Which post bacc programs are the best in terms of getting students into medical schools? I'm not asking based off ranking of the schools but the ranking of the actual programs.
Postbacc
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How would you define the "best"? The program with the highest "ranking?" How would someone even rank post-bac programs? Would they be based on quality of faculty, number who make it through, number who make it to med school?
If you look at programs based on percentage who are admitted to med school, one program may have inflated numbers of matriculants to med school because they only accept people who already have high GPAs. Great if you have a GPA to get into it, but if your primary need for a post-bac is due to having a lower GPA to start, it won't do you much good......
What are you looking for, a post-bac program to boost a poor GPA, a program to get you the science pre-reqs you need even though you have a good GPA already, or are you missing both, you need a GPA boost and to get in the pre reqs?
That's a really broad question and really depends on your future goals and background. I was in the Post Bac program at the University of Louisville and they offer assured admissions into their medical school which I don't think many programs do. If all you want is to get into medical school, no matter what/where, I think that is as close as you will get to a guarantee. It's a great program and one I really took for granted.
as the seeker pointed out, it depends on what you're looking (GPA booster, connections to a particular region/school, etc)
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For career changers, the generally accepted top-tier programs are Bryn Mawr, Goucher and Johns Hopkins. They all have incredible resources and not only place nearly all their students into medical school, but generally to pretty high-tier ones as well. Bryn Mawr also has by and far away the strongest set of linkages with medical schools as well.
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Seconded. I went to Bryn Mawr, and it was fantastic. The "structured" programs are the most expensive, but have excellent track records of getting people into medical school. The three DarkJedi just mentioned are definitely the most highly regarded, and I'd probably throw in Scripps on the West Coast as well. There's a whole forum for post-bacc programs on SDN, I would check that out for more info.
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Agreed.
However, you don't need to attend a "top-tier" post-bac program to be successful. I attended a DIY program with minimal support, paid very little in tuition because it was a state school, did all of the pre-reqs (non-science background) and have been very successful this cycle. 8 interviews and 4 acceptances so far.
It truly depends on your performance in your classes, your MCAT, and the strength of your application. The only benefit fit I've seen from programs mentioned above (to justify their cost) are the linkage programs, which only go to a small subset of their class. I believe the reason why they're successful in getting a large portion of their students into medical school is because their students were stellar to begin with.
