a few words of caution...

[kkbmd2b]

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I know many of you are considering enrolling in post-bacc programs, so I want to offer my $0.02 here, in case you're considering Bennington College.

I attended Bennington's program a few years ago. As a liberal arts student, I chose it because the program advertised itself as the ideal place for students with no prior math or science background, as they offer an "innovative" curriculum that includes small classes, take-home exams, and extensive projects. Unfortunately, however, the reality of Bennington's program differed extensively from its advertised description.

While one or two of the professors I encountered there proved to be excellent teachers, the majority were not. They were bright, interesting people--but they were more interested in teaching advanced science (and/or going bar-hopping with their students) than the science we needed to know in order to learn the fundamental concepts necessary to perform well on the MCAT. Additionally, the majority of the classes were poorly organized. Comment forms attached to transcripts quickly became a liability if one had a professor, such as my animal physiology professor, who (literally) replied to a student's (benign) question in class by saying "f*ck you." Take-home exams were complicated--it was not uncommon to spend 30+ hours on one--and did not prepare me well for the "real world" of science courses that use multiple choice exams to evaluate student progress. Projects were overblown--again, extending well beyond the scope and depth needed to provide students with fundamental knowledge. The only students who ended up performing well in the classes were those who had already taken the classes before (funny, since they advertised this as a non-science student program) or who were simply very good at teaching themselves from textbooks on their own.

My experiences since Bennington have included classes at both private and public universities. These classes have been straightforward, prepared me well for MCAT passages, and were, in general, much less complicated. They were also considerably cheaper. The contrast between these pre-med classes, as compared to Bennington's, underscored my sense that Bennington's classes proved to be of poor quality.

These comments represent my sole opinion--undoubtedly, there will be others who have different thoughts regarding their experience at the school--but I would hate to see anyone else waste their time and money on Bennington's program, and this is the best way I could think of to speak up about it. Consider this, then, as a consumer warning of sorts. Please feel free to email me if you have specific questions.

 

[Yellow Snow]

I might as well add my .02 cents regarding Penn's premed post-bac program. I started last fall and was told that the graduating class the previous spring had a 100% acceptance rate. But when I started taking classes, each class had around 150-200 students and there was a sharp grading curve in all classes. It doesn't take a brilliant person to figure out that if the school is employing a grading curve then no way are 100% of the students going to be accepted.

You certainly can get to med school via penns program but it basically means you are competing with people who work around the clock (many who's parents are paying their way) for the rare A's. It makes much more sense to go to your local university or wherever is convinient. Added bonus is that you can avoid the somewhat high cost of living in Philly (if you live in a decent neighborhood it adds up).

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Are all 150-200 students post-bac students? If not, is it normal to be on the same curve as a post-bac student that the undergrads are on? Just curious...

 

[Yellow Snow]

There was one girl who was a normal undergrad but had begged her way into the class. The rest were a combo of the different programs (post-bac premed and the special science students who were retaking).

That is another point. You are supposedly taking classes on even footing as no one in the program is supposed to have more than one or two science classes under their belt but there are a bunch of the special science students retaking the basic prereqs. and since you are graded on a curve you start out that far behind. Of course, they probably didn't do very well thus the retake so it may not be too meaningful.

I was only aware of one curve and I can't imagine that the professor had multiple curves going on because with that many students (and no TA's available to answer lecture questions) he really didn't know us individually.

Which leads to another point, the TA situation. There was no one to answer lecture related questions except the professor for two office hours a week. Our lab TA's were grad students but the premed program professors are not the normal undergrad/grad student professors so the TA's aren't knowlegable about what is going on during lecture.

I did ok in the program and it is workable but it doesn't give nearly the advantage that is presented. I actually think the premed program students are at a disadvantage there compared to just taking the classes on your own at a reputable university.

 

[Chrissy]

Hi there,
I am very strongly considering Penn's program...I did my undergrad work there as well and found the environment difficult, competitive, and intense. However, the premed advisor for the undergrad office told me that students tend to do significantly better as post baccs for various reasons. Also, speaking as an alumn, i know it is virtually impossible to take CGS science courses as a full time undergrad....the few CGS (non-science!) courses i took were significantly less difficult. Can you give me some more insight into the program please? I get the impression that (like you said) if you do well you will be fine but the environment is more competitive than it is supportive....i'm also considering bryn mawr and have been told there is a philosophy of "let's all learn together and we'll all get in"......do you mind me asking what your background is like? I have been battling with the DIY vs. prestigious question for almost a year ( the main reason i took a year off to work) and based on all my research and talking to people I am strongly leaning toward a more structured, reputable program which holds your hand through the whole process....any thoughts? and ps 200 kids seems about right they claim 50-75 students in each program plus some non-matrics and undergrads....hmm that sounds vastly different than bryn mawr.....you mayb be right that sounds the same as any local state college.....do you find it hard to get to know profs?? thanks!