When I was looking at postbac programs, it was difficult to find really good information from people who’ve done them. So I’m here to provide what I hope will be a pretty exhaustive review of my time at the Bryn Mawr premed postbac (a career-change program).
Overall, I liked it. I’d likely choose BM over Goucher, UVA etc. if I did this again. The postbac was also, though, probably the hardest thing I have ever done– and I am a career changer with a significant past of doing hard things. For context though I am finishing strong with a predicted 4.0, and this is common to many of the other people who really put in the work (seriously, people, not easy).
The good
This review is probably going to be a little harsh, partially just because I want to provide you with an accurate picture of what these programs are like and I think a lot of that means disabusing you of some of the rosier notions you may hold. So, here are some really good things about the postbac at Bryn Mawr.
- You are not on a curve– everyone wants to help everyone. We share notes, work together on every assignment we are allowed to, and generally support each other. If my lab partner had important life commitments, I’d do a bit more of the lab report that time, etc, and this was very standard. I’ve met some friends I expect will be lifelong here.
- Teachers also have a very supportive attitude. While classes are generally rigorous, professors know you need to get As in them in this kind of program, and they facilitate that by giving plenty of assessments, allowing you to drop one lowest grade, that kind of thing. Although by the end of the semester when you have six assignments, a final and a final midterm in a few weeks, you will feel pain. Lol.
- I came in not knowing science. I now can read papers, advanced textbooks, etc., and follow. I kind of know science. This is fairly amazing in a year, IMO.
Advising
Everyone talks about “good advising”. Here is a reality of med school advising. You don’t know where you might get into medical school. Neither does any premed advisor. You’re just going to have to apply and find out. The advising office is good for things like telling you about deadlines if you need that, and of course they are invaluable if you plan to link (see below). But honestly most people who expected more than this were disappointed. In addition, the main advising dude you will meet seems very stretched for time. He does write an end of the year letter for you to medical schools (it is a positive cover letter compiling your other letters), and I think this is really what his main function is. God bless him if his letter helps me get in.
MCAT
I recall that the MCAT course is a big deal for people thinking about attending these programs. Honestly, I predict that when the time comes you will not care, and will probably not go to the MCAT course that they include (no one I know used the one here). This is because over the course of the year you’ll be learning MCAT material, and this actually ramps up toward the end (see section on Dr. Wien). I thought I really wanted a program with MCAT included but ended up not caring. It is a nice perk though that BM buys the AMCAS set of online materials for you– this, you will want.
Academics
Okay, so, a mixed bag here. Orgo was good although overwhelming. Our first semester was with Patrick Melvin, a young dude from Yale who is probably the best teacher I’ve ever had. Sometimes, especially in the second semester, it felt like we were on our own to learn it a little bit and lectures were five million miles an hour. That said, people in the postbac work hard and the averages are routinely about 88 or so (this comes to an A- when you account for lab). Physics and genchem are not exceptionally difficult, although if your quantitative preparation is lacking you will struggle, and many did for this reason. Physics lab is a bit of a joke and will be really annoying to go to for three hours when you have six million other things to do. It is also not taken very seriously by most of the grad TAs and you will find them unable to explain some of the concepts. See below about bio.
Dr Wien
Ahhh, the defining character of the postbac. Dr Wien teaches bio for two semesters. The first is a traditional intro bio course, and the second is a sort of intro physiology course. Dr Wien is hard. I can’t lie. Almost everyone has a moment where they slip on a Wien exam. She does this because she wants you to know that you need to work hard to succeed in her course. For a lot of people who are well prepared quantitatively, summer genchem is kind of a breeze and so the first Wien experience is a shocker. You need to study with exceptional attention to detail and you also need to be ready to think nimbly through tricky problems and really difficult multiple choice questions. That said, she designs her course really thoughtfully such that if you end up putting in the work and showing a solid improvement, you are likely to end up with an A- at least. Wien As did not seem easy to come by, though.
A really cool thing especially about the second semester is that a few years ago Dr Wien took a sabbatical to do the first year of med school classes herself, and she designed her curriculum to prepare you for it. She also tailors the course pretty carefully around the MCAT.
Selectivity
I can confirm that the admission rate is about 30% (this is actually public but hidden deep within the Bryn Mawr website). While the admissions team seems to place a very high premium on coming from a brand name school, I had friends with a variety of previous academic records, down to a 3.4. Another feature of BM is that they are willing to take you before you have really fleshed out an interest in medicine– many people here stood out in other ways but needed to develop that interest while at BM.
Linking
Something to know about linking is that it is really for people with already very good records. Bryn Mawr is a career change program, but also takes some people who need to boost a good-not-great undergrad GPA (3.5-3.7). If you are in this boat, your linking options will be limited. There are still some, but they are limited. Just don’t come expecting a backdoor into NYU; that is not the nature of linkage. The advising office will tell you in no uncertain terms your chances of linking to a school, but they seem to want to minimize the level of disappointment in the process overall and will try their best to get people not to link. Therefore you may choose to go against their advice, but if they tell you that your chances are low they probably are.
Penn will not be linking with us next year, so I think that may make the linking landscape a bit more competitive.
Outcomes
I have seen the compiled statistics on medical school admissions for the last several years (no I will not share it; we are not allowed to and I care about my reputation with program admin), but I will confirm to you that they are in fact outstanding. Many people with mediocre (by premed standards, like 3.6 or so) results in their undergrads come to the postbac, work hard and get a 4.0, and get into top medical schools. The average MCAT score is high.
