Which Post-Bacc should I choose?

[wuicejrld]

First post! Woot!

I've thought about paying for a session with a med school admissions coach/counselor to get some advice, but SDN has helped me tremendously so far, so I thought I would give it a shot by asking on here.

I graduate in May and the only pre-reqs I need to finish are Physics 2 and Org Chem 2. Right now I am considering finishing the pre-reqs by completing a post-bacc. I have been accepted into 2 post-bacc programs. School A is a large well-known med school. School B is a small university that does not offer any medical professional degrees. School A's post-bacc program is very DIY and does not offer much other than classes and the Pre-health certificate. School B's post-bacc program advertises personalized advising, shadow/clinical/research experiences, Kaplan MCAT study prep, interview prep, and other things. School B also claims to have a 90% acceptance rate into health professional schools (within 3 years of graduation and some students do not go to med school).

School A pros: Well-known med school that I believe would show my ability to perform at a larger university. Timing (I can start in summer and finish in fall, leaving me several months to study for MCAT before May admissions.)

School A cons: Very DIY, and does not offer as much as School B.

School B pros: Offers a lot of mentorship and help.

School B cons: Timing (starts in fall and ends in May, meaning I would take the MCAT after May, therefore finishing my applications after May). Small school (I did my undergrad at a small school so I would like to take classes at a larger university).

Location is not an issue as both schools are within 20 minutes of each other. Tuition is not an issue because I have 9 months of GI Bill left.

So, my main question is which school would you choose?

But also side question, how big of a deal is it if I apply to med schools after May? Say, June/July? I always hear from advisors that it is best to get the application in as early as possible.

Sorry for the super long post. I appreciate you guys!

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[LunaOri]

Why are you doing a full post-bacc if you have only 2 courses to complete? And why not use the premed counseling services at your undergrad?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

You don't need to pay for consulting services for this question. (See signature below.) Besides, save your money a bit for your postbac.

You know your needs and past history with standardized tests. If you want your test prep and solid advising included, you could pay for B (if you have GI Bill funding left). Letting other military folks comment.

 

[LindaAccepted]

First post! Woot!

I've thought about paying for a session with a med school admissions coach/counselor to get some advice, but SDN has helped me tremendously so far, so I thought I would give it a shot by asking on here.

I graduate in May and the only pre-reqs I need to finish are Physics 2 and Org Chem 2. Right now I am considering finishing the pre-reqs by completing a post-bacc. I have been accepted into 2 post-bacc programs. School A is a large well-known med school. School B is a small university that does not offer any medical professional degrees. School A's post-bacc program is very DIY and does not offer much other than classes and the Pre-health certificate. School B's post-bacc program advertises personalized advising, shadow/clinical/research experiences, Kaplan MCAT study prep, interview prep, and other things. School B also claims to have a 90% acceptance rate into health professional schools (within 3 years of graduation and some students do not go to med school).

School A pros: Well-known med school that I believe would show my ability to perform at a larger university. Timing (I can start in summer and finish in fall, leaving me several months to study for MCAT before May admissions.)

School A cons: Very DIY, and does not offer as much as School B.

School B pros: Offers a lot of mentorship and help.

School B cons: Timing (starts in fall and ends in May, meaning I would take the MCAT after May, therefore finishing my applications after May). Small school (I did my undergrad at a small school so I would like to take classes at a larger university).

Location is not an issue as both schools are within 20 minutes of each other. Tuition is not an issue because I have 9 months of GI Bill left.

So, my main question is which school would you choose?

But also side question, how big of a deal is it if I apply to med schools after May? Say, June/July? I always hear from advisors that it is best to get the application in as early as possible.

Sorry for the super long post. I appreciate you guys!

I'm also not sure why you want to do a full postbac program if you just need to complete two classes.

A few questions:

1. How are your grades?
2. is there linkages to medical schools with either program. I'm assuming not.
3. Does A post an acceptance rate to health professional schools?
4. Does either program provide acceptance data to medical school?
5. Do you have the experience med schools like to see?

Basically I'm not sure why you want to do a post-bac program. Also, if you take the MCAT in May, you won't get your score until sometime in June. If you want to apply in early June, you will need to apply without knowing your MCAT score. That's not horrible, but it could mean that you end up applying without knowing your score and then adding schools later because you either do better or worse than anticipated.

 

[wuicejrld]

Why are you doing a full post-bacc if you have only 2 courses to complete? And why not use the premed counseling services at your undergrad?

I'm also not sure why you want to do a full postbac program if you just need to complete two classes.

A few questions:

1. How are your grades?
2. is there linkages to medical schools with either program. I'm assuming not.
3. Does A post an acceptance rate to health professional schools?
4. Does either program provide acceptance data to medical school?
5. Do you have the experience med schools like to see?

Basically I'm not sure why you want to do a post-bac program. Also, if you take the MCAT in May, you won't get your score until sometime in June. If you want to apply in early June, you will need to apply without knowing your MCAT score. That's not horrible, but it could mean that you end up applying without knowing your score and then adding schools later because you either do better or worse than anticipated.

The biggest reason for wanting to complete a postbac is due to my grades and lack of experience such as research and shadowing.

1. Cumulative is 3.48. My gpa for my bachelor's in biology is excellent at a 3.98 (roughly 120 credit hours) and a 4.0 in all med school prereqs.
However, I have an associate's in MLT and I graduated that program with only a 2.8 (roughly 70 credit hours). None of the credits from the MLT program transferred to to my biology degree, except for a couple of general ed courses.

2. No direct linkages, only that School A has a med program.

3. 4. Nothing is posted.

5. I am an Army Vet and worked as an MLT in the Army and civilian side. I am soon to be an officer in the Reserves. I also volunteer at a local free clinic. I need experience in shadowing and research.

Overall, I believe joining a post-bac will get me over that 3.5 threshold. I also hope that it will show that I have reinvented myself and that my past grades (MLT grades) were due to attitude and not ability.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Have you talked with admissions staff at medical schools located nearest to you? You may get since insight how they would look at your academic record.

 

[jhmmd]

The biggest reason for wanting to complete a postbac is due to my grades and lack of experience such as research and shadowing.

1. Cumulative is 3.48. My gpa for my bachelor's in biology is excellent at a 3.98 (roughly 120 credit hours) and a 4.0 in all med school prereqs.
However, I have an associate's in MLT and I graduated that program with only a 2.8 (roughly 70 credit hours). None of the credits from the MLT program transferred to to my biology degree, except for a couple of general ed courses.

2. No direct linkages, only that School A has a med program.

3. 4. Nothing is posted.

5. I am an Army Vet and worked as an MLT in the Army and civilian side. I am soon to be an officer in the Reserves. I also volunteer at a local free clinic. I need experience in shadowing and research.

Overall, I believe joining a post-bac will get me over that 3.5 threshold. I also hope that it will show that I have reinvented myself and that my past grades (MLT grades) were due to attitude and not ability.

You don't need a post-bacc to get research and shadowing experience!
Spend some time sifting through this forum for advice about how to solicit pre-med research and shadowing opportunities. It's all free.

Formal post-bacc may be expensive and not necessarily what you need.
Good luck.

 

[USN2MD]

Cumulative is 3.48. My gpa for my bachelor's in biology is excellent at a 3.98 (roughly 120 credit hours) and a 4.0 in all med school prereqs.

So your most recent ~140 units have been at a near 4.0?

 

[wuicejrld]

So your most recent ~140 units have been at a near 4.0?

Yes. But my cumulative of only 3.48 really bothers me.

 

[wuicejrld]

You don't need a post-bacc to get research and shadowing experience!
Spend some time sifting through this forum for advice about how to solicit pre-med research and shadowing opportunities. It's all free.

Formal post-bacc may be expensive and not necessarily what you need.
Good luck.

I will definitely keep this in mind! I will say that with the GI Bill I would attend the postbac at no cost to me, but I could always save it and put it towards med school!

 

[wuicejrld]

Have you talked with admissions staff at medical schools located nearest to you? You may get since insight how they would look at your academic record.

No I have not even considered contacting the schools directly. Do you recommend that I do this and provide a brief overview of my academic history?

 

[USN2MD]

Yes. But my cumulative of only 3.48 really bothers me.

.02 gpa points is not gonna make or break you. You’ve reinvented yourself, congratulations. You’ll essentially be paying to do part-time research and some shadowing, maybe.

Want research look in to NIH internships. Want mentorship look up Service2School.

 

[wuicejrld]

.02 gpa points is not gonna make or break you. You’ve reinvented yourself, congratulations. You’ll essentially be paying to do part-time research and some shadowing, maybe.

Want research look in to NIH internships. Want mentorship look up Service2School.

Hearing that is such a huge relief. Thank you.
I am looking up both right now!

 

[jhmmd]

Report back to us!

 

[LindaAccepted]

The biggest reason for wanting to complete a postbac is due to my grades and lack of experience such as research and shadowing.

1. Cumulative is 3.48. My gpa for my bachelor's in biology is excellent at a 3.98 (roughly 120 credit hours) and a 4.0 in all med school prereqs.
However, I have an associate's in MLT and I graduated that program with only a 2.8 (roughly 70 credit hours). None of the credits from the MLT program transferred to to my biology degree, except for a couple of general ed courses.

2. No direct linkages, only that School A has a med program.

3. 4. Nothing is posted.

5. I am an Army Vet and worked as an MLT in the Army and civilian side. I am soon to be an officer in the Reserves. I also volunteer at a local free clinic. I need experience in shadowing and research.

Overall, I believe joining a post-bac will get me over that 3.5 threshold. I also hope that it will show that I have reinvented myself and that my past grades (MLT grades) were due to attitude and not ability.

Thank you for answering all my questions.

I'm still not convinced that you need a post-bac program. You need to take two classes and do well in them, and you need (maybe) to do some shadowing. Research is a nice to have, but unless you are interested in research or research-oriented programs, it's not a must.

Regarding your concern about your earlier GPA, it seems to me that the last 120 credit hours and your military service show a lot of maturation and reinvention. I'm not convinced that you need a postbac program on top of what you have already done.

 

[wuicejrld]

Thank you for answering all my questions.

I'm still not convinced that you need a post-bac program. You need to take two classes and do well in them, and you need (maybe) to do some shadowing. Research is a nice to have, but unless you are interested in research or research-oriented programs, it's not a must.

Regarding your concern about your earlier GPA, it seems to me that the last 120 credit hours and your military service show a lot of maturation and reinvention. I'm not convinced that you need a postbac program on top of what you have already done.

This is exactly the type of advice that I needed. I will reflect on everything and make a decision.
I very much appreciate the help!

 

[LunaOri]

I wouldn’t recommend a formal postbacc if that 3.48 includes your first 2 years. Take your two courses anywhere, study for the MCAT, do some shadowing, and use your college’s preprofessional office and the resources on SDN for advising. Save your grants for med school.