Post Bac Programs

[water4girl]

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Just a quick question for anyone who has gone to a post bac program. Is it better to go to an organized post bac program or to take classes on your own at a local university. I have researched many post bac programs but lately I feel that it can be just as worthwhile to take classes locally. Thank You for any advice.

 

[jesco]

I'll throw my view into the mix. I graduated from UC Davis a few years ago as a history major. Wanting to finally pursue my lifelong dream of being a physician, I started investigating my post-bac options. I settled upon the Scripps program in Claremont, CA for several reasons. First, this program gives you all the necessary coursework in a school year and a summer. I liked the fact that we were a close-knit group of postbacs (16 +/-), but that we took classes with undergraduates. I felt that the advising was superb (Jodi Olson is the Queen of getting people into Med School) and that the faculty was very supportive of us as burgeoning scientists. Scripps has linkages with several med schools including GW, Drexel and Temple. In fact, 7 of my former classmates are already done with their first semesters of MS1 at these schools. The rest of us have been quite successful with interviews and acceptances. This program is mainly for people with undergraduate degrees in the humanities or people who did their premed courses long ago and need a refresher. It is not cheap, but I felt that it was a better alternative to trying to crash premed classes at my local state school. If you want more info check out their web site: http://www.jsd.claremont.edu/postbac/postbac.html

 

[conure]

I think jesco summed it all up very nicely for you.

This is an active topic at SDN lately and a quick search will find the experiences of many people around here.

 

[Patrick Noonan]

You should also consider Goucher's post-bac program. They have great links with Pitt, GW, Tulane and other schools. Princeton Review said that it has an "unparalled" success at getting people into med schools. I went there and I really can't say enough good things about it, and for the price I would say it's tough to beat.

I am glad jesco like Scripps, but my best friend who also went there definitely does not share her opinion. Just be sure to look around and TALK TO STUDENTS. and be sure to consider Goucher: http://www.goucher.edu/postbac/

 

[Zoobaby]

It sounds like Jesco went to a great program and had a great experience. However, for me money and flexibility (read: full time job) were the most important factors. I graduated from undergrad in '98 with a History major from a name school, but assembled my med school prereqs mostly at night from a local state college. It took me two years of classes, but I finally got it done this past spring. I'm in the middle of the application process right now w/3 interviews and 1 acceptance so far...

 

[The Hulk]

Congrats zoobaby! As for a formal /vs informal postbac program, I think it really depends upon your personal preference. Structured post-bacs are good for those who have better over-all gpa's and are willing to spend more money for a linkage program or a pre-med LOR from a good school. Unstructured programs are good for those who don't want to spend the money on a more formal program or who can't get into one. Either way, I don't thinnk you are any better off in the long run in one situation than the other. If you have the desire and wits to become a physician you will get there. Good luck!

TH

 

[LetGo of TheEgo]

how much do undergraduate GPAs affect your eligibility?

anyone?

 

[LoneCoyote]

Originally posted by LetGo of TheEgo
how much do undergraduate GPAs affect your eligibility?

anyone?

It depends on the program. Some of the formal programs like Columbia and USC have GPA cut-offs of 3.0 to get in. If you go to a state school you would need to meet whatever their requirements for admission were. There are also programs in you are URM or disadvantaged designed to help you bring up your GPA if it is low. Several of the UC's have these programs as do many other state school. Here's a link to a good list of post-bac programs:

http://www-hl.syr.edu/hpap/listpb.htm#ToC

And here are a couple of past threads that discuss the GPA issue and merits of state school v. formal post-bac programs.

http://www.studentdoctor.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=52932&highlight=post+bac

http://www.studentdoctor.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46823&highlight=post+bac