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- Feb 7, 2018
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Besides SIU's MedPrep and the UC-Consortium which are for academic enhancers and not career-changers, it seems post-bac programs are not URM-friendly, which is interesting considering the whole point of post-bac programs is to help get people into medical school.
My reasoning:
1) Post-bacs are only eligible for $12,500 in Federal student loans, and COA is often $40K and above. The average URM is not middle/upper class and may not have the credit or cosigner to take on private loans. Working during school is not allowed as these programs are full-time.
2) Although they say the minimum accepted GPA is 3.0-3.2, the average accepted GPA is 3.7+ (Scripps, JHU, Bryn Mawr, Goucher, here's looking at you). Statistically many URMs have lower GPAs and standardized test scores.
3) Post-bac programs aren't under the AAMC umbrella. It seems AAMC has been actively trying to get medical schools to recruit URMs. But there's no accountability or drive for the same in post-bac programs, meaning the students who get in, already ahead of most URMs, get another leg up in the med school admissions process by going to these formal programs.
I'm saying all this to say - it seems to be harder to get into a post-bac as a URM than is it to get accepted into medical school.
Has anyone gotten into or gone through a post-bac? Experiences? Thoughts? How diverse was your class?
My reasoning:
1) Post-bacs are only eligible for $12,500 in Federal student loans, and COA is often $40K and above. The average URM is not middle/upper class and may not have the credit or cosigner to take on private loans. Working during school is not allowed as these programs are full-time.
2) Although they say the minimum accepted GPA is 3.0-3.2, the average accepted GPA is 3.7+ (Scripps, JHU, Bryn Mawr, Goucher, here's looking at you). Statistically many URMs have lower GPAs and standardized test scores.
3) Post-bac programs aren't under the AAMC umbrella. It seems AAMC has been actively trying to get medical schools to recruit URMs. But there's no accountability or drive for the same in post-bac programs, meaning the students who get in, already ahead of most URMs, get another leg up in the med school admissions process by going to these formal programs.
I'm saying all this to say - it seems to be harder to get into a post-bac as a URM than is it to get accepted into medical school.
Has anyone gotten into or gone through a post-bac? Experiences? Thoughts? How diverse was your class?
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