Program Evaluations By You!

[AggieMed05]

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So I've been doing a lot of research lately on all of the formal post-bac programs, and I've finally narrowed down my list of most desirable schools to "Top Ten." As it stands, my list is UCONN, UPENN, Tufts, Johns Hopkins, Goucher, Mills, Bryn Mawr, Scripps, Northwestern and Columbia, in no particular order. I'm guessing that some of you out there might know a little more about these programs than I do, so I'm cordially inviting you help me evaluate them. There are more than a few different areas of evaluation that I'm interested in. They are:

Quality of Education - I would suppose that part of this will be about the same for all of the schools...after all, each program is offering the same courses. However, if you have any information regarding class size, instructor ability/helpfulness/etc., likelihood of doing really well (assuming one is working their butt off), or quality of teacher-student relationships, this would be the place to put it.

Preparatory or Other Advantages - Does the program itself offer MCAT preparation? Does it simulate a medical school environment? Are there advisors available to help students figure out which med. schools their applications would be most competitive at? Does a cooperative state-of-mind exist in the post-bac student population, or is it more "every man for himself?" Let me know.

Availability of Diverse Research/Internship/Volunteer/Shadowing Opportunities - There are really two parts to this aspect of evaluation. First, how likely is it that a student can get the opportunities listed above? I know from my experience here at UC Davis, that sometimes there can be WAY too many people trying to fill too few positions. Is it any different at these programs? Second, I'm your typical white male from a white upper-middle class area. Although it won't hurt me any to do volunteering and such in that same social strata, I think adcoms might look more favorably on me if I got some experience in inner-city, urban clinics. Personally, I don't care where I get my experience, as long as I'm helping others. However, having said that, might some of these schools present me with more diverse opportunities than others?

Linkages - I'm aware that most of the schools (if not all) that I've put up for evaluation have linkages of some sort. What I want to know is how likely is it that your typical hard-working, allopathic-career-seeking student will get one. Now don't get me wrong here; I'm not trying to get off easy. I'm willing to work just as hard as the next guy, and if needs be I am prepared to live, eat, and breathe the sciences. But honestly, what good is a linkage if it is only available to the top three students in a class of 75? I don't really know how linkages work, but I'm guessing that each school has its own policy. Maybe some give linkages to all students with B's or above? Others might give them to the top %10 percent? I just want to know where I can maximize my chances of getting in on one of these.

Location, Location, Location - While this aspect is not particularly important, I still think it is worth mentioning. I've only been out of a California a few times, so I don't really know much else. I may be used to Cali summers and winters, but I don't anticipate having a problem adapting to diverse climates. I would, however, like to know that kinds of areas these schools are located in. Slummy? Upper class? Something else?

Ok. Those are the categories that I'm most concerned with. In reality, I would probably be pretty ecstatic to be accepted into even two of these programs, because I know that they all rock. But just for the sake of knowing, I'm hoping that some of you can pass on what information you might have. Please feel free to address as many or as few of the programs as you want. And if I've left anything out, feel free to add on. Above all, I just want to know what I should expect if I get into one or more of the programs. Thanks for your time!

 

[Kateroni18]

Here's more info on the Hopkins program because I dodn't think too many people on this forum know much about it...

Quality of Education - The classes are mixed with undergrads so you get the same quality of education you would get as a Hopkins undergrad--which is excellent. They have a good rep for premed so why mess with a good thing? Classes are usually pretty large because there's so many premeds. I think gen chem was around 150 people and biochem was around 80....don't quote me on that. It totally depends on the semester, but you also have section each week which is only around 20 poeple. You can also take electives. I took bioinformatics which was only about 20 people. The instructors have all been excellent. The post-baccs have their own registrar that tries to put us all with the best profs and in labs together. Many of the courses are co-taught so if you don't click with one prof you may click with the other(s). Hopkins is not easy, but many people in the program do very well. I got a 3.98 and went to bed at 11pm every night and still had a life. I've heard this year's class has quite a few people that consistently score one of the top ten scores on the exams. The classes are usually curved so that always helps. I think you'll find that being older just helps you do better because you know what studying techniques work for you and you're not quite as neurotic as the undergrad premeds. Yes, they are neurotic...it's pretty entertaining. They tend to be very competitive, but the post-baccs are very supportive of each other. The profs I've met with in office hours have all been very helpful and nice. It was not hard at all to find good sources of letters of rec.

Preparatory or Other Advantages - There is an MCAT prep course during January intersession offered to all Hopkins students, but it hasn't been particularly recommended. There's a Princeton Review right next to campus and a Kaplan center not too far so most people go to those. As far as simulating a med school environment...eh...not really...less intense I think, but that's okay. The post-bacc advisor is there to help you with everything you could ever need whether it be finding research, picking schools, or picking classes. He is amazing and writes some of the best recs out there...he's even given workshops to other advisors because he's well known for them. He's the former assistant Dean for Admission at Hopkins Med so he knows what he's doing. The post-bacc office also helps out in the application process by sending all your recs for you. When you request recs they get sent to the post-bacc office. Then, they read them and decide which to send on to med schools and which to just take quotes from and incorporate into the advisor's/committee letter. The environment is as supportive as possible...they try to screen for that by admitting people they think will fit into that environment. My class felt for a while that there was some competition going on so we addressed it at a meeting and thought of ways to rid of it. The post-bacc program also has Journal Club during the summer where you read articles about med school and issues in medicine and discuss them. During the semester we also have "Mini-med school" which is a lecture series open to the public with doctors and researchers giving talks about various things like computer-assisted surgery or Chinese medicine. We take it as a credit class and have to write a paper...it's an easy A. We also have monthly dinners to talk about what we should be doing to prepare for med school applications or to have guest speakers (like former deans of admissions of places like Duke and Hopkins and a lawyer for Hopkins Hospital).

Availability of Diverse Research/Internship/Volunteer/Shadowing Opportunities - It's super easy. First of all, there are A LOT of "medical tutorials" available. These are basically research experiences that you can do for credit. At the beginning of the semester you get a list of all the tutorials offered and than can contact the doctors and researchers yourself to see if you want to go to their lab or whatnot. Surprisingly few undergrads take advantage of this so there are many more positions than people applying. Second, during January intersession the post-bacc program offers preceptorships at Sinai hospital. I shadowed a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in the clinic and in the OR for 3 weeks about 30 hours a week. Hours are flexible. Many people also shadow their tutorial doctors. Third, there's the volunteer "Patient Partner" program at Hopkins' Bayview Hospital where you bascially get to hang out with patients, make sure they're comfortable, and give them some info about hospital safety. Baltimore is quite a diverse city so you will definitely see some interesting people and cases. Unfortunately, you'll also see a lot of heroine OD's (at least I did). Lastly, you can go out on your own and ask for research. I asked a prof I had a class with if I could do a project in his lab...he said yes and I ended up working there the summer after I finished the program.

Linkages - Hopkins has linkage to George Washington, University of Rochester, and Robert Wood Johnson. They chose not to apply for more linkages because it looks bad for the program to have a linkage but have nobody go there. In my class one person applied for linkage to University of Rochester and got in. I think the requirement was they had to have a 3.5 and nothing below a B and just be a good applicant. We're not advised to apply to linkage unless we're SURE we want to go to one of those schools. Many of us still apply to them during the regular admissions cycle, but I'm not sure there's any advantage given to us.

Location, Location, Location - I hate Baltimore, but I'm the only one I know with such a strong opinion about it. The area around the undergrad campus is decent...and it's near Roland Park which is pretty yuppy. Around the med school where you might do research it's pretty much all ghetto. You get used to hearing about triple shootings on the news which is sad. It's a fine place to live for post-bacc, but I didn't want to stay for med school.


Wow...I'm typing like a mofo. Good luck with everything!