hey Therese! I'm so glad you asked. I'll be more than happy to help. Yes its very important to get the opinion from a person who didn't make it in such a program - had I done this, i would have been a more serious student this past year and perhaps would be at Chicago Med.
I think the very first thing you need to do when you start such a program is to have a backup. Don't go in thinking that you will make it if you just work hard. Its important to realize that no matter how hard you work, things can go wrong. Professors love to write weird exams (I think Jumpu might agree with me on this one - our embryology final came out of nowhere), and the unexpected can always happen. I personally felt i should have applied to a DO school this past year - now I'm going to the caribbean which i'm just pushing myself to do. Otherwise I lose another year applying to DO.
Second thing is to go with a very strong mindset and work as hard as you can from the word go. Forget the word "balance." Go into depression for a year if you have to because it is worth it at the end.
The AP program at Finch is a FABULOUS program if you make it, and a terrible one if you don't. If you make the program, you don' have to repeat any of the M1 courses you took during your AP year, and basically have a blast your M1 (they call it M1A) year because of advanced standing - all you take is anatomy, histology, and intro to clinical medicine your whole year. Its a great way to cut the workload of the M1 year that drives many medical students insane, and also a good time to explore and expand your education - do research, get a job, tutor tutor tutor! Some students would even get a head start on their M2 year studying. Most students would have a nice, chill, "undergrad type" life their M1A year by just taking those few classes and relaxing. People generally would pick up a good internship or foreign experience over the summer to build their credentials for match, etc.
The program is great, but go into it thinking that you have to make it at all costs - whatever they maybe. At the same point, make sure you have a backup - because like I said before, your dog could eat your physio notes the a week before the exam, and you'd be screwed.
I personally do not have many regrets from the program itself even though I didn't make it. I feel I could have made it had I applied myself earlier, but as far as the program goes - it was GOOD. Nothing could have prepared me better for medical school than the AP program. I know what intensity medicine demands academically, and developed the right study habits and techniques. Ofcourse I'm $55K in debt...but you sorta have to look at the positive side of things.....
if you have any other questions, you can message me on AIM...my screename is Saanjana.
