Harvard extension vs. Tufts post bacc

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jukie13

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I haven't been able to find a thread that compares these two recently...I'm moving back to the Boston area for next fall and will spend a year at post bacc. I'm between these two. Tufts is more expensive (double) but does have a linkage to Tufts itself. Harvard is less expensive and at night which means I could work during the day which is really ideal. I'm unsure how these stack up for medical schools and can't find much on what extra things they offer (both of them offer composites but that's about all I could find, no research, etc). If someone has experience with either and could help me out that would be awesome!

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I'm a big fan of HES. Lectures are recorded, classes are rigorous and difficult but very straightforward and fair - they provide tons of practice material and are generally upfront about what you need to know. It's cheap, the class schedule is great, there is a lot of support from the TF's, profs and fellow students if you want it. The profs know the med school game and are generally willing to write letters if you put in a little effort to get to know them - there is also ample opportunity to get to know the TF's who can provide more input to the prof on your letter. It seems to have a good reputation: a number of interviewers at schools I've been to seemed familiar and commented positively about the fact that I went to HES.

RE grade deflation: while classes are not curved, a lot of people don't do as well as they'd like. I would guess that the average grade in most courses is around a B or maybe B+. This sounds okay, but consider that 95% of people in the class are trying to get into medical school. Given that, over half of the class is getting <3.3's on their GPA and would have been better off going somewhere easier. I think this may be partly a product of the fact that anyone can sign up and take the classes. Goucher or Bryn Mawr may be more rigorous, but the tougher entry requirements weed out a lot of the people who are less likely to be successful.

For me personally, I felt like the rigor of the classes pushed me to improve my study methods, and prepared me well for the MCAT. If you think you're up to the challenge, I would highly recommend HES. If your academic skills are kind of shaky and/or you need GPA repair, I might look elsewhere.
 
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I don't know much about the Tufts post-bacc, but I did the HES route and can't recommend it enough. Disclaimer: maybe things have changed in the years since I was there but the value for money was phenomenal, classes were at night so I could actually have a job, lectures were well taught and the lab facilities were great. Don't know about grade deflation, I did pretty well but I've always been pretty lucky in that respect.
 
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I also did HES several years back. Great program, but is not easy. I doubt I would have done as well as I did if I was working in the day and doing postbacc at night. I ultimately just volunteered at Brigham during the days.
 
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