<p>No probation period in which to raise your gpa? Or are you currently on probation from a bad grade last semester? That requirement seems crazy since while I agree with you that you’d need a top GPA anyway to get into med school, you’d have more time in which to work. Perhaps next year without orgo, you’d get top grades. Wouldn’t that bring your grade up past the minimum level?</p>
<p>My son’s in PLME and they dont’ have a minimum GPA requirement to maintain any longer but there are a couple classes that you must get an A or B in. I will have to ask him what happens if you get a C. I guess I assumed he’d have to retake it.</p>
<p>Notice the preempt I had in my post.</p>
<p>Sure, you’d need those stats to get in anyway, but at a normal school, you’d walk in fully aware that premed is a work-intensive road. A lot of these programs sell themselves as basically a vacation and lull you to sleep. These kids are extremely talented students. They’re fully capable of getting what they need to get. But the program’s advertised as a very relaxed environment – so it can hardly be surprising that sometimes kids get a little too relaxed.</p>
<p>sure, these programs aren’t complete guarantees…BUT even when you get acceptances into colleges your senior year of high school, they are conditional. People can and are rescinded if their grades drop significantly. It’s the same for the programs. You are accepted into med school but you can be rescinded.</p>
<p>BDM is completely correct in that many students take these programs as a chance to relax, and therefore experience mediocre results. For example, this year they cut back seats in the HPME program because the HPME students were at the bottom of the class at Feinberg. I assume that similar results from most programs.</p>
<p>But, there is definitely a flip side to this issue. Some students actually excel at these programs because they know that they have a safety net. They learn the material to actually learn, instead of learning it solely to regurgitate on a test. And these students apply out from these programs into great medical schools. There are probably countless examples, but one that comes to mind are that this year, 3 usc bacc/md students were accepted at yale, 10 at ucla, and others at various other top notch schools.</p>
<p>about the probation period issue
my program kicks you out at the end of sophomore year if your gpa is below a 3.5 overall or in science at that time
if you do get kicked out, you may appeal to be reinstated and if your appeal is accepted - then you have a term in which you may bring your gpa to a 3.5 and if not aren’t reinstated
if however, the appeal is unsuccessful like you dont have good enough reason for why your grades dropped etc, then you are just removed from the program</p>
<p>so they may or may not give you that one term probation period if you are kicked out</p>
<p>and I’m surprised to hear about that HPME students thing if that is true. That’s really terrible to hear. I always thought BA MD students were generally at the top of their medical school class - guess nott.</p>
<p>Well, I’m more inclined to attribute that success to the fact that they’re very smart kids, not some kind of weird alteration in learning style once they’re admitted to medical school. Always go with the simplest possible explanation that’s consistent with the observations.</p>
<p>you’re completely right bluedevilmike</p>
<p>are you a student in a program or parent of a student
i just ask because I agree with what you’re saying but most people are blinded by program program program, if that makes any sense</p>
<p>^He’s a medical school student.</p>
<p>I’d say a big problem with my program is that you have to get quite good grades anyways, so might as well do it at a school you like. If I managed to stay in this program (which I am confident I could), I could probably get in to medical school the traditional route. If I’m unhappy here, I might as well go elsewhere and enjoy myself a little more and still be able to make it.</p>