Postbaccalaureate Programs for undergrads who have COMPLETED premed courses

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HopeFaith

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For those of us who need to boost their gpa.
I'm familiar with Drexel, Upen, Harvard, and UCON but it seems like most programs are intended for people who have yet to take their basic science courses. I've taken most of them with Orgo II left and have messed up big time so at this point, as a Junior with 3 semesters left, I'm seriously looking into postbach.
If anyone is familiar with programs for individuals who need to imprive their undergrad gpa including some that are least more affordable than some of those listed above, I would really appreciate it if they shared.
 
I don't think you'll find any program as affordable as Harvard, but in your case where you have almost all your pre-reqs and need to either improve GPA or prove in a grad program that you can hang, I'd say BU MAMS or G-Town or Drexel...and of the above I would probably choose BU.

Not sure what "messing up big time" means specifically, but you should work your senior year to fix your overall GPA, take Ochem2 and rock it and hopefully be able to make a program like BU and consider it a fresh start.

OckhamsRzr
 
Can you provide more info on the BU MAMs program?
 
HopeFaith said:
Can you provide more info on the BU MAMs program?

There's a huge, like 7 page, thead on the BU program right now that's pretty active. The bottom line is that it's a Masters of Arts in Medical Science. One year for folks with excellent grades, two years normally for the rest, library or research thesis, linkage to BU Med, and great results for folks who finish the program. You're actually taking med school classes with med school students show it's a great way to prove you can handle the load.

You need to have taken the MCAT (24-25 plus) or GRE (70th precentile or better) and have a 3.0 or better (though apparently they're looking for a reason to accept you so they're flexible if your story is good and you show positive grade trends). You also need to have completed all the standard prereqs.

Check the active threads for A LOT more info.

OckhamsRzr
 
Just for clarification...

ockhamsRzr mentioned some of the better postbaccalaureate programs for students who have already completed the prereqs. However, if you're trying specifically to raise your undergrad gpa, programs like Georgetown's SMP and BU's MA in Medical Sciences will NOT raise your undergraduate gpa. That's why I'm guessing ockhamsRzr said "either improve GPA or prove in a grad program that you can hang." So it's not the same thing. As a formal graduate program, the GPA will get compartmentalized on the graduate section of AMCAS. However, programs like G-town, BU, Virginia Commonwealth, Drexel, etc. can sometimes make up for less than wonderful undergraduate showings. I just wanted to clarify so you know that these programs will NOT actually improve your undergrad gpa, but they may make up for it.

Also, if you're looking for the most inexpensive way to work on your undergrad GPA I'd say that taking classes at your state school(s) as a non-degree student is the way to go. The problem is that you might be among the last to register for classes, so you might not get the classes you want. And some schools will limit the amount of credits you can take if you're a non-degree student (some do not have restrictions, especially if you're full-time). You'll have to check with your state schools to find out. One way to get around this is to become a degree-seeking student. For example, if you majored in biology, you could try to go for a second bachelor's degree in something like microbiology/immunology, biochemistry, chemistry, etc. There are disadvantages to doing a do-it-yourself postbaccalaureate at your state school (e.g., huge lecture hall classes, may not get advising, premed committee letters), but I think it's hard to argue that there's a cheaper undergrad postbac out there. Some people find such disadvantages to be significant. If that's the case, then it makes sense to go for one of the more known informal of formal undergrad postbaccalaureate enrichment programs. And out of those, Harvard Extension is one of the more inexpensive postbaccalaureate programs out there.

Also, there's no guaranteed linkage in the Boston U MA Medical Sciences program. Chances are if you do extremely well you'll have a shot at BU, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that it's a linkage. But if you do well in the program and the rest of your package is solid (MCAT, clinical experience, volunteering, extracurrics, etc.) you'll probably get into a US allopathic school somewhere. There are very few US allopathic programs that will explicitly say that they have a linkage and usually these have special qualifications (e.g., underrepresented minority, disadvantaged status). However, there are some programs that have explicit, guaranteed linkages to osteopathic schools (I'm quite sure Duquesne has a linkage to LECOM).

If you're looking for a tried and true allopathic linkage, do Rosalind Franklin's MS in Applied Physiology (formerly Finch). They will never say that it's a guaranteed linkage, but pretty much all of the students who do well in the program are accepted to the med school. My understanding is that the students are even told to apply to RFU's med school during the program. One problem is that estimated costs with living expenses is $52k/year. And if you're there for four more years of med school, have fun paying back loans! It's also on probation by the AAMC, but I don't think that will have too much of an impact in the long run. Schools like Drexel and Temple have been on probation and they don't seem to have any trouble now. But anyway, if you complete the program (48 credits in one year, most of your classes with the medical students, and you have to outcompete them = hell) with a decent performance, chances are more than likely that you'll be accepted (unless there's something really wrong with you). It's risky though, because if you do NOT do well, you're basically screwed if you try to get into a US allopathic school in the future. So it's a huge gamble (but it's a risk many are willing to take).

Like ockhamsRzr's said, many of these programs have been discussed extensively (including BU).
 
I just completed the Boston Universtity Master of Arts in Medical Science (BU GMS) program in Aug. 2004. I elected to take the 1-year route with a library thesis opposed to a laboratory thesis. I can honestly say the program is absolutely amazing. As stated earlier in the post, you take classes with the first year medical students, take the same tests, and are graded on the same scale. I'm a first year medical student at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) now and can honestly say the program was phenomenal. It made my first semester a lot less stressful because I knew a lot of the material and also knew the expectations of medical school. If you do well in the program in conjunction with a good MCAT you will most doubtably get in somewhere. I think the program boasts an exceptance rate of about 80-90% for those who successfully complete the program. It should be noted that this does not necessarily mean immediate acceptance, but eventual acceptance within a few years. If you're interested in more information take a look at the following websites:

http://cobalt.bumc.bu.edu/current/Catalog/medsci/intro.htm

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/Dept/Home.aspx?DepartmentID=86

If you have any questions feel free to email me or drop me a private message.
 
I'm a graduate of BU's MAMS program as well. You'll have a hard time finding anything that's an "official" linkage, but I'd say that BU's is pretty close. On average, they take about 15 students from the MAMS program per year. Give or take a few. I have a few comments to make:

1) ABOUT OTHER MED SCHOOLS: the reason why GPA is such a huge concern for med schools is because they want to be assured that you can hack it in med school. if you have a low GPA, they have no such assurance. doing BU's MAMS program (i.e. taking first year med school classes with the first year med school students) shows them that you actually -can- do it. of course - this is contingent on you doing well in the program.

2) ABOUT DO-IT-YOURSELF POSTBACCS: i have serious reservations about a do-it-yourself post-bacc at a local state school. taking a few extra classes is not going to raise your GPA by much, even if you get A's in them. few extra A's against a 4 year record of not-A's isn't going to assure the adcoms that you won't fail out of their school. of course, if you're a borderline GPA (if you just want to boost it an extra 0.1 to get it over 3.5), this is probably the best way to go. i'd suggest doing some quick calculations before you sign up for anything though.

3) ABOUT BU MED "LINKAGE": i cannot stress this enough - the true purpose of BU's MAMS program is a "trial period". it's like, "we'll let you have the guts of med school, but not the glory, and we'll see how you do." the professors of the first year med school classes are the same people who are on the admissions committees, so you become more than just another application to them - you're actually a face and a personality. when else do you get an opportunity to get cozy with the admissions committee at a school and not only show them (in real-time) that you -can- do well, but also show them what a great person you are and what a great doctor you'd be. you can even get recommendations from these professors if you do well enough in their class. If you get above a 3.5 in BU's MAMS program, you're likely in serious contention for a seat at BU Med's next incoming class.

Also, I found that the BU program helped me a lot with the MCAT. Youll find that you won't have to study for the Biology section at all since you've covered it already in your Physiology class. This leaves you more time to focus on the other three sections. I'm currently applying for allopathic schools this cycle (with an August MCAT), and I've been happy with the number of interviews invitations I've received (and 1 acceptance! 🙂 )

My understanding is that the Georgetown program works the same way (I have a friend who opted to go to Georgetown). My friend finished the Georgetown program in one year, and got into a top 25 med school last year.

I guess the caveat for these sorts of programs is that you have to go in with full intention to bust your butt and get your act together. Otherwise, it's a lot of money put down on a fruitless endeavour.

Good luck with your decision process! 🙂
 
Consdier PCOM...
 
Some post-baccs for people who have taken all the prerequites include Georgetown, BU, Drexel, UMDNJ, PCOM, LECOM, Tulane, NYMC, Finch (Rosiland Franklin). Please excuse the Northeastern bias. These programs are all a little different but most will allow you take some combination of Med/grad courses. For the right candidates, they seem to be an excellent way to both get into med school & to be well prepared for the first year.
There are also any number of master programs in related fields like cell bio & public health.
 
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