VCOM Post Bacc or SGU

[HopefulDoctoBE100]

Hi Everyone,

I was originally going to attend SGU until I got into the VCOM Graduate Certificate Program a couple weeks ago. Still torn between the two and which to choose.

I have a 3.6 sgpa and 24 MCAT.

VCOM postbacc is a guaranteed admission into the DO program if you have a 3.6 gpa in the fall semester and an MCAT of 24 or greater ( All i would need is a 3.6 gpa in the fall)

Any advice helps

Thank you everyone

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[radian313]

You couldnt get into another DO program with those stats?

 

[Blunt Dissection]

Yeah with your stats, you really have no need to do either a postbac or an IMG program. You should be competitive at schools like

PNWU
TUNCOM
BCOM
LMU-DCOM
LECOM
All the VCOMs

Pretty much all of them except for the Cali schools, Midwestern schools, or PCOMs.

 

[LutGholein]

I'm definitely not an expert in the admissions process-- but i'm positive everyone here would tell you that VCOM or any other DO school for that matter is the better choice than SGU-- just to put things into perspective you can consider that residency among many other dimensions will be an uphill battle. "For graduates of foreign medical schools, the world is a harsher place. This year, 12,380 doctors attempted to match from medical schools outside the United States. Only 6,301 matched, for a success rate of approximately 50 percent.*"(refrence: http://www.slate.com/articles/healt..._scramble_foreign_doctors_and_a_shortage.html)
Seriously don't do SGU or any other Caribbean for that matter-- you have a good sGPA.

 

[IslandStyle808]

There are a lot of 3.6 GPA people w/ low MCAT scores I am seeing these days....

All you need is one good retake, and you have a shot at even an MD school (that is all you need to fix your situation). So skip the post-bacc and erase the thought of SGU altogether. And try again.

 

[HopefulDoctoBE100]

..

 

[Blunt Dissection]

Thanks everyone! I did have one interview late in the cycle but that did not work out. I figured Vcom post bac is a great opportunity to get into a medical school and also have some ties to virginia so would love to stay there . I would also reapply .

Just confused because I do know some doctors that went to SGU and their match list was impressive. But I don't this to turn into a bashing SGU thread.

Don't get me wrong - there are very accomplished doctors that have come out of Caribbean schools, but times have changed significantly. With more and more US med schools opening every year, there simply aren't enough residency spots to accommodate the increase in students. Unlike US med schools which try significantly to keep you afloat, Caribbean schools are built around the tread water or die model.

Postbacs for someone with your stats is a double edged sword. If you do well, great. If you don't, you've shot yourself in the foot because every adcom will look at your postbac grades and say "Doesn't look like they can handle a light med school load. They probably won't do well in med school."

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

Are you crazy? You have a frickin' 3.6 and if you smash your MCAT you won't have to apply to either and you can go for MD (maybe)!

But if VCOM postbacc or SGU are your only choices.. then go with VCOM postbacc...


ORRRR...

You can save hellaaaa $$$$ and do a DIY postbacc at your local state university or a CC and still be fine.

 

[Waillin]

A postbacc is used for GPA repair. Your GPA is not the problem so do not spend the money. Your real question is to go to SGU or sit out a year and retake the MCAT. I would personally pick podiatry over Caribbean but to each their own.

 

[HopefulDoctoBE100]

Hey everyone thanks for the responses!

I am leaning toward the VCOM Post bacc program I have taken the MCAT twice and 24 was my most recent and highest score. I think this is a good program because it has a guaranteed acceptance to the DO program.

 

[Waillin]

Good luck at VCOM!

 

[HopefulDoctoBE100]

Good luck at VCOM!

Thanks man! I appreciate it. Best of luck to you as well

 

[IslandStyle808]

Are you crazy? You have a frickin' 3.6 and if you smash your MCAT you won't have to apply to either and you can go for MD (maybe)!

But if VCOM postbacc or SGU are your only choices.. then go with VCOM postbacc...


ORRRR...

You can save hellaaaa $$$$ and do a DIY postbacc at your local state university or a CC and still be fine.

Oh man, this was a perfect representation what was going on in my head. LOL

 

[Shotapp]

A SMP will not fix a low MCAT (save more money by retaking). You are going to be competing with other students in VCOM's post-bac for limited seats/no guarantee of meeting that 3.6...not a smart investment. Adcoms are going to question your logic on this decision you are about to make because honestly...it makes no sense with a 3.6 gpa...sigh

 

[DO2015CA]

A post bac won't do anything for you. Post bac is for high mcat and low gpa. Your gpa is high. Do whatever you can do to get a higher mcat. Take a class, hell pay for a personal tutor with what you'd spend on a post bac

 

[mathnerd88]

Agreed...prepare and retake the MCAT.

 

[HopefulDoctoBE100]

A SMP will not fix a low MCAT (save more money by retaking). You are going to be competing with other students in VCOM's post-bac for limited seats/no guarantee of meeting that 3.6...not a smart investment. Adcoms are going to question your logic on this decision you are about to make because honestly...it makes no sense with a 3.6 gpa...sigh

VCOM Post bacc has a seat in the medical school for all meeting the requirements

 

[HopefulDoctoBE100]

Agreed...prepare and retake the MCAT.

I appreciate everyone advice on retaking the MCAT but this will be my 4th time taking it and I scored around same each time so I dont think a miracle will happen ( im being realistic with myself). So my options are the guaranteed admission with VCOM graduate certificate program (if i get a 3.6) or SGU and I will most likely do the graduate certificate program.

 

[DO2015CA]

VCOM Post bacc has a seat in the medical school for all meeting the requirements

Yes but what are all the requirements. There are some programs that say as long as their students maintain a 3.5 and they compare them to the medstudents making a 3.5 actually hard to get. Some have a good record for post-bac admission and some don't. Do your research with the % of those that get in.

But beware: Its always better to do it correctly that trying to find a backdoor.

A 3.6 is a lot harder to get in medschool than undergrad. Idk how much the post-bacc takes with the medstudents at VCOM but I wouldn't bet on a 3.6. Especially because the first semester you'll be learning how to study anyways

 

[HopefulDoctoBE100]

Thank you for your response. Below was taken from the VCOM Website:

" Students must meet the following benchmarks to qualify for admission to the DO program:

• GPA
  • Earn a cumulative 3.6 GPA or higher in the Fall semester, with no grade lower than a “B” in any course.
  • Maintain GPA through the Spring semester.
• MCAT Score
  • Previous MCAT Exam (Taken through January 23, 2015)
    • Required Minimum Score: 24
    • Score must be obtained by September of the year prior, or no more than three years prior, to DO matriculation.
    • Combined scores of 24 across multiple exams do not fulfill this requirement.
  • New MCAT Exam
    • Required Minimum Score: To be determined by DO Admissions Office
• Evaluations
  • Exceptional evaluations from Post-Baccalaureate Program Faculty and Staff, endorsing student for admission."

I have spoken with a few students who will now be matriculating into the DO program from the grad. certificate program and all have vouched for how supportive the staff is and how much they want everyone to succeed.

Anyways, I'll sleep on it.

Yes but what are all the requirements. There are some programs that say as long as their students maintain a 3.5 and they compare them to the medstudents making a 3.5 actually hard to get. Some have a good record for post-bac admission and some don't. Do your research with the % of those that get in.

But beware: Its always better to do it correctly that trying to find a backdoor.

 

[mathnerd88]

Thank you for your response. Below was taken from the VCOM Website:

" Students must meet the following benchmarks to qualify for admission to the DO program:

• GPA
  • Earn a cumulative 3.6 GPA or higher in the Fall semester, with no grade lower than a “B” in any course.
  • Maintain GPA through the Spring semester.
• MCAT Score
  • Previous MCAT Exam (Taken through January 23, 2015)
    • Required Minimum Score: 24
    • Score must be obtained by September of the year prior, or no more than three years prior, to DO matriculation.
    • Combined scores of 24 across multiple exams do not fulfill this requirement.
  • New MCAT Exam
    • Required Minimum Score: To be determined by DO Admissions Office
• Evaluations
  • Exceptional evaluations from Post-Baccalaureate Program Faculty and Staff, endorsing student for admission."

I have spoken with a few students who will now be matriculating into the DO program from the grad. certificate program and all have vouched for how supportive the staff is and how much they want everyone to succeed.

Anyways, I'll sleep on it.

It looks like based on the requirements, that you might have to retake the MCAT anyways, depending on which month you took the MCAT.

http://www.vcom.edu/post-baccalaureate/files/program profile and curriculum.pdf

It also says that in 2013, only 53% was able to get into the VCOM DO program from their postbac.

 

[DO2015CA]

It looks like based on the requirements, that you might have to retake the MCAT anyways, depending on which month you took the MCAT.

http://www.vcom.edu/post-baccalaureate/files/program profile and curriculum.pdf

It also says that in 2013, only 53% was able to get into the VCOM DO program from their postbac.

53% is not high enough to take the risk.

 

[IslandStyle808]

It looks like based on the requirements, that you might have to retake the MCAT anyways, depending on which month you took the MCAT.

http://www.vcom.edu/post-baccalaureate/files/program profile and curriculum.pdf

It also says that in 2013, only 53% was able to get into the VCOM DO program from their postbac.

I saw my friends go through the torture of my state MD schools post-bacc and on average only 50-70% matriculate. It was much hard than medical school was for them. Not worth the risk for that low percentage.

If you don't feel like taking the MCAT again OP, then apply to the new schools early this year. There are a ton opening up. Apply broadly none the less.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

Oh man, this was a perfect representation what was going on in my head. LOL

Don't worry I gotchu bruh. I can read minds through the interwebz.

 

[Wjldenver]

Hey everyone thanks for the responses!

I am leaning toward the VCOM Post bacc program I have taken the MCAT twice and 24 was my most recent and highest score. I think this is a good program because it has a guaranteed acceptance to the DO program.

To protect yourself, you might want to ask the Adcom for the VCOM SMP for a frequency distribution of GPA's for their grads and some specific details on the number of folks which actually move on to the DO program after graduation. Another poster on SDN, went to the Touro SMP and did not make their 3.5 GPA cut to move on to their DO program. He said the issue was that getting a 90% in a class might equate to a B since the class grades are curved to accommodate only a predetermined number of students who move on to their DO program. In essence, it may be much more difficult to achieve your GPA goal in VCOM's SMP than think.

 

[Azete]

Several close friends attended VCOM's postbacc, and they're all now students at VCOM. Their postbacc basically consists of completing the first 3 (maybe 4?) blocks of their med school curriculum, so if/when you pass with the appropriate GPA all the material will be repeated the following year. I've heard it's very difficult, but those that made it through coasted through the first year of med school.

 

[Supermanwife]

Hi Everyone,

I was originally going to attend SGU until I got into the VCOM Graduate Certificate Program a couple weeks ago. Still torn between the two and which to choose.

I have a 3.6 sgpa and 24 MCAT.

VCOM postbacc is a guaranteed admission into the DO program if you have a 3.6 gpa in the fall semester and an MCAT of 24 or greater ( All i would need is a 3.6 gpa in the fall)

Any advice helps

Thank you everyone

Hey, did you end up applying for the program? Seems like a good amount of students that are and were in the VCOM program matriculated into the DO program and said they feel more prepared for med school.