Postbac Premedical vs. Second Bachelor's

Hi everyone,

First of all, this question is based on how fast I can get done with things in the most efficient way possible.

It was little late when I learned about postbac premedical option and I have already applied and have been admitted to an undergradudate program as a second degree student.

My goal here is to get all the pre-reqs done to apply to medical school, not necessarily to get another degree in Biology. Is this a good way to prepare for med school and MCAT and all that? I just graduated and received my first degree less than 2 months ago and have never taken college-level science courses other than my Gen Ed requirements. I wouldn't mind staying in school for another 2 years if I can get in to med school.

Any advice will be appreciated. To summarize my long question, is it feasible for me to finish all the pre-reqs, prepare and take the MCAT, and apply and be admitted to a med school in 2 year time frame without being in a formal, structured postbac premedical program???

torrance195 said:

Any advice will be appreciated. To summarize my long question, is it feasible for me to finish all the pre-reqs, prepare and take the MCAT, and apply and be admitted to a med school in 2 year time frame without being in a formal, structured postbac premedical program???

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Depends on the school. but probably not - if you don't have any prereqs started already, you're pretty much in a position to be applying at the end of two years and thus starting medical school (assuming you get in on the first try) at the end of three years.

In general, a postbac MIGHT make that quicker enough to do some late applications at the start of your second year, but I doubt you'd be all that competitive - in general, you want to finish all of the "main" prereqs before taking the MCAT or at least be taking Orgo II. So the earliest, even straight through, you'd be able to be applying is partway through your fourth semester.

See for example the curriculum at the SF State postbac program ( http://online.sfsu.edu/~brothman/PHPCP.htm#Overview of Two-Year Curriculum ) - you may be a bit better prepared than just four semesters of regular 2nd-bachelor's courses, but the application process happens basically at the same time.

Now, one caveat to the second-bachelor's program is that it assumes you can get all of your courses when you want them; if not, you may take a little longer, and in that sense, a formal postbac *can* be better because they'll (usually, but not always) guarantee your placement into the classes when you need them.

I was faced with the same dilemna and I chose the 2nd degree route. Why?
Most post-bacc programs provide a structured, delineated approach to getting to med school -- coddling their students with classes, application advice, mock interviews, MCAT preparation, etc. These propgrams are generally shorter than a do-it-yourself program, aka 2nd degree.

If you go through a second bachelor's route, some of this is done by your schools premed office -- if your school has such an office. But your class schedule is up to you, and you can take classes not offered in a traditional post-bacc.

It also provides me with a more flexible route, and I can take more classes that I need (to make up for those pesky B's that I can't seem to shake off).

the more competitive and structured programs will have the opportunity of taking all the prereqs in one year, taking the MCAT the same year and starting med school the following fall through linkage agreements they have with certain schools.

if time is your concern, then applying to programs with the linkage possibility should definitely be a consideration.

speaking to the issue of second degree, my only question would be if you prove yourself by doing well in all the prereqs, why go on to take more undergraduate sciences? you'll still have plenty of sciences to go through for the 1st two years of med school, if you're worried about not satisfying some science fascination. i would say that if you perform well and you feel comfortable enough to take the MCAT, do it and get to med school ASAP. this is of course only one approach and there are many.

The main problem with the 2nd degree route, which I chose, is that it can be difficult to get enough support for the process. This forum is a start, and some schools do provide good pre-med advising. Some don't, though, and that can make it quite difficult. So, my advice: apply to a post-bac program if you can. If you do go with the second degree, start seeing the pre-med advisor at your school from the beginning, and check in a lot. And find your cohort on SDN and keep up with them!😀