Post-Bacc Prestige or "ease"?

[KilgoreSnout]

Hello, I am a veteran in North Carolina. I have a BA degree from a top 25 school and have worked overseas and had some good experiences, but it's time for me to move into medicine. Fortunately living near Raleigh, NC I have numerous options for my post-bacc and was essentially wondering how much "prestige" should be a factor when picking my post-bacc school. The options I've come across and would like feedback on:

-Campbell evening classes on Fort Bragg. Likely the easiest, but only part time professors and no advising.
-UNC Greensboro: responsive staff and a pretty open schedule with classes starting year-round with a post-bacc cert.
-NC State: Not much info on post-bacc, assuming a full DIY
-UNC Chapel Hill: obviously very well-known, but everything online describes this as a "weeding out" program full of grade deflation.
-Duke: Would have to be pretty amazing to be worth the price tag. Haven't considered it much.

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[Mr.Smile12]

Prestige plays a minor role. Basically we tell people to look at cost, linkage, and advising.

 

[KilgoreSnout]

Prestige plays a minor role. Basically we tell people to look at cost, linkage, and advising.

So aside from linkage and esteemed advising, do the big names like Goucher and Bryn Mawr offer any tangible benefit over a local UNC Greensboro that costs 1/10th the price?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

So aside from linkage and esteemed advising, do the big names like Goucher and Bryn Mawr offer any tangible benefit over a local UNC Greensboro that costs 1/10th the price?

If you are staying in the state or region, I wouldn't think so. In my experience, if you have done well in your SMP, the name didn't really matter.

 

[gyngyn]

So aside from linkage and esteemed advising, do the big names like Goucher and Bryn Mawr offer any tangible benefit over a local UNC Greensboro that costs 1/10th the price?

No.

 

[Goro]

So aside from linkage and esteemed advising, do the big names like Goucher and Bryn Mawr offer any tangible benefit over a local UNC Greensboro that costs 1/10th the price?

Nope.

Seriously, post-bacs and SMPs are a dime-a-dozen. Just do well in them

 

[deleted1133766]

You forgot "convenience."

 

[KilgoreSnout]

You forgot "convenience."

What do you mean? It's inconvenient for me to move for a year to Goucher, but once there it seems convenient to have a small cohort and staff team dedicated to turning you into a successful applicant.

On the contrary, it's convenient and cheap to stay where I am now and go local, but fighting with undergrads for classes and advising seems inconvenient.

 

[KilgoreSnout]

If you are staying in the state or region, I wouldn't think so. In my experience, if you have done well in your SMP, the name didn't really matter.

And does this extend all the way up to the top MD schools? I'm just worried that a local program instead of big name could be the factor in not getting into a dream school. I need every advantage I can get!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

And does this extend all the way up to the top MD schools? I'm just worried that a local program instead of big name could be the factor in not getting into a dream school. I need every advantage I can get!

No it doesn't. My programs liked to pick locally. As an advisor, most of the postbac students stayed close.

 

[Goro]

No it doesn't. My programs liked to pick locally. As an advisor, most of the postbac students stayed close.

This is semi true at our school, but we know from experience that people who live closer to us are more likely to attend. This is true of admissions the admissions at the postback, special message program and even medical school levels

 

[FrostedMooseFan]

So aside from linkage and esteemed advising, do the big names like Goucher and Bryn Mawr offer any tangible benefit over a local UNC Greensboro that costs 1/10th the price?

The big names like Goucher and Bryn Mawr offer tangible benefits over local UNC Greensboro because of their prestige. The "esteemed advising" and linkages are part of what leads to substantially higher rates of acceptance to medical school. That being said it is possible to do a DIY or a local postbac and get into medical school for a fraction of the price but be forewarned your chances of getting in are undoubtedly lower. The rates of acceptance to med school from top programs like Goucher, Bryn Mawr, Hopkins, Scripps, Columbia are >90%. Most of these programs also have very low attrition rates, which is something important to keep in mind when deciding on a program.

That is what distinguishes these programs from other postbacs. The prestige. The linkages. The advising. The success at getting you into med school.

 

[2ndlifedoc]

Wanted to follow up here on one of OP's points I don't think was covered as much related to "ease". I've heard not all formal Postbaccs are created equal when it comes to grades student's typically achieve (all else being equal). Are some Postbaccs known for grade inflation, or grading differently than typical undergrad (maybe it's unique courses to the program, or grading outside of the undergrad population)? Obviously one should work hard to get As no matter what, but after going to a top school that deflated in certain departments I've seen the difference situations like this can make.

 

[Goro]

). Are some Postbaccs known for grade inflation, or grading differently than typical undergrad (maybe it's unique courses to the program, or grading outside of the undergrad population)?

As an Adcom member, we've never once ever discussed a postback program as being either grade inflating or deflating.

There are just so many of them out there, that we have no idea as to what their quality is.

Therefore, you need to do as well as you can in these programs