Goucher vs. Byrn Mawr

[Flightmedic911]

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Is there anyone out there with any advise or information for either of these post bac programs. I am considering applying next year. Any information about the programs would be great, especially if it is from someone who is currently or was previously enrolled. Thanks. Ty

 

[Johnny_D]

Goucher and Bryn Mawr are two of the most competitive post-bacc programs in the country. Both are full-time only and take a calendar year. One of the main advantages is the name. They provide a high-quality education and med schools are familiar with them. They both have linkages with several top-tier med schools, although not everyone takes advantage of this. Their placement rates are at or near 100%. They also provide MCAT preparation.

The downside - you have to be a top candidate to get in. They say you have to have a 3.0 to get in, but to be competitive, you must have a much higher GPA. Also, you need to have a compelling story. IF you can get in, you stand an excellent chance of getting into medical school provided you do the work.

 

[seethrew]

I went to Goucher last year. What specific questions do you have?

 

[Snugstar]

Ok, I'm always focusing on the downside.

I'm curious about the compelling story part - since I am, as we speak, trying to compose my personal statement for applications to both Goucher and Bryn Mawr. This is hard! Advice? I'm trying to write about how I came to this decision, but it's really been a slow thoughtful process, no one profound moment of truth to write about. I think I'm finally getting at something - after many scrapped drafts - but would love to hear more about the "compelling story" prerequisite.

 

[SexyLexie729]

Are these programs only for career changers?

 

[Johnny_D]

Yes, these programs are for career changers. They typically won't accept anyone who has already taken their prerequisites. They will make exceptions based on the length of time since you took some of your science classes, but only if you took a few of them.

The compelling story is important if you have to explain a lower GPA or other obstacle in your records. For instance, if you had a low GPA in your early years of college, but kicked into high gear later on, explain why. Also, they want to know that you are committed to school. You can't say that you like the show ER and want to be a doctor. If your decision to pursue medicine started early in your life, make that part of your story. Goucher and Bryn Mawr are so competitive, you have to have a compelling case to get in to the program. For Bryn Mawr, approximately 200 students apply for 75 seats.

 

[Flightmedic911]

Hey how are you doing? The questions which I have are 1) did you think it was worth the price and was the instruction what you expected. 2) Did you enjoy it even though it was a lot of work. Would you recommend it to anyone else? Are you currently in or applying to med school. Thanks a lot Ty

 

[dliptzin]

I participated in the Goucher Post-Bac program.

Is it only for career changers?
No. We had 1/4 of our class just graduated, and another 1/4 who took 1 year off.

Was it worth the price?
1. Pennies in the bucket compared to the cost of med school
2. I have friends who worked on premed requirements part time while working and found it rather difficult and didn't do as well as they would have in a post bacc. Not earning good grades (as in top grades) in your premed classes hurts your chances of getting in.
3. So, yes and no.

Was the instruction what I expected?
No. I thought that we would have all excellent teachers. We did have some very good teachers, but I had high expectations of the quality of teachers at a small college. I was exceedingly frustrated by the less than good profs. So, go in with lower expectations.

Did I enjoy it?
Hell no. Honestly, it was my least favorite year of my life thus far. I made some GREAT friends. I was disappointed in the classes. I didn't like the area because it didn't feel at all like home and I had no support system there. Baltimore has some fun parts, but Towson is at least 20 min driving away from Baltimore, and parking can be tough. Plus, this was the first time I was in school full-time where we didn't have organized outlets such as clubs, sports, community service activities (med schools have LOTS of interest groups and activities!). You're only there for a year, so it's hard to become invested in the community and find activities. It's possible, but you are pretty busy. I ran with the Goucher xcountry team, I went to the climbing gym, I ran, swam, and biked, but overall, it wasn't my best year.

However, the things that are important to ME are not necessarily important to YOU.

What would I do differently next time? I would go in with lower expectations of the teaching. I would consider Bryn Mawr perhaps more seriously since I had several very good friends in the Philly area who would be doing something different than I, but I really liked that at Goucher we were separated from undergrads. In the end, I would probably make the same decisions, though. It's only one year. A number of people drop out of the program because they decided it wasn't working for them or that maybe they didn't want to become decisions.

 

[Jason O]

Dliptzin,

Your information is incredibly valuable. I am currently deciding between Goucher, Johns Hopkins and Bryn Mawr. Have you spoken to anyone who did it at JHU? Hopkins has an enthusiasm that I did not hear from Goucher nor Bryn Mawr. What are you doing with your lag year? Did you volunteer or do research while you were there? Were there any Blacks in the program? Was there diversity in the program? Did you have to interview? Do you feel like you absorbed all of the information? Do you perform on the MCAT?

Let me know anything that you can....I don't want to be unhappy for a year, nor kill myself trying to squeeze everything into 2 years.

Any info is a great help,

Jason

I participated in the Goucher Post-Bac program.

Is it only for career changers?
No. We had 1/4 of our class just graduated, and another 1/4 who took 1 year off.

Was it worth the price?
1. Pennies in the bucket compared to the cost of med school
2. I have friends who worked on premed requirements part time while working and found it rather difficult and didn't do as well as they would have in a post bacc. Not earning good grades (as in top grades) in your premed classes hurts your chances of getting in.
3. So, yes and no.

Was the instruction what I expected?
No. I thought that we would have all excellent teachers. We did have some very good teachers, but I had high expectations of the quality of teachers at a small college. I was exceedingly frustrated by the less than good profs. So, go in with lower expectations.

Did I enjoy it?
Hell no. Honestly, it was my least favorite year of my life thus far. I made some GREAT friends. I was disappointed in the classes. I didn't like the area because it didn't feel at all like home and I had no support system there. Baltimore has some fun parts, but Towson is at least 20 min driving away from Baltimore, and parking can be tough. Plus, this was the first time I was in school full-time where we didn't have organized outlets such as clubs, sports, community service activities (med schools have LOTS of interest groups and activities!). You're only there for a year, so it's hard to become invested in the community and find activities. It's possible, but you are pretty busy. I ran with the Goucher xcountry team, I went to the climbing gym, I ran, swam, and biked, but overall, it wasn't my best year.

However, the things that are important to ME are not necessarily important to YOU.

What would I do differently next time? I would go in with lower expectations of the teaching. I would consider Bryn Mawr perhaps more seriously since I had several very good friends in the Philly area who would be doing something different than I, but I really liked that at Goucher we were separated from undergrads. In the end, I would probably make the same decisions, though. It's only one year. A number of people drop out of the program because they decided it wasn't working for them or that maybe they didn't want to become decisions.

 

[seethrew]

I had a real negative impression from JHU, but I only went on a tour. The students were NOT enthusiastic, at least the ones I met. One suggested that I take many of the courses elsewhere. Another student seemed to regret their decision, with their biggest complaint being in large classes with highly competitve and not very cooperative undergraduates. It is a new program though.

(SHOUT OUT TO DEB!!! I'm thinking of how many grammatical errors you'd find.)

 

[exigente chica]

I too am applying next year and wondering about the same 3 programs..

Any more advice from those who have applied or gone through these programs?

😉

 

[Febrifuge]

Not for nothin', but I was looking around at many of these same programs last year, and elected to apply to very very few. I passed up places where I'd be sitting in any class with more than 25 people; I passed up places where the department is primarily about preparing cutthroat undergrad Bio majors, and Post-bacs are an afterthought. I passed up places where I was skeptical about how serious the institution would be about supporting me. I'm older; I've been through 4 years of school; I know what works for me and what doesn't, and this Post-Bac absolutely has to work.

So I'm going to Bennington.

I got accepted last summer. I had to defer from Fall 04 to Spring 05 for, ah, personal economic reasons, but I went out there in July for some meetings, a tour, and to sit in on classes for a couple of days. I am now pumped for next year to get here.

No undergrads competing with you. Fewer than ten or 15 people in the whole Post-Bac. Excellent profs. Cool research being done by said profs. Very collegial, cooperative atmosphere. Not many people who just had one or two years off. A roughly 100% acceptance rate to med schools, on the first try, over the last 10 years, and 100% for three or four years running.

It's expensive, I guess, but like someone said above, it's spitting in the ocean compared to the overall costs of giving up la vida normal to go into medicine. Best of all, I feel confident that at Bennington my own experiences and personality are going to be a valuable part of how I succeed, as I move into a whole new kind of academic area. There's community. There's fancy-shmancy groundskeeping and food services. There's a pub on campus.

End of commercial, but I'm saying take a look at my school too.

 

[Jason O]

Very cool information. I have it narrowed down to bryn mawr, johns hopkins, goucher, and I guess, not Bennington. I had not even heard about their program. Are there any other programs where you can finish the requirements in a year? Did you visit any of the other programs? what were your impressions?

Thank you so much

 

[Febrifuge]

Nope, Bennie was the only road trip I made, and that was after my acceptance. I liked Goucher but the competitive aspect scared me away. It seems like a fairly efficient machine for creating app-ready people, which is cool. But I need something different. Bryn Mawr, I didn't learn too much about, honestly. I checked out Temple, Penn, and Mt. Holyoke.

There were pros and cons all around - discussion here was a big help - and ultimately, just when I was solidifying my list of most important characteristics, along comes Bennington with a lot of the intangible things woven right into the fabric of the place.

But then again, I'm weird, and it's all about the best fit. Good luck!