Bryn Mawr/Goucher chances of getting in?

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mdanitka

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Hello, I am relatively new to the site and while I have been a long time reader, this is one of my first posts so bear with me on this.

I am really interested in pursuing a post bacc that offers linkages, though I understand that Goucher and BM are one of the hardest to get into I was hoping I could get some advice/more information on what these schools are looking for and if I even have a shot at getting into them? I am graduating early from college in December this year with a 3.75 in Music and a minor in Psychology. I was born in Canada but moved here many years ago, though English is not my first language, so if there are errors I apologize in advance 🙂 I have been volunteering since March of this year in the ER at univ. of chicago, and have in the mean time been teaching students from the surrounding areas how to play on the piano/sing. I've also volunteered with the CCFA(crohns and colitis foundation) and helped in organizing their yearly runs/events and so on. High school wise, I was not really as great as my undergrad, I had about a 3.5 with a 27 on my ACT. Do they look into that high school stuff a lot???

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks you! 🙂
 
Hello, I am relatively new to the site and while I have been a long time reader, this is one of my first posts so bear with me on this.

I am really interested in pursuing a post bacc that offers linkages, though I understand that Goucher and BM are one of the hardest to get into I was hoping I could get some advice/more information on what these schools are looking for and if I even have a shot at getting into them? I am graduating early from college in December this year with a 3.75 in Music and a minor in Psychology. I was born in Canada but moved here many years ago, though English is not my first language, so if there are errors I apologize in advance 🙂 I have been volunteering since March of this year in the ER at univ. of chicago, and have in the mean time been teaching students from the surrounding areas how to play on the piano/sing. I've also volunteered with the CCFA(crohns and colitis foundation) and helped in organizing their yearly runs/events and so on. High school wise, I was not really as great as my undergrad, I had about a 3.5 with a 27 on my ACT. Do they look into that high school stuff a lot???

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks you! 🙂

At first glance, it seems like your stats put you in the range of scores and grades that the formal postbacc programs are looking for.

When these types of programs screen applicants, they are looking for information that will tell them how you perform academically, how you perform on standardized exams, and how well you present yourself in an interview/personal statement (or, how easy/difficult it would be to spend a year in a room with you and 29 other people). In addition, they want to see volunteer or work experience in medical settings because they want to be certain that an applicant knows enough about the medical field to make an informed decision about going through postbacc and medical school.

Screening for these factors serves two primary functions for the top-level postbacc programs:
1) It ensures the postbacc program keeps turning out highly-qualified candidates that perform well in med school. Med schools will continue to look favorably on graduates of those programs, which in turn keeps the med school admission stats as high as possible.

2) By keeping med school admission stats as high as possible, these postbacc programs continue to attract highly capable, highly-qualified applicants, and the cycle continues.

Essentially, postbacc adcoms want evidence that you're a) likely to be a highly-qualified candidate in the med school application pool and b) NOT likely to drop out of postbacc/med school or do anything that might mess up the program's admission stats or hurt the program's standing in the eyes of med school adcoms.

Your goal in any application such as this is to present the case that you are the type of applicant they are looking for (as described above). At first glance, your stats seem to meet the baseline threshold for desirable candidates. Now you need to put together a comprehensive application package, including glowing letters of recommendation, that lands you an interview invite. Then, present yourself confidently, professionally, and personably in the interview and you'll hopefully land yourself a slot.

With regards to high school GPA, it won't be the thing that keeps you out. I think these programs just want to get multiple data points when coming up with a picture of who you are. If there are glaring red flags in your high school transcript, try addressing them in the personal statement or in an addendum.

Good luck!
 
Thank you for the response betterlate, it definitely helped! I had another quick question. It specifies on both sites that they have started accepting applications since September 1st and that the earlier you submit the entire application to Goucher or BM the better a chance you have of getting in(I don't know how much truth is in that thought). I am currently debating, should I send in just my 6 out of 7 semesters of college grades, or just wait until I do graduate this December and send in the complete transcripts to both schools? Would they prefer to have my entire college career, or should I just submit the apps as soon as possible? Does applying sooner really up my chances by that much?!
 
Thank you for the response betterlate, it definitely helped! I had another quick question. It specifies on both sites that they have started accepting applications since September 1st and that the earlier you submit the entire application to Goucher or BM the better a chance you have of getting in(I don't know how much truth is in that thought). I am currently debating, should I send in just my 6 out of 7 semesters of college grades, or just wait until I do graduate this December and send in the complete transcripts to both schools? Would they prefer to have my entire college career, or should I just submit the apps as soon as possible? Does applying sooner really up my chances by that much?!

You can submit a transcript now, that's fine. They may do one of several things: 1) sit on your application until they get your final grades, and then make a decision about whether or not to interview. 2) Interview you now, but then sit on your application until they get your final grades before making a decision, 3) Accept you on a conditional basis (eg, conditional on final GPA above a certain level), or 4) reject you w/o an interview.

Thinking positively, submitting a (complete, POLISHED) application early can either help or, at least, not harm your chances.

The idea of applying early is really just about looking at statistics. At the beginning of an application cycle, fewer spots are filled plus there are fewer applicants vying for those slots. That works out to less competition for you. At the very end of a cycle, when there's only one or two slots left, an admissions committee may be more nitpicky about who to interview or not, and who to offer a slot to or not. They can afford to be pickier, because they are not in danger of having slots go unfilled and they've got more people to choose from.

That said, if you do not have a carefully polished personal statement, don't have good letters of recommendation already waiting and ready to go, or otherwise can't put together a professional application packet, then it is far better to take the time to put those things together and apply when everything is ready to go. Rushing the application and making mistakes or otherwise coming across as disorganized/less than competent/less than professional can hurt you more than applying slightly later in the cycle would.
 
I think your stats look just fine and experience too. Fair warning, at Bryn Mawr they are reluctant to take students directly from college. As you will be graduating in december and will have at least half a year before starting a post-bac, I'd suggest including somewhere in your application your plan for what you will be doing in that 6 months. They will want it to be medically-related. At Bryn Mawr, we have a class of 90ish and just a handful are coming straight from undergrad. The admissions office likes to see other life experiences. Seniors do get accepted, but I think they are held to higher standards.
 
Thanks for the extra info on graduating seniors cms5402! While I don't have any super busy plans, I do plan on shadowing at a second hospital with one cardiac doctor while continuing more work in the ER at univ. of chicago. Do you think I should wait till after I graduate and send my app out in late December? Or should I work on finishing my app up now, and just get it in before Thanksgiving? Let me know.


ps- how are you liking bryn mawr??? 🙂
 
Sorry to hijack...but I'm guessing Goucher/Bryn Mawr are not SMPs and are geared toward non-traditional students? I couldn't find information about these programs in the stickies, which is why I ask.
 
Sorry to hijack...but I'm guessing Goucher/Bryn Mawr are not SMPs and are geared toward non-traditional students? I couldn't find information about these programs in the stickies, which is why I ask.
They are not SMPs
 
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