Hi everyone- I’m a nontraditional student going back to pick up the science courses after 8 years out of school. I’m currently a musician and teacher but really want to be a doctor.
Has anyone done the U mass Boston post bacc program or the Harvard program? I’m not sure which one is the best to take; prices seem similar, the vibe is totally different… where can a late bloomer like me get the best prep and support to get on to med school?
I will also be working close to full time for the first year or so of classes…
Thanks for any help or advice!
I am leaning towards Harvard personally, I just found out I was “accepted” though there seem to be varying levels of acceptance and they all seem pretty admitting.
I can’t really compare them as I haven’t looked at UMASS. From my research the potential downsides to the Harvard program are large classes, and the diploma/sponsorship are far from guaranteed. You need certain grades and there are also some vague guidelines about acceptable MCATs and ECs. So I guess that’s how Harvard keeps their stats up, i.e. xx% of our students get into Med School. . .but its % of “sponsored” students.
My main concern on Harvard is lack of advising. Other formal programs seem to stay on you to make sure all the aspects of your eventual applications are strong. I think Harvard is more do-it-yourself. But again, this is just my assumption - I haven’t met anyone who actually has completed it.
Of course there is the upside of the Harvard name. Whether or not it carries weight with med schools, it could certainly stand out with people not familiar with the intricacies of post-bacc programs. I like this thought in case I ever get knocked off this path for whatever reason. Though that of course won’t happen (I hope). If I ever ran with my tail between my legs, I can picture the two reactions in an interview:
“what did you do from 2009-2011?”
“i was studying at xyz university to prepare for medical school”
“that’s weird. ok”
“i was studying at harvard to prepare for medical school”
“that’s weird. but maybe you’re smart” or “that’s weird, you sound like a pompous @ss”
so who knows.
This is my first attempt at replying to a post instead of simply asking my own questions. . . .and of course I’m not answering anything! I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the HES program - I am still not 100% decided.
Or. . .you may get “that’s weird. So you went to Harvard and STILL didn’t get into med school.” 
Thanks for your thoughts- I tried to “do it yourself” at Harvard last summer by starting with the Bio cram course with Fixsen. I figured bio was my strongest one to try to do a summer course. To be honest, it completely kicked my butt. Having been out of school for 8 years, plus the fact that most programs say the sequence is Bio, then Chem…Harvard doesn’t publish this anywhere, but it turns out that the sequence there is Chem, then Bio. There is tons of Biochem stuff right out of the gate. I would still like to start with Bio since I think it’s my strongest- gain some confidence, but at Harvard it’s not feasible.
U mass pre med advisor said their rate of post bacc’s getting into med school was 65%-75%. I’m not sure if that’s good in comparison to other post bacc programs or not!
I’ve been out 8 years as well, and didn’t take any science in college. So really I haven’t had any science in 12 years. I definitely have the same concerns.
I plan to do as much research as I can on my own then head up there sometime this spring or summer to meet with an advisor. Did you meet with any advisor-types there last summer?
And like I said, I don’t know much about programs in general and didn’t research UMASS, so for all I know it is a much better experience. 65-75% would sound good to me. I would be surprised if that didn’t compare very favorably among other programs.
I have heard numbers on Harvard that are similar, but it was secondhand and not clear exactly who was included in their calculation, since they have the diploma program as well as students taking classes on their own. That will probably be my first question when I meet with them. .
Hi- let me know what you find out about Harvard when you meet with them. I was trying to ‘do it myself’ a la carte until I saw what the coursework was like. I think Dr. Fixsen is the advisor- I think he’s excellent as a teacher. Harvard seems to have that strange unoffical status…but lots of premeds. I felt like the summer class was full of young kids…much closer to college age…I felt a little old. U mass says the average school age is 27 so it’s a slightly older set. U mass program is official but you can take as much time as you want to complete it. I know that some of the programs require you to finish within 2 years. Grace McSorley at umass is reachable by email and was very responsive in email and in person.
I believe major poster ttraub attended Harvard Extension School and has experience with UMass.
- music2med Said:
...plus the fact that most programs say the sequence is Bio, then Chem...Harvard doesn't publish this anywhere, but it turns out that the sequence there is Chem, then Bio.
FWIW for others contemplating this same issue, Stanford (undergrad) requires gen-chem and at least two quarters of o-chem prior to taking bio.
Cheers,
Judy
I did the Harvard Extension program, run by Dr. Fixsen, and the courses were good. Chemistry is definitely recommended prior to biology. And I would NOT take summer bio. Just too much information to compress into 6 weeks. Summer gen chem is OK, but be sure to read the text in advance. I read the first 4 chapters prior to school and scored a 90 on the first exam, but I later wished I had previewed the first 10 chapters.
ttraub:
Did you just take classes, or complete the HCP post bacc?
I am considering the HCP Post Bacc. I have been researching the Harvard ES for a month, and based on what I have learned the clear majority of those that attend HCP, complete the post bacc and earn sponsorship were accepted into decent medical schools.
I have also learned that Fixsen’s bio is brutal, but he is so entertaining that you can’t help but learn, is this right?
Harvard EU has encouraged me to attend an on campus forum to learn more about the HCP on 6.18, I plan on being there.
Then there is this debate about lab work. HCP is missing this hands on approach, but again my research leads me to believe that one has a good shot at acceptance coming out of the Harvard HCP the lab work not notwithstanding
I am finishing the Harvard Postbac this semester. And, my undergrad was in music performance (and education).
First, I’m good in the sciences, but bio here can easily leave you crying in the dust. So I do not suggest taking that over the summer.
The route I did was gen chem in the summer–bio, orgo, and physics during the year, finishing a bit under 12 months.
The reason I chose this one over others is simply that many medical school admissions told me that Harvard Extension’s program is regarded as one of the best. And, it’s extremely cost-effective at only $900-$950 a course (including lab fees). The biggest difference is that you don’t have any advisors riding you throughout the program. It’s much more on-your-own than the more expensive programs.
And, there is no required track of courses, though I can guarantee you will not want to take bio without first taking gen chem.
I started last June and am applying this June. Plus, I’ll be taking biochem and molecular bio this summer. And, there are also many other medical courses taught by people from Harvard Med.
Since it’s an open-enrollment program, they do not have stats on how many go to what school, etc. It’s a tough program, and enough people spread it out, or switch to other concentrations.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
I should also add this link for Harvard’s Postbac:
http://harvardextended.blogspot.com/2007/12/though…
Haz - thanks for updating this post with your experiences. I think it’s a good program…probably will be flooded with applicants in this economy.
Taking Chem prior to Bio is the type of advice I was hoping to receive.
- TheFluffyOne Said:
ttraub:
Did you just take classes, or complete the HCP post bacc?
I am considering the HCP Post Bacc. I have been researching the Harvard ES for a month, and based on what I have learned the clear majority of those that attend HCP, complete the post bacc and earn sponsorship were accepted into decent medical schools.
I have also learned that Fixsen's bio is brutal, but he is so entertaining that you can't help but learn, is this right?
Harvard EU has encouraged me to attend an on campus forum to learn more about the HCP on 6.18, I plan on being there.
Then there is this debate about lab work. HCP is missing this hands on approach, but again my research leads me to believe that one has a good shot at acceptance coming out of the Harvard HCP the lab work not notwithstanding
Did you just take classes, or complete the HCP post bacc?
I am considering the HCP Post Bacc. I have been researching the Harvard ES for a month, and based on what I have learned the clear majority of those that attend HCP, complete the post bacc and earn sponsorship were accepted into decent medical schools.
I have also learned that Fixsen's bio is brutal, but he is so entertaining that you can't help but learn, is this right?
Harvard EU has encouraged me to attend an on campus forum to learn more about the HCP on 6.18, I plan on being there.
Then there is this debate about lab work. HCP is missing this hands on approach, but again my research leads me to believe that one has a good shot at acceptance coming out of the Harvard HCP the lab work not notwithstanding
some misconceptions here. The Harvard program indeed has labs for the 4 basic science courses, and you are required to take them. Not sure where you heard different, but they're wrong.
Regarding the program--there is no program per se. There is only a status--you're either in the diploma program or you're an independent student. If you're in, you get an ID card that lets you into the library and you are eligible for health insurance through the school.
If you're not in the diploma program, you have to show them your Extension School receipt to get into the library, and you're on your own for health insurance. Kind of a pain but no huge deal. The other thing that distinguishes the program is that you will get a committee letter *if* you score 30+ on your MCAT. If you score 29, no committee letter. You're only eligible for the diploma program if you have never taken a science course before (don't ask me why) or at the discretion of the program director. I'm not sure whether you can get a committee letter without being in the diploma program or whether you can get it by being in the premedical program--better check with them, my memory's getting fuzzy about all the bureaucratic details.
To reiterate what others have said--it's a tough program but the price is right and the reputation is worth gold. When I interviewed in Vegas, we applicants sat around a table with pre-printed name/school placards and mine said "Harvard University". Not totally accurate, should have said "Harvard Extension School" (although I did do a masters at Harvard a long time ago) but whatever. Out west, the name does carry a lot of weight, for what it's worth. I know people who got into very prestigious med schools, including Harvard, Brown, U-Mass, Georgetown, etc. Not me, though. You still need great grades and MCAT to be competitive and I had a good MCAT but a B average, good enough.
Also, although it's a tough program as I say, and it draws top notch students from all over the country who want to spend a year in Cambridge at Harvard, they don't curve the grades (except when almost everyone bombs a badly written exam!) so it's really up to each individual to do their best.
When I was there, the chemistry had a great teacher and teaching fellows, physics had pretty good lecturer and TFs, bio had Dr. Fixsen who's a great teacher with some PhD TFs for the labs, and orgo was iffy with some changeover in teaching staff happening. I don't know who's teaching orgo now but it was rough going in '04-05. However, Harvard summer orgo is a whole different ballgame, with an outstanding prof from England and really excellent TFs. If you want to really learn orgo in a well structured environment, do summer orgo (but maybe audit the fall-spring course first).
I'll say one last thing before I get back to my neuro (sigh): Bio at this program is very difficult to get an A in, but if you do earn an A, you will do well on your MCAT and in med school. It's that intense a course. He pulls questions out of MCAT exams so you will be very well prepared come that time, and he cuts you no slack whatsoever; it's almost like med school. So be prepared to immerse yourself in this course and review lecture notes daily, to keep up. To this very day I find myself recognizing stuff that Dr. Fixsen taught us, and wishing I had learned it better back then!
Best of luck,
Fluffyone. Just saw your post on Harvard Extension Program. I’m thinking of doing a post bac there and recently talked to Dr. Fixen. He discouraged me from doing Gen Chem in the summer. I took two quarters of chemistry as an undergrad and want to get it out of the way but need to do really well. Do you think that is possible? Thanks!
hello janeha, did Dr. Fixsen say why it is not a good idea for you to take summer chem? is it because you already have taken up chem courses or is it something else? I myself is planning on taking up chem or phy in summer(more leaning towards chem as it’ll help with bio courses in Fall - hopefully?) I am not sure if its worth paying an extra 2900 bucks for the summer session though.
Ok, am I understanding this correctly - the prerequisite for general biology (at Stanford) includes a semester of ORGANIC chemistry?
If that’s true, then wow! How do any other post-baccs even stand a chance? I am attending a four-year state university, and there is NO prerequisite for general biology 1. Does that mean my university is way too easy to adequately prepare me for what’s to come (MCAT, med school,…) Please note, I don’t want easy - I want to learn as much as I can.
Thanks for your input!