As we’ve mentioned in this blog series, some post-bacc programs and SMPs offer linkage programs. These allow students to skip their “glide year” between their post-bacc program or SMP and medical school, and matriculate into an affiliated med school the fall after their current program ends. Linkage students’ applications to affiliated schools essentially go to the top of the pile.
Here’s the rub, though: You can only apply to one of the affiliated schools, and if admitted, you’re expected not to apply to more schools within that year and commit to attending the school that accepted you. So, you really only want to do linkage if you are dead set on a certain medical school.
If this still sounds good to you: Linkage programs can be sweet back door entrances into a university's medical school (or an affiliated university's medical school), provided you do well in them. Students who absolutely nail their linkage SMP or post-bacc courses might automatically be offered conditional acceptance to their medical school if they meet certain criteria. Notice the words “conditional” and “certain” here, they’re doing a lot of work. Schools don’t like to say the word “guaranteed,” even if you rocked the house.
We know of a non-client who completed his linkage SMP with the required GPA and thus earned his interview at his school’s medical program…but he was then waitlisted. He ended up getting in, but for a minute there, there was a real possibility that he was going to have to apply the following year. That wouldn’t have been the end of the world, though. Schools like to point out that “most” SMP graduates do get into medical school if not during their program, soon afterwards.
If this has spiked your curiosity, find out if your top school has a linkage program, what affiliates it has, and what unique benefits it offers. Here is a little info on just a few linkage programs we like:
Bryn Mawr’s post-baccalaureate premedical program connects to one dental school and 16 medical schools, including the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Boston University’s School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine, and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. The school reports that the post-bacc program’s linkage option is quite popular—and successful. “Bryn Mawr has early acceptance arrangements with more medical schools than any other [post-bacc] program, and we have the longest-standing relationships with many of these consortial/linkage schools,” writes Glenn Cummings, Director of the Bryn Mawr Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program. As for the program overall, the school boasts that “over 98% [of students] are accepted to medical school.”
University of Virginia's pre-med post-bacc graduates have a 95% acceptance rate to medical schools across the country. In addition to teaching the sciences, the program requires students to take a course on the U.S. healthcare system and facilitates volunteering and shadowing experiences. Their linkage program connects to George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences and University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine.
Columbia’s post-bacc premed program is housed in its School of General Studies and offers linkage to New York University’s Medical School, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Weill Cornell’s Medical College, and eight other programs. If you want to find out more about their various linkage opportunities, Columbia regularly hosts online events.
Tufts MBS program is a SMP that offers a MS in Biomedical Sciences—and linkage to Tufts School of Medicine’s MD Program. (That’s a lot of acronyms!) On average, 54 linkage applicants from the MBS program get an interview at Tufts each year. Thirty-seven of those students are typically accepted into the school of medicine. Says the school, “MBS students who apply to the School of Medicine's MD program get preferred consideration for interviews and will be carefully and holistically reviewed. This is regardless of if they meet the specific MBS Linkage criteria.” Linkage aside, according to Tufts, most of the MBS class can expect a leg up into medical school. They report an “80+% admit rate to medical school (vs. the 7% national average)” and a “60% interview rate at Tufts University’s School of Medicine for the MD program (vs. 10% from the general applicant pool).” MBS requires a thesis and “in lieu of a traditional thesis defense, MBS students must have their thesis formally approved by their mentor and identified readers,” according to the school. Students can complete the program in one year or two, if they want to extend their clinical work in the community or complete a lab-based thesis.
Some DO programs offer linkage too. Barry University’s Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences is a non-thesis SMP meant to prepare students for medical or dental school or Biomedical Sciences PhD programs. You can earn acceptance into the program even if you don’t have all your premedical requirements yet. In the program, you might find yourself doing research work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Institute of Health (NIH), or the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Successful completion guarantees an interview at Barry University’s School of Podiatric Medicine (POD) or an affiliate school, which are: the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM), and the Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine (OCOM).
Related:
Earning Another Degree or Certification Before Med School: An Overview
Earning Another Degree or Certification Before Med School: Post-Baccalaureate Certification
Earning Another Degree or Certification Before Med School: Master’s Programs
Earning Another Degree or Certification Before Med School: Special Master’s Programs