Harvard's Premedical Diploma?

[marie]

Is anyone familiar with Harvard's record of getting students into medical school who receive the Premedical diploma? It's not in the list of Post-Bacc programs on the AAMC site.

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[arciedee]

I went to an info session on the program last year and I don't remember what the numbers were. You should probably contact Dr. Fixsen for answers, he's the director of the Health Sciences Program and can give you a more exact answer than anyone here could. I believe his e-mail, or at least the e-mail address for the post-bacc program, is on the extension school web site. I believe their record is high, but they do note that there are minimum grades and scores that need to be acheived before they will sponsor you. Hope this helps.

 

[marie]

you've been a big help! I was just wondering why for Harvard, they weren't on the AAMC site. I found it kind of odd.

 

[arciedee]

I've been wondering that myself... I found out about the program more or less by accident. They seem to have a good following, though, so they must be getting the word out somehow!

 

[Toots]

I took gen chem at Harvard this past summer, and Fixsen met with out class to "talk up" their post-bac certificate program. He mentioned a 90-95% acceptance rate.....

I wish I had the discipline to finish my work at Harvard ( and the $$ to live in Boston), but as of right now I'm on an extended hiatus from pre med. Good luck!

 

[marie]

I'm going to apply for the program or take the extension classes. If you're still there next fall, maybe we will cross paths.

 

[marie]

Thanks Toot. I soooo hope they accept me. I emailed Dr. Fixsen and he's mailing me an app. I hope they accept me.

 

[arciedee]

Marie, I'm sure if you have a reasonable undergrad record they will accept you. I didn't get the impression from them that the admissions process is terribly rough, you just have to keep your grades up once you're there in order to get sponsored. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. Maybe I'll see you there next year...

 

[marie]

Hey Arciedee, I PM'd you, but I'm not sure if you got it. When you applied, how long did it take for admissions to get back to you?
Hope to see you next year too!

 

[ExistentialistPhilosopher]

Although Dr. Fixsen had given me those same numbers, I had also asked about the attrition rate, which was as high as 40-45%, for many reasons. So the 90-95% acceptance rate is only for those who don't drop out of the program and complete it successfully. Most likely, the people who do badly and fail to get the sponsorship or who can't handle the workload drop out before they have a chance to apply. So take the Extension school's success record with a grain of salt.

 

[marie]

I have already taken that into account. Thanks :O)

 

[arciedee]

Marie, I just sent you a PM, sorry I didn't see yours previously!

 

[kittykat82]

Hello all,

just wanted to know if the pre-med classes you can take at the extension school at harvard is the same as the post bac program you all have been mentioning. I have visited the website and can figure that it is open enrollment and that anyone can get in. But is the post bac program different from this? I just got the feeling from the above posts that they are two seperate things. if someone can clear it up that would be great, thanks

 

[Tommat]

KK82

I am presently taking classes at Harvard Extension but am not "admitted" to the post-bac program. The post bac program is a part of the extension school that grants a diploma to successful "graduates" of the program. Essentially what you get with "admission" to the program is the opportunity to be "sponsored" by the pre-med committee at the Extension school. This (and $500) gets you a recommendation letter from the post-bac program. Essentially to be "admitted" you need an undergrad GPA over 3.0 (to be competitive for med school admission) and a check for $100. There are GPA requirements once admitted and minimum units you must complete but no one is denied admission. If the admissions people don't think you have a chance of getting into med school they will advise you to "strongly reconsider" your decision to take pre-med classes and they'll even send you your money back. So to answer your original question.....yes the classes are the same. Some people just take them on their own, some are in the progam. Hope this helps.

 

[mike_01_01_01]

how expensive is a program like harvard's, for example?
what if I just wanted to take bio and chem classes there before applying to PhD programs and not to med programs?

any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!
or email me at [email protected]
thanks again!

 

[mike_01_01_01]

tommat, I pm'ed you; I hope you don't mind. Thanks