Getting into a structured post-bacc. What are my chances?

[peudamour]

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Alrighty, so recently I've had a small change in my plans.

I have two semesters until I graduate (thought I was closer, but I'm not...lol). Right now my GPA is around 3.45 cumulative with a strong upward trend (I transferred 4 semesters ago with a 3.23; my institutional GPA is about 3.73 with mostly A's). I am hoping to get it around 3.5 by the time I graduate.

I did a Biology class about 4 years ago, but I didn't do very well (like a C), so I would retake it anyways.

I am hoping to get an EMT certificate and put in 1000-1500 paid hours to get used to healthcare. I also plan to do some volunteer work at a local hospital or nursing home (200-250 hours) and as much shadowing (at least 100 hours) as possible.

This is my timeline:
Fall 2014-Spring 2015--complete coursework and graduate
Summer 2015--EMT Program, Volunteer work, Shadowing
Fall 2015-Spring 2016--EMT work, apply to Post Bacc
Fall 2016 Spring 2017--Post Bacc, apply to Med School

I would like to get into a structured Post-Bacc program that has opportunities for MCAT prep and shadowing or volunteering. What are my chances for actually getting into a worthwhile program? What about a program with linkages?

I've read alot about programs at Goucher, Bryn Mawr and JHU, but I probably don't have the grades for these programs anyways.

Also, is it worthwhile to retake the ACT/SAT for the post-bacc programs?

 

[iRezaDH]

Hi peudamour,

It won't be any good to you to retake ACT/SAT so scratch that out.

You have to keep in mind that you have to take your MCAT 1 year in advance before you apply to medical school. If you want to prep for the MCAT during your post bac, then there will be a gap year between your post bac and the time you matriculate to medical school (you could use this time for EC). When you say "post bac", do you mean more undergraduate course work to help you with your GPA/MCAT or do you mean one of those 1-year masters program? In order for you to get into a 1-year masters program that is linked to a medical school, you will most likely need to already have taken the MCAT just for that masters program. There are few that accept GRE. However, if you want to get into their medical school the same year you graduate from the masters program, you will have to have taken the MCAT before starting the masters program.

There are others masters program that do offer a MCAT prep course, but these ones are usually not linked to a medical school. Acceptance to these schools also require a previous MCAT score or GRE. As I said before, taking MCAT during your time in this program means that you will have a gap year.

I think you should consider taking GRE sometime soon so you would be able to apply to a "post-bac" soon after you graduate. Your GPA is good and your plan for EC seems solid. If possible, try taking the MCAT (instead of GRE) before you start post bac so you can try admissions to the masters program that is actually linked a medical school.

Dr.Midlife made this useful page and you can use this link to research which "post-bac" is most suitable for you.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ms-smps-postbacs-et-al-june-2009-list.640302/

Hope this helped! 🙂

 

[peudamour]

Hi peudamour,

It won't be any good to you to retake ACT/SAT so scratch that out.

You have to keep in mind that you have to take your MCAT 1 year in advance before you apply to medical school. If you want to prep for the MCAT during your post bac, then there will be a gap year between your post bac and the time you matriculate to medical school (you could use this time for EC). When you say "post bac", do you mean more undergraduate course work to help you with your GPA/MCAT or do you mean one of those 1-year masters program? In order for you to get into a 1-year masters program that is linked to a medical school, you will most likely need to already have taken the MCAT just for that masters program. There are few that accept GRE. However, if you want to get into their medical school the same year you graduate from the masters program, you will have to have taken the MCAT before starting the masters program.

There are others masters program that do offer a MCAT prep course, but these ones are usually not linked to a medical school. Acceptance to these schools also require a previous MCAT score or GRE. As I said before, taking MCAT during your time in this program means that you will have a gap year.

I think you should consider taking GRE sometime soon so you would be able to apply to a "post-bac" soon after you graduate. Your GPA is good and your plan for EC seems solid. If possible, try taking the MCAT (instead of GRE) before you start post bac so you can try admissions to the masters program that is actually linked a medical school.

Dr.Midlife made this useful page and you can use this link to research which "post-bac" is most suitable for you.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ms-smps-postbacs-et-al-june-2009-list.640302/

Hope this helped! 🙂

Hey there! Thanks for the reply!

When I say Post-Bac, I mean that I am looking for a career changer program because I have made the decision to attend medical school late in the game. I will finish my current degree program and then I would like to find an efficient way to finish my prereqs and get some experience with patient interaction, then apply to medical school.

I cannot take the MCAT because I haven't taken the recommended classes for it. I could definitely take the GRE soon, or after I graduate depending on what would be the best for my situation. Basically, any program that requires having taken prereqs already or the MCAT is not what I am looking for (so I can't do any of the 1 year master's programs...I would need a science background first). I have looked into Agnes Scott's program a little bit. It seems along the lines of what would help my situation.

Unfortunately, most of the programs that Dr.Midlife suggested are Master's programs...🙁

 

[iRezaDH]

Oh I see,

I don't think there are any post bac programs like that that are linked to a medical school. You will definitely need to do those courses before you take the MCAT. I think you should take the GRE, since it can be used for admissions to post bac and an SMP program in the future.


*After graduating, take the GRE and apply to the post bac program you want for fall 2016.

* Use that summer(2015) for your EMT/shadowing and volunteering.

*Fall 2015-Spring 2016--EMT work

*Fall 2016-Spring 2017--Post Bacc, apply to SMP using your GRE as soon as Fall 2017 applications open. (Loyola MSMP, RFU BMS are examples of some SMP that use GRE for admissions). The reason why you can’t apply to medical school at this point is because you don’t have an MCAT score. You will have to take your MCAT after your post bacc and the application process takes one year. After you're done with post-bacc, take the MCAT between May 2017-July 2017

*After you get your MCAT score back, apply for Medical schools for Fall 2018 ASAP, before Oct 1, 2017.

*2017-2018 do a linked SMP program.

You don’t have to go to the SMP program but, it is a good way to use your gap year and help gain admissions. You could this year to gain more experience instead.

In case you don’t get admitted to the post bacc you’re looking for, you can complete the required courses for medical school at any 4-year university or community college. Other than, everything else should be the same.

 

[peudamour]

Oh I see,

I don't think there are any post bac programs like that that are linked to a medical school. You will definitely need to do those courses before you take the MCAT. I think you should take the GRE, since it can be used for admissions to post bac and an SMP program in the future.

Hey iReza,

The Agnes Scott post-bac program is exactly like that. It is a program for high GPA students with no science background that is linked to the Mercer University SOM. I know that there are others...I was just hoping to find out about my prospects for getting into a good program. I'm trying to build my background, but I want to get to Med School as soon as I can.

You don’t have to go to the SMP program but, it is a good way to use your gap year and help gain admissions. You could this year to gain more experience instead.

In case you don’t get admitted to the post bacc you’re looking for, you can complete the required courses for medical school at any 4-year university or community college. Other than, everything else should be the same.

Thanks for the recommendation. I may look into doing an SMP as well. I was hoping to make some money in the gap year though...lol

 

[Yep]

Have you checked out Temple's Post-Bac? You get a conditional acceptance to the medical school if you get into the post-bac and there is no gap year, you head straight into the school after the post-bac.

 

[peudamour]

Have you checked out Temple's Post-Bac? You get a conditional acceptance to the medical school if you get into the post-bac and there is no gap year, you head straight into the school after the post-bac.

Thanks, Yep. Seems like a very good program.

 

[ksyhe]

Have you checked out Temple's Post-Bac? You get a conditional acceptance to the medical school if you get into the post-bac and there is no gap year, you head straight into the school after the post-bac.

I think that Jefferson has a similar linkage program as well.

Also, don't completely count out programs like Goucher, Bryn Mawr, or JHU. If you have a good story, interesting life experiences, and/or have a really great answer to "why medicine, and why now?" it's possible to get in with less than stellar numbers. 🙂

 

[peudamour]

I think that Jefferson has a similar linkage program as well.

Also, don't completely count out programs like Goucher, Bryn Mawr, or JHU. If you have a good story, interesting life experiences, and/or have a really great answer to "why medicine, and why now?" it's possible to get in with less than stellar numbers (my GPA was less than yours, and I got into 2 of them, as did a number of my classmates).

Thanks, Do you know if these programs have rolling admissions?

 

[ae2027]

Hi peudamour,

Congrats on making the decision to become part of the medical community. The path is a difficult one for sure, but the perseverance you showed after transferring is a good indication that you are on an upward trajectory and that you are finding your academic groove.

I agree with ksyhe, you owe it to yourself to give formal programs like Goucher, Bryn Mawr, JHU, Temple and Bennington a try. These program are all run by directors who are seasoned and really know what it takes to get into medical school. The importance of this really cannot be emphasized enough, especially for a humanities major jumping into the science (trust me it requires a bit of adjustment 🙂.

A SMP is not an option for you as you have not completed the prereqs nor taken the MCAT. You also do not have to take the GRE for most formal post bacs, however, they will all require you to submit your SAT/ACT scores. If those are less than stellar I would encourage you to take the GRE to prove you are a solid standardized test taker.

These three programs all have linkage agreement with a number of medical schools that allow your to matriculate without taking a glide year. It is a spectacular opportunity but it is not right for every candidate. I encourage you to explore the websites for each of these programs and see if they are a good fit for your.

All of these programs have rolling admission but they are usually all fully enrolled by early spring. I would advise applying as early as possible, but only when you feel that you are truly competitive in terms of volunteer experience, GPA etc. I encourage you to think deeply and critically about your decision to pursue medicine and why you are making this change now. A generic response will not be enough to get you into one of these programs (and medical school for that matter). It needs to be clear you have really thought about this.

Keep chugging along and keep us posted.

Best of luck.