I have a lot to say about the program. I’m a 2020 alum.
First, if you are invited for an interview that is a very good sign. It means you have the grades to be accepted to most med schools. They won’t look at people that can’t at the very least get into Wake Forest SOM. Their med school.
I applied. Do you know if the post bacc has linkage to the medical school?
There is no linkage. You take classes as a graduate student at the Wake Forest University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. It doesn’t sound fancy but you are not taking classes at the undergrad university campus, you are taking classes at the medical school. You aren’t accepted to their med school but the graduate school is located in the med school. They’re the same thing. You take classes from medical school faculty. The courses are similar course offerings to what first year medical students take. Hint: the people in charge of the postbacc are also members of the admission committee at WFUSOM. Sometimes they will tell you if you get in the postbacc and and they like you.
If accepted to this program, why would you attend it over other programs- like one that offers linkage or conditional acceptance?
Yes, a lot of people don’t know this but this was the first postbacc master’s program for medical school. Don’t know the exact first year but it was probably the 70s or 80s.
They integrate the curriculum to take semester long course offerings for some of the hardest medical school courses you can take. If you are URM or disadvantaged they will favor you for the program. But you have to have a good story. Again, they won’t accept you to the postbacc unless they feel you have potential for med school.
They have amazing opportunities for clinical research that you can do with medical students, and faculty. You can get publications in specialties you are interested in so you look good for med school and residency interviews. You will look good for job interviews at medical schools once you are done with the program.
The housing in Winston Salem is outrageous. I had a wife and 2 kids during the postbacc (nontrad) and rented a 2 bed 1 bath condo for $600/month. Insane. For newer places rent is less than $2K/month. Try finding that at Georgetown or VCU.
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is a level I trauma center and puts you at the feet of physicians and faculty that are world class. Tell people that you are a graduate student in the pre-medicine postbacc and people’s eyes will light up. The program works. They have very high acceptance rates to med school. They have pedigree. They get results. They keep the exact numbers under wraps. Maybe during the interview they will flash a ppt slide on the screen with the rates.
I dont know what position many of you are in, but my gpa is pretty low. I was told by a friend of mine that this program only accepts people whose numbers would already get them accepted into medical school. Does anyone know if this is true?
I can’t speak to the exact numbers but check your AAMC MSAR for the med school you want to go to. Usually you need a 3.0 overall to be competitive for the postbacc. My science was 2.9. The postbacc raised it to 3.2 science and 3.4 overall. If they interview you they have gone thru your transcripts and calculated the GPAs. They factor in successful completion of the post bacc for you to get into med school. If the post bacc accepts you it means you have potential for med school.
Received an interview as well! Any idea how many people they usually interview, as well as any significant connection to the actual medical school? The website is pretty vague on that, but how many people from last year's post bacc got into the medical school?
People typically apply in the Spring to begin the postbacc in the Summer. I was in the Spring cohort and interviewed in the Fall. We had about 10 people in my interview and 3 got accepted. Summer cohorts are larger 20-30 accepted.
anyone know if this program offers a seat to their med school the following year?
No. You take classes at their med school and get on the admission committee’s radar like I said above. It sets you up nicely to get a stellar MCAT and maybe even get a job doing research or something related at your dream med school.
Last thing. Open house. I got my interview because I attended the open house two weeks before the Spring cohort interviews. If you live out of town, take a flight into NC, get a hotel, do whatever you have to do to attend the open house. It shows commitment and if you have already applied like I had, they can pull your application and get you your shot with an interview. Whether you have applied or not, the open house is a good idea.
Good luck to everyone. Feel free to DM me if you have more questions.
