Formal Post-bacc or DIY Post-bacc?

[yayahey]

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[paradoxic_toxic]

I would stay and complete the formal post-bacc program because of the guaranteed linkage.

If you think about it, 24 credits is not that much--it's just about 2 full-time semesters. It will remove a lot of uncertainty from your journey towards med school. The money you save by going through the DIY route will probably be spent during your interview season (or multiple seasons if unlucky) anyways. With this opportunity, now is not the time to be cheap. Whatever you spend on this program will be a drop in the bucket compared to the tuition of med school.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

Formal program. Med school acceptance is an uphill journey, while it may be more time and money in the short term, what happens if you do it yourself and don't get accepted? You've still spent money and now have nothing to show for it. Take advantage of the opportunity you've been given.

 

[Goro]

Hello,

I graduated a few months ago in May 2019 with a computer science degree, but since I was also a Biology minor I completed a lot of the premed prerequisite courses as well. The only prereqs I still have to take are Biochem, Ochem 2 lab, and maybe sociology? I'm also considering retaking Ochem 2 because I got a C in it, but I also don't want to risk getting an even worse grade. My cumulative GPA was 3.8+, and my BCPM GPA was also 3.8+.

Anyway, I just got accepted into a premed post bacc certificate program for Spring 2020 at the same school I went to for undergrad. The downside is that the program requires a minimum of 24 credit hours to complete, and since I don't need that many classes it would be difficult to justify spending that kind of time/money just to complete the program. However, the program gives you a committee letter once you've completed it, has a linkage agreement with a med school that I want to go to, and all the students who've completed the program have been accepted to med school. Not to mention, I didn't really form relationships with my science professors during undergrad, so right now I wouldn't have anyone to write a letter for me. But if I go through this program I'll be able to suck up to my science profs and hopefully get letters from them.

My other option is to take the classes as a non degree student at that same university. Obviously that'd be way cheaper, but the downside is that I wouldn't have the guidance or the committee letter that I'd get from the formal post bacc program.

So my question is: Formal post-bacc or DIY post-bacc? Also, if I were to start the formal post-bacc, take the classes I need, and then drop out after a semester or two, will med schools know/care about this? Or can I just list the classes that I took in the formal post-bacc as non-degree classes and not even mention that they were originally for the post bacc program? I'm kind of leaning towards the "take the formal post bacc and then drop out once I get the classes I need" option because at least then I'll have guidance/advisers while I'm taking the classes. Please let me know what you guys think.

You don't need the porgram, just do it DIY.

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

You don't need the porgram, just do it DIY.

Even with the med school linkage? Why pass up on that?

 

[Goro]

Even with the med school linkage? Why pass up on that?

No MCAT required???


The program gives you a committee letter once you've completed it, has a linkage agreement with a med school that I want to go to, and all the students who've completed the program have been accepted to med school

Is this worth the tuition? Only you can answer that.

 

[yayahey]

No MCAT required???


The program gives you a committee letter once you've completed it, has a linkage agreement with a med school that I want to go to, and all the students who've completed the program have been accepted to med school

Is this worth the tuition? Only you can answer that.

Oh, there is an MCAT required for the linkage. You have to have a good gpa and an MCAT of around 514+. But apparently you can still do the linkage with an MCAT a few points under a 514 but only if your gpa is really really good

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Linkages usually aren't guaranteed. You can meet all the requirements, get the interview, and still be rejected.

 

[insaiyan-premed]

Linkages usually aren't guaranteed. You can meet all the requirements, get the interview, and still be rejected.

Temple's ACMS has a guaranteed linkage as long as you get in, & meet minimum GPA/MCAT requirements.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Temple's ACMS has a guaranteed linkage as long as you get in, & meet minimum GPA/MCAT requirements.

You're right, but Temple's ACMS is a very unique program, that's also very difficult to get into. I believe their average accepted student has a GPA of roughly 3.5, and the interview there acts as the medical school interview.

The way that OP described it, "The program gives you a committee letter once you've completed it, has a linkage agreement with a med school that I want to go to, and all the students who've completed the program have been accepted to med school," could apply to quite a few post bac programs that I know of that do not have guaranteed linkages.