Post-Bac Program Selection

[skiphotsauce]

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I'm a senior at an Ivy League school interested in doing a post-bac. My gpa is a 3.2, I've taken one physics class with a lab (I got a B-), and I just started shadowing a doctor this term (which I will continue to do throughout the year).

Basically my question is, should I look into the more intense 1-year programs (like Bryn Mawr, Goucher, UVA, etc...) or the less stressful 2-year programs. Because of my low GPA, I can't decide if it's better to really take my time to improve my GPA in my post-bac years, or if going to one of the 1-year programs is strong enough to help me get into med school.

Thanks for all advice.

 

[drizzt3117]

Your academic record is likely not good enough for the top 1 year postbacs. You are probably better off at HES, Penn, Columbia, or the like, but you'll have to work hard to succeed there.

 

[oneandonlylo]

Maybe you want to consider staying on where you are and doing more coursework at your undergrad institution, as you are still there...

 

[Doctorita]

A lot of people do go the one year route at HES and Penn (not sure about Columbia). But they are very tough programs, so you want to make sure you can devote the time needed to succeed there.

You don't really have much of a shot at Bryn Mawr, Goucher, etc.

Until this year Columbia didn't allow (to my knowledge) one year postbacs. Currently, they have instituted an 18-month accelerated sequence, with a spring semester start. But, I have heard better things about HES/Penn anyway ... (And, of course they're cheaper.)

 

[EspressoFiend]

Can someone please tell me what GPA range is acceptable for the intense 1-year post-baccs? Thanks.

 

[Lokhtar]

Can someone please tell me what GPA range is acceptable for the intense 1-year post-baccs? Thanks.

By that, I assume you mean Goucher, BM and Scripps and not places like HES, or do it yourself post-bacs (which you can also do in one year). For Goucher/BM/Scripps, there is no safe GPA. You can have a 3.9 and be rejected, if you don't have the other things (clinical experience, good standardized test scores, etc). Generally, you should have 3.6+, good test scores, plus great extracurriculars and experience to have a good shot.

 

[grouse]

Any thoughts on where to apply or what my chances are. 3.6 gpa at solid East Coast liberal arts college, haven't taken GRE's and am paramedic.

 

[Lokhtar]

Any thoughts on where to apply or what my chances are. 3.6 gpa at solid East Coast liberal arts college, haven't taken GRE's and am paramedic.

If you ace the GREs, you have a chance (assuming you haven't taken any sciences). But I would hedge my bets and apply to a bunch of programs.

 

[grouse]

Does the paramedic help much? So besides BM, Goucher and Scripps--Mills, Bennington and where else? UVM? JH? UVA?

 

[Lokhtar]

Does the paramedic help much? So besides BM, Goucher and Scripps--Mills, Bennington and where else? UVM? JH? UVA?

It will help. How many sciences have you taken? The less, the better. Many will reject you if you've even taken one pre-requisite. BM, Goucher and Scripps are the big ones. Harvard, Penn can be done in one year, and their admission standards are much broader.

 

[grouse]

Zero science. English major.

 

[cooligan]

It will help. How many sciences have you taken? The less, the better. Many will reject you if you've even taken one pre-requisite. BM, Goucher and Scripps are the big ones. Harvard, Penn can be done in one year, and their admission standards are much broader.

BM certainly doesn't reject people for having one pre-requisite. Some people have chem out of the way before they start. Can't speak for Goucher or Scripps though, but I would assume they would consider the app of a qualified student w/a science or two.

SM

 

[drizzt3117]

BM certainly doesn't reject people for having one pre-requisite. Some people have chem out of the way before they start. Can't speak for Goucher or Scripps though, but I would assume they would consider the app of a qualified student w/a science or two.

SM

Yeah, generally it won't be an issue unless you've taken a lot of the coursework, and rules can be bent for top students in any case. The top formal postbacs, however, aren't mean for pre-health majors, although many people started that way freshman year, changed their mind, and changed their minds back. Usually they don't have much more than one semester of the very early basic sciences, though.

 

[lunch]

... So besides BM, Goucher and Scripps--Mills, Bennington and where else? UVM? JH? UVA?

Here's my two cents on UVM... I am going to start there in the fall, so I can't tell you what it's like in the program, but I can tell you why I decided to go there. The other places I was interested in were Columbia, NYU, Bennington, SUNY, and CUNY.

About me - I have a BA (GPA 3.9) in studio art from Rutgers and 24 (GPA 4.0) science and health credits from a CUNY community college. I volunteer at Beth Israel. I have been living in and around NYC for past 5 years, I am 27. Here's what I was looking for...

1. No restrictions on previous science course work.
Obviously, I had to get in despite having taken the basic-basics at CC.

2. Cohesive (or semi cohesive) post-bac group.
As you can imagine, after doing my time at a CC I am ready to be with people trying to do what I am trying to do. UVM has some classes with all-post-bac sections. But at the same time, not all classes are exclusive, and I can take what ever I want , which was appealing to me.

3. Support.
I wanted to have the support of an adviser, committee letter, priority registration, etc.

4. Flexibility.
Ideally, I wanted the ability to take any class, and a big university with lots of options. The only requirement at UVM is 24 credits.

5. Location.
Not depressing.

6. Cost.
Last but not least, realizing that a financial risk was unavoidable as the instate options were not a good fit for me, I hoped to keep the costs reasonable.

So, that is my distilled thought process. The downsides of UVM, as I see them, are no linkage aggreement to the UVM medical school, and cost. (while cheaper than private schools, it's no bargin for out-of-staters)
Hope this helps anyone curious about the program.

Oh yeah, and I would imagine that being a paramedic helps a lot! Work experience and leadership are always important!

 

[grouse]

Thanks for the download on UVM. Anyone want to comment on Bennington or UVA? Or Mills? Or JH? Or any other place for an English major with no real science credits.

 

[NewmansOwn]

For the top programs, you don't need to take the GREs. Generally speaking, they want GREs or your SATs, so they can see if you're good with standardized tests. If you have a good SAT score -- say, 1350 and above -- then you don't need to have anything to do with the GREs.

And yes, paramedic will help a lot -- I'm just an EMT-B and I'm convinced it's one of the major reasons I got into Bryn Mawr's program.

 

[toothsome]

UVM has a good linkage with NECOM if you want to take the D.O route. It's actually really neat by allowing you apply to NECOM without first taking the MCAT as well as allows you to bypass the lag year. Look at their website for more info.

 

[jojo827]

So is HES generally better than Columbia in terms of the postbac program? Also, if my SAT scores were poor (1200) should I take the GRE's to have a shot at the top postbac programs (I have a solid GPA and decent extracurriculars)