looking for life advice. confused with post bac idea

[nad7vx]

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I am entering my second semester of senior year. i initially started out premed (1.5 years) but stopped in the middle but I now wish to continue down this path (long story!). I do not know much about post-bacs or which programs you can recommend for me. I would like one with a "linkage" but I am not sure how possible that is. I am listing my grades in the science classes I have taken and my cumulative grade. I am also attending a t-25 university (not sure if this matters). Any help or a direction to the right resources would be greatly appreciated!

CHEM1: C+
CHEM Lab I: B-
Chem elective: A-
CHEM2: B
CHEM Lab 2: A-

BIO1: B-
BIO Lab I: B

PHYS1: B+
PHYS Lab: B

Calculus I: B+

BCPM GPA: 3.0
Cumulative GPA: 3.43 (with 1 more semester left to bring it up to a 3.49/3.5)

I have the following requisites left: 1 semester of bio, 1 semester of bio lab, 1 semester physics, 1 semester physics lab, 2 semesters of orgo, 2 semesters of orgo lab.

i am sorry if this is round about way of asking this question but ANY help or guidance will be helpful.

 

[nad7vx]

I am entering my second semester of senior year. i initially started out premed (1.5 years) but stopped in the middle but I now wish to continue down this path (long story!). I do not know much about post-bacs or which programs you can recommend for me. I would like one with a "linkage" but I am not sure how possible that is. I am listing my grades in the science classes I have taken and my cumulative grade. I am also attending a t-25 university (not sure if this matters). Any help or a direction to the right resources would be greatly appreciated!

CHEM1: C+
CHEM Lab I: B-
Chem elective: A-
CHEM2: B
CHEM Lab 2: A-

BIO1: B-
BIO Lab I: B

PHYS1: B+
PHYS Lab: B

Calculus I: B+

BCPM GPA: 3.0
Cumulative GPA: 3.43 (with 1 more semester left to bring it up to a 3.49/3.5)
MCAT: never taken it

I have the following requisites left: 1 semester of bio, 1 semester of bio lab, 1 semester physics, 1 semester physics lab, 2 semesters of orgo, 2 semesters of orgo lab.

i am sorry if this is round about way of asking this question but ANY help or guidance will be helpful.

 

[Cawolf]

I suggest posting in the post-bac or pre-allo forum.

This sub forum is not generally filled with people who matriculated from undergrad. You might get better answers there.

 

[wholeheartedly]

Welcome!

You can keep your thread in this forum, or if you'd prefer I could move it to the post-bac forum. Just don't repost it there yourself as cross posting is against the rules.

What @Cawolf is refering to is that the nontraditional forum is typically made up of people who are older than average applicants or career changer types. However, we don't have any criteria that we use to classify nontrads and its ok for anybody who is taking an atypical path to get to medical school to post here. whether it's someone who has been out working for a few years, people who decided at the end of an unrelated degree with minimal to no prereqs that they want to do medicine, people with kids, or even a few younger than average students who were wondering about applying as 18 year olds who'd fast tracked through high school and college. We have a pretty broad mix.

So having said all that, there are plenty of folks who've been in your shoes hanging around here, both in the Nontrad and post bac forums.

Let's start with getting a bit more info from you.

What is your current degree in?
Have you done any volunteering, shadowing, research, or anything like that's?

One thing to note is that you don't need to do a formal post bac program to get the pre reqs done. You can delay graduation and take your remaining pre req classes and complete your extra curriculars (can be more cost effective than a formal program), you can do a formal program, or you can graduate and take classes as a non degree seeking student (perhaps if you want to move).

Post bac programs vary in requirements, and there are other people better qualified to talk about that and there's probably some worthwhile reading in the post bac forum, so check that out. I think true linkage programs are pretty rare these days.

Finally, I'm not sure if you're aware, but there's a new version of the MCATcoming out this spring that will add biochemistry, psychology, and sociology content. While you're only technically required to take the pre reqs required by the medical schools you apply to (even if they don't require a subject that is on the MCAT) it isn't recommend to skip classes with MCAT content and try to self study.

So you'll likely also need to take biochem, psych, and soc. if you haven't already.

 

[Cawolf]

Sorry @wholeheartedly, I wasn't trying to mod - just making a suggestion!

 

[wholeheartedly]

Sorry @wholeheartedly, I wasn't trying to mod - just making a suggestion!

Lol, No apologies needed. Wasn't trying to scold.

It's a good suggestion. I'm honestly not that familiar with the post bac forum and this question really could go in either location and I'm happy to move it over there if the poster would like.

I just like to let people know that we have a broad/loose definition of Nontrad so people know they are welcome to post in here. There are always some unique challenges that crop when shifting gears like this that traditional students don't have experience with. Fun stuff, like getting into desired classes as a non degree seeking student, or financial aid when you've exceeded the max number of credits 😛

 

[nad7vx]

Welcome!

You can keep your thread in this forum, or if you'd prefer I could move it to the post-bac forum. Just don't repost it there yourself as cross posting is against the rules.

What @Cawolf is refering to is that the nontraditional forum is typically made up of people who are older than average applicants or career changer types. However, we don't have any criteria that we use to classify nontrads and its ok for anybody who is taking an atypical path to get to medical school to post here. whether it's someone who has been out working for a few years, people who decided at the end of an unrelated degree with minimal to no prereqs that they want to do medicine, people with kids, or even a few younger than average students who were wondering about applying as 18 year olds who'd fast tracked through high school and college. We have a pretty broad mix.

So having said all that, there are plenty of folks who've been in your shoes hanging around here, both in the Nontrad and post bac forums.

Let's start with getting a bit more info from you.

What is your current degree in?
Have you done any volunteering, shadowing, research, or anything like that's?

One thing to note is that you don't need to do a formal post bac program to get the pre reqs done. You can delay graduation and take your remaining pre req classes and complete your extra curriculars (can be more cost effective than a formal program), you can do a formal program, or you can graduate and take classes as a non degree seeking student (perhaps if you want to move).

Post bac programs vary in requirements, and there are other people better qualified to talk about that and there's probably some worthwhile reading in the post bac forum, so check that out. I think true linkage programs are pretty rare these days.

Finally, I'm not sure if you're aware, but there's a new version of the MCATcoming out this spring that will add biochemistry, psychology, and sociology content. While you're only technically required to take the pre reqs required by the medical schools you apply to (even if they don't require a subject that is on the MCAT) it isn't recommend to skip classes with MCAT content and try to self study.

So you'll likely also need to take biochem, psych, and soc. if you haven't already.

thanks for the response. I was not sure about the cross listing policy so my apologies. Honestly, I do not know much about these forums so wherever you think this post can be most helpful would work for me!

To answer your questions:
Current degree: history
Yup, i've done volunteering, shadowing and research. I don't think my volunteering is traditional in the hospital but is mostly non-profit working with abused children. Shadowing is minimal but enough to say i did it. And research when I was initially into pre-med (first 1.5 years of college). I worked in a neuro and nephrology labs.
I have taken sociology classes, but no psych or biochem🙁

I am trying to look for a program that can provide guidance and has a strong rate of med school acceptance. I've seen a few "linkage" schools, but am not sure what to make of them or if i am competitive for them.

 

[wholeheartedly]

@nad7vx I'll try to merge this thread with the one in post bac. and keep the responses over there.

 

[nad7vx]

@nad7vx I'll try to merge this thread with the one in post bac. and keep the responses over there.

sounds good. thank you.

do you have any advice from your experience with post-bacs and what sorts of programs i should be applying to? I just want a program that will make me competitive for med school acceptance.

 

[wholeheartedly]

sounds good. thank you.

do you have any advice from your experience with post-bacs and what sorts of programs i should be applying to? I just want a program that will make me competitive for med school acceptance.

I'm really not the most knowledgeable when it comes to post bacs. Technically I sort of did an informal one, but it was unintentional. I went back for a degree in clinical laboratory science so I could be gainfully employed for a couple of years before applying.

Honestly, I don't think that it's the program that makes you competitive, short of linkage setups. You and your accomplishments make your application competitive, regardless of the route you take as far as informal vs formal post bac, vs delaying graduation. The biggest things for you are going to be to kick butt and take names in the rest of your classes, esp. pre reqs.to get your GPA up, do well on the MCAT, and have experiences that will allow you to say why you want to shift gears back to medicine.

 

[nad7vx]

I'm really not the most knowledgeable when it comes to post bacs. Technically I sort of did an informal one, but it was unintentional. I went back for a degree in clinical laboratory science so I could be gainfully employed for a couple of years before applying.

Honestly, I don't think that it's the program that makes you competitive, short of linkage setups. You and your accomplishments make your application competitive, regardless of the route you take as far as informal vs formal post bac, vs delaying graduation. The biggest things for you are going to be to kick butt and take names in the rest of your classes, esp. pre reqs.to get your GPA up, do well on the MCAT, and have experiences that will allow you to say why you want to shift gears back to medicine.

take names in the rest of my classes?

 

[wholeheartedly]

take names in the rest of my classes?

Yeah, "kick butt and take names" just means do really well, generally in a competition but used for all kinds other things you want to perform really well in.