I guarantee you with a certitude that the same applies to all post-bac programs.

So why should you apply and if admitted, attend Scripps? Here are a few thoughts:

  1. The cohort is small. You get to know all your classmates very well and you will help each other succeed. You will not be a face lost in a crowd of 50-200+ aspiring MDs, and that counts for a lot.
  2. The professors are by and large, excellent. They are available for office hours most days of the week and make themselves available if you need them at other times. They want you to succeed because they know you and they see when you put the effort in; like I said, you are not a face in the crowd
  3. Contrary to initial expectations, it is a real benefit to mix in with these undergraduates. They are hardworking and motivated to succeed. They also make it so that you are not competing directly with the other postbaccs most of the time, making for a more supportive and collegial atmosphere
  4. Are there fewer linkages than Bryn Mawr, Goucher, JHU? Yes. But I would wager that the percentage of students who successfully link out of Scripps is just as high if not higher than out of those other programs. Keep in mind that this is a smaller program - 25% the size of Bryn Mawr and 50% as large as Goucher.
  5. You control your destiny; the grading is fair and scaled across the classes. Even if you get the "hardest" OChem professor, you will not be punished for that class having an average that is 20 points lower than another professor's
My issue with the other anonymous poster is that they have seemingly conflated their issues with the Scripps postbac program with the issues of the general postbac experience. Those are two separate things. Many of the frustrations brought to light by this previous student are ones that you will encounter as part of any postbac program. I have found Scripps to be a supportive, positive and balanced environment that has allowed me to succeed.

The program is only as good as the students who attend and I hope that these past few negative posts have not soured anyone on their decision to matriculate. You are the ones who will continue to make this program as good as it is.
 
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snooper said:
Different question altogether:
I applied to Scripps and other postbac programs in early January. I have been accepted to Bryn Mawr, JHU, and Goucher. Other than that they received my application, as of today (10 days after their overall deadline), I have not heard a peep from Scripps. What gives?
Click to expand...
I'm in the same boat asking the same question...
 
From what I know, they're a bit late giving interviews (but they are going on now) since the director has been out of office for a bit due to personal matters. They'll be getting back to you soon I bet.
 
Strange they're taking so long
 
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Any word yet, guys? Has anyone who applied in January or February received any correspondence beyond the 'your application is complete' notification (rejections or interview invitations)?
 
Negative. Not on my end. Pretty frustrating.
 
Officiall rejected as well as of yesterday. 215 apps for 17 spots = roguh chances for sure. Too bad nonetheless.
 
Hello,

I am a Scripps post bac alum from a couple years back. I have very different thoughts about the program from anonymous1200, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. The program worked really well for some of us, including myself, worked fine for others, and did not work for some. I think there several strengths of the program and some weaknesses, which I would expect from all programs. It's good to hear anonymous1200's opinion -- good to hear both sides.

Pros:
-small post bac cohort (under 20)
-super small class sizes (classes around 30 people? You can ask questions, etc)
-classes with undergrads (which makes classes with curves more realistic/friendly than you competing against only post bacs who all need to get into med school)
-great emotional support from the administration (my experience)
-the teachers were very aware of the intense post bac course load and went above and beyond in my opinion to give me extra help when I needed it
-office hours were so frequent I couldn't even begin to use all of them
-ability to sometimes chose your teachers based on your skill level (I knew I would not rock physics, and I was not placed in the super difficult physics class... thank you. Seriously, thank you.)
-one year program
-got me into med school :)


Cons:
-not nearly as many links as similarly "ranked" post bacs
-the internships were sometimes more difficult to get/arrange than you anticipated
-expensive (is this unusual? I thought they all were.)
-not very good in house MCAT prep (at the time, unsure what it is now)
-the administration does not keep tract of all the details in your application process flawlessly, so it's important that you keep on top of your application and be proactive. I expected a little bit more considering our class size was so small. This did not effect me in a serious way, but I made sure to monitor my own application process along side the administration.
-I was surprised that a couple people decided to not complete the program my year, and that a some decided to go part time once in the program, but I'm not sure if our year was weird in that respect or not. I thought everyone would complete and everyone would do it one year when I heard the stats advertised, but you'd have to check with the front office about the details of the last few years. Important considerations though, and I'd advise everyone to ask the front office of all the programs you are checking out about that program's specific outcomes in the last few years. I think those details are important.

Overall, I am *thrilled* to have attended Scripps and am really appreciative of all the program did to help me get into medical school. I attribute most of my application success to being connected to this program. I'm just one opinion though. I think it's important that anonymous1200 has voiced his/her thoughts about the program -- thank you for your contribution. It's important to hear a variety of opinions before making such an important/expensive/time-consuming life change.

Best of luck!
 
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ItsGonnaBeOkay said:
Hello,

I am a Scripps post bac alum from a couple years back. I have very different thoughts about the program from anonymous1200, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. The program worked really well for some of us, including myself, worked fine for others, and did not work for some. I think there several strengths of the program and some weaknesses, which I would expect from all programs. It's good to hear anonymous1200's opinion -- good to hear both sides.

Pros:
-small post bac cohort (under 20)
-super small class sizes (classes around 30 people? You can ask questions, etc)
-classes with undergrads (which makes classes with curves more realistic/friendly than you competing against only post bacs who all need to get into med school)
-great emotional support from the administration (my experience)
-the teachers were very aware of the intense post bac course load and went above and beyond in my opinion to give me extra help when I needed it
-office hours were so frequent I couldn't even begin to use all of them
-ability to sometimes chose your teachers based on your skill level (I knew I would not rock physics, and I was not placed in the super difficult physics class... thank you. Seriously, thank you.)
-one year program
-got me into med school :)


Cons:
-not nearly as many links as similarly "ranked" post bacs
-the internships were sometimes more difficult to get/arrange than you anticipated
-expensive (is this unusual? I thought they all were.)
-not very good in house MCAT prep (at the time, unsure what it is now)
-the administration does not keep tract of all the details in your application process flawlessly, so it's important that you keep on top of your application and be proactive. I expected a little bit more considering our class size was so small. This did not effect me in a serious way, but I made sure to monitor my own application process along side the administration.
-I was surprised that a couple people decided to not complete the program my year, and that a some decided to go part time once in the program, but I'm not sure if our year was weird in that respect or not. I thought everyone would complete and everyone would do it one year when I heard the stats advertised, but you'd have to check with the front office about the details of the last few years. Important considerations though, and I'd advise everyone to ask the front office of all the programs you are checking out about that program's specific outcomes in the last few years. I think those details are important.

Overall, I am *thrilled* to have attended Scripps and am really appreciative of all the program did to help me get into medical school. I attribute most of my application success to being connected to this program. I'm just one opinion though. I think it's important that anonymous1200 has voiced his/her thoughts about the program -- thank you for your contribution. It's important to hear a variety of opinions before making such an important/expensive/time-consuming life change.

Best of luck!
Click to expand...

I also want to add that people go part-time for many reasons, and usually due to personal reasons than any sort of inherent problem in the program. I myself went part-time, which was a much smarter decision in terms of being able to put my best foot forward in the application cycle (and I'm pretty confident that decision is why my cycle this year has turned out better than expected).
 
musicalfeet said:
Only me and 2 other students chose not to link in hopes of getting into a CA MD. The other two students that aren't linking are perhaps the top students in the program.
Click to expand...

Sorry to resurrect this thread, I'm kind of considering Scripps.

Anyways, When you chose "not to link," did this mean you applied to med schools like the majority of US applicants do? Also, did you have to take a glide year because of that?
 
ayjaystudent said:
Sorry to resurrect this thread, I'm kind of considering Scripps.

Anyways, When you chose "not to link," did this mean you applied to med schools like the majority of US applicants do? Also, did you have to take a glide year because of that?
Click to expand...

Yes, I took a glide year. Applying is always going to be stressful, but overall I had a pretty decent cycle with multiple acceptances, and ended up at a school I couldn't be happier with (one of my top choices). Scripps was definitely instrumental in helping with that.
 
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