Which post-bacc pre-med programs have the best reputations?

[careerchanger1]

Hello, I'm curious if anyone has feedback on which post-bacc programs are considered the top programs in the country for a career changer? I found the below response from a FAQ thread...does anyone agree that these are considered the top programs and/or does anyone have any additional programs to add to the below list?

4. What are the "top" programs?

This is another topic that can cause some debate. But some of the programs that are mentioned often on SDN and seem to have name recognition are:

East: Columbia, Bryn Mawr, Goucher, UPenn, Harvard Extension, Temple, Tufts, Drexel, UConn, CUNY-Hunter

South: Wake Forest

Midwest: UChicago ( http://grahamschool.uchicago.edu/cre...aring/gsal.cfm ), Loyola, Northwestern

West: Scripps, Mills, USC, SFSU, CSU-Hayward

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[DrMidlife]

Depends on what you mean by "top".

The only advantage I know of with some of the schools on that list is that they're cheap.

 

[careerchanger1]

Appreciate the response. I assume that certain post-bacc programs have better track records for getting their students into med school based on a better quality of education, linkage programs, quality of advising, etc. So, my basic question is which post bacc programs have the best reputations for preparing their students to get into med school.

Thanks again for any thoughts on this.

 

[Soco9087]

Appreciate the response. I assume that certain post-bacc programs have better track records for getting their students into med school based on a better quality of education, linkage programs, quality of advising, etc. So, my basic question is which post bacc programs have the best reputations for preparing their students to get into med school.

Thanks again for any thoughts on this.

Programs post their acceptance rates, check out their sites and see if they have them. The "best" programs are good because they select the best students who already have a track record of academic success. Like JHU program probably considered one of the top programs boast a 100% acceptance rate into med school because they are highly selective on who they admit.

You should find a program that best fits your needs and see what people have to say about them. Then work your tail off.

 

[thlaxer]

Programs post their acceptance rates, check out their sites and see if they have them. The "best" programs are good because they select the best students who already have a track record of academic success. Like JHU program probably considered one of the top programs boast a 100% acceptance rate into med school because they are highly selective on who they admit.

You should find a program that best fits your needs and see what people have to say about them. Then work your tail off.

Acceptance rates are not very useful when comparing programs. A school may have a very high acceptance rate by only including students who received a committee letter. The acceptance rate also doesn't say anything about the school's attrition rate, which may be high for some schools.

 

[deleted248403]

The school plays with and massages the numbers to make themselves seem better than they are.

Example: UPenn claims 90%+ of pre-health (the pre-req needing group), and 80%+ of the SSP (GPA boosters) get into med school.
They don't specify MD, DO or foreign and as a grad of that program, I sure as hell don't believe those numbers

 

[henge]

I spent time looking at career changer/late decider PB programs and concluded that Hopkins, Goucher, Bryn Mawr and Scripps had the top programs. Last fall I posted the following discussion re: Hopkins, Goucher, Bryn Mawr, Scripps: med school admissions comparison (note Drizzt's comments re: Scripps):

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=866019&highlight=hopkins+goucher+scripps+bryn

I was looking at med school admissions, and did not discuss cost, location or the atmosphere of the programs. I also did not extensively discuss linkages. all of that matters.

Hope this helps.

 

[johnnyscans]

I'm going to go against the grain here.

The best program is the one that will provide you with:
-The opportunity to take the classes you need in a timely manner
-The opportunity to earn A's in those classes if you put in the work
-Classes that are taught well enough and with enough rigor to not only successfully prepare you for the MCAT, but will help to convince adcoms of your ability to handle medical school
-A supportive and motivating advisor or group of advisors that are always available to answer questions and who have extensive experience in working with post-baccs
-A location that is conducive to pre-medical activities. Ideally you want to be located near teaching hospitals and a city with multiple community service opportunities
-A price that won't place you under a crippling debt load
-A schedule that allows you to either hold a job (if necessary) or volunteer and gain clinical experience

Yes, there are big name programs out there that have an outstanding track record. There's no guarantee that these programs are for you. JHU is located in Baltimore, which I personally think is the armpit of the US. Harvard Extension only has night classes, which may not fit your schedule.

The best plan is to list your priorities, then contact programs and find out how well they mesh with your wants and expectations.

Hope this helps.

 

[texniowa89]

Appreciate the response. I assume that certain post-bacc programs have better track records for getting their students into med school based on a better quality of education, linkage programs, quality of advising, etc. So, my basic question is which post bacc programs have the best reputations for preparing their students to get into med school.

Thanks again for any thoughts on this.

Someone else mentioned this already but from my personal research as well I deduced that Goucher, Bryn Mawr and Scripps are three of the best postbaccs hands down. JHU is great too but probably a bit more selective for their program...they also give you a leg up if you are not recently graduated from college and took some time to do something post-undergrad. JHU philosophy for a lot is that nothing will beat real world experience so they typically appreciate that more than anything. One requirement for these particular programs is that you must not have taken more than ~3 premed courses already because theyre building you up from scratch in preparation for the MCAT and med school app process.

 

[anonymous4235]

The Scripps program is nowhere near the caliber of Goucher or Bryn Mawr. At Goucher, all the post-baccs are in the same classes, graded under the same standards, and their director has been doing pre-med advising for 20+ years. At Scripps, the current director started in 2010 with zero pre-med advising experience and post-baccs are split up in random undergrad classes - each with different grading standards and workloads.
Goucher starts MCAT prep in the fall - you are on your own at Scripps - most people started studying spring semester. DeEttra (the director) hires an MCAT tutor for the group, but it is extremely unstructured and you are better off with Examkrackers. At Scripps, you are basically taking classes at Keck Science - there is no formal program like with Goucher or Bryn Mawr. Most people chose this program for location, but if you have a choice, Scripps is not a top program like it used to be.