I am currently taking my prereqs at Northwestern, which I thought was perfect because a) the classes are very convenient, and b) the school has a good reputation, which I thought would help me. I am not doing the formal program - just taking some classes, but they are the same classes as the “official” postbacc students take.
Because of the reasons others have mentioned, I am concerned about getting LORs. The classes are huge, and there are tons of rather interchangeable premeds in them - who are all kissing the teachers’ @sses for LORs. It is difficult to stand out from this sort of crowd…
In other words - what Joe said.
Slb -
An option you might consider (if convenient) is to look into taking classes at a Northwestern branch campus. I took most of mine at a branch campus of Ohio State, and as classes were considerably smaller (gen chem was limited to 64, biology to 32, physics to 20) I was able to get to know my professors well and get some LORs there. Classes taken at a branch usually are considered the same as main campus courses - at Ohio State, there is no designation on your transcript as to where you took your courses and you can even take courses on main campus and a branch during the same quarter.
You should enter the post-bac official program at NW. It doesn’t require anything more of you other than an application, but it will result in your ability to gain access to premed advisors as well as letters of rec. I believe.
I am in the process of deciding whether to just take classes at UMD or GMU or to do Georgetown’s mucho expensive post-bac program.
i took classes there and had the same experience… I actually thought the program was overated. the best thing about the program was the name “Northwestern”… you have to connect with the teachers via office hours and doing extremely well on the exams… what do you think of the program?
Blessings
In Maryland there are three formal postbaccs; Johns Hopkins, Goucher and Towson.
Yes, I am aware. I am in the DC area.
Also, Hopkins doesn’t let you re-take ANYTHING so I am out there, Goucher is insanely competitive and I’m not near towson, nor is it a good enough program to justify a move.
I’m looking at UMD, GMU, and Georgetown. Also applying to Bryn Mawr as an extreme long shot.
Have you looked into American University’s?
American is just as expensive as Georgetown. If I’m going to spend 40K its going to be on Georgetown, but I really don’t think any post-bac with no med. school linkage is worth that kind of money. Its a tough situation I guess.
Not tough at all. It only becomes tough if you get accepted to every postbac you haven’t applied to yet.
No its tough b/c leaving a great salary and free law school at a top institution (even if you hate the prospect of being a lawyer) is not easy when you have a fam.
Esp. to leave and go to a school that might not even get you into medical school.
The decision needs to be made to some extent now. UMD isn’t an application, hell, its basically registration.
Ohh that’s the tough your talking about. Well hell…that’s tough for us all. It’s a chance we OPM’s take.
So where are you doing your post-bacs Crooze? How are they going? Full-time or part time?
I’m at Montgomery Community for this semester. I’ve applied to go to UMD in the evening. I don’t have the option of going fulltime. I will probably start at UMD in the Spring and if not the Spring then perhaps next Fall. UMD “SIE” doesn’t have courses during the summer. They point you to the regular university’s science courses which are during the day.
So this marathon also becomes a hurdle event at times. 
I hear ya. Yeah, my plan if I decide to do this is to take 2 SIE classes and one during the day to make up a full-time schedule while mitigating costs.
During summer I’ll just take day classes. Be careful with premed requirements at community colleges. Many med. schools won’t take them from what I have heard.
- gooble Said:
Esp. to leave and go to a school that might not even get you into medical school.
Okay, enough. We are on the fourth page of this thread and I'm sorry, my friend, but you still do not get it. Your choice of post-bacc school is absolutely, positively NOT THE KEY FACTOR in getting into medical school. Why don't you believe that yet? Lots of us who are in a position to know what we're talking about have said so. But every time it comes back to the school and the prestige and the name.... when the key factor is YOUR performance, wherever it is you do your preparation. The process of applying to medical school is highly individualized and the ultimate power to get an acceptance is in YOUR hands.
There is plenty of information on this thread to help you make a decision when you are ready to decide what really matters to you. But I am frankly getting a little tired of the constant references to "name." Please stop being so impressed with the U.S. News & World Report rankings and give YOURSELF credit for what you need to do. The name of the school is NOT what matters.
Mary
60 hrs so far this week and I haven't even taken call yet.... so yes, I am cranky.
- gooble Said:
I hear ya. Yeah, my plan if I decide to do this is to take 2 SIE classes and one during the day to make up a full-time schedule while mitigating costs.
During summer I'll just take day classes. Be careful with premed requirements at community colleges. Many med. schools won't take them from what I have heard.
During summer I'll just take day classes. Be careful with premed requirements at community colleges. Many med. schools won't take them from what I have heard.
Yes, I know that some school might not accept them but such is the chance I'll take. It's only 1-2 courses and if that's enough to "disqualify" me then so be it.
The way my former boss put it, "It's either Harvard or the rest. Since you're not getting into Harvard then don't worry about where you'll end up." My friend and the 3 other guys he's mentored all have taken their prereqs at MC. He is an MD, the other 3 are in med school. It came down to their GPA, MCAT, & interview.
Listen to Mary and the rest. Put the "name game" away.
- Quote:
Be careful with premed requirements at community colleges. Many med. schools won't take them from what I have heard.
I think that this is a slight overstatement. Med schools definitely PREFER that you take the courses at a four year institution, but I think there are not actually that many of them that have formal policies that state that they will not accept prereqs from CCs.
As non-trads, we often have to make choices about where to take our pre-reqs due to finances, work, family, schedules and other obligations. Sometimes that means community college. If at all possible, you should try and limit your courses at a CC, but taking a few of them there is not going to kill your application. Make sure you do very well at the CC (A's are almost expected at a CC) and do well on your MCAT. The MCAT is the ultimate proof of whether you have learned your sciences.
Crooz, as you have already realized, taking courses at a CC may keep you from a few schools. However, there are still plenty of them out there that will take the credits. It may make things a little tougher, but if those are the options you have, those are the options you have.
No matter where you take your take your pre-reqs, so the best you can. And don't forget about the "other" things, like volunteering, clinical and/or research experience, shadowing and the like.
Experience is covered. 10 years navy corpsman, 3 years as a lab tech, 6 publications…My volunteering now is at my church as the Pastor’s assistant. My focus now is on school. Learning everything about the prereqs, listening to AudioOsmosis, watching standarddeviants, making piles & piles of flashcards, buying “3000 chemistry problem” books, working problems…
Applied to UMD this afternoon. So next year I’ll be taking
Spring: Org1 & Bio1
Summer1: Phy1
Summer2: Phy2
Fall: Org2 & Bio2
Got a full year! 
- Emergency! Said:
- Quote:
Be careful with premed requirements at community colleges. Many med. schools won't take them from what I have heard.
I think that this is a slight overstatement. Med schools definitely PREFER that you take the courses at a four year institution, but I think there are not actually that many of them that have formal policies that state that they will not accept prereqs from CCs.
As non-trads, we often have to make choices about where to take our pre-reqs due to finances, work, family, schedules and other obligations. Sometimes that means community college. If at all possible, you should try and limit your courses at a CC, but taking a few of them there is not going to kill your application. Make sure you do very well at the CC (A's are almost expected at a CC) and do well on your MCAT. The MCAT is the ultimate proof of whether you have learned your sciences.
Crooz, as you have already realized, taking courses at a CC may keep you from a few schools. However, there are still plenty of them out there that will take the credits. It may make things a little tougher, but if those are the options you have, those are the options you have.
No matter where you take your take your pre-reqs, so the best you can. And don't forget about the "other" things, like volunteering, clinical and/or research experience, shadowing and the like.
If you wanna get snippy, don’t read my posts lol. Simple solution.
Its tough to say that name doesn’t matter b/c the raw statistics show otherwise.
Furthermore, it is tough coming from the legal world where your law school name and reputation matters more than anything.
If you don’t like my comments then don’t read them.
BU flat out says they don’t take community college pre-reqs for BCPM. That is ONE example I know of from talking to them so I am sure there are others.