Post Bacc Question

[gohokies2005]

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Hello all,
I've been following these forums for a while, but am a first time poster.
Long story short, I am seriously reevaluating my professional goals. I have spent the last 6 years as an active duty naval officer and have decided to make a career change. I am interested in both MD and DO programs, but realistically am thinking a DO program might be a better fit, both due to my personal preferences in medicine and my background.
Here is the problem... I have an undergraduate degree in Political Science and a limited science background. My overall GPA is about a 3.3, and the only science courses I have are two semesters of physics... two rough semesters in my first two years seriously brought down my GPA, though my last two years my cumulative was about a 3.7. I am going to be taking chemistry and biology over the next two semesters, then organic chemistry over two summer sessions a year from now. I want to pursue starting my higher level education ASAP, but am looking for some suggestions.
First question, looking at some Post-bacc programs (VCOM specifically, Virginia Tech is my alma mater and I currently reside in VA), I noticed that the required prerequisites need to be completed prior to entry into the program, no MCAT required. Lacking much of a science background at this point in time, I do not feel prepared to take the MCAT and think a Post-bacc program might be a good fit. Applications wont be accepted until late fall, so I was wondering if I would be at all competitive without completing all prerequisites (and assuming I can get A's in my courses this fall... I really am pretty smart and am confident I can do this). Has anyone been in this situation or known of such a case?
Alternatively, I could finish my required courses and push to take the MCAT in July, then apply to all the MD and DO programs I could. I would be a pretty late applicant at this point, and worry about my chances.
To say money is no problem would be a stretch, but with revamped GI Bill benefits I would feel comfortable going either the Post-Bacc route or trying to go straight to medical school, I am just eager to start the next chapter of my life.
So my short story turned out long, but hoping someone here can share some insight or advice.
Thanks for the help!

 

[FutureDrB]

First, thanks for your service.

Second, post-bac programs certainly don't hurt, but they aren't a necessity either. Your GPA is alright, and remember that taking the additional courses you still need will raise your cumulative and science GPAs. (As long as you do well in them.) Given your background, interests and GPA, D.O. is likely your best bet.

I think everyone else will agree that rushing into medical school isn't the best idea. Take your time and do it right. A 2-year plan is acceptable. Just knock out the science prerequisites, prepare for the MCAT and then knock it out of the park.

Also, don't worry about your undergraduate degree being in Political Science. There are plenty of us on here with non-science degrees.

I'm in a similar boat. Non-traditional student with a non-science background. (B.A. in Sociology and two non-science Master's degrees) Now I'm finishing up my last science prerequisites and preparing for the MCAT. I thought about a post-bac program when I first started the journey, but decided against it.

 

[gohokies2005]

First, thanks for your service.

Second, post-bac programs certainly don't hurt, but they aren't a necessity either. Your GPA is alright, and remember that taking the additional courses you still need will raise your cumulative and science GPAs. (As long as you do well in them.) Given your background, interests and GPA, D.O. is likely your best bet.

I think everyone else will agree that rushing into medical school isn't the best idea. Take your time and do it right. A 2-year plan is acceptable. Just knock out the science prerequisites, prepare for the MCAT and then knock it out of the park.

Also, don't worry about your undergraduate degree being in Political Science. There are plenty of us on here with non-science degrees.

I'm in a similar boat. Non-traditional student with a non-science background. (B.A. in Sociology and two non-science Master's degrees) Now I'm finishing up my last science prerequisites and preparing for the MCAT. I thought about a post-bac program when I first started the journey, but decided against it.

Thanks for the thoughts. I don't mean to say I want to rush into medical school, but it would almost be easier for me to start a post bacc program and gather my GI Bill benefits (which includes a housing allowance of about $1200 a month on average, incurring minimum indebtedness) than to spend a year working a menial job that I know would not develop into a career (though I could potentially get some experience in patient interaction or have more volunteer opportunities).
I guess I just see a post bacc program as a chance to not only better prepare myself for medical school, but to open more doors. I'm not too worried about getting in a little debt with student loans, and am honestly excited about starting a program a year from now that would really be leading me in the right direction.

 

[FutureDrB]

Thanks for the thoughts. I don't mean to say I want to rush into medical school, but it would almost be easier for me to start a post bacc program and gather my GI Bill benefits (which includes a housing allowance of about $1200 a month on average, incurring minimum indebtedness) than to spend a year working a menial job that I know would not develop into a career (though I could potentially get some experience in patient interaction or have more volunteer opportunities).
I guess I just see a post bacc program as a chance to not only better prepare myself for medical school, but to open more doors. I'm not too worried about getting in a little debt with student loans, and am honestly excited about starting a program a year from now that would really be leading me in the right direction.

I'm not familiar with the G.I. Bill, but that's a good point, if you get benefits to cover the cost of a graduate/post-bac program then yeah, it would probably be a better bet to go that route versus paying out-of-pocket for each individual class.

 

[gohokies2005]

I'm not familiar with the G.I. Bill, but that's a good point, if you get benefits to cover the cost of a graduate/post-bac program then yeah, it would probably be a better bet to go that route versus paying out-of-pocket for each individual class.

Yeah, it's a pretty good deal. It wont cover 100% of my tuition and books, but a good chunk of it.

So has anyone ever had any luck getting accepted to a Post Bacc while still completing prereqs?

 

[FutureDrB]

Yeah, it's a pretty good deal. It wont cover 100% of my tuition and books, but a good chunk of it.

So has anyone ever had any luck getting accepted to a Post Bacc while still completing prereqs?

A post-bac program is intended for those who don't yet have the prerequisites.

The post-bac program consists of the required medical school prerequisites, 2 iChems, 2 oChems, 2 Physics, etc. generally along with Biochem, Anatomy, and maybe some Genetics.

Here is a link where you can search programs.

http://services.aamc.org/postbac/

 

[tomba27]

Hello all,
I've been following these forums for a while, but am a first time poster.
Long story short, I am seriously reevaluating my professional goals. I have spent the last 6 years as an active duty naval officer and have decided to make a career change. I am interested in both MD and DO programs, but realistically am thinking a DO program might be a better fit, both due to my personal preferences in medicine and my background.
Here is the problem... I have an undergraduate degree in Political Science and a limited science background. My overall GPA is about a 3.3, and the only science courses I have are two semesters of physics... two rough semesters in my first two years seriously brought down my GPA, though my last two years my cumulative was about a 3.7. I am going to be taking chemistry and biology over the next two semesters, then organic chemistry over two summer sessions a year from now. I want to pursue starting my higher level education ASAP, but am looking for some suggestions.
First question, looking at some Post-bacc programs (VCOM specifically, Virginia Tech is my alma mater and I currently reside in VA), I noticed that the required prerequisites need to be completed prior to entry into the program, no MCAT required. Lacking much of a science background at this point in time, I do not feel prepared to take the MCAT and think a Post-bacc program might be a good fit. Applications wont be accepted until late fall, so I was wondering if I would be at all competitive without completing all prerequisites (and assuming I can get A's in my courses this fall... I really am pretty smart and am confident I can do this). Has anyone been in this situation or known of such a case?
Alternatively, I could finish my required courses and push to take the MCAT in July, then apply to all the MD and DO programs I could. I would be a pretty late applicant at this point, and worry about my chances.
To say money is no problem would be a stretch, but with revamped GI Bill benefits I would feel comfortable going either the Post-Bacc route or trying to go straight to medical school, I am just eager to start the next chapter of my life.
So my short story turned out long, but hoping someone here can share some insight or advice.
Thanks for the help!

Gohokies,

Congrats on the decision to change career paths. I practiced as a CPA for 3 years and decided to the same. It takes a considerable amount of courage, but oh so is it worth it. You only live once.

I was excited and wanted to bypass the post-bac route too but I am so glad I ultimately decided to enroll in one (just completed Montana State University's program this May).

Great things about a post-bac program:
A. It prepared me for the MCAT (all sciences will be very fresh in your mind by the time you take the exam).
B. A lot of medical schools love taking post-bac students. It shows how dedicated and compassionate you are to medicine...and the program sort of makes the evidence more "formal" so to speak.
C. Overall great experience as you will be surrounded by people similar to you. Its a great growing and learning experience. My class had a CPA (me), an attorney, and quite a few people in business. Very diverse.

Good luck and do what you feel is best. You might be anxious and want to jump right in, but I assure you will be more than content in a post-bac program. Just knowing you are on your way with a bunch of other similar individuals will feed you patience.

Edit: My program was one year with two years of courses crammed in. Just wait until you start the sciences. You will stay busy but it is almost laughable after you have visited the real world.

 

[gohokies2005]

Gohokies,

Congrats on the decision to change career paths. I practiced as a CPA for 3 years and decided to the same. It takes a considerable amount of courage, but oh so is it worth it. You only live once.

I was excited and wanted to bypass the post-bac route too but I am so glad I ultimately decided to enroll in one (just completed Montana State University's program this May).

Great things about a post-bac program:
A. It prepared me for the MCAT (all sciences will be very fresh in your mind by the time you take the exam).
B. A lot of medical schools love taking post-bac students. It shows how dedicated and compassionate you are to medicine...and the program sort of makes the evidence more "formal" so to speak.
C. Overall great experience as you will be surrounded by people similar to you. Its a great growing and learning experience. My class had a CPA (me), an attorney, and quite a few people in business. Very diverse.

Good luck and do what you feel is best. You might be anxious and want to jump right in, but I assure you will be more than content in a post-bac program. Just knowing you are on your way with a bunch of other similar individuals will feed you patience.

Edit: My program was one year with two years of courses crammed in. Just wait until you start the sciences. You will stay busy but it is almost laughable after you have visited the real world.

Thanks for the thoughts Tomba. I am pretty excited to get started with things, starting with some basic science courses this fall that I never had to take during my undergrad.
At this point I am kind of torn... if I were to apply and get accepted to a medical school next fall I would be ecstatic, but given the length of time I have been out of school I would probably benefit from a post-bac program filled with graduate level courses.
I think I will apply to a couple of these programs late this year after I finish a semester of bio and chemistry, and hope for the best. If I get in somewhere, I'll jump at the opportunity. If not, I will keep studying for my MCATs, take a few more courses and hope to have better luck next year.
I think you're right about going back to school being a sort of 'break.' College was stressful at times, but being in the Navy, usually working 60+ hours a week, then standing duty twice a week (making it more like 100+ hours a week), I am really looking forward to going back to school to do something I feel passionate about.

 

[tomba27]

Thanks for the thoughts Tomba. I am pretty excited to get started with things, starting with some basic science courses this fall that I never had to take during my undergrad.
At this point I am kind of torn... if I were to apply and get accepted to a medical school next fall I would be ecstatic, but given the length of time I have been out of school I would probably benefit from a post-bac program filled with graduate level courses.
I think I will apply to a couple of these programs late this year after I finish a semester of bio and chemistry, and hope for the best. If I get in somewhere, I'll jump at the opportunity. If not, I will keep studying for my MCATs, take a few more courses and hope to have better luck next year.
I think you're right about going back to school being a sort of 'break.' College was stressful at times, but being in the Navy, usually working 60+ hours a week, then standing duty twice a week (making it more like 100+ hours a week), I am really looking forward to going back to school to do something I feel passionate about.

It sounds like you are doing it for the exact same reasons I am. I decided to go for it, as that is where my passion is as well. I can't even explain how good it feels now that I'm on this track.

Good luck with what you decide, and just know that if you really want it, you will get there regardless of the path you choose.