Hey Guys I am a previous post bacc and now officially MS1. You guys are doing a great thing by applying, hands down the best thing I could have done for myself. Numbers are numbers and they do matter, but they are true to their word. Every year they are getting more and more applicants and taking better numbers, but they sincerely look at personal statements etc... For those that are waiting, you must realize that the people who run the post bacc program are about 3 people and they really take time with every single application. That is why it takes so long. I had applied in December the prior year and I called one day in June and found out that I was accepted, but that they had just sent my letter. If you applied to VCOM, they also are looking to see if you are a candidate for the medical school if something were to happen with the waiting list etc. Had one person I know that applied to the post bacc and then they took into the medical school the year I was in it two days before post bacc classes started. So waiting is always the worst part.
As far as once you are accepted into the Post Bacc. Do yourself a favor if you dont have a 24 on the mcat then study all summer for it prior to getting into and starting the program, I would wait to take it until the program tells you to though. To VCOM grades are paramount and they will not accept you if in the program you don't maintain a minimum of a 3.6 based on all the numbers I knew of people having etc...(there is nothing in writing on what I say, but I can promise you I am a good resource.) There were people in my class with 32 mcat scores who took the post bacc and did not get accepted to the school after because they did not maintain the grades. That being said, study all the time you can before school starts on the MCAT and if you are low in BS section, the post bacc brought my score up 4 points in BS alone, but by studying for the mcat early, if you feel ready then take it early or you can focus on grades more, because it will be extremely hard to maintain the grades and put in sufficient time for the mcat. So overall word to the wise is get the 24 so that you can focus solely on maintaining a 3.6 gpa, which will give you guaranteed acceptance. The numbers reported online just to be honest are false advertisement. Less than half of every class the past few years has gotten in, and if you don't get the grades and the mcat of 24 by Christmas time, chances of going to the virginia campus are much lower, and most people are offered acceptance on the second round of post bacc admissions to south carolina's campus. All of these details may seem scary, but the program is the best ever, a ton of hard work though. The school is one big family and everyone is super nice, but if you are going to do a post bacc, its not the backdoor to medical school everyone thinks it is and the faculty that run the program will make you work through it like you never have before, but thats any post bacc program. This is a transition to medical school where you will study more hours than you have daylight and if you dont know that going in and cant commit to that, dont waste the 16grand that the program costs, or did when I got in. When you come in if you are wise you will be squared away with living etc so that you can focus on your grades more than you ever have before. If you apply yourself and do what every person who has ever got into medical school has had to do, which is work their absolute hardest, then chances are you will get in and then be very successful in the medical school as well. I came from undergrad where I didnt apply myself etc, and then figured out what it took to become a medical student and this program has made the complete difference. Every block in medical school this far has been way easier, because you basically are taught a lot of pieces of first year, but at a little slower pace, which you all will think is insane that the post bacc is slower, but like I said its the perfect transition.
If you haven't heard back yet, be patient or give the staff a call and be polite. There are only 3 people that I know of, maybe only 1 or 2 of the three that are running things and they are taking their time with the applications and finding the ones who fit this program right. This program has a lot to do about fit versus numbers, and so it takes a while. Once you are accepted, get things in line for yourself and study your hardest if you dont have the mcat numbers already.
