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Which of these post-bacs is best?
Started by JPagan
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I have applied and spoke to the director of the program at penn so i'll give you my opinion...I think Penn is the stronger program, however, it will probably be the most difficult. I don't know what your previous work has been like, but out of the programs you mentioned it will be the hardest....the only other one i know well is the Drexel program....i believe this to be a good program if you have done well in the past and can contiune to do well...i have heard that it can be seen as a program that just brings a lot of money to drexel because it has a lot of options and promises....it sounds very appealing but the acceptance rates are nothing special...in other words, the "features" of the program such as the link with drexel med and the option for masters, and the option to take classes at drexel med...are all nice but essentially unecessary. I think those features sometimes overshadow the more important things to find in a post-bacc....if you are looking at Penn and Drexel I would strongly suggest looking into Bryn Mawr College. It is by far the most successful.
Chrissy said:
Correct me if I am wrong but Bryn Mawr Drexel's IMS are both very different, hence serving a different kind of student so that a comparison between the 2 is not possible. Bryn Mawr serves student already academically strong who need to complete their pr-reqs, while Drexel IMS is a graduate program where students take medical school classes and is tailored for those who need to show strong academic acheivment. I beleive that Penn also serves those in need of fullfilling pre-reqs and UMDNJ would be comparible to Drexel except that you only take like 2 or 3 medical school courses while the rest are all graduate courses. \
IMHO if you are considering an SMP program then seriously consider EVMS, RFU, and Georgetown. I would add Drexel as a resort if you dont get into any of these programs. I don't know much about the programs geared to those looking to complete pre-reqs but it does not sound like you are looking for that.
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well yes they are very different, but they can surely be compared. I have no idea what the background is of the person who posted the question. If he is a strong student then Penn and Bryn Mawr are undoubtedly better and he/she should apply. What i specifically mean about drexel is, if you need to improve credentials it boasts a lot of fancy features which are unique to drexel IMS...however, they may be uneccessary. Looking at acceptance rates to med schools, it seems equally benefical to go to and local or state college and earn high grades in as many classes as you can. A very high post-bacc GPA in the drexel program doesn't statisctically seem more beneficial than high grades from any other school or program. I have also heard that Georgetown SMP is very successful. It seems worth looking into.
Chrissy said:
I think you missed my point. Bryn Mawr is for those needing to complete pre-reqs and who are already academically strong. Drexel IMS is for those who have already completed all of the required pre-reqs and are in need of academic improvement. If you are eligable for one program you are not for the other. Hence, the 2 programs are very different and cannot be compared since they serve 2 entirely different populations of students. FYI, judging from Drexel's website, the IMS success rate is about equal to Georgetown's. Drexel's program is one of the oldest of its kind and would surely not still be around if it was just a cash crop.
Tooth
ok nevermind then. It looks like we're both misunderstanding each other. I agree they serve different populations but someone who gets rejected from Penn or Bryn Mawr can do a post-bacc program at Drexel as they have several different kinds geared towards all sorts of students and are less difficult to be accepted to then BM, Penn, Columbia etc...so i guess the bottom line is it depends on the background and intent of the person who asked this question. FYI, the comment I made about Drexel and wanting cash is an opinion of someone in the program. I HAVE HEARD that they accept students with virtually any undergraduate GPA and if you dont get accepted to med school you have the option to stay at Drexel for a second year to earn a masters; thus, getting a lot more of your money assuming from the start you were not a likely candidate for med school. Just an opinion from someone.
TiggidyTooth said:
Chrissy said:
If you get rejected to Penn or BM you cannot just assume you'll get into Drexel. You need to have taken ALL of your pre-reqs plus taken the MCAT and scored a certain score (i've heard around 27). Penn doesn't require that, in fact they are there to help you finish or boost your undergrad GPA and pre-reqs. At Drexel you take classes with the 1st years in med school, at penn and BM you take undergrad and masters level classes. If you think Penn undergrad classes are more challenging than the workload of a 1st year med student, you're crazy.
Drexel has several different post-bacc programs. Each is geared toward different types of backgrounds. So whether you have taken one, all, or no pre reqs, there is still a post-bacc program at drexel for you. The program which accepts students who have no science background has a minimun undergraduate GPA requirement of 2.5 as stated on the website. The average undergraduate GPA for aceepted post-bacc students at Penn, BM, and Columbia is 3.5 according to them. So yes, I am going to assume that if you get rejected from BM, Penn, or Columbia you CAN get into one of Drexel's programs. If you don't it means you have a GPA around or below 2.5. Therefore, the evening post baccalureate premed program at Drexel is exactly alike those at Penn, BM, and Columbia just less difficult to get accepted to. They are all for students who have never taken the MCAT and who have completed none or few pre reqs. The IMS program reffered to in this post was the post-bacc program with the masters option that requires MCAT scores and previous science work. When i made the original comparison, perhaps I should have been more clear about what specific program at Drexel i was reffering to. For that, I apologize. Lastly, although this is not a forum to debate each other I just want to note that I nowhere said Penn undergrad was harder than 1st year of med school. What I did say is if you are in need of taking undergraduate classes (i.e. prereqs) then out of the schools the original post listed, Penn is likely to be the most difficult. Again, I dont know if the original person who posted needs a program like Penn OR Drexel IMS but if they are just taking undergraduate level courses penn is going to be tougher then Drexel undergrad. However, I'm sure the IMS is infinitely harder than any undergraduate school. I think that part was a misunderstanding.
MasterShakeDO said:
Chrissy said:
Do you have any solid information to back this up or is this just hearsay. I always thought an A in a prereq. class is an A whether you take it at Bumsville University or at Penn. Its true that the name of a school can carry some weight but you cannot make the assumption that classes at Drexel are easier than classes at Penn. Have you ever taken classes at either of these schools?
Jays2Cool4u 😎
People, I dont know why but i think i am not being very articulate on this thread...i should prob work on that...I never said an A from one school is better or worse than an A from another. The reason i put in my two cents in the first place was that I transferred to Penn from Villanova U and found Penn to be inifinitely more difficult. No, I have never taken classes at Drexel. I considered the Drexel program very heavily and spoke to many students in it (many worked in or around penn cuz they're right next to each other). Anyway, i feel like i made some people angry and it wasn't my intent I just am honestly giving advice based on my past mistakes. I should have stayed at Villanova where I left with a 3.84 GPA 9after taking 18 credits/sem including bio/chem wlabs)...i worked harder at Penn and graduated with a 2.95 GPA and right now i'm not in med school and will be a post bacc shortly. My sincere opinion is just the opposite of what you think. Go ANYWHERE and just do as well as you can. I posted on this thread in the very beginning just to say that i found Penn difficult and I passed on the chance to be a post-bacc there because of my experience as an undergrad. Villanova is a very competitive school, but the intellect and motivation at Penn is relatively unparallelled. An honest and anectodal warning. Hope I help and not hurt.
jays2cool4u said:
JPagan said:
I think we a straying way off point here. Based on the OP's writing, it he lists programs which require pre-reqs to be completed before enrollment. I know nothing about Penn, and what I do know about Loyola is all second hand knowledge. Between Drexel IMS and UMDNJ I think Drexel is by far the best program between the 2. Have you considered programs such as Georgetown, RFU, or EVMS? I would think those 3 programs would be superior to the ones listed.
Tooth
I wanted to thank all of your for your input. I am in need of an academic enhancer program. I have already taken all of the pre-reqs, so you were all on the right track. I will google those programs you mentioned now, but I am not sure because I am hoping to start this fall so it is pretty hard to apply to programs now, you know what I mean? So specifically between UMDNJ and Drexel IMS which one of those two would you choose? I know U Penn is an AWESOME school so I assume based on that alone it would be a great program to attend, but what about between those other two? Thanks guys, lets keep discussing!
I see now that those programs deadlines have passed, but if I don't get into any of these other programs then I will apply to those in the next cycle. What do you guys think about my chances at the programs I have mentioned.
UMDNJ,U Penn, Drexel, Loyola... I have a 3.01 UGPA and a 29 on the MCAT... thanks again everyone...
I see now that those programs deadlines have passed, but if I don't get into any of these other programs then I will apply to those in the next cycle. What do you guys think about my chances at the programs I have mentioned.
UMDNJ,U Penn, Drexel, Loyola... I have a 3.01 UGPA and a 29 on the MCAT... thanks again everyone...
I did the Drexel MBS (MSP+IMS, two year program). The IMS year is for those that need to prove that their undergrad is not all that they are capable of. The classes that you take are the exact same classes that the med students take. You attend/watch the same lectures and labs and have the exact same tests. Drexel does have its problems, there is a very long discussion somewhere on SDN. I can say that the education that I received at Drexel was excellent but the admin was lacking. If you do not have to worry about getting your Fin Aid on time and do not want to interact with the people in charge of your program than Drexel is fine. However, if you are worried about money or want to be attached to your programs staff then I would say that Drexel is not for you. If you do go you will learn a lot, more that you can imagine. You will be so ready for MS1. Do not mess up in the IMS program because then the med schools will see that you have problems in actual med school classes and that is not good. Over all I am glad that I went and I appreciate what the program was able to do for me. Like I said the education was great. If I could get the same caliber of classes at another school that would not loose my Fin Aid check each semester or that could get my transcripts to my med schools on time then I would go there.
