u/Diligent_Style_4566

Hi all,

I'm currently deciding between Scripps and JHU for post-bacc, and I'm not sure which to choose. Both appear to be excellent programs, but given the literal and metaphorical cost of committing to a program, I want to make sure I'm doing so for the right reasons. Please help me with making this difficult choice!

Here are the pros and cons that come to mind:

JHU:

• Pros:
  • The staff are very diligent with the program's statistics:
    • From 2021, 99.7% of graduates were accepted to medical school (96.3% of which were accepted in their first cycle; ~86.4% of acceptances are to MD programs)
    • Median post-bacc GPA is 3.92 from '21-'25, median MCAT %ile is 86th in the same range
  • Name brand, association with the medical school (which might allow for more prestigious opportunities)
  • I appreciate the clear advertising and credited structure of their clinical/research opportunities through the medical tutorials
  • The advisor seems incredibly knowledgeable about the medical school admissions process, even seems to do research on it!
• Cons:
  • Culture seems very cutthroat, stressful, and less supportive than Scripps might be; is this an unfair assessment?
    • Attrition might be higher: students I've spoken to say 3-4 out of the 30 students (~10%)
  • I'm not partial to living in Baltimore/the east coast
  • Taking class in large university classes, especially at a school known for grade deflation (is that true?) seems much less desirable than taking courses at an LAC (which I'm used to)
  • I wouldn't be eligible for linkage, since I'd have to start in the fall (which also gives me less time to work/volunteer ahead of the program than Scripps)

Scripps:

• Pros:
  • A small cohort at a small LAC– I'm used to such an environment, and they tend to be much more supportive and uplifting than larger academic environments (this site claims grading would be kinder at such a program... is that true?)
    • Attrition is probably lower? This site claims 6% v.s. JHU's 10%, but I know this can vary from year to year; students/alumni I've spoken to say only 0-1 student(s) drop out!
  • I'd be starting in the summer, would be eligible for linkage and in-step with the most of the cohort; would also have more time to volunteer/earn clinical hours before the program starts
  • I would love to live in Claremont over Baltimore, and the environment would likely encourage me to work harder!
  • People speak much more fondly of the program than JHU (though there are much fewer posts floating around), and it is generally placed in the top 3 post-bacc programs (Goucher, BM, Scripps)
• Cons:
  • Would have to wait a bit longer to start (Summer '27 instead of Fall '26)
  • Much less diligent with outcome statistics than JHU
    • 98% of all graduates (including non-medical students) are acceptance to medical school, but I don't know how many get in their first try, what their GPA and MCAT graduate stats are, what years stats are drawn from, etc.
    • Most students I've spoken to say almost all of the cohort is pre-med though, and only 1-2 apply DO
  • Volunteering/shadowing/clinical work looks like it's less integrated into the program than JHU; less prestigious opportunities, given no connection to a medical school like JHU?
  • Average duration of the program for a student is 16 months rather than JHU's 12-month average

That's what comes to mind so far– it's been really hard to choose, and I was hoping to ask for help from this subreddit! Thank you for all and any help!!