Post-Bac 2021-2022 Admissions

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For those who've heard back from or already interviewed with Bryn Mawr and/or Goucher, roughly how long did it take after you submitted your application?
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I just had my Goucher interview. They are so sweet and fun. I really hope I get in haha. For anyone wondering:

UVA— interview was quick and a bit basic. They asked the questions you’d absolutely expect and didn’t follow up really. Maybe they weren’t that interested in me as a candidate or something but that was my experience. The class I watched was quite odd as well but I know this program is very popular and a great fit for some people.

Bryn Mawr— more organised day; a longer information session in a group with the director and then separate interview with one of a few people. More in-depth than UVA

Goucher— very in-depth, personal interview with two people, one after another. I suspect they are interviewing fewer people because they were very familiar with my application. Answered questions about the program and even gave me general advice for the med school app process based on my experience, etc.

Goucher and Bryn Mawr were both great programs. Really have my fingers crossed for Goucher and so jealous of those of you who’ve heard back!
 
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goforit2021 said:
Thanks for sharing your experience. Goucher sounds like it was a great day. Fingers crossed, for you. I have my BM and Goucher interview next week. I'm excited. For your Goucher interview, was it 1 hour with each person or 30 minutes for each person?
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About a 40 min/20 min split. I sensed a difference too in the questions— like the first interview was the generic questions about your experiences and maybe the second was more an interview about how you’d fit into the program and your applications to med schools and things? Not sure.
 
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@Postbacccareerchanger I felt like my BM interview was similar to your UVA one. My interviewer asked a list of questions but without much follow up. I felt like a lot of it was me asking questions. Idk how to feel about it.
 
Wow- it's crazy that like 1/5 of Goucher's next class is in this thread! Congrats to all- I am excited for you (and a bit jealous, lol).

I submitted CAS on Monday and my status says "Complete." How long did it take for you all to go from "Complete" through verification? I'm curious how long it takes from submitting CAS to having a school actually look at your app.
 
SDBiotech said:
Wow- it's crazy that like 1/5 of Goucher's next class is in this thread! Congrats to all- I am excited for you (and a bit jealous, lol).

I submitted CAS on Monday and my status says "Complete." How long did it take for you all to go from "Complete" through verification? I'm curious how long it takes from submitting CAS to having a school actually look at your app.
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the timelines were:

complete to verified on the CAS: 1 working week
Verified to interview offer from UVA/Goucher/BM: about 1-2 business days
Interview to decision: all programs have said within 2 weeks.

I also applied to JHU and heard back just today with an interview offer, about 3 weeks later? So a bit slower.
 
Has anyone submitted applications to:

-Tufts
-Columbia
-Bennington
-Thomas Jefferson

and when did you apply, and have you heard back yet?
 
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I submitted to TJ on Monday 9/28 and have not heard back yet.
 
tb8485 said:
I submitted to TJ on Monday 9/28 and have not heard back yet.
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I understand most of us are in the waiting game now so it's just good to hear where other people are along the way.

To everyone whos already been accepted somewhere, congratulations :claps:
 
Accepted at Bryn Mawr for those interested. Just trying to finish the loop for people in future years looking for results with certain stats haha
 
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Das_Nooch said:
Has anyone submitted applications to:

-Tufts
-Columbia
-Bennington
-Thomas Jefferson

and when did you apply, and have you heard back yet?
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I applied to both TJ and Bennington on September 25. No word from TJ at all yet, but received an interview invitation from Bennington on October 5, interviewed October 9, got a second round invite same day, and have the second round scheduled for the 19th.
 
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Hey I have a question, so my sister is applying to post bacs. For the CAS verification, does this require you to have your letter of recommendations ready? Or is it like AMCAS where you only need your transcripts, then the letters can come whenever they are ready?
 
dllsl7 said:
Hey I have a question, so my sister is applying to post bacs. For the CAS verification, does this require you to have your letter of recommendations ready? Or is it like AMCAS where you only need your transcripts, then the letters can come whenever they are ready?
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You can’t be verified until the whole thing is complete and submitted to schools (I think you can’t do this without the recs having come back but possibly you can?), but you should send the transcript in ASAP anyway— for some reason for me it took them longer to acknowledge that I’d sent the transcript than it actually did to verify it
 
And I'm assuming this information is kept secret by admin, but does anyone know the probability of getting an interview? I'm reading all of your posts on top and it seems people are getting multiple interviews from familiar schools (Goucher, BM, Bennington, etc) that it seems more to be a matter of "when" rather than "if". Moreover, what is the probability of acceptance post-interview, given ~3.9 GPA?

So I'm thinking applying to post baccs have a much higher probability of success, compared to the <5% acceptance rate in some med schools, even though graduates from these top programs basically have their seat secured in a medical school somewhere in the states (judging by the 2 year matriculation stats posted online). If so, then wow these postbac programs are kinda like backdoors to some of the most elite medical institutions in the country. But is this true? I have always assumed that matriculation to postbacs were tightly regulated to mimic medical school acceptance rates.
 
dllsl7 said:
And I'm assuming this information is kept secret by admin, but does anyone know the probability of getting an interview? I'm reading all of your posts on top and it seems people are getting multiple interviews from familiar schools (Goucher, BM, Bennington, etc) that it seems more to be a matter of "when" rather than "if". Moreover, what is the probability of acceptance post-interview, given ~3.9 GPA?

So I'm thinking applying to post baccs have a much higher probability of success, compared to the <5% acceptance rate in some med schools, even though graduates from these top programs basically have their seat secured in a medical school somewhere in the states (judging by the 2 year matriculation stats posted online). If so, then wow these postbac programs are kinda like backdoors to some of the most elite medical institutions in the country. But is this true? I have always assumed that matriculation to postbacs were tightly regulated to mimic medical school acceptance rates.
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so I did some heavy research on this when I started haha. From attending the interview days and what is available on SDN, this is my impression.

overall postbacc acceptance is probably around 10%-20% at these good structured postbaccs. This is based on a couple SDN posts where people who had attended one shared conversations they had with the admins. The applicant pool for these is around 300-400 each year, based on those posts.

You can also tell from the interview days how many people they are looking at. UVA and BM are interviewing a lot of people and couldn’t possibly be letting everyone through from interview. according to one post linked somewhere in this thread, BM is admitting about 50% of interviewees. Goucher interview days are like a few people, and a lot definitely don’t get interviewed, so they are rejecting more people off the bat.

The overall impression I have is that these programs are pretty selective. I think people who find them and are willing to actually go through the process are generally fairly serious. At each interview day, I’ve been with people who were pretty impressive. I personally am coming from a job where I’m used to hearing “oh wow” etc, but I didn’t hear that from these programs— they’ve had people like me before.

When you look at those % who go to medical school numbers, you have to consider that people drop out from these programs, and that they often calculate that number only from those who get a committee letter or whatever. The best programs (Goucher and Bryn Mawr) definitely make it more likely than not that if you put in the work, you’ll go to medical school. But those programs are not accepting just anyone. Remember also that you probably are not seeing posts on SDN from candidates who were rejected without interview, and also that the pool on SDN generally is self selecting.

with a 3.9, you’ll get interviews, but I do think they’re looking for a bit more than the GPA. Also, two interviewers did mention that they give significant weight to where your undergrad degree is from, since (no comment on this from me but it’s what they said) it indicates whether you’ll hold up to the fast paced work. They also care about your past standardised test scores.
 
Great and thoughtful responses from everyone. On behalf of the waiters, I say thanks and congrats.

If people feel comfortable, can we start compiling GPA/SAT ranges of accepted and denied students? This will be super useful to applicants- not just now, but in the future.

I personally am very unsure how number driven the process is, so I’d love to hear from those with a 3.5 or below.

I was verified on Sunday but have not heard from any school yet. I only applied to Goucher/BM, so am wondering how long it takes to get dinged.
 
goforit2021 said:
I am not sure about getting dinged off the bat, but after my application was complete (all letters in) and verified, I received interview invitations in 2-5 days from all schools I applied to. That was fairly early when the applications first opened though, so it may take a little longer now that they are simultaneously interviewing and reviewing applicants. I am okay to talk more specifically about my background in private messages, but I am not comfortable posting stats/ other information publicly while I am still applying
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No worries- thank you for the thoughtful response. I totally understand and am in the same boat (will post grade details after cycle completes).

I just got invited to interview at Goucher! I went from complete to verified on Sunday night, so today was the 4th day for me. I am waiting on a 3rd letter of rec (from a former professor) which is required for BM (but not for Goucher), so I wonder if BM is waiting to review.

Wish me luck!
 
Has anyone who applied to Scripps been admitted there yet?
 
Hey guys, I applied to a couple of post bacs in California. I applied to UCD, UCSD, UCSF, UCB East bay. Granted all of them start at variable times this year and next year, so I may be interviewing for one by the time I have an acceptance to the other.

Anyway, I heard back from UCD on Oct 5th, and have my interview tomorrow. I can try to take notes and revisit the thread afterward if anyone has an interest in these programs.
 
Hey All- was curious what the dress code is for post bac interviews, now that many are through zoom. Would business casual be appropriate?
 
SDBiotech said:
Hey All- was curious what the dress code is for post bac interviews, now that many are through zoom. Would business casual be appropriate?
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I treated it like in person and wore shirt tie and jacket. Can never be over dressed in most situations in my opinion. The bottom half can be as casual as you want though haha.
 
boxalarm said:
I treated it like in person and wore shirt tie and jacket. Can never be over dressed in most situations in my opinion. The bottom half can be as casual as you want though haha.
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I think you’re right and I will do the same. Haha I guess you’re right, since it’s video. Thanks and good luck with your cycle!
 
Wondering if I could get some added perspective here. I did my undergrad at Brown, which as a notorious/famous pass/fail (S/NC) policy. As a result, I majored in a STEM field (applied math and economics), and I got a 3.92 GPA overall. But I took 1 class pass/fail every semester while there. I could justify my choice with a number of reasons as to why. But will post-bacc programs eliminate me as a result? My other academic performance was good (see GPA). And in the long-run, will I be a poor candidate for med school? I have good STEM inclinations, and from high school and even college, I know I can perform well in math and science classes.

Any advice appreciated! Looking to apply to post bacc next cycle.
 
kpr9806 said:
Wondering if I could get some added perspective here. I did my undergrad at Brown, which as a notorious/famous pass/fail (S/NC) policy. As a result, I majored in a STEM field (applied math and economics), and I got a 3.92 GPA overall. But I took 1 class pass/fail every semester while there. I could justify my choice with a number of reasons as to why. But will post-bacc programs eliminate me as a result? My other academic performance was good (see GPA). And in the long-run, will I be a poor candidate for med school? I have good STEM inclinations, and from high school and even college, I know I can perform well in math and science classes.

Any advice appreciated! Looking to apply to post bacc next cycle.
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I don't think they would eliminate you because of that. If you have good numbers from a good school, that makes their job easier. I think it would just come down to your reasons for doing it and medical experience
 
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kpr9806 said:
I did my undergrad at Brown, which as a notorious/famous pass/fail (S/NC) policy. I got a 3.92 GPA overall. But will post-bacc programs eliminate me as a result?

Any advice appreciated!
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This is not my domain of expertise, but I doubt the pass/fails will be an issue. I mean, you got a 3.92 at an Ivy League. I think you’ll be just fine (based on what I’ve read) with the caveat that formal post bacs take your whole app into consideration. If you want to do a career changer, you’ll need (as everyone says) a compelling reason for wanting to enter medicine.

Also make sure that you haven’t taken too many science courses- If you have, you may want to consider a DIY post bac to fill in your prerecs. You have a strong GPA and it may be cheaper and easier to do it yourself. Good luck!
 
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SDBiotech said:
This is not my domain of expertise, but I doubt the pass/fails will be an issue. I mean, you got a 3.92 at an Ivy League. I think you’ll be just fine (based on what I’ve read) with the caveat that formal post bacs take your whole app into consideration. If you want to do a career changer, you’ll need (as everyone says) a compelling reason for wanting to enter medicine.

Also make sure that you haven’t taken too many science courses- If you have, you may want to consider a DIY post bac to fill in your prerecs. You have a strong GPA and it may be cheaper and easier to do it yourself. Good luck!
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Thanks! Yes, so I've definitely given a lot of thought to the "why switch to medicine" component. Firstly, I have a chronic autoimmune condition and I know that my 12+ year long experience with it has given me such an intimate and deep appreciation for what physicians do. I also come from a healthcare family (my mom is a physician) and I have observed and shadowed before and it just seems so much more fulfilling for me than my current career path. I've volunteered in clinical and non-clinical healthcare settings before and it has always been rewarding for me (e.g, mentoring children with chronic illnesses). As for science classes, I've taken zero haha.
 
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tb8485 said:
I submitted to TJ on Monday 9/28 and have not heard back yet.
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I was invited to interview today by TJ, but had not heard anything since applying before now. I applied around 9/28-ish too, I think a little before that, so maybe you will hear soon
 
Hope everyone’s apps are going well! Question for those who have already been accepted (especially to BM or Goucher) when do you have to give them a decision as to whether you plan to attend?
 
changingplans said:
Hope everyone’s apps are going well! Question for those who have already been accepted (especially to BM or Goucher) when do you have to give them a decision as to whether you plan to attend?
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I don't know about BM's timeline but Goucher gave me like 3 weeks I think? I accepted the next day though haha.
 
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kpr9806 said:
Wondering if I could get some added perspective here. I did my undergrad at Brown, which as a notorious/famous pass/fail (S/NC) policy. As a result, I majored in a STEM field (applied math and economics), and I got a 3.92 GPA overall. But I took 1 class pass/fail every semester while there. I could justify my choice with a number of reasons as to why. But will post-bacc programs eliminate me as a result? My other academic performance was good (see GPA). And in the long-run, will I be a poor candidate for med school? I have good STEM inclinations, and from high school and even college, I know I can perform well in math and science classes.

Any advice appreciated! Looking to apply to post bacc next cycle.
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Brown 2013 here! Don't worry about your S/NCs, especially given your strong GPA and STEM background. My GPA is lower than yours in a non-science concentration, I took a similar # of classes S/NC, and of the five interviews I've done this cycle only Bryn Mawr even brought it up. If you have some solid work/volunteer/clinical experience on top of your very solid academics, you will be totally fine. PM me if you want to chat more in-depth about how to address that question if it comes up!
 
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microfisher91 said:
Brown 2013 here! Don't worry about your S/NCs, especially given your strong GPA and STEM background. My GPA is lower than yours in a non-science concentration, I took a similar # of classes S/NC, and of the five interviews I've done this cycle only Bryn Mawr even brought it up. If you have some solid work/volunteer/clinical experience on top of your very solid academics, you will be totally fine. PM me if you want to chat more in-depth about how to address that question if it comes up!
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Thanks for the perspective! I will PM you for sure. :)
 
englishtomed said:
Congrats!!

Out of curiosity, has anyone on this thread committed to Bryn Mawr? For those who've chosen Goucher, if you were considering BM too, how'd you go about that decision?
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I'm sure there's good things about bigger programs, but for me, smaller program seemed better. Also, Goucher creates their own MCAT prep class starting in the fall, which seems to be super effective.
 
goforit2021 said:
Hi again, folks. I am just following up re interview experiences for people who are curious

I found the Goucher interview to be especially relaxed, comfortable and very personalized. They definitely have read your application inside out and make a point to engage in thoughtful conversation. Not intimidating at all and very lovely honestly.
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Having just finished my interview with Goucher, I agree wholeheartedly. The Assistant Director and Director of the program seem like incredible people. I don't know if I've ever had such a kind and thoughtful interview in my life, regardless of discipline. Suffice to say, they seem to truly care about the success of their students, and take the responsibility of selecting each class very seriously. I was put at ease by their genuine interest in my application and who I am as a person.

If I have one word of advice (moreso, reassurance) for anyone with an upcoming Goucher interview, it would be this: let yourself shine through, say what you really mean and feel, and don't feel pressured to say the "right" things. The questions I received were all based on personal experiences listed in my application, and the interviewers even looked up some of my experiences to ask about things I was involved with that I didn't list on my application. There were no "gotcha" questions, and the interview seemed more of a "fit" assessment, as well as an introduction.

Good luck to all, and thanks to everyone for the advice/insight in this thread.
 
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Hi, all. Just received an interview invite at BM! Today is the 7th business day since I verified.

I only applied to BM and Goucher so hoping for the best.
 
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For those here who have/had interviews or have heard back with an admissions decision, would you mind posting a timeline of your process for the programs you applied to (from verification/when your app was complete with 2 LORs to acknowledged receipt of application by program to interview invite to when you received an admission decision)?

I just got my first acceptance and have to respond in a little over a week but am waiting to hear back from other programs and want to get a better idea of what the timeline may be like (going back through the thread it’s all a little scattered so it’d be super helpful to have that info in a concise format). Also feel free to PM me if that’s preferable for you!
 
goforit2021 said:
Congratulations on your acceptance! That's awesome. Here is a timeline from my experience. My application was verified around mis September with 1 LOR, and "complete" with 2 LORs around the end of September. Process from when programs considered my application complete and invited me to interview went through in about 3-4 weeks time for me.
- Application submission (only 1 LOR) to Verification by PBCas (1-2 days)
- Programs that did not wait for a second LOR (Goucher and UVA) to send invitation to interview (3-5 days)
- Programs that did wait for a 2nd LOR (Bryn Mawr) (1 day after receiving the 2nd LOR, approximately 2 weeks after original verification)
- Invitation to Interview Date (All were scheduled about 2 weeks in advance, except Bryn Mawr, which scheduled me one week after invitation)
- Interviews to Decision (UVA- 7 days; Goucher- 6 days; Bryn Mawr; 8 days)- all said it could be 2 weeks or so for a decision post-intv
- After admission notification, all programs gave me 2-3 weeks time for a decision from me to accept the offer or not. A couple indicated that they may be flexible if you had other dates to consider. So, I would say it doesn't hurt to ask for an extension from the program you received an acceptance at, or let other programs know your situation maybe.
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Thank you! And thank you for your response! This helps a lot.
I was notified that my application is under review by a few programs yesterday.
Based on your timeline it seems like even if I get an extension to respond to my acceptance, I still won't have an admissions decision from other programs for at least another 4 weeks.
 
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Just got accepted to Goucher! Timeline from interview to letter was one week. Goucher is a very classy institution & program- letter was customized with a kind note.

Thank you to all on here for the insight and help. Happy Friday and good luck to everyone.
 
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SDBiotech said:
Just got accepted to Goucher! Timeline from interview to letter was one week. Goucher is a very classy institution & program- letter was customized with a kind note.

Thank you to all on here for the insight and help. Happy Friday and good luck to everyone.
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Congratulations!
 
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Accepted my admissions offer at Bryn Mawr earlier this week! Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the various interview processes, and best of luck to everyone still applying/interviewing/deciding. Please reach out if you want any insight into the various places I interviewed with (Bryn Mawr, Bennington, UVA, George Washington) or any other questions.
 
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Has anyone else been accepted to or considered committing to Thomas Jefferson?
 
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I have an interview for Thomas Jefferson today! I'll let you all know how it goes.

Edit:

So overall it went well. In total, I spoke with Dr. Byrne and Dr. Heine. Initially starting over the phone then moving to facetime after I was asked. I received a full briefing on my own application (what they liked) then moved into talking about the school. I then had an opportunity to ask questions about the program. By the time my interviewers finally got around to asking questions I was 40-45 minutes into the interview. The questions went:

Teach me something.
What achievement in your life are you most proud of?
If you were a good witch and had to give your patients a special potion that gave them a superpower what kind of potion would you make?

I was cut off because we ran out of time for the last question but I believe it was something like:

What three things would you change if able in the American health system?

Then my next interview came on and immediately asked me "why are you on this call?"

She followed up with "what is an achievement you are proud of?"

We then finished the last 20 minutes of the interview talking about bread and pizza oven.
 
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