Career Changer Post-Bacc. Rutgers Program?

[deleted1020839]

Hey everyone! I graduated in 2017 with a B.S in Business Administration as a Finance major (3.54 cGPA). I'm currently working in a trading role in NYC and I am seriously considering making a career change. I actually wanted to go the pre-med route when first applying to colleges but was talked out of it by family who was paying for my education at the time... to put it nicely. Come junior/senior year of college I realized I really didn't like finance but tried to stick out out for a few years.

I have 0 science prerequisites so I believe a formal post-bacc would be the best route for me. I'm a New Jersey resident, so ideally I'd like to stay in-state and commute to save on tuition and cost of living. I saw Rutgers has a program for career changers on the AAMC website and was wondering if anyone has any first hand experience or information on this specific program. If not, is there one you'd recommend for someone in my position? I hear linkages talked about a lot on here but after personally talking to two students, they said only a few actually benefit from the linkage programs.

Being 24, is my vision of going to med school a stretch? I understand it is a big time commitment and a lot of work, but I'd rather buckle down now and be happy in the future rather than be miserable in finance for the rest of my life.

Any general advice on how to move forward would also be greatly appreciated!

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[deleted1013752]

At 24 now, you wouldn’t be much older than the average age at matriculation after a post-bacc. Aside from not liking finance, why do you want to be a physician?

 

[Blueprint Med School]

I'm also a NJ resident, and from what I have heard, the Rutgers post-bac is not the best program. In your situation, I would look into one of the big name post-bac programs such as Bryn Mawr.

As for linkages, they're definitely something worth pursuing. If your goal is to become a physician as soon as possible, they have the potential to save you a year of your life. The reason few benefit from them is that they aren't easy. They usually have an undergraduate GPA minimum to even be eligible, as well as a post-bac GPA/ MCAT score that keep many students out. However, if you are unsuccessful in a linkage program, you can just apply the next year, which you would do anyways if you did not try to do a linkage program.

Typically, post-bac programs with linkages also have relationships with the medical schools, so those particular medical schools may look more favorable on your application since you were part of a post-bac that they recognize.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[deleted1020839]

At 24 now, you wouldn’t be much older than the average age at matriculation after a post-bacc. Aside from not liking finance, why do you want to be a physician?

I think it stemmed from my mother being diagnosed with and battling cancer and my father suffering from a near fatal stroke in back to back years when I was younger (14ish). Ever since then I’ve always said I wanted to be a doctor, obviously without really knowing what comes along with the profession. Science and math were always my two favorite and strongest subjects growing up. On top of that, I really just enjoy constantly learning. From what I understand doctors never stop learning. The long schooling and learning process wouldn’t be an issue for me and I think this continuous education would provide an incredibly satisfying career and lifestyle for myself. I hope this gives you an idea.

 

[deleted1020839]

I'm also a NJ resident, and from what I have heard, the Rutgers post-bac is not the best program. In your situation, I would look into one of the big name post-bac programs such as Bryn Mawr.

As for linkages, they're definitely something worth pursuing. If your goal is to become a physician as soon as possible, they have the potential to save you a year of your life. The reason few benefit from them is that they aren't easy. They usually have an undergraduate GPA minimum to even be eligible, as well as a post-bac GPA/ MCAT score that keep many students out. However, if you are unsuccessful in a linkage program, you can just apply the next year, which you would do anyways if you did not try to do a linkage program.

Typically, post-bac programs with linkages also have relationships with the medical schools, so those particular medical schools may look more favorable on your application since you were part of a post-bac that they recognize.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

Thanks for your reply! I have an appointment with someone from the Rutgers post-bacc program this week so we’ll see how that goes.

I’ve also started looking into some Pennsylvania schools like Bryn Mawr as you suggested. So you think those big name programs that cost $30k+ are really worth it? I wanted to keep the cost of my tuition and living arrangements as reasonable as possible. I know some people recommend a DIY post-bacc at your local state uni... which would still be Rutgers for me. Does school name for pre-reqs really play a big factor in med school acceptances for career changers?

 

[deleted1020839]

Also, should I try to get a job as a scribe in the meantime to show that I’m serious about making this career change? Or is there something else you’d recommend doing during this time?

Obviously I’d be taking a cut in my pay, but aside from that are there any downsides to this? My living expenses are low and I’d have enough to get by on savings.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

If you have the time, then yes- I think you should be trying to get as much experience as you can in the medical field. If you can scribe, go for it, but try to get some shadowing in if you can't. Scribing can also get you a recommendation letter from a physician, which will also help your case.

As for whether a more expensive post-bac program is worth it... I can't say for sure. All I can do is give you some things to consider. I'm going to compare Bryn Mawr to Rutgers (although keep in mind, the Bryn Mawr program is actually pretty hard to get into but there are other comparable programs).

Bryn Mawr offers linkages to some good medical schools: Medical School Linkages | Bryn Mawr College
I have no idea how easy they are to get into, but there is no doubt that if a medical school is willing to have a linkage program with Bryn Mawr, then they must recognize and value that program more than they do others. Rutgers also offers linkages, but only to RWJ and NJMS. There's no doubt medical schools will recognize Bryn Mawr's program more than Rutgers.

Cost: The Rutgers program for in-state students is $15k, while Bryn Mawr is $30k. By no means is $15k an insubstantial amount of money, but you need to consider it in the grand scheme of things. That 15k at Bryn Mawr might mean you get to go to medical school a year early (it's likely easier to do a linkage from Bryn Mawr than it is from Rutgers) and if you think of it that way, then you're comparing $15,000 to a year's salary as an attending.
Maybe you do a linkage at both schools- that $15,000 could mean the difference between a school like Cornell and a school like RWJ.

Don't get too hung up on the cost- an unfortunate reality is that most of us will leave medical school with $200,000-$300,000 in debt. You might as well make sure your money goes as far as it can.

I know I wrote a lot just now, but these are just some things you should consider- I know this won't be a small decision!

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[deleted1020839]

If you have the time, then yes- I think you should be trying to get as much experience as you can in the medical field. If you can scribe, go for it, but try to get some shadowing in if you can't. Scribing can also get you a recommendation letter from a physician, which will also help your case.

As for whether a more expensive post-bac program is worth it... I can't say for sure. All I can do is give you some things to consider. I'm going to compare Bryn Mawr to Rutgers (although keep in mind, the Bryn Mawr program is actually pretty hard to get into but there are other comparable programs).

Bryn Mawr offers linkages to some good medical schools: Medical School Linkages | Bryn Mawr College
I have no idea how easy they are to get into, but there is no doubt that if a medical school is willing to have a linkage program with Bryn Mawr, then they must recognize and value that program more than they do others. Rutgers also offers linkages, but only to RWJ and NJMS. There's no doubt medical schools will recognize Bryn Mawr's program more than Rutgers.

Cost: The Rutgers program for in-state students is $15k, while Bryn Mawr is $30k. By no means is $15k an insubstantial amount of money, but you need to consider it in the grand scheme of things. That 15k at Bryn Mawr might mean you get to go to medical school a year early (it's likely easier to do a linkage from Bryn Mawr than it is from Rutgers) and if you think of it that way, then you're comparing $15,000 to a year's salary as an attending.
Maybe you do a linkage at both schools- that $15,000 could mean the difference between a school like Cornell and a school like RWJ.

Don't get too hung up on the cost- an unfortunate reality is that most of us will leave medical school with $200,000-$300,000 in debt. You might as well make sure your money goes as far as it can.

I know I wrote a lot just now, but these are just some things you should consider- I know this won't be a small decision!

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

Wow Kevin, all of that information is very much appreciated and will be very helpful when making my decision. Your points about linkages and not getting hung up on the costs make a lot of sense.

I actually just accepted a scribe position today! Would this work in my favor when applying to schools like Bryn Mawr and Goucher over the next month or so? Is my 3.54 GPA competitive enough for these programs? I can’t find much information on people’s stats who have been accepted into these programs.

Thanks again!

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Wow Kevin, all of that information is very much appreciated and will be very helpful when making my decision. Your points about linkages and not getting hung up on the costs make a lot of sense.

I actually just accepted a scribe position today! Would this work in my favor when applying to schools like Bryn Mawr and Goucher over the next month or so? Is my 3.54 GPA competitive enough for these programs? I can’t find much information on people’s stats who have been accepted into these programs.

Thanks again!

Ironically, I am a New Jersey native and Rutgers undergrad graduate and I look at it in a very different way. I graduated med school with two people who went to RWJ's post-bac and as one could imagine, it was a solid program that prepared them for M1 year.

As an attending, not a soul will care about where you went to medical school and my piping hot take is that pretty much any MD school can get you into pretty much residency with a good STEP and resume. Only if name or heavy research matters to you, should you consider school prestige. My best advice is to look at the quality program over name every time. I went to school in South Florida and my friend at Dartmouth was asking me for our school's Step 1 resources because their materials were so unorganized.

Look at linkages and make an educated cost-benefit analysis. If placement rates at Program A are wildly above Program B and you got accepted to both, then I agree with Kevin that it makes sense to pick A because the year of attending salary justifies the extra cost. If they are similar, then think very hard about being efficient. I started my career at a community college, saved ~ 25K from doing two years at RVCC before RU (heavens forbid I went to $eton Hall), got my 250+ on Step 1 and I am no less a doctor because of it.

If you ask a dozen people, you may get a dozen answers. You just happened to get two of the best

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors