Johns Hopkins Post-Bacc Info

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prolixity29

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Hello everyone,

I'm interested in finding out more info about the JHU post-bacc program. I've researched pretty much every popular program on the east and west coasts that I can think of (sorry midwest, just not interested), and I'm pretty sure that JHU is probably one of the strongest programs in these geographic areas. Great (albeit few) linkages, strong advising (the director there used to run the Goucher program), great research opps, and small incoming class.

The only ones that I think *might* in fact be better are BM and Goucher. But while BM and Goucher have extensive representation on SDN it seems JHU does not. And the threads on Hopkins that DO exist either have only a handful of posts or are simply outdated. Anyone know why this is? Am I missing something huge here?

And if you're reading this and you have experience with the Hopkins post-bacc, please answer these questions if you can:

1. Hopkins PB-ers take classes with undergrads. Do you think this hurts or helps your grades there? Are the curves brutal?
2. What were the requirements for the linkages? Were they the same standards as in MSAR or more lenient? I am particularly interested in either UPenn or Cornell.
3. Hopkins has lots of biomedical research opportunities. Were there students in the program with long-term career interests in international health (i.e., development work)?

Thanks!

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Hello everyone,

I'm interested in finding out more info about the JHU post-bacc program. I've researched pretty much every popular program on the east and west coasts that I can think of (sorry midwest, just not interested), and I'm pretty sure that JHU is probably one of the strongest programs in these geographic areas. Great (albeit few) linkages, strong advising (the director there used to run the Goucher program), great research opps, and small incoming class.

The only ones that I think *might* in fact be better are BM and Goucher. But while BM and Goucher have extensive representation on SDN it seems JHU does not. And the threads on Hopkins that DO exist either have only a handful of posts or are simply outdated. Anyone know why this is? Am I missing something huge here?

And if you're reading this and you have experience with the Hopkins post-bacc, please answer these questions if you can:

1. Hopkins PB-ers take classes with undergrads. Do you think this hurts or helps your grades there? Are the curves brutal?
2. What were the requirements for the linkages? Were they the same standards as in MSAR or more lenient? I am particularly interested in either UPenn or Cornell.
3. Hopkins has lots of biomedical research opportunities. Were there students in the program with long-term career interests in international health (i.e., development work)?

Thanks!
Hello, I was a post-bacc student from JH and am currently applying to medical school. I have to say that my overall experience was very positive and feel free to PM me if you have any addition questions.

1. Hopkins PB-ers take classes with undergrads. Do you think this hurts or helps your grades there? Are the curves brutal?

The JH undergrad students are some of the more motivated students in the country and it can be a bit of a culture shock. Given that, most of the post-bacc students were at the top of the class and generally ruined the curve for everyone else. Also not all of the classes are a traditional curve. Technically everyone should be able to get an A, they just make the exams challenging enough that you need the curve to normalize the distribution. There are a plethora of opportunities for help, if you find the work challenging. The post-baccs tend to be a very supportive group and I was always able to get the help I needed.

2. What were the requirements for the linkages? Were they the same standards as in MSAR or more lenient? I am particularly interested in either UPenn or Cornell.

I am not familiar with the linkage program since I did not apply to any. We did have one girl in my class who did apply Rochester. If you are interested in applying to a linkage program I do recommend that you make that desicion earlier rather than later. You would still need to go through a fairly comprehensive application process. Most of the students I knew did not link and enjoyed having the break between medical school and the post-bacc. In addition, they were able to get jobs that added a lot to their applications and gave them more to talk about during interviews.

3. Hopkins has lots of biomedical research opportunities. Were there students in the program with long-term career interests in international health (i.e., development work)?

Many of the students I went to post-bacc with were interested in global health and public health in general. Hopkins is associated with one of the top schools of public health in the country. Several of the post-baccs took classes at the Bloomberg School of Public Health either at campus or online. Hopkins definitely has amazing opportunties in international health. If you decide to do a glide year, you could probably find someone who is willing to send you overseas if you play your cards right.
 
Thanks for the reply, kywii. I am excited to apply for the program, and I now have an interview (wish me luck!).

I was also wondering about how many students in your class did the post-bacc linkage option (percentage-wise)?

Also, how are the glide year research opportunities/internships acquired? Does the office at JHU have a lot of connections in getting good opportunities outside of Hopkins? Are they very involved with each student or is it more of a hands-off, find-what-you-can type of process?
 
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Thanks for the reply, kywii. I am excited to apply for the program, and I now have an interview (wish me luck!).

I was also wondering about how many students in your class did the post-bacc linkage option (percentage-wise)?

Only one that I know of.

Also, how are the glide year research opportunities/internships acquired? Does the office at JHU have a lot of connections in getting good opportunities outside of Hopkins? Are they very involved with each student or is it more of a hands-off, find-what-you-can type of process?

Things may be slightly different for you since the program director has changed the year I was there. For the internships, we recieved a list of doctors that post-bacs have worked with in the past. It's huge. You can also work with anyone you may find by searching the hospital website. You can do anything from shadowing to volunteer work to research. I worked with a Neurologist and left with a co-authorship on a published paper. Generally students spend anywhere from 1-15 hours a week on their internship work. For the glide year, I am actually giving a talk to this year's post-bac about my job and hopefully one of them will be able to take over for me. Some people get jobs from other post-baccs, other people decide to branch out on their own. I will say that having the hopkins name behind you definitely helps when applying for jobs. During my job search I had interviews at the NIH, MGH, and hopkins. Before doing the post-bacc program I had basically no medical experience. I was interested in a more research related position, but I also know people who went to ethiopia or worked at non-profits. A lot of people got jobs through the doctor they worked with during their internship. Good luck with your interview!
 
How competitive is it to get accepted to JHU's post-bac program? What are the average GPA/MCAT scores?
 
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What are linkages? What do you mean by linkages?
 
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What are linkages? What do you mean by linkages?

A linkage is an agreement between a medical school and a formal postbacc program that enables a postbacc student to apply before finishing their prereqs. Admission on this basis is conditional, and can be lost if the student does not meet a GPA and/or MCAT score benchmark set by the medical school. If admitted, the student matriculates the same year they complete their postbacc program, rather than spending a year applying & interviewing before entering med school.
 
But those PB's are for people who don't have their prerequisites, right?
 
Hello,
What is the average GPA and SAT scores for admission? Do they heavily weigh the SAT in an admission decision??
 
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