What is the verdict on NYU's postbac program??

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KATS82md

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I havent come accross too much describing the pros and cons of nyu's postbac program- does anyone who is in the program/has gone through the program have any insight on whether it is worth it? i know that, according to the vast majority of posts, columbia is not worth it. hopefully nyu is better liked...

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I've posted this elsewhere on the forums but to try to answer your question...

I don't have a whole lot of experience with the NYU postbac program, but I did my undergrad at NYU and never met and/or heard of anyone doing it. Furthermore, I have a friend currently at NYU Med who says he doesnt know anyone who got in there through the NYU postbac program, although he has friends from several other postbac programs. I guess my point it other than learning the material you want to go by reputation of the program, not the institution itself. And while NYU has a good reputation overall, I think a lack of reputation (good or bad) doesnt seem encouraging.

That said, I am currently in the Columbia program and I will be the first to admit that I had heard a lot of bad things about it and wasnt terribly thrilled with going there. My analysis of it thus far is... a lot of the things people have mentioned on the boards here aren't untrue, but I'm not sure at this point whether or not they are significant enough to avoid going. My problems are purely administrative. The postbacs are a very smart group that provide a lot of support in your classes. The classes themselves are HARD, but I can appreciate that they are good preparation for having to take the MCATs etc. It's expensive as all hell, but I feel like if I can continue to maintain good grades, the outlook for med school admission in the end will be pretty good.

Anyways, PM me if you think I can answer any more questions.
 
I haven't been in the SDN forum too long, so I'm not too familiar with the negative comments about the Columbia program; I was actually under the impression that it had a pretty good reputation. Would you mind giving me a quick rundown of what people don't like about it?
 
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Academically, the reputation is excellent, and I'm not going to dispute that. Professors are mixed (as anywhere i would suppose) but I do feel that I am being well prepared for the MCATs and beyond... Columbia boasts a very high percentage of their students getting into medical schools. Which is great, except they don't usually mention the nearly 40% of students who don't make it through the program. So... if you make it through and do well, yes, your chances of getting into med school are high. Like with everything else, you need to take things with a grain of salt. Beyond all things, many people find the cost prohibitive and not worth it and I don't blame them. However, there is something to be said for going to a name school. I may not like it, but I can appreciate it. One thing you should look into and see if it makes a difference for you is the linkage program. For some students this is a big deal if they want the security of guaranteeing themselves a spot somewhere, or if they want to avoid glide year.

My biggest complaint about the school, as with many others, is from an administrative point of view. My advisor left after the third week of school, and this is very frustrating to me as this is the individual you should be building a relationship with because they are the one who will be responsible for writing your committee letter. Also, the postbac community is pretty big as compared to some other programs and you really have to put in a lot of effort to make sure you get the most out of your time. Its very easy to get lost in the mix.

So far I'd probably say that the educational end wins out over the problematic stuff... and while I'm not 100% satisfied, in the end, I think I'll be ok with it.
 
Academically, the reputation is excellent, and I'm not going to dispute that. Professors are mixed (as anywhere i would suppose) but I do feel that I am being well prepared for the MCATs and beyond... Columbia boasts a very high percentage of their students getting into medical schools. Which is great, except they don't usually mention the nearly 40% of students who don't make it through the program. So... if you make it through and do well, yes, your chances of getting into med school are high. Like with everything else, you need to take things with a grain of salt. Beyond all things, many people find the cost prohibitive and not worth it and I don't blame them. However, there is something to be said for going to a name school. I may not like it, but I can appreciate it. One thing you should look into and see if it makes a difference for you is the linkage program. For some students this is a big deal if they want the security of guaranteeing themselves a spot somewhere, or if they want to avoid glide year.

My biggest complaint about the school, as with many others, is from an administrative point of view. My advisor left after the third week of school, and this is very frustrating to me as this is the individual you should be building a relationship with because they are the one who will be responsible for writing your committee letter. Also, the postbac community is pretty big as compared to some other programs and you really have to put in a lot of effort to make sure you get the most out of your time. Its very easy to get lost in the mix.

So far I'd probably say that the educational end wins out over the problematic stuff... and while I'm not 100% satisfied, in the end, I think I'll be ok with it.






seeing that this post was in 2006 do you mind telling me the average gpa of students completing the program when you did? I am stuck betweenNYU and CU post bacc program
 
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