VCU CERT Post-bacc or George Squared ABS?

[Med1992]

There's a thread on this topic, but only a handful of people responded and it wasn't too helpful.

But basically, I got into the VCU CERT program and I'm premed; I've never applied to medical school before, but I have a 3.02 science GPA and a 3.2 overall GPA (I know, real low). I have yet to take the MCATs but I do have tons of volunteering hours, clinical experience, and research.

The biggest plus for me about this is that it guarantees you a MD interview if you finish the program with a 3.5 GPA and a min 505 MCAT, which I think if I buckle down, I can do.

But now, I'm wondering if I should do the George Squared ABS program. Here's why:

PROS
-ABS program is 9-months certificate with option to do another 3 months at Georgetown Univ. for a full on Masters in Physiology
-Family live in northern VA region, so I'd be saving money
CONS
-It's relatively new program so not much is online about it
-There is no interview guarantee like with VCU

With VCU,

PROS
-Guaranteed interview IF you do well
-More established/well known and has more of a relationship with actual medical school (VCU Med)
CONS
-Gonna be a lot more expensive for me since I'd have to rent to live there
-Don't know the area well but that's not a big deal

What do you all think I should do!? Does anyone have experiences with either program who can give input? My goal is to finish as an academic record enhancer and get into MD school. Please help!

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[Instatewaiter]

There's a thread on this topic, but only a handful of people responded and it wasn't too helpful.

But basically, I got into the VCU CERT program and I'm premed; I've never applied to medical school before, but I have a 3.02 science GPA and a 3.2 overall GPA (I know, real low). I have yet to take the MCATs but I do have tons of volunteering hours, clinical experience, and research.

The biggest plus for me about this is that it guarantees you a MD interview if you finish the program with a 3.5 GPA and a min 505 MCAT, which I think if I buckle down, I can do.

But now, I'm wondering if I should do the George Squared ABS program. Here's why:

PROS
-ABS program is 9-months certificate with option to do another 3 months at Georgetown Univ. for a full on Masters in Physiology
-Family live in northern VA region, so I'd be saving money
CONS
-It's relatively new program so not much is online about it
-There is no interview guarantee like with VCU

With VCU,

PROS
-Guaranteed interview IF you do well
-More established/well known and has more of a relationship with actual medical school (VCU Med)
CONS
-Gonna be a lot more expensive for me since I'd have to rent to live there
-Don't know the area well but that's not a big deal

What do you all think I should do!? Does anyone have experiences with either program who can give input? My goal is to finish as an academic record enhancer and get into MD school. Please help!

I know next to nothing about the GMU program but let's be honest, these post-bacs are only as good as their linkage and GMU has no medical school. Even though Georgetown is part of the G2 program, why would georgetown take someone to their medical school over someone in the Georgetown post-bac. There does seem to be reasonable success on the website but what percentage of their students are accepted?

VCU is a more established program and has a medical school. Traditionally the entrance requirements were lax which is in part why the success rate is roughly 50%. I went through this program and can honestly say there were a bunch of people in the program who had no business in medical school (and these are the people who didn't get in). This program did prepare me well for medical school. Everyone in my year who went to VCU medical school afterward excelled and matched to great residencies with 2 or 3 going into ortho, 1 ophtho, 1 ENT, 2 into top tier IM programs (Duke and Hopkins), 1 to Child Neuro at Hopkins. I ended up near the top of the medical school class, at the #1 residency and subsequently #1 fellowship in my specialty... To think I would never have made it into medical school without this VCU post-bac program. For me it made all the difference.

 

[Med1992]

I'm leaning more toward the VCU option solely because of the somewhat linkage to VCU Medicine, but my parents really don't want me going there since they can't afford paying for an apartment there. In Northern VA, I would live free and commute to George Mason's program in Manassas.

I really don't know what to do... My problem is, I can't find much about the George Squared program online since it is relatively newer. I know on the website they've shown a number of students getting into medical schools, but I don't know what the actual success rate is. For people who have gone there, what have your experiences been like, both in the program and after? Do people generally get into medical school doing well in the G2 program?

Also, does it matter if you choose a post-bacc based on its linkage to a medical school? VCU's guarantees an interview if you meet certain requirements, whereas George Mason's does not.

 

[Med1992]

Someone please help haha I'm in such a dilemma... if the VCU one does have a much larger advantage, my parents would probably be more willing to let me go there, thats why I really need to find out as much as I can about G2's program.