Which are the Direct Linkage Programs??

What kind of postbac are you considering?

Most postbac direct linkages are undergrad programs. These programs are for students who haven't completed the prereqs. There are MANY. Start here: http://services.aamc.org/postbac/

There are very few postbac programs for premeds who have already completed prereqs that guarantee admission to med school after completion. Wake Forest is one of them but it is HIGHLY competitive to get into and it's mainly for minorities/underrepresented:
http://www1.wfubmc.edu/MDProgram/St...ost+Graduate+Students/Post+Bac.Premedical.htm
UConn has a similar linkage. It offers 1/3 of their postbac program students a contingency acceptance. My understanding is that it's hard to get into this program if you're not from CT.

The Finch program is a masters program for those who have completed the prereqs. Success in the program is basically an unofficial linkage. Other programs that are similar in this respect are the Georgetown SMP, Boston U MA in Medical Sciences, UMDNJ-Newark, Virginia Commonwealth premed certificate and EVMS MS Biomedical Sciences. Some of those informal linkages typically require you to (1) perform among the top and (2) in some of these, you're expeected to take a lag year/glide year after you finish the program--so you would be spending that extra year that you're trying to avoid. G-Town wants you to apply during the program, but again the linkage is unofficial to their own school. I *heard* that the top 10% or so in the program have a good shot at getting into G-Town the following fall and don't have to wait a year. Gtown SMPers, correct me if that's just a rumor.

good post

as for georgetown smp - i think it's usually about 15-20% get into georgetown. they told me that they accepted 27 smp-ers last year and the class size is around 150. i think 17 of those students ended up attending georgetown. georgetown does interview most of the students in the top half of the class. at our orientation, we were told that 60% (and rising) of the students are accepted into medical school (mostly md, some do) during the year they are enrolled in the program. by the year after, 85% will be accepted. and yes, the directors and advisors here strongly advise us to apply to schools during this year. they're all about the "hit the ground running" approach.

maybe it would be a good idea for those who are enrolled in other programs (i.e. BU, Drexel, Rosalind Franklin) to add some comments about those. it seems like a lot of people are confused about the special masters or post-bacc programs and the options that are available (which are very diverse).

maybe it would be a good idea for those who are enrolled in other programs (i.e. BU, Drexel, Rosalind Franklin) to add some comments about those. it seems like a lot of people are confused about the special masters or post-bacc programs and the options that are available (which are very diverse).[/QUOTE]

I did the BU masters program many years ago. I don't know why I keep reading this post-bac forum (I guess some of the posts are amusing, and it makes me a little nostalgic). So I pulled out my facebook from the year I was there and counted. My friend and I had kept a running tally and actually marked up the facebook with who got accepted where. There were 83 ppl that completed the program. That I know of PERSONALLY, 52 got into an allopathic school. I'm sure the actual number was much higher, I just didn't know some of the ppl, and most people opt to leave Boston after the first year so it was hard to keep track of everyone. For the group that decided to stay at BU, a lot of them ended up making AOA because all their A's convert over to honors when they started med school. It's kind of an unfair advantage that the masters students get over the non-masters students.

Goucher has a linkage program for a few med schools. You need to interview and meet some minimal requirements which vary by school. It is not a done deal - you have to perform well in class and on the MCAT(except Brown), but most of those who opt to link get in and begin in the fall after post-bac.

Drexel
Temple
SUNY Stonybrook
Tulane
Brown
Pittsburgh
GW

I know Drexel has two programs, one is two years, and one is just the second yr of that program. The first yr is for those who needs to improve their mcat, and the second yr is med school classes. If you do the two year program, I know you have an automatic interview at drexel med. The same might be true if you only do the one year program.

At georgetown, the top ~50% of the class gets an interview, and about (like med said) 15-20% get in.

I thought at finch, almost everyone (or actually everyone) gets an interview, though I don't really know.

seethrew said:

Goucher has a linkage program for a few med schools. You need to interview and meet some minimal requirements which vary by school. It is not a done deal - you have to perform well in class and on the MCAT(except Brown), but most of those who opt to link get in and begin in the fall after post-bac.

Drexel
Temple
SUNY Stonybrook
Tulane
Brown
Pittsburgh
GW

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i wouldn't go so far as to say stony has a linkage program. you need a kick ass gpa and mcat. they don't save a lot of spots for their post-bacc students.

If I called up a post-bac program director, would they tell me about what schools have unofficial linkage programs with them? Not sure if that's something they'll give me a straight answer to, or I'd've tried before.

(Psst...Wendy...nice to see I'm not the only swells kiddie around)

silverdime said:

If I called up a post-bac program director, would they tell me about what schools have unofficial linkage programs with them? Not sure if that's something they'll give me a straight answer to, or I'd've tried before.

(Psst...Wendy...nice to see I'm not the only swells kiddie around)

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Bryn Mawr and Johns Hopkins also have linkage programs, though I don't know what the requirements are to do the link.

Snugstar said:

Bryn Mawr and Johns Hopkins also have linkage programs, though I don't know what the requirements are to do the link.

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Unfortunately I can't go to those programs; already finished my premed classes. I've been looking for master's programs with unofficial linkages beyond the med school they're usually affiliated with, but of course that's not the kind of information they want to post on their web sites.

I may call a couple of programs I know I'm not going to apply to first and see what they say.

So what does one do, exactly, to get into one of these direct linkage/masters postbacc programs if you don't have a gpa of 3.0 and above? I mean, are they really strict cut-off gpa requirements, or do they make exceptions by taking a look at LORs, EC's, upward gpa trends, etc?? Or does one have to do a second bachelors altogether??? Does anyone have experience or knowledge about schools with less rigid requirements, etc?? Even, if they are not direct-linkage programs....any Masters or structured postbacc programs that will take a serious look at someone with <3.0gpa or at least admit on a probationary period??

HippocratesX said:

So what does one do, exactly, to get into one of these direct linkage/masters postbacc programs if you don't have a gpa of 3.0 and above? I mean, are they really strict cut-off gpa requirements, or do they make exceptions by taking a look at LORs, EC's, upward gpa trends, etc?? Or does one have to do a second bachelors altogether??? Does anyone have experience or knowledge about schools with less rigid requirements, etc?? Even, if they are not direct-linkage programs....any Masters or structured postbacc programs that will take a serious look at someone with <3.0gpa or at least admit on a probationary period??

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With a GPA under 3.0, I'd say your best bet is a post-bac program that's not a graduate-level program--a GPA-booster that will let you take advanced science classes at an undergraduate level. That way you can raise your undergraduate GPA. If you go to a graduate level program, you're still going to have to explain your low undergrad GPA to med school--any graduate classes you take will get noted separately on your AMCAS.

I don't know very much about the non-graduate gpa booster programs, but I'm sure the AAMC website post-bac search function could help you find some.

HippocratesX said:

So what does one do, exactly, to get into one of these direct linkage/masters postbacc programs if you don't have a gpa of 3.0 and above? I mean, are they really strict cut-off gpa requirements, or do they make exceptions by taking a look at LORs, EC's, upward gpa trends, etc?? Or does one have to do a second bachelors altogether??? Does anyone have experience or knowledge about schools with less rigid requirements, etc?? Even, if they are not direct-linkage programs....any Masters or structured postbacc programs that will take a serious look at someone with <3.0gpa or at least admit on a probationary period??

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If you have under a 3.0, my understanding is that you're all but screwed for a direct linkage program. The problem is that even if you got in, there are SO many students competing for the linkages that you will be left in the dust. However, even at Bryn Mawr, the majority of the students in the elite programs wind up not linking, so not getting a linkage isn't the end of the world.

With an SMP, my understanding is that you have a little more leeway, especially if you have an outstanding trend in GPA. By definition, these places don't get the greatest apps since the greatest apps are already in med school. If you have a great MCAT, so much the better. Some of these are really strict, but it seems that SMPs at DO schools are less stringent in general. Oh, and all schools will give you a boost if you do great in the program and have a great MCAT score.

Unfortunately, most structured and even unstructured programs also have ridiculously stringent GPA requirements. For example, say you just want to take classes a la carte at Penn. If you go to the prospective student meeting, they will come out and tell you that a 3.3 from a CC is better than a 2.8 from an elite private school, because of their 3.0-and-that's-that stance on admissions. Now, what's nice about Penn is that if you have above a 3.0, it's noncompetitive - there aren't a limited number of seats. But many places do have seat limitations and a BS GPA prereq to keep up an illusion of quality. Is it fair? No. But that's the situation, and it must be planned for accordingly.

Fortunately, there are places where those of us can go. The first stop is your local 4-year state school. Mine only required a 2.3 GPA for second degree transfer credit (but a 3.0 for a post-bacc that would take the same amount of time. WHY?! ). The second choice is just taking classes in open enrollment programs. Harvard and Northwestern are two places where this can be achieved (and cheaply, I might add). You just sign up and pay online.

In summary, there are ALWAYS options for people with even the crummiest of GPAs - they just need to be rooted out. It really ticks me off when 75%+ of programs out there give us the shaft solely to boost the rep of their precious little program when what they need more is the money that admitting more students would give them.

sidewalkman said:

It really ticks me off when 75%+ of programs out there give us the shaft solely to boost the rep of their precious little program when what they need more is the money that admitting more students would give them.

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The programs say they do that not to instill a false sense of quality, but instead to make sure the people applying WILL get accepted later down the road into medical school. One factor we all look at in postbaccs is the success rate of their graduates entering med school... if they took Mr. Low GPA, imagine what would happen to their success percentage?

FirestarterSG said:

The programs say they do that not to instill a false sense of quality, but instead to make sure the people applying WILL get accepted later down the road into medical school. One factor we all look at in postbaccs is the success rate of their graduates entering med school... if they took Mr. Low GPA, imagine what would happen to their success percentage?

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I can certainly understand that perspective from an elite private school. I can even accept that perspective from programs that give out a useless post-bacc certificate just so their students can get federal financial aid. But c'mon... there is no reason why someone who wants to take some bio electives on the side should be subjected to a GPA and MCAT filter.

Where I was going with this is that I am surprised that so few programs follow the Harvard model. If students are allowed the option of either entering a formal route or taking classes a la carte within the same program, then the post-bacc becomes a winning scenerio for all involved. The post-bacc keeps their reputation (they won't factor in the a la carte students, since they're not formally enrolled) and gets some extra revenue on the side, while students who screwed up in undergrad aren't left out in the cold. I was also surprised at the number of low-tier schools that hold strict GPA requirements just so their success rate would be incredibly high and their education would thus somehow be viewed as prestigious. For those schools, yes, I feel they are trying to maintain a false sense of quality.

don't forget hunter!! linkage to cornell weill and suny downstate.

juniper456 said:

don't forget hunter!! linkage to cornell weill and suny downstate.

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Does anyone know the linkage acceptance rate for those going through the Hunter program? If I have the option of attending the program at Hunter or Penn, which would be more beneficial?

Aside from NYU, Columbia, and Stony Brook, any other school I should be looking into? I live in NYC area and have only taken Bio I/ Chem Inorg. I (4yrs ago) Suggestions are greatly appreciated

cornell takes 2 post-baccs through direct linkage from hunter per year. requirements are that you finish at least half of your premed requirements by the time you apply (in the spring), and that you have a 3.7. once you are accepted, you must maintain a 3.7 through the rest of your premed courses and score at least a 30 on the mcat.

wendywellesley said:

i wouldn't go so far as to say stony has a linkage program. you need a kick ass gpa and mcat. they don't save a lot of spots for their post-bacc students.

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From what I understand, their linkage program with Goucher is still called a linkage although it is very different in terms of timing and doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense in my opinion. In terms of the "kick ass gpa and mcat" not too much I can verify about that - guess its subjective. Some of the linkage programs are more flexible then others - you'd be surprised. Stonybrook does not seem to want to encourage linkers though.