why did you feel a need to do one?

...I decided at the age of 30 to pursue a career in medicine.
I needed many of the premed reqs (bio, chem, orgo, and physics). I considered taking the courses separately while working but was told by an advisor at the university that the postbac program has several advantages:
1. The committee letter, upon completion of the program. I've received feedback from more than one school about the strength of my committee letter. It seemingly does make a difference to have an institution back you as a med school candidate.
2. The rigor of postbac programs is designed to approximate the rigor of a med school curriculum. Having not yet attended med school, I can't attest to this firsthand; but I've heard back from friends that our postbac program (Columbia) does a good job preparing us.
3. The camaraderie of fellow non-trads from all walks of life. Their perspective, above all, helped me to keep my head on straight at various points in the program.

I worked full-time during the first year of a 2-year postbac program. My grades suffered for it. In retrospect, I wish I'd simply taken the loans and gone for broke.

That's my 2 cents... Hope it helps.

I'm doing an informal post bacc for the following reasons:

1. my ug grades were crap and I needed to improve (gpa = 2.6)

2. I did not get into a formal post bacc

3. I wanted to take my sciences over again so I will be better prepared for my MCAT. My studying habits as a ug were crappy so I don't remember anything.

So that's why I'm where I am right now. I'm happy that I made my choice, its put a lot in perspective for me.

1. my undergrad advisor told me my UG gpa could be improved (was a 3.4, sci: 3.2)

2. confidence

Much cheaper than a masters.

i chose to do a postbacc for a few reasons. First off, my gpa is really low and i wasn't sure schools would look at me. It was a way to show i was still trying, have some fall grades to send in as an update, and if i had to reapply next year, bring up my gpa a little. Also, i've heard a lot of people say first year is easier if you've taken biochem, but i didn't get a chance to take it undergrad. By taking it in an informal postbacc, i got the experience of being exposed to it before med school. My undergrad had a great cultural anthro program, but was a little lacking on the physical anthro. While i was in philly i figured i may as well take advantage of having one of the strongest physical anthro departments in the country (penn) and take classes from professors recommended to me by my professors in undergrad. so it seemed like a good time to take both classes i really wanted to take and classes i thought would help me get a leg up on med school, while raising my gpa.

aaj: are you enrolled in your post bac as a non matriculating student or degree seeking? I know upenn has a postbac but is this somehing different, or a version of the same program that allows you to customize your courswork?

Liz: is the columbia prog only for career changers or also academic enhancers?

I'm trying to get my plan B together!

I think the columbia program is for both! I would check to make sure though.

aaj: are you enrolled in your post bac as a non matriculating student or degree seeking? I know upenn has a postbac but is this somehing different, or a version of the same program that allows you to customize your courswork?

Liz: is the columbia prog only for career changers or also academic enhancers?

I'm trying to get my plan B together!
Penn has quite a few post-bacc programs. There is one for students who haven't taken the pre-reqs yet or need to retake them and includes all the chem, physics, orgo, bio. There is also a special sciences program for students who want to raise their BCPM gpa but have already taken the pre-reqs, in which you choose your courses from options like biochem, histology, cell bio, cancer biology, intro to clinical research, and things like that-- upper level sciences. Finally, there is an option that is just a post-bacc in the college of general studies. This is what i chose. You can take any undergrad course you want, and some graduate level courses, and they offer some special courses at night. I chose this because i wanted to take advantage of the amazing physical anthropology program they had at penn, so i took classes like paleopathology and had a great time, in addition to biochem. It sounds like the special sciences program might be the best for you because you get access to a pre-health advisory committee who writes your committee letter and gives advice, while you can take some upper level courses and prove how ready you are for med school, even getting a head start on things like biochem and histo.

Penn has quite a few post-bacc programs. There is one for students who haven't taken the pre-reqs yet or need to retake them and includes all the chem, physics, orgo, bio. There is also a special sciences program for students who want to raise their BCPM gpa but have already taken the pre-reqs, in which you choose your courses from options like biochem, histology, cell bio, cancer biology, intro to clinical research, and things like that-- upper level sciences. Finally, there is an option that is just a post-bacc in the college of general studies. This is what i chose. You can take any undergrad course you want, and some graduate level courses, and they offer some special courses at night. I chose this because i wanted to take advantage of the amazing physical anthropology program they had at penn, so i took classes like paleopathology and had a great time, in addition to biochem. It sounds like the special sciences program might be the best for you because you get access to a pre-health advisory committee who writes your committee letter and gives advice, while you can take some upper level courses and prove how ready you are for med school, even getting a head start on things like biochem and histo.
Thanks for the info! If I do have to take another year of classes living at home (despite how much I dread the idea) would be a good financial move. So looks like I need to do some research into the special sciences program, in addition to the others.

Does anyone who has done one of the Penn Post-Bacc programs know what the GPA cutoff is to get into their program especially special sciences.

At first I needed to finish taking the required classes and my gpa is low so I have to keep taking classes or get into a program.

Does anyone who has done one of the Penn Post-Bacc programs know what the GPA cutoff is to get into their program especially special sciences.

I don't think they have a cutoff but they said successful students that gets in have a B average.

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/CGS/postbac/premed/specialscience/


For anyone who wanted more info on post-baccs, there is a forum on sdn:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=71

i did a post-bacc because my science gpa was so NOT the business. Although med schools do look favorably on post-baccs, they only do so when they see A's for each subject. I remember when I interned in Chicago, a member of the admissions committee for Northwestern told me flat out that they only accept 4.0 post-baccs to their school. I was just like are you freaking kidding me??? (in my head of course) but I mean it was a wake-up call. And I tell you, med schools look at this!! I'm interviewing right now, and at all my interviews they have commented on how well i've done in my postbacc. So make sure you get those A's! ;)

i did a post-bacc because my science gpa was so NOT the business. Although med schools do look favorably on post-baccs, they only do so when they see A's for each subject. I remember when I interned in Chicago, a member of the admissions committee for Northwestern told me flat out that they only accept 4.0 post-baccs to their school. I was just like are you freaking kidding me??? (in my head of course) but I mean it was a wake-up call. And I tell you, med schools look at this!! I'm interviewing right now, and at all my interviews they have commented on how well i've done in my postbacc. So make sure you get those A's! ;)

I am a 32 year old and currently applying to all the postbacc programs in NYC for fall. I assumed Med schools would be looking for nothing less than the best from career changers. I appreciate your confirmation. Good luck with your interviews.
Also, if you can think of anything, and I do mean anything that would help...please pass it along to me.
:)

I want to do a post bac because my grades were not great at all for applying to medical school. I would rather spend the money on "yes" than on "no". Especially with this economy. I am planning to apply for a couple this go round, and if I don't get in, more the next time around. Or a hard science master's program.

Reasons why folks might want to do a post bacc:

Formal post baccs (or SMPs) have the advantages of approximating medical school and providing a boost for an otherwise undistinguished or mediocre undergraduate performance. In addition, you can often get valuable pre-medical advising which makes good sense if you have been away from the academics for a while or if you had some youthful academic trouble that you were able to overcome but you are not quite competitive for outright application.

Formal post bacc (or SMPs) have the liability of a poor performance can "tank" your chances of ever getting into medical school. The bottom line is that if you choose one of these programs, you need to be prepared to do your best to stay at the top of the class without exceptions.

Informal post baccs can boost your uGPA as long a you are taking coursework at the undergraduate level. If you are doing uGPA "damage-control" you still need to do well but you can take things at your own pace, especially if you have to work to support yourself or a family. It's pretty difficult to enroll in a formal post bacc (expensive) if you have to work full-time. An informal post bacc can work well and be a great alternative in this situation.

If you are sitting on a uGPA that is in the 3.2 to 3.5 range along with an MCAT that is below 30, you may want to look into some post bacc work especially if you don't have any interviews at this point in this year's application cycle (mid Feb).

Graduate programs (outside of the Special Masters Programs) do not enhance your competitiveness for medical school. They are good if you WANT that particular graduate degree but they are not going to make you a stronger candidate if you were not a strong candidate otherwise.

So I did a postbac in an effort to boost my grades but unfortunately that really did not happen, not only did I work full time at Hopkins as a Research Coordinator, I also work at Psychiatric Unit (Peds and Adult). But currenlty my GPA is under a 3.0 (Approximately 2.7 right now). What would be helpful at this point, I only have 7 credit left and the MCAT. I am planning on blowingout the MCAT. Does anyone have any reccommendations for me, what are my chances as a minority of getting into medical school?

I went through some things my sophomore year and my grades have taken a serious hit for it. I want to show the med schools that I am serious about this. Also to prove to myself that I can do it. Right now I'm just focusing on graduating on time and then getting into medical school.