Advice on which post bac programs + rating of programs please!!

[delariva]

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I'm new to this forum and would love some advice on post bach programs. I just graduated USC this past december with a business degree, but am interested in going to med school.

With my gpa, act scores, etc, which are the best post bach programs I am likely to get into? Im looking for 1 year career-changer programs.

- High school gpa: 4.01
- Undergrad GPA (from University of Southern california): 3.35
- ACT score: 30

- I do not have any prereqs. I am pretty much starting from the very beginning. I have a BS in Business and no sciences

- I have not taken the MCAT

- I volunteered in a hospital about 5 years ago. I volunteered for about a year. I am currently applying for volunteer positions in the ER.

- I do not care about location - I am more concerned with programs that will really help me get into med school, especially since I am starting from scratch


Any advice on highly-regarded programs that fit my profile would be greatly appreciated. Opinions on whether I would have any shot at programs at Scripps, Goucher, Bryn Mawr, Hopkins, HES would be terrific too.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

are you serious...

if you are, refer to avatar.

 

[delariva]

And I received the above response because ?? I'm just looking for some advice on which post bach programs I should be considering instead of following the general requirement of 3.0 and above. Didn't think my post was asking something too ridiculous...so yes, I am serious.

 

[deleted248403]

You haven't really given very much info as to which area of the country you want to be in, whether you've done the prereqs, whether you've taken the MCAT, whether you have any volunteer experience, etc - you've given us very little.

Also, its a heck of a lot of work to type all the schools and then rank them; basically you are asking us to do your research for you

 

[NewmansOwn]

Also compounding the problem is that no one knows what a "post bach" is.

In all seriousness, rankings are pretty silly for any institution of higher learning. Once we know a bit more about you, perhaps we could offer some advice on highly-regarded programs that might fit your need.

That being said, if you pay my $50/hour consulting fee, I will happily rank and cross-reference every postbac program in the country for you. Otherwise, everyone who gives out information on this forum does so voluntarily, so you might not get such a large investiture of time and energy.

 

[delariva]

Thank you for all the informative replies. since I'm new to the forum, I didn't realize that I should have provided more information.

- I'm looking for a 1 year post bach program - a post bach program specifically for people who have a college degree, but do not have any prereqs completed. A career-changer program.

- I do not have any prereqs. I am pretty much starting from the very beginning. I have a BS in Business and no sciences

- I have not taken the MCAT

- I volunteered in a hospital about 5 years ago. I volunteered for about a year. I am currently applying for volunteer positions in the ER.

- I do not care about location - I am more concerned with programs that will really help me get into med school, especially since I am starting from scratch




From the research I have done and my understanding, I can go to a post bach program specifically for career changers, which will take anywhere from 1 year to 2 years. After completing the program and taking the MCATs, I will be able to apply to med school. I believe this is correct.

Also, I did not expect a complete list of ALL programs, I know that is absoltely ridiculous. From my research, I have gathered that Scripps, Goucher, Bryn Mawr, Hopkins, HES were pretty top rated programs. I wanted to see if my research was accurate.

Lastly, any advice on highly-regarded programs that fit my profile would be greatly appreciated. That is ideally what I am looking for.

Thank you for all the help.

 

[jsend]

Add Penn and you've got a pretty good list there.

 

[gl0baltrader]

I don't think you can finish all your pre-reqs in one year. Many schools have pre-reqs for organic chemistry, biochemistry, etc. I think you might have to apply for a two year program; such as HES.

This would allow you to build your extracurricular, volunteering, and clinical experience; which you have very little of.

 

[NewmansOwn]

The best programs are Scripps, Goucher and Bryn Mawr. Not far behind would be Hopkins, UVA, Penn and probably a few others I'm forgetting. HES has had a lot of success, but I think that's more a do-it-yourself type deal -- but there are lots of HES folks on this forum that can clarify better than I.

There's always a debate over whether to take one or two years to complete the prereqs. My personal opinion (take it for what it's worth) is that one year is the way to go. If you can get into a top one-year formal program, it'll take good care of you and the workload, honestly, isn't as intense as medical school anyway. I did one and had plenty of time to volunteer and study for the MCAT.

So if location doesn't matter to you, try to get into one of the above mentioned programs. You'll need some more medically related volunteer experience before you'll have a chance, though, and your GPA may be too low. But, trust me, it's worth a try.

 

[Jlaw]

If you have no pre reqs complete then you are going to need 2 years at least. The bare minimum is BIO1, CHEM1, BIO2, CHEM2, ORGO1, ORGO2, PHY1, PHY2. Some of these will also have seperate lab component so if you want to get A's (you need to get A's) it's not adviseable to overload yourself. Taking 2 classes a semester and getting A's is much better than taking 4 and getting B+'s. Also try to get some other upper level science classes or things like anatomy, human disease, etc.

Your GPA isn't that bad, if you do well in the 8 required sciences and on the MCAT you will most likely get in somewhere, especially if you are willing to go DO or Carib.

Don't worry so much about getting into a brand name program, go somewhere you are comfortable and do the work. In the end your grades, EC's and other factors are going to be more important than where you did your post bacc. (it's post bacc, as in baccalaureate, not bach).

Good luck.

 

[NewmansOwn]

If you have no pre reqs complete then you are going to need 2 years at least. The bare minimum is BIO1, CHEM1, BIO2, CHEM2, ORGO1, ORGO2, PHY1, PHY2. Some of these will also have seperate lab component so if you want to get A's (you need to get A's) it's not adviseable to overload yourself. Taking 2 classes a semester and getting A's is much better than taking 4 and getting B+'s. Also try to get some other upper level science classes or things like anatomy, human disease, etc.

Your GPA isn't that bad, if you do well in the 8 required sciences and on the MCAT you will most likely get in somewhere, especially if you are willing to go DO or Carib.

Don't worry so much about getting into a brand name program, go somewhere you are comfortable and do the work. In the end your grades, EC's and other factors are going to be more important than where you did your post bacc. (it's post bacc, as in baccalaureate, not bach).

Good luck.

You do not need two years to complete the prereqs. Formal programs offer the Gen Chems in the summer and then the other courses concurrently in the fall and spring semesters. I and my colleagues found this to be quite manageable. That being said, if you have other time-intensive obligations, by all means take more time to complete the prereqs -- grades are, of course, the most important thing. However, you might want to take a look at your priorities if this is the case, as medical school is considerably more intense than taking the prereqs in one year and a part-time option is generally not available.

I would only advise taking upper-level courses if you feel your application could use some bolstering or strengthening. If you've got an excellent MCAT score and stellar LORs/essays after taking the prereqs, you're ready to go -- you won't use much (if any) undergraduate science knowledge in medical school, anyway.

I agree that you should not overly concern yourself with a brand-name program, if you would feel most comfortable taking the courses elsewhere. Some of the top formal programs have good relationships with medical schools, however, and make applications a lot smoother and interviews more plentiful.

 

[halekulani]

there is no 'h' in baccalaureate

 

[flip26]

You do not need two years to complete the prereqs. Formal programs offer the Gen Chems in the summer and then the other courses concurrently in the fall and spring semesters.

This is correct, but it is a very tough year. Especially if you are trying to do a bunch of ECs in this same year.

Your GPA is not competitive for the programs you listed (maybe OK for HES, but not the Gouchers). Aim lower.

Can you do the post bacc locally, where you currently live? Going off to one of these fancy programs, with cost of living thrown in, will run you $50k easily...

Finally, others will scoff, but if you live near a good CC (one with a good rep, and many CC systems are highly regarded), you should save your $ and the wear and tear on yourself and take the prereqs at a CC considering you have already done a 4 year degree at a uni. Sure, a 4 year would always be preferable, but it really isn't necessary.

 

[NewmansOwn]

This is correct, but it is a very tough year. Especially if you are trying to do a bunch of ECs in this same year.

Your GPA is not competitive for the programs you listed (maybe OK for HES, but not the Gouchers). Aim lower.

Can you do the post bacc locally, where you currently live? Going off to one of these fancy programs, with cost of living thrown in, will run you $50k easily...

Finally, others will scoff, but if you live near a good CC (one with a good rep, and many CC systems are highly regarded), you should save your $ and the wear and tear on yourself and take the prereqs at a CC considering you have already done a 4 year degree at a uni. Sure, a 4 year would always be preferable, but it really isn't necessary.

Amen. It was a tough year. I tend to think that's no reason for a future medical student to shy away from a good opportunity. Medical school is far more intense than a one-year postbac program, so I don't think you do yourself any favors when you take it easy for your postbac.

 

[flip26]

Amen. It was a tough year. I tend to think that's no reason for a future medical student to shy away from a good opportunity. Medical school is far more intense than a one-year postbac program, so I don't think you do yourself any favors when you take it easy for your postbac.

Who is talking about "taking it easy?"

You also do yourself no favors by shooting yourself in the foot and making anything less than A's in the post bacc, a year that includes the insufferable labs associated with the lectures...I did the post bacc for all classes in one year, and I was in lecture or lab 25 to 30 hours a week, leaving no time for serious EC involvement.

My point is that if you are also trying to get in your ECs (volunteering and shadowing) that there is no shame in stretching out the post bacc an extra summer or semester. Plus, you have to work that MCAT into the mix, too.

 

[NewmansOwn]

Who is talking about "taking it easy?"

You also do yourself no favors by shooting yourself in the foot and making anything less than A's in the post bacc, a year that includes the insufferable labs associated with the lectures...I did the post bacc for all classes in one year, and I was in lecture or lab 25 to 30 hours a week, leaving no time for serious EC involvement.

My point is that if you are also trying to get in your ECs (volunteering and shadowing) that there is no shame in stretching out the post bacc an extra summer or semester. Plus, you have to work that MCAT into the mix, too.

My opinion is that taking two years to do the prereqs when you have the means to attempt them in one is taking it easy. And believe me, you don't have to remind me of the difficulties of the one-year route -- I did it myself just last year.

I totally agree that grades are of the utmost importance. I think where we differ is that I wonder: If you truly can't get As while taking all the prereqs in one year, how will you possibly survive medical school? When you get here, you'll see what I mean -- it dwarfs anything you or I did in our respective postbac years.

I thought doing the prereqs in one year left me ample time to get involved in ECs and study for the MCAT. I was busy, sure, but it paid off and I still had time to run, bike, go out, etc. But as anyone who reads this is aware, that's just the opinion of one student.

 

[deleted248403]

CC vs a formalized program is a no brainer.

As at CC does not equal As at HES, Goucher etc. - you get what you pay for to some degree

 

[flip26]

My opinion is that taking two years to do the prereqs when you have the means to attempt them in one is taking it easy. And believe me, you don't have to remind me of the difficulties of the one-year route -- I did it myself just last year.

I totally agree that grades are of the utmost importance. I think where we differ is that I wonder: If you truly can't get As while taking all the prereqs in one year, how will you possibly survive medical school? When you get here, you'll see what I mean -- it dwarfs anything you or I did in our respective postbac years.

I thought doing the prereqs in one year left me ample time to get involved in ECs and study for the MCAT. I was busy, sure, but it paid off and I still had time to run, bike, go out, etc. But as anyone who reads this is aware, that's just the opinion of one student.

Plenty of people doing post baccs have other obligations, like jobs and families. So you had time to run, bike, go out - great. But some people have to work at least part time during the post bacc.

And I fail to follow your reasoning that one should cram it all into one year as a "test" for medical school preparedness. Do whatever it takes to make the best grades possible AND keep a reasonable balance in your life, and if that means stretching the post bacc beyond one year, then do it.

 

[NewmansOwn]

Plenty of people doing post baccs have other obligations, like jobs and families. So you had time to run, bike, go out - great. But some people have to work at least part time during the post bacc.

And I fail to follow your reasoning that one should cram it all into one year as a "test" for medical school preparedness. Do whatever it takes to make the best grades possible AND keep a reasonable balance in your life, and if that means stretching the post bacc beyond one year, then do it.

Well, as I said in my previous post, anyone with the means to attempt in one year shouldn't go for two. I should have been more specific -- by "means" I meant no family to support. If you have a newborn child or something, by all means, take your sweet time doing the prereqs. But I still wonder -- what are you going to do when you get to medical school and can't take your time anymore?

My original post was intended to dissuade those who are considering a two-year option purely out of feelings of academic insecurity. If you think a one-year program will be too hard, why would you even consider medical school?

Either way, I've said my piece. Our bickering won't help anyone on this thread. I think we might as well just disagree, and leave it at that. I certainly meant no disrespect.

 

[drizzt3117]

If you have other obligations that take up a lot of your time then you're going to have serious issues when you actually attend med school, it's a lot more work than any postbac, ECs or otherwise. Even people who are doing the extended program (3 years for the basic sciences) work a lot harder than the hardest postbac.