Just wondering how competitive I may be as an applicant to either Goucher or Johns Hopkins Post-Bacc programs. I’m asking for a few reasons: I currently live in Baltimore and am not interested in moving for my pre-med studies so I’m looking into the two mentioned Post-Bacc programs and also UMD’s SIE. I currently work full time and would ask one of my managers for a LOR for Post-Bacc apps and/or med school and think he would have no problem writing me an awesome LOR. However, if I don’t stand a chance at either of those Post-Bacc programs, I will attend UMD’s SIE. Following this course of action will allow me to continue working full time for 2-3 more years. I don’t really have a problem with either scenario, but I do not want to alert people at my company entirely too early that I’m intending to leave for pre-med/med school. So anyway, here are my credentials:
GPA: 3.18 - with strong last two years of study in Engineering
Major: Mechanical Engineering
School: University of Maryland
Clinical Exp: Currently none, but I’m actively looking for volunteer experiences
What I’m doing now: Successfully employed at a major defense contractor (things are going well, just realizing I want something else out of life)
Thoughts? Appreciate the help in advance!
I know nothing about the competitiveness of post-bacc programs. My sense is that since they are cash cows for schools, you’ll be accepted. If I’m wrong and they do reject applicants and for some reason you don’t get in, look at the multitude of small privates in the area. Most small, private liberal-arts colleges match tuition rates (or are very close to matching tuition rates) of state schools on a per credit basis for part-time, non-degree seeking students. That’s another way to tackle the pre-med courses (it’s what I’ve done since there are no post-bacc programs in my area).
Good luck!
It is my opinion (and only an opinion) that programs such as Goucher that boast a 99.5% placement rate over the past 15 years are looking for rockstars from non-science backgrounds. Their FAQ states that what they look for is strong undergrad performance and a proven interest in healthcare (read volunteering). Based on the second point, I would say that if you want to try, you’d need to get some volunteer hours in before applying. Again, just opinion… I did not look at JHU’s website but SIE should be possible because I don’t think they have specific requirements.