when to begin applying for fall '04

[cHocoBo 118]

Hi. I just graduated this past spring and am planning on applying to some post-bacc programs for next fall '04. Do you guys know when people begin to apply to these programs around? Am i already running late?

As a biochem major in college, a non-URM, and having never applied to med school, i realized my choices were pretty limited. I thus narrowed it down to upenn, columbia, gtown and loma linda. Are there other schools i should look into? Any input would be appreciated. thanks.

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[vixey1230]

I can't recall exactly when I applied ... but I want to say that I had interviews around Feb. So my guess would be that you should start looking into programs around Thanksgiving, get apps, and get them in by the New Year.

I went to Scripps College for my post-bac program. They're great to their post-bacs, and the program administrators are all extremely friendly and helpful. I had also applied to Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, Columbia, USC... I can't remember where else.

I chose not to go to Bryn Mawr b/c the atmosphere was horrible when I went to interview. They straight out told me that all the students are extremely competitive with each other, that it's a 'cut-throat environment', and they pride themselves on a ridiculouly high attrition rate.

I didn't do Columbia b/c cost of living just came out to be way too high for me. I couldn't afford housing out in manhattan.

USC's admins were very friendly, and they seemed a bit too anxious for me to accept on the spot (at the interview). They're a much newer program, and I thought it'd be helpful to go somewhere with some history... I'm glad I did this now, b/c the admins at Scripps have such a great relationship with so many med schools.

Good luck though. And it's never really too early to get started on apps.

 

[venturep]

Could you discuss some of the qualifications needed to get into a good post-bacc program? I'm going to finish my undergrad in May and would like to begin a post-bacc program this summer.

Do you feel that going to a post-bacc program is worth the price? Or are students still in a good position for med school if they take their pre reqs. at a local school?

Thanks!

 

[tester90024]

as a recent columbia postbacc, i would strongly suggest againt going to that program. they have undergone some major turnover as far as advisors go, and the current advisors are doing a very poor job. lots of complaints, lots of unhappy people. it's probably in your best interest to pick another school at this point. if you want more info, pm me.

 

[vixey1230]

Originally posted by venturep
Could you discuss some of the qualifications needed to get into a good post-bacc program? I'm going to finish my undergrad in May and would like to begin a post-bacc program this summer.

Do you feel that going to a post-bacc program is worth the price? Or are students still in a good position for med school if they take their pre reqs. at a local school?

Thanks!

Different programs have different requirements, in terms of how much of the premed requirements you have already fulfilled. Some programs will only take students that have yet to take MOST of the requirements, whereas others will take people who took them earlier, didn't do very well, and are looking to improve their grades/mastery of the material. But I think the most important thing, based on my experience, is really your statement and your interview.

They'll be interested in why you've suddenly changed your mind to pursuing medicine, and they'll try to evaluate whether or not you can handle a rather rigorous academic load. If you haven't taken any of the premed reqs, you may be taking bio/chem/physics/math, all science classes including a lab portion, at the same time. So the work load is rather strenuous. So they'll be looking for dedication, and evidence that you can handle a tough schedule.

Most of these programs will also try to get you into intern/volunteer positions at clinical institutions. So for example, I had lecture from 8-noon 5 days a week, lab all afternoon 3 days a week, and my internship all afternoon on the other 2 days plus all day saturday.

But these programs are very helpful, if you can get into the right ones. The administration can be a LOT of help down the road as you work through the application process, contacting schools, getting specific questions answered, etc. And they may have close connections with quite a few medschools that have come to trust graduates of their post-bacc programs. There is also an option to "link" straight into some medschool from the post-bacc program, given that you maintain a certain GPA, and pass some sort of minimum score on the MCAT.

Check out this webpage for info on the Scripps program:

http://jsd.claremont.edu/postbac/