Harvard Extension School for premed post bacc

[952995]

if I attend HES for post baccalaureate work, would that increase my chances at getting into Harvard Medical School?

Also would I have to move to Cambridge, MA to attend HES?

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[AaqDasaq721]

No, and close enough to HES that you can commute in reasonable time (for classroom-based classes; for online, I guess you can be anywhere?).

 

[CJhooper123]

Harvard extension is great for post-bacc courses. I completed half of my DIY PB there and have had multiple II's and several DO acceptances this cycle.

Will completing your PB at Harvard Extension improve your chances of matriculating at Harvard? Very unlikely. Barring a perfect MCAT score... I just don't see Harvard Medical School being friendly for students requiring post-baccs.

 

[CJhooper123]

Did you get any LORs from HES profs? I'm thinking about taking a course this semester (sports physiology), but don't know if I can get a good LOR.

I actually did not receive any LOR from HES professors. I did take one physiology course (not sports) and asked my professor to write a letter - they said they would and never did (despite me pestering them). At that point, I already had more than enough letters so I let it slip... but I'm sure you can get letters from HES professors if you stay on top of it.

 

[DrFortiusNatando]

In my experience, HES post-bac will not help get into HMS. However, despite what one poster said, it would not be bc you "had" to do a post-bac. Plenty of post-bac students do get into top medical schools - especially those post-bacs who are career changers. People who do post-bacs to change careers are different from those who need to improve their GPA.

At some places, doing a post-bacc in the geographic area of a medical school might help by showing a motivation/dedication to live in a certain city, but Harvard will not care. They know people will want to move to Boston to go to HMS.

 

[CJhooper123]

In my experience, HES post-bac will not help get into HMS. However, despite what one poster said, it would not be bc you "had" to do a post-bac. Plenty of post-bac students do get into top medical schools - especially those post-bacs who are career changers. People who do post-bacs to change careers are different from those who need to improve their GPA.

At some places, doing a post-bacc in the geographic area of a medical school might help by showing a motivation/dedication to live in a certain city, but Harvard will not care. They know people will want to move to Boston to go to HMS.

This is true - I assumed OP was talking about an "academic enhancement PB" rather than career changing. The former (including an excellent application) would make it doable to get accepted into a top medical school (Harvard included). However, if you're completing a PB for purposes of increasing your GPA (academic enhancement), it would be likely that your GPA might be too low for a top 20 acceptance (without knowing anything else about you or your app).