Post-bacc a waste?

[yogiberra]

So I've been told that a post-bacc especially the Gtown SMP is a waste, that the only purpose for a post bacc is to jack money from students that even if you get into a post bacc its impossible or much more difficult than applying straight off to get into medical school because you have to get basically staright As. So basically if someone wants to go to a US allo school and cant get in straight off is post bacc the best option or not? Also is the SMP and other post bacc programs only meant for people with low (3.5 or lower, don't flame me if thats not accurate) gpa's or is it based on the mcat and the gpa, thanks in advance.

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[tacrum43]

So I've been told that a post-bacc especially the Gtown SMP is a waste, that the only purpose for a post bacc is to jack money from students that even if you get into a post bacc its impossible or much more difficult than applying straight off to get into medical school because you have to get basically staright As. So basically if someone wants to go to a US allo school and cant get in straight off is post bacc the best option or not? Also is the SMP and other post bacc programs only meant for people with low (3.5 or lower, don't flame me if thats not accurate) gpa's or is it based on the mcat and the gpa, thanks in advance.

I'm sure that Philanthropist could answer your questions and concerns better than most. Search for his posts, or PM him.

Georgetown's SMP is viewed positively by many schools and it has been around for over thirty years. I would say that Drexel's is a money pit, but Georgetown's program is really helpful because it gives you a chance to prove yourself in a medical school environment. In addition, you get a real Master's degree after only one year. Georgetown requires a 3.0+ and an MCAT of 27+. It probably would be most useful for someone with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.5 and an MCAT that is at least acceptable (vs. a low MCAT and higher GPA).

 

[Lindyhopper]

The usefulness of the programs clearly depends on individual circumstances. The candidate for whom it is most useful is often one with high MCAT, so-so GPA, but renewed dedication.
People have had different experiences in the programs, but they are clearly not useless. Many people get into med school from them. The education itself is tremendously usefull in preparing one for a successful first year.

 

[Phil Anthropist]

I'm sure that Philanthropist could answer your questions and concerns better than most...

Haha. But also keep in mind that I haven't actually gone through a special masters program. It's just something I've thought about extensively. I expect to do an SMP either this coming Fall or the year after. I will probably take the MCAT in August and I still haven't taken the GRE, so that could screw me over if I'm trying to gain admission into one of the true SMPs for this Fall. We'll see.

I think the G-town SMP is easily one of the best postbac enrichment programs out there and it has the record to prove it. Based on the posts of the SDNers that went through the program, very few pull straight As (4.0) each year (but there are some). But if I went into the G-town SMP, I would shoot for at least a 3.5. The G-town SMP caters more to applicants with low to borderline GPAs and competitive MCAT scores (like LindyHopper mentioned). It's not ideal for those who have low MCAT scores and high GPAs. The point is to prove that you can handle the rigorous coursework of medical school. If you can take 34 credits (with many of the courses of G-town's med students) in one-year and outperform the med students in their classes, that will go a long way to proving to med school adcoms that you're med school material.

I've seen the postbac = waste comment come up a few times here. These are my thoughts on that: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=2063693&postcount=22

Edit to add one more thing:
If you go into the Georgetown SMP with a 3.0 cume, 3.0 science, 30 MCAT right after graduating from college it's not that wise to try and reapply during the program. Your application will probably be much more successful if you apply after completing the Georgetown program. That way you'll have the whole year of SMP grades on your AMCAS before you file it.

 

[cammy1313]

The post-bac route only yields rewards equal to the amount of effort you put into the program. Meaning, don't invest such a huge amount of money if you aren't willing to hand your life over to the program for the sake of medical school admission. This is what I did and it worked for me.

Also, when applying to post-bacs, I knew that I was prepared to do whatever it took to do well. So with that in mind, I selected my program based on whether I would actually like to go to their medical school versus other schools that offered post-bacs. This is how I chose BU over Georgetown or Rosalind Franklin.

 

[vaik]

I have a question, does any body getin with 2..9 gpa with mcat score of 32 at georgetown, is there still time to apply for august2005


,thanksQUOTE=Phil Anthropist]Haha. But also keep in mind that I haven't actually gone through a special masters program. It's just something I've thought about extensively. I expect to do an SMP either this coming Fall or the year after. I will probably take the MCAT in August and I still haven't taken the GRE, so that could screw me over if I'm trying to gain admission into one of the true SMPs for this Fall. We'll see.

I think the G-town SMP is easily one of the best postbac enrichment programs out there and it has the record to prove it. Based on the posts of the SDNers that went through the program, very few pull straight As (4.0) each year (but there are some). But if I went into the G-town SMP, I would shoot for at least a 3.5. The G-town SMP caters more to applicants with low to borderline GPAs and competitive MCAT scores (like LindyHopper mentioned). It's not ideal for those who have low MCAT scores and high GPAs. The point is to prove that you can handle the rigorous coursework of medical school. If you can take 34 credits (with many of the courses of G-town's med students) in one-year and outperform the med students in their classes, that will go a long way to proving to med school adcoms that you're med school material.

I've seen the postbac = waste comment come up a few times here. These are my thoughts on that: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=2063693&postcount=22

Edit to add one more thing:
If you go into the Georgetown SMP with a 3.0 cume, 3.0 science, 30 MCAT right after graduating from college it's not that wise to try and reapply during the program. Your application will probably be much more successful if you apply after completing the Georgetown program. That way you'll have the whole year of SMP grades on your AMCAS before you file it.[/QUOTE]

 

[MediMama23]

So I've been told that a post-bacc especially the Gtown SMP is a waste, that the only purpose for a post bacc is to jack money from students that even if you get into a post bacc its impossible or much more difficult than applying straight off to get into medical school because you have to get basically staright As. So basically if someone wants to go to a US allo school and cant get in straight off is post bacc the best option or not? Also is the SMP and other post bacc programs only meant for people with low (3.5 or lower, don't flame me if thats not accurate) gpa's or is it based on the mcat and the gpa, thanks in advance.

Who was this all-knowing source? You may be putting a little bit too much faith in their words.

Yes, post-baccs can be a lot of money, but with all of the money you'll have to put into medical school (or take out as loans to put INTO medical school), what's a few more thousands of dollars to make sure that you're where you want to be? A small sacrifice given the significant gains you'll (hopefully) have in the years to come.

In case you hadn't noticed, the reason you enter a post-bacc program is because you weren't getting those straight As. If you were pulling off a 3.5+ in college (which is equivalent to your "practically all As") there would be no need to be in this thread. Post-baccs hold you to the same standards that medical schools would hold you to as a premedical stuednt. There's no cushioning for you just because you're doing a post-bacc. You need to up your game by putting your all into the program and producing the best possible grades that you can. This shows medical schools not only do you want it, but you can do it. They need to see both.

A post-bacc isn't ALWAYS the best option, but it can definitely be a helpful one because as many people have stated in other threads, med schools know the track records of these programs, they know what their aims are, and therefore are able to evaluate the student according to what they know of that program. A Master's isn't a bad idea, either, but that's another thread that's around here somewhere.

Most if not all of the post-bacc programs that I've seen have required either a low GPA or that you haven't fulfilled all of the premedical prereqs but still have a good GPA (if anyone knows of a program that says differently, please direct me to that site. Thanks). HTH

 

[MariaLaNasa]

Just curious if you did the Master of Arts in Med Sci at BU . . .and l can't decide between BU and Drexel . . any ideas?? Thanks!!!

 

[cammy1313]

Just curious if you did the Master of Arts in Med Sci at BU . . .and l can't decide between BU and Drexel . . any ideas?? Thanks!!!

Hey Maria,

Here's a great thread on Drexel's SMP from a students POV:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=168926&highlight=drexel+SMP

I'm partial to BU as that is the program I selected. You should be able to find the threads on that in the post-bac forum also.