Be Cautious of Linkage Promises!!!

[DrBuffett]

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To my fellow postbaccers (and postbac hopefuls) out there,

Please be careful before enrolling in any postbac program with the hope of using one of their "linkage" arrangements. Historically, these have been a great way to save a year and improve your chances of admission to med school. Many of the better postbac programs still have success with them. Others, however, sell prospective students on the idea of linkage despite placing few or no students into med schools via this route.

This is especially true if the linkage arrangement involves taking the MCAT and/or applying very late in the admissions cycle. These days, med schools may have no space in their class left even for the most qualified applicants.

Take my word for it, as I and several of my friends failed to be accepted despite strong MCAT scores. By the time we apply again, we will have the stigma of "reapplicants."

When evaluating possible programs, make sure that they are open with you about their linkage program and past success rates. If they give you very little info, or it sounds too good to be true, run away! It probably is.

 

[deleted248403]

The linkage process at my program is not solely based on the MCAT. They preach about having a complete application just like part of the regular process.

Maybe your problem was weak EC, or a weak GPA. A strong MCAT can't save anything.

 

[BuckFMP]

To my fellow postbaccers (and postbac hopefuls) out there,

Please be careful before enrolling in any postbac program with the hope of using one of their "linkage" arrangements. Historically, these have been a great way to save a year and improve your chances of admission to med school. Many of the better postbac programs still have success with them. Others, however, sell prospective students on the idea of linkage despite placing few or no students into med schools via this route.

This is especially true if the linkage arrangement involves taking the MCAT and/or applying very late in the admissions cycle. These days, med schools may have no space in their class left even for the most qualified applicants.

Take my word for it, as I and several of my friends failed to be accepted despite strong MCAT scores. By the time we apply again, we will have the stigma of "reapplicants."

When evaluating possible programs, make sure that they are open with you about their linkage program and past success rates. If they give you very little info, or it sounds too good to be true, run away! It probably is.

Care to share the program that's burnt you? PM is fine.

 

[cdnwpg]

Care to share the program that's burnt you? PM is fine.

Why constrain it to a PM? What about the rest of us?

 

[deleted248403]

Some don't like airing out that dirty laundry or giving too many specifics in public.

I'd like to know more about DrBuffet's situation before I call it him being burned by the program. Its possible that he did get screwed, but its also possible he dropped the ball on something.

 

[faith2]

I am not sure I understand i thought if they promised you a seat if you had the requirements they have to give it to you

 

[drizzt3117]

I am not sure I understand i thought if they promised you a seat if you had the requirements they have to give it to you

There's a couple caveats.

1) you have to interview for the seat, at some schools, they are rather late.

2) your acceptance is contigent on a given mcat score and gpa in the program.

 

[faith2]

OMG nothing is guaranteed friends that have been asking me I told them the opposite...Thanks

There's a couple caveats.

1) you have to interview for the seat, at some schools, they are rather late.

2) your acceptance is contigent on a given mcat score and gpa in the program.

 

[drizzt3117]

OMG nothing is guaranteed friends that have been asking me I told them the opposite...Thanks

I wrote a post outlining exactly how it was done at the postbac I attended (Scripps) if you're interested, and you can find it with a search.

 

[PinkIvy08]

Yeah, I opted to not even try for the linkage program at my post-bacc. From the way people who did it described it to me, apparently it was like if the school liked you, you were placed on a high-priority waitlist at the school...i.e. it is not guaranteed 🙁

 

[drizzt3117]

At Scripps, the linkage to GW is a sure thing. You interview super early (augustish) and they let you know if you're accepted pending getting a 3.5 in the program and 9 on each section of the mcat. If you don't get the mcat score, they let you try again for the following year. Pitt is harder to get into, you interview in the spring and you need a 3.75 in the program and 33 mcat.

 

[ygree001]

At Temple, you interview before you get accepted to the post-bacc. That way, if you get a 3.5 gpa and at least a 30 with no section less than 8 on the MCAT, you are in.