I know this is an old thread but thought I would give it a shot to try and see if I can contact you! I have so many questions, I was invited for an interview this year and feel sick to my stomach with stress! If you are still active, let me know!
Here are some questions someone else asked me about the program and my responses. I hope this helps.
1. Does the program share opportunities in the area for extra-curricular work? Or is that something you could do on your own if you choose?
1. The program does share you some opportunities for volunteering in the area, also has programs like health coaching, and mini medical school ( which is a club where you can go to local schools and teach different topics on health to kids there). You can also do it on your own if you choose. Doing extracurricular work is not mandatory. There will be some events that are highly suggested you attend, especially if you are invited as part of the post baccalaureate cohort.
2. Is this a program where you can work, or is there no time for that? Do they discourage it? I don't think I will work if I get accepted to a post-bac, but I am asking because I want to know the time commitment on a daily and weekly basis! I'm sure it's busy, but one of the post-bacs that I applied to said they had students who did work, so I was wondering if that is common there or unusual.
2. If you have good time balance between taking classes and working, I suppose you can do that, but you still have to maintain a 3.5 GPA every quarter. It is not recommended that you work while doing the postbacc though. Every quarter, you will be required to take about 12 units and meet the requirements of ( 7 upper division science classes and 2 non science classes total the whole academic year) .... you can take more science classes if you like and if you can handle..... TLDR. It is a full course load. 12 units per quarter minimum. You probably will not have time to work if you are taking these classes and also participating in extracurricular activities. The main priority for you during the program is to get good grades... Also, no one in my cohort worked. Some did volunteer work, but that was the extent of it.
3. Do you have any interview tips?
3. My main interview tips is to practice. So, google some common interview questions, make a google doc, answer them thoughtfully( either bullet point the topics you want to cover in answering that question or type out exactly what you are going to say, share the doc with some of your family and friends who are open to helping you practice. So, they ask the question, and you answer to them, basically a mock interview. Also, in any interview, you will most likely be asked " Tell me about yourself" Make sure you know how to answer that in regards to the position or program in mind.
4. What was the interview format?
4. For me and some of the people in the program, they had one on one interviews with the program director, and she asked some questions personalized from your application.
5. Do you know how many people they interviewed last year, and how many people were accepted (class size)?
5. I do not know how many people they interviewed last year, but my cohort size was 13 people. When I asked the program director during my interview, she said that cohort sizes are usually 9-13 people. So the post bacc cohort is comprised of about half med school applicants who were given conditional acceptance into the SOM ( students who applied to SOM) given they complete the post bacc well and the other half of the cohort is traditional post bacc ( students who applied directly for the program).
6. How hands on is the staff/program? Do you find that the program is attentive towards their students?
6. The program is not really hands on, if you do not ask for help or initiate. If you need to talk to the director, you can email her, and she will always set up a meeting for you so that you can discuss whats on your mind and what your questions are. So, it can be hands on if you want it to be. Other than that, your responsibility is to get good grades. So if you are struggling, you can email her and ask her on advice on how to manage your stress and do better.
7. What aspect of the program do you think has helped you most?
7. I think just having the opportunity to take more classes in an official program that is affiliated with the medical school is my favorite part. It has helped me raise my GPA and shows admissions officers that I am persistent and shows an upward trend in my GPA. Also, after the class portion of the program ( 3 quarters of classes) there is an MCAT prep portion as well as having someone to help me with my medical school application.