UCONN Post-Bacc? Anyone know anything?

[watsonry]

Hey Guys:

I am new here--this site seems very informative.

A little about myself:

I am 23 years old. I graduated from Georgetown University in 2002 with a degree in English Literature. I had a 3.6 cum and a 3.85 in my major.

I have had two years of interesting work and experiences (sous chef, little league baseball coach, director of development for non-profit etc.)

For a variety of reasons, I have decided that medicine is my true calling. I took honors Chem and Physics in high school along with Calculus--but never took any "hard sciences" in college.

Thus, to make up for my science/math deficiency I have decided to enroll in a post-bacc. I live in CT, and UCONN's seems like the best option for me. The cost is very low, they seem to have good support and opportunities to volunteer/research at the Health Center.

A few questions for those who know about the program at UCONN:

1) Are the classes held at Farmington or Storrs?
2) How does the linkage to UCONN-Med work? Do you have to take the MCAT? Is there a certain GPA level you need to reach in your post-bacc classes?
3) How many classes do you take every semester?
4) Based on my the above biography of myself, would I stand a good chance of being admitted to the progam? Would I stand a good chance of being offered conditional admission to the Med School?
5) What types of research/volunteer opportunities are available?
6) Besides UCONN-Med, what other Med schools does this post-bacc program have a good relationship with?

Any other thoughts/anecdotes would be appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my (many) questions---

P.S. I would be applying to "Progam A" at UConn--for people with no science background

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[Jonathan13180]

Hey-
I cannot provide you with any info about UCONN, however, i was in your shoes this past fall here at UPENN. At penn, there are two different programs, one intended for those like yourself who have had no pre-med reqs, and the other for those who need more coursework. I know there are linkages for both programs, although in your case, there are a LOT more, at least here at penn.
The only advise i can offer would seem like the obvious advise, but it helped me out tremendously...call, or contact the head of the program, and try to set up a meeting or something with them. This way, when you apply, if you apply, you will know which schools have linkages with your programs. Goodluck.

 

[beanbean]

Hi,

I am a former post-bacc from UCONN and am now in my first year at UCONN med. Here is some brief info:

Classes are at Storrs and you take a full credit load each semester, usually about 15 credits in the sciences. Classes are with the general student population at Storrs. You will have an advisor at Storrs and at the med school. Yes, you must take the MCAT. The acceptance to the med school is not absolute and the percentage varies from year to year, but usually about 85% of the post-baccs are offered an acceptance. There is no set, carved in stone criteria you must meet for acceptance. Usually you must have performed well (B+ or so average) in your classes and gotten a decent MCAT score. The program is very small - only about 15 students total and is therefore quite competitive to get into. The post-baccs are usually a diverse group - URM and non-URM; science and non-science majors; in-state and out-of-state; young and older; etc.

Give Dr. Keat Sanford a call at UCONN Med School. He is the director of the post-bacc program and can answer all of your questions. Ask him if you could set up a time to meet with him and discuss your options.

Even if you don't decide to do the formal program for your post-bacc, you can still take prereq classes at Storrs as a continuing student. I do know that the classes there are more respected by UCONN Med than those at the branch campus locations in terms of difficulty. Not a huge deal breaker if Storrs is not convienent, btu something to keep in mind.

Good luck and PM me if you have any questions

Deirdre

 

[DocKW]

beanbean--

Do any of the post-bacs take their lag year and apply to ther schools? If so, do you know if the UCONN program is looked upon favorably by other schools?

I ask because I am willing to move to UCONN for the post-bac program, but would rather attend med school back in my home state (in-state tution is good in Texas!).

Just let me know. . .

 

[beanbean]

I know of one student who went to another med school, however since she had already taken the MCAT she applied while in her post-bacc year. I would say that UCONN is geared toward accepting students who would make a good fit with their med school. There are usually more in-state than out-of-state students and I believe they look for people for whom UCONN would be their top choice. Call UCONN and talk to Dr. Sanford - he would be able to answer your questions better than I can. I would hate to mislead you based on my limited experience.

Deirdre