Harvard Extension -- is this timeline possible?

[BleedinBlue2016]

After a multiple years of convincing myself that life in medicine is not for me, I keep coming back to it and I think I am officially ready to take the plunge.
Bit of backstory -- I graduated from a top 10 university in May 2016 with a degree in Biology and a GPA of ~3.7.
I was originally pre-med, but dropped off of that track in the middle of my sophomore year. However, because of my major I did take quite a few of the pre-reqs with the exceptions of Orgo II, Physics II, Biochem, and GenChem II. I also have not had much shadowing or volunteering experience, and have never taken the MCAT.

I started a consulting job at a pretty large company after graduating (even while thinking about going back to medicine my entire senior year), and after a year of being on the job I realized how much I cannot see myself in this industry or any other 'business' industry long-term. I find myself missing science and really regretting my decision to quite pre-med, which was mainly sparked by stress and the fear of not being good enough.

After looking in to post-bacc programs, HES seems like it may be the best fit for me since I only have 4-5 classes to take and do not need a formal career change program. If I could apply Jan 2018 and begin classes the following summer, the best case scenario would be to finish all of my pre-reqs in the summer, fall, and spring semesters (while getting volunteer/shadowing/research experience), take the MCAT by May 2019, and apply during the 2019-2020 cycle.
For anyone who has done the program, is this something that would be feasible? I know the general timeline for postbaccs is 2 years, but I would be taking fewer classes and am highly motivated to apply by the summer of 2019.

Any and all additional advice is appreciated -- thanks!

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[GreenDuck12]

A sample schedule would be:
Summer:
- physics 2
Fall:
-biochemistry
Spring:
-gen chem 2 OR
-orgo 2

Unfortunately, gen chem 2 and orgo 2 run at the same time so you would need to choose one or the other. HES offers the full year of gen chem and Orgo in the summer but does not break it up by semester. An alternative is that you could take orgo 2 or gen chem 2 at another school in the area (BU, NEU, MCP, BC) while completing the other at HES.

 

[DocJanItor]

I hope you're doing well. I'm going to talk a little bit about your motivations for a second, and then we'll get into the other stuff. Becoming a doctor shouldn't be a decision by elimination. If you like science, you can be a researcher, medical device salesperson, etc. I'm not saying you shouldn't go into medicine, but I just want you to think about your decision and be confident that you actually DESIRE to be a doctor.

You've already proven that you can perform at a top school and come out with good grades. Going to HES, at this point, seems like it's for the name, the connections, and/or the LOR. However, you'd have to wait a full year before you even began your studies. If you have the time now, you could easily take these pre-reqs at a local community college and start prepping for the MCAT. The classes would be cheaper and probably easier. Personally, the courses I took at the local CC did not hinder my MCAT score, and I had 2 professors give me LORs from there (I'm a long time out of undergrad).

TLDR: You don't need a formal post-bacc because your grades are good and recent. Save money, time, and effort by going to a CC. Only advantage of HES is the name and connections (which I can understand if that's your justification).

 

[GreenDuck12]

To the poster above's point, I would not relocate solely for HES. I forgot to mention that you can enroll in classes at HES without applying to the Health Careers Program. The benefit of the program is the committee letter (if you meet the requirements) but there are credit/MCAT score minimums you have to meet. If you just want to take classes, like the ones you listed above, you just have to sign up for the next semester. Alternatively, you can also start taking classes and then apply to the program if it interests you.

That being said, if you are in the Boston area, I do think the HES program is convenient for those that are working either professionally or in one of the many research positions that are in the area and the classes are relatively inexpensive (compared to UMass, BU, NEU, etc). Personally, I'm a big fan of Boston but I would not relocate from another state to Boston just to take post-bac classes at HES.

 

[BleedinBlue2016]

A sample schedule would be:
Summer:
- physics 2
Fall:
-biochemistry
Spring:
-gen chem 2 OR
-orgo 2

Unfortunately, gen chem 2 and orgo 2 run at the same time so you would need to choose one or the other. HES offers the full year of gen chem and Orgo in the summer but does not break it up by semester. An alternative is that you could take orgo 2 or gen chem 2 at another school in the area (BU, NEU, MCP, BC) while completing the other at HES.

Thanks for your response!
Would it be possible to take either orgo 2 or gen chem 2 along with physics 2 in the summer? or is one of those a pre-req for the other? If I could take 2 classes together either in the summer or fall and then take one class in the spring while also studying for the MCAT, that would be ideal.

 

[BleedinBlue2016]

I hope you're doing well. I'm going to talk a little bit about your motivations for a second, and then we'll get into the other stuff. Becoming a doctor shouldn't be a decision by elimination. If you like science, you can be a researcher, medical device salesperson, etc. I'm not saying you shouldn't go into medicine, but I just want you to think about your decision and be confident that you actually DESIRE to be a doctor.

You've already proven that you can perform at a top school and come out with good grades. Going to HES, at this point, seems like it's for the name, the connections, and/or the LOR. However, you'd have to wait a full year before you even began your studies. If you have the time now, you could easily take these pre-reqs at a local community college and start prepping for the MCAT. The classes would be cheaper and probably easier. Personally, the courses I took at the local CC did not hinder my MCAT score, and I had 2 professors give me LORs from there (I'm a long time out of undergrad).

TLDR: You don't need a formal post-bacc because your grades are good and recent. Save money, time, and effort by going to a CC. Only advantage of HES is the name and connections (which I can understand if that's your justification).

In terms of being a doctor, I think rather than a process of elimination I actually needed the experience of a different job to give me that one final push that had been inching me towards medicine pretty much ever since I dropped the pre-med track. In fact, I now feel about 10x more motivated to pursue medicine that I did back when I didn't have those experiences to look back on.
I did debate going the local route for classes, but I also really want the community/advising aspect of a postbacc. What really appealed to me is having a group of highly motivated people I am taking classes with who are working towards a similar goal. On top of that, it's my understanding that having the research/shadowing/volunteering opportunities of Boston would be very helpful. The name/prestige is certainly a benefit, but it also seems as though (at least from what I've seen) the HES classes are not much more expensive than going the local route and I definitely do not want to spend all of my savings before even getting to med school. Correct me if I am wrong about that, though.

 

[BleedinBlue2016]

To the poster above's point, I would not relocate solely for HES. I forgot to mention that you can enroll in classes at HES without applying to the Health Careers Program. The benefit of the program is the committee letter (if you meet the requirements) but there are credit/MCAT score minimums you have to meet. If you just want to take classes, like the ones you listed above, you just have to sign up for the next semester. Alternatively, you can also start taking classes and then apply to the program if it interests you.

That being said, if you are in the Boston area, I do think the HES program is convenient for those that are working either professionally or in one of the many research positions that are in the area and the classes are relatively inexpensive (compared to UMass, BU, NEU, etc). Personally, I'm a big fan of Boston but I would not relocate from another state to Boston just to take post-bac classes at HES.

Gotcha. I actually am not in the area, so I would have to relocate. However, it still seems as though HES would be worth it in comparison to other options given the fact that you also get the research/volunteer opportunities in the area and HES advising and possibly a committee letter. The other option I was looking at was the Emory non-degree seeking postbacc classes, if you have any experience with that.
If the sole benefit of the formal program is the committee letter it is probably not worth it for me, but I was under the assumption that there were other benefits as well.

 

[GreenDuck12]

There are a lot of research opportunities in the area (both paid and unpaid) that you could get involved in. HES does send out information for some postings that they are contacted about but you could find opportunities on your own. A lot of my classmates are involved with research at the many local hospitals but thats the norm in Boston. Generally speaking any place where you can take classes will be just fine for medical school. Some official programs (like Goucher and Bryn Mawr) have linkages which can be useful but come at a significant premium. If you live in the Atlanta area, my guess is you could find research opportunities down there (especially at Emory or even at the CDC) while also taking classes.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Unfortunately, in the summer term HES only offers the full year sequence of general chemistry and orgo. You could take either but you would be repeating the first semester.

 

[DocJanItor]

Yeah, as a fellow non-trad, clinical volunteering is difficult to come by (particularly in areas with high pre-med populations), but research is damn near impossible when you're not connected to it via school. I understand your motivation more now. Regarding what the others said, you could easily knock out Gen Chem now and progress straight into Orgo at HES, or whatever post-bacc you decide to attend.

 

[BleedinBlue2016]

Unfortunately, in the summer term HES only offers the full year sequence of general chemistry and orgo. You could take either but you would be repeating the first semester.

Ah, I see. So they combine GenChem I and II and Orgo I and II into a consolidated class over the summer? That seems like a lot over one summer, no?

 

[BleedinBlue2016]

Yeah, as a fellow non-trad, clinical volunteering is difficult to come by (particularly in areas with high pre-med populations), but research is damn near impossible when you're not connected to it via school. I understand your motivation more now. Regarding what the others said, you could easily knock out Gen Chem now and progress straight into Orgo at HES, or whatever post-bacc you decide to attend.

Yes, definitely. I am trying to get to the one year mark at my job before leaving, so I am not sure how feasible taking a class before next summer is. However if I can, that would definitely be ideal.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Ah, I see. So they combine GenChem I and II and Orgo I and II into a consolidated class over the summer? That seems like a lot over one summer, no?

It's a lot. You can see the syllabus online for the courses this summer to get an idea. Roughly each day of lecture corresponds to a week of material. The biggest challenge is that there is very little time to course correct if you fall behind due to the condensed schedule.

 

[DocJanItor]

I'm actually a bit surprised that you were able to take Orgo I before you took Gen Chem II. When I started on my pre-med path 3 years ago, I took Gen Chem I and II in 10 weeks, but it was an hour lecture every day plus a 2 hour lab each week. You could do that if it was at night. The OChem was a normal class schedule (1 hour 3 times a week + a weekly 2-3 hour lab). If I were you I'd try to knock out Gen Chem and possibly physics before you get there, then use their courses for Orgo, Biochem, Genetics, etc.

 

[BleedinBlue2016]

It's a lot. You can see the syllabus online for the courses this summer to get an idea. Roughly each day of lecture corresponds to a week of material. The biggest challenge is that there is very little time to course correct if you fall behind due to the condensed schedule.

I actually wouldn't truly mind taking Gen Chem I and II together if I could improve my previous grade from Gen Chem I....unless of course doing so would be a GPA killer and I'd be better off taking the course at a different university simultaneously in the fall.

 

[GreenDuck12]

I actually wouldn't truly mind taking Gen Chem I and II together if I could improve my previous grade from Gen Chem I....unless of course doing so would be a GPA killer and I'd be better off taking the course at a different university simultaneously in the fall.

If you decide to take one of the combined courses (general chemistry or organic chemistry) you would probably need to limit your outside obligations.

 

[ChopinLiszt]

Be careful with HES summer courses. They are VERY condensed - I would not recommend taking more than one course if you're also working. I've heard summer orgo compared to a full-time job. Biochemistry at HES with Haynes isn't bad, though - lots of basic material, very fair overall. Could be taken with orgo or gen chem - it's very concept-driven, no arrow pushing or detailed mechanisms. I loved my courses at HES, but I didn't take many traditional prereqs besides biochemistry - more of a DIY post-bacc to show recent coursework. I'll actually be a TA for one course this fall. Feel free to PM me with any more questions.

 

[BleedinBlue2016]

Be careful with HES summer courses. They are VERY condensed - I would not recommend taking more than one course if you're also working. I've heard summer orgo compared to a full-time job. Biochemistry at HES with Haynes isn't bad, though - lots of basic material, very fair overall. Could be taken with orgo or gen chem - it's very concept-driven, no arrow pushing or detailed mechanisms. I loved my courses at HES, but I didn't take many traditional prereqs besides biochemistry - more of a DIY post-bacc to show recent coursework. I'll actually be a TA for one course this fall. Feel free to PM me with any more questions.

Awesome, I will definitely reach out!