Originally posted by BushBaby
Anyone here ever look at a postbacc program? I know I was told to look into one when I was waitlisted two years ago. Are these program suppose to help you get into med school or what?
Some schools have a linkage program where if you do well in the postbacc sequence you get into their medical program. But some schools still require you to retake the MCAT and basically do the process over again.
One of my girlfriends still hasn't gotten any word yet on interviews and she is borderline giving up on this application cycle. It's still early but if she wants to research postbacc programs...maybe she can get in in the fall. She is already doing her masters in Biology.
It kinda depends on your girlfriend's circumstances whether a post-bacc would be advisable.. I would say if her UG science gpa is below a 3.0, doing a post-bacc to retake those science prereq's might be a good idea, as those courses would be applied to her UG gpa. Some schools don't initially look at graduate performance because they screen applicants based on UG gpa.
I entered UMDNJ's masters program after getting initially rejected two years ago, knowing that I had to improve my gpa (3.3) and show adcoms I could handle the rigors of med school. I was also told that, in addition to doing well in the program, I had to retake the mcat (26) to make myself more competitive. I did very well in the program, got a 33 on the august mcat, and was subsequently accepted to both NJ schools.
I wasn't thrilled about retaking the mcat because I felt that my performance in the program (including taking med courses) was good enough to supercede a mediocre mcat.. however, I guess skipping out on having fun this summer paid off in the end. So depending on her mcat score, it might be a good idea to retake the mcat.
I know that the placement into med school is pretty high coming out of the umdnj program, especially to the two nj schools, but just being in the program doesn't guarantee admission. I have heard that drexel also has a decent program where you basically take all first year med classes, and show that you can handle the course load.
All along, I knew that the "numerical" parts of my application needed improvement, but it definitely helped to hear this from several deans of admission. After being rejected, I setup appointments at both NJ schools, and was told both places that I had to bring up my gpa & mcat, and that the master's program was a good choice for me. So, it's not a bad idea for your friend to setup similar appointments after this application cycle is done (if she doesn't get in), and hear how she can improve.
hope this helps.. take care,
abbeacon
ps- congrats on being accepted to rwjms & njms! looks like your interview at rwjms didn't go as poorly as you had thought..
