WHY WASTE TIME ON A Post_BAcc??

[Pipacus]

what are the advantages ?
and since youre wasting time anyways, why not just go ahead and get a masters?

when does a post-bacc improve your chances of acceptance?

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[Vvandenn]

 

[spicedmanna]

Indeed!

 

[Wizard of Oz]

A Master's can't improve your undergrad GPA, and the grad degree in and of itself will not help your application. Plus the coursework and typical research focus take away time that you could be using to boost your test scores. While the research, contacts, and LOR's may benefit you; the core of the application is still UG GPA and MCAT which probably represent 80-90% of your admission power. Better to spend time focusing on stuff that is going to help you get in.

Besides that, a Master of Science without a professional certification or credential of some sort will only make you overqualified for most jobs. I'd stick more undergrad coursework.

<-------Living Proof

 

[Pipacus]

what ???? its not like it will affect your undergrad gpa!!!!

 

[Pancho Villa]

why waste time on a post-bacc?

because it's FUN!!

 

[spicedmanna]

what ???? its not like it will affect your undergrad gpa!!!!

You are radically misinformed. Undergraduate post-baccalaureate work does indeed impact your undergraduate GPA. In many instances, it is your undergraduate GPA that will be used in screening and whatnot.

 

[Pipacus]

I don't think that the OP understands how med school adcoms think.

enlighten me wise one ...please!

 

[lilold3chordme]

1. They need to take pre-med science requirements, perhaps because they did not major in biology or they decided on medicine post-graduation.

2. They want to improve their undergrad GPA. Post-bacc coursework counts in the UG GPA. Master's coursework = Grad GPA. In a death match, UG GPA always beats Grad GPA, when it comes to med school admissions.


See, what a "waste"...

 

[Pipacus]

1. They need to take pre-med science requirements, perhaps because they did not major in biology or they decided on medicine post-graduation.

2. They want to improve their undergrad GPA. Post-bacc coursework counts in the UG GPA. Master's coursework = Grad GPA. In a death match, UG GPA always beats Grad GPA, when it comes to med school admissions.


See, what a "waste"...

thank god there is still life after death

 

[KaraKiz]

what are the advantages ?
and since youre wasting time anyways, why not just go ahead and get a masters?

Some schools prefer to take applicants who have taken time off after college and who are a little older with more experience (i.e. at my UCSF interview, there was one girl out of 7 interviewees that was a senior in college. Everyone else did a post-bacc, Peace Corps, or was working after college). The dean of admissions at UMaryland said he would only take people who were at least 24 if he could. Not that its going to happen, but a lot of schools want to make sure their students are mature enough to handle medical training, and a post-bacc is certainly a good way to show that. You don't have to do one to get in obviously, and its not for everyone.

A lot of research heavy schools also tend to look for post-baccs and other students with extensive research experience. If you are interested in research, need the time and money to apply to med school, and want a break from school between u-grad and med school, a post-bacc is a pretty nice option. I worked FT during u-grad and needed the two years to take the MCAT and apply. I have the flexibility to go on interviews as needed without worrying about my boss being upset. The break from a full course load has been nice, and I am taking a medical genetics class at the NIH graduate school for free.

I had the opportunity to do a masters program, but I decided against it b/c I had my heart set on medical school and didn't want to pursue a career in FT research, so I decided not to take that spot away from someone who really wanted it. I don't think you should do a master's program just to feel like you aren't wasting time.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

enlighten me wise one ...please!

Sorry if I came off rude, I deleted my post. I agree with the others on this thread.

 

[Law2Doc]

Sorry if I came off rude, I deleted my post.

In all fairness, the "waste of time" language drew first blood in terms of rudeness.

Different forms of programs address different needs. None is a waste of time, if it addresses your applications shortcomings. In fact, a non-insignificant percentage of any med school class will have taken some courses after their bachelors. Plus in some cases people will need to do BOTH a postbac and SMP (masters) to make themselves competitive. People do what they need to to get into med school. OP - Take a look at the postbac board for more info, rather than presume you know what is a waste of time and what isn't.

 

[JohnMadden]

I don't fully agree with the previous posts. I don't think Undergrad GPA as a whole, matters that much. In my opinion, performance in BCPM Prereqs is key. If you did poorly in a number of the prereqs, doing a Masters while not retaking those prereqs courses will not add much value to your application.

As for myself, I had a lackluster undergrad GPA, but I chose to pursue graduate work instead of a formal post-bac program. I ended up doing two Masters degrees but I enjoyed them both. While in graduate school, I took the BPCM courses at the undergrad campuses part-time, generally one/two per term.

A lot of people at Hopkins School of Public Health go this route because getting a really high GPA in a Masters program at the top ranked school of public health helped a lot of people get into med school when I was there...

 

[chemist323]

I did a post-bac and I believe it has been the reason why I have been given a great chance to get into med school. My undergrad grades were not great but I kicked butt during my post bac year. I also received a great LOR from the director (I was told by an interviewer) that undoubtedly has helped. I would definitely do the post-bac program again.

 

[punkindrublic]

Don't feed the trolls!

 

[sendwich]

1. They need to take pre-med science requirements, perhaps because they did not major in biology or they decided on medicine post-graduation.

2. They want to improve their undergrad GPA. Post-bacc coursework counts in the UG GPA. Master's coursework = Grad GPA. In a death match, UG GPA always beats Grad GPA, when it comes to med school admissions.


See, what a "waste"...

people need to be informed before making too-wide generalizations. i'm a first-time applicatn with an "oh-so sucky" UG gpa. more science courses (ug) after graduating didnt really "help" my UG gpa. I did an SMP at BU, kicked some major butts and am currently sitting on an acceptance (hopefully more) for this fall. so, I wouldn't say "UG GPA always beats Grad GPA" cus it ain't always true, buddy!! the school I got accepted to actually made a comment saying they weigh recent achievements more than past shortcomings so I have more faith that there are more schools out there than most people would like to believe.

 

[Maxprime]

I was told by some sort of central application committee that I would be required to take gen chem, physics, orgo, and some bio - it's just a rumor, but I'm going to gamble and listen to them. It was an association of medical colleges or some BS like that - sounded like a scam.

 

[whatevaittakes]

What if you want to pursue an MD/PhD and you don't feel quailified enough to get in the programs you desire. Would you suggest doing a post-bacc for one year and then a one-year masters after that and apply between the summer of the post-bacc and masters program? Or would it be best to do a program like Mount Sinai's PREP-MED. I know that my gpa for an MD/PhD is not good enough and since only a post-bacc can help the ugpa I figured I'd do that but, I also want to a masters to get more experience in the field in which I plan to get the PhD portion. What do y'll think. My ugrad gpa will be b/n >3.2 but <3.5 something when I graduate next year. Thanks for any and all advice. Best of wishes to you all.

 

[thetrueth]

From some of these posts, it seems like Adcoms are mindless drones that only respond to a fixed number. like a 3.5 Undergrad GPA.

These people are mature adults who have gone through school AND life. Looking back, premed students seem to have a seriously shallow understanding of what it takes to get into medical school.

Why would taking UG classes be better than master's level courses? Its not. Med Schools wanna see that you are mature and capable of succeeding in graduate level courses, so why would undergraduate courses be a better predictor than GRADUATE level courses?

All that matters is what type of student are you now, and how well can you prove that. (i.e. two years of 4.0 work, work experience, etc.)