Guarantees Abound?

[TMMB22]

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Hey all!
I know that questions about SOM guarantees after postbacs are a dime-a-dozen on this board.

However.. I have applied to a plethora of postbaccs after doing my research via AAMC.org and decided to come on here to peruse (sorry for my preponderance of Ps!) and I was shocked to read about Temple's seeming guarantee (after successful completion) on their postbacc page.

I'm well aware of linkage agreements, but, does anyone know of schools that have a direct guarantee similar to Temple's?

 

[GorgeousBorges]

Someone asked the same question a few posts below you. And no, there are no other programs that have an actual direct guarantee like Temple does.

 

[TMMB22]

GorgeousBorges,
Thank you very much! It was your post that brought Temple to my attention, much thanks!

 

[GorgeousBorges]

Actually, I'm not sure. What I meant is that there are no programs that guarantee med school acceptance for people who have already taken the med school prerequisites. I don't know about postbaccs in general.

 

[TMMB22]

Great! I have yet to take the MCAT, so, if anyone could advise if they have come across something like Temple's BCMS/ACMS, I would really appreciate it.

Per Temple's Website, they say if you get a 3.5+ sGPA and score 30+ without lower than an 8 on any section, you're promised a spot in their MD program. Staggering! Of course, I'm sure their admission isn't a cake walk.

Anyone come across anything else like this?

 

[GorgeousBorges]

Temple ACMS' average cGPA according to their website is 3.49. I've heard rumors that those numbers are outdated and the cGPA is even higher. They interview less than 10% of their applicants. Getting into Temple ACMS is not that much easier than getting into med school.

Tulane ACP almost certainly guarantees you admission if you beat the med school average in anatomy. However, you have to be on a med school waitlist to even apply.

EVMS in the past has accepted 85% of their SMP class, although their class size is expanding and it's not certain that the acceptance rate will continue to be as high.

Unless you're an under-represented minority or have some kind of disadvantaged status, these are the programs that lead to the highest rate of acceptance to MD schools. There may be DO post-baccs that guarantee acceptance to DO schools, but I don't know anything about DO post-baccs.

There are no other programs like Temple ACMS that guarantee acceptance as long as certain benchmarks in the program are met. Tulane ACP is the closest thing to it, and even they don't have official ironclad linkage like Temple does.

Trust me on this one. If there were any guaranteed paths (other than Temple) into med school for people with lower GPAs (and without disadvantaged or minority status), I would have found them. Moreover, SDN would have found them and their thread would constantly be all over the front page of the SDN post-bacc forum. It's not like there's some magical program that takes people with 3.0s and guarantees them acceptance to med school. The market doesn't work like that.

 

[TMMB22]

Thanks GorgeousBorges!

I have a 3.80 GPA (3.62sGPA) from a top-tier liberal arts school with a degree in Religious Studies with a premed concentration, my GPA isn't the problem, my main goal is to find the most stability and the best way to prep for the MCAT and really bulk up on science courses so I don't just try to get into med school and then bomb, I want to go in ahead of the curve.

 

[GorgeousBorges]

It sounds like Temple ACMS is perfect for you. Most people in your situation would just prepare for the MCAT, take it and apply for med school, but if you want a guarantee and you feel like more upper level science classes would better prepare you for med school, then Temple ACMS is exactly what you're looking for. I know of no other programs that would be. All of the SMPs discussed on this forum are for people with lower GPAs than yours, and all of the traditional linkage postbaccs (Goucher, Scripps, Bryn Mawr) are for people who haven't taken the prereqs. There are no other programs like Temple ACMS. If you want to get more academically prepared for med school science, either go to Temple ACMS or just take some upper-level bio classes at a local university and study for the MCAT on your own or with a prep course. Any other premed program would just be a solution in search of a problem.

 

[common man]

I have a 3.80 GPA (3.62sGPA) from a top-tier liberal arts school

you've earned the stability and "guarantee". enjoy the rewards of it!

if you want to take classes, there are lots of free online classes complete with all lecture videos, syllabi and tests that you can take from top tier institutions like MIT. you don't need to pay tuition $$$

as long as you interview reasonably well and do the ECs, your excellent numbers pretty much guarantee you.

why limit yourself to one school with a linkage when all the choices are yours? life's too short.

 

[gravitywave]

Thanks GorgeousBorges!

I have a 3.80 GPA (3.62sGPA) from a top-tier liberal arts school with a degree in Religious Studies with a premed concentration, my GPA isn't the problem, my main goal is to find the most stability and the best way to prep for the MCAT and really bulk up on science courses so I don't just try to get into med school and then bomb, I want to go in ahead of the curve.

This isn't the way to go, I'm afraid. Most of the science you'll get in the science courses you'll "bulk up on" is going to be pretty unhelpful for medical school. The people who enter med school with heavy science backgrounds will mostly tell you that it was nice not to have to study as much during cell bio and biochem. and that's it. Other than that, everyone who gets in arrives on a pretty even playing field.

With a 3.8, I'd avoid the direct expense of a post-bac and the indirect expense of foregone income at the other end of your training that taking the time to do a post-bac will ask. Research these forums for advice on the MCAT and other aspects of a strong application, outline and execute a study plan, take the test, do whatever else you need to become competitive, and apply on the open admissions market. It doesn't look like you need a post-bac to get any of that done successfully. And you won't miss it once you get here, either. Honestly.

 

[GorgeousBorges]

If TMMB22 wants to get a guarantee of med school a year early, doesn't care about money and wants to take more science classes for whatever reason, Temple ACMS would do that for the TMMB22. But I agree with gravitywave and common man that none of these things seem actually necessary for successfully getting into med school, which is why I'm kind of having trouble with answering the TMMB22's question.

 

[TMMB22]

Hey all,
Thanks for the responses!