Postbac is Way Harder Than Expected

[medschool129]

I go to a highly ranked formal post-bac. I have a doctorate degree and a near 4.0 GPA before I came here. I also got A's in both of the gen chem summer courses here. That said, this program has been incredibly tough for me. I failed two of my first round exams in the fall semester, and I feel all of my classes are competing for my time.

It's been a struggle studying for an exam while also having a lab report due the following day. Even though I'm putting the time in, I feel everything is rushed. And when exams require such precision, especially in orgo, it's easy for me to get flustered after cramming. I really need this program to work out for me. I put a lot on the line coming here and left a six figure job to do this. Dropping out would honestly be incredibly embarrassing. On top of that, I still really want to be a doctor. I really can't see myself not following this path now, but I'm really worried about my grades.

Does anyone have any advice, or is this just what post bac students feel during the fall semester? I also feel pretty isolated and miserable. All I do is study for 12-16 hours every day. The people here are really nice, but I never have time to do anything fun. I know it's only 6 more months and that the reward will be actually being in med school very soon. But this is not the experience I expected and, in my opinion, makes a lot of grad school programs look extremely easy in comparison.

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[Bonne Nuit]

I go to a highly ranked formal post-bac. I have a doctorate degree and a near 4.0 GPA before I came here. I also got A's in both of the gen chem summer courses here. That said, this program has been incredibly tough for me. I failed two of my first round exams in the fall semester, and I feel all of my classes are competing for my time.

It's been a struggle studying for an exam while also having a lab report due the following day. Even though I'm putting the time in, I feel everything is rushed. And when exams require such precision, especially in orgo, it's easy for me to get flustered after cramming. I really need this program to work out for me. I put a lot on the line coming here and left a six figure job to do this. Dropping out would honestly be incredibly embarrassing. On top of that, I still really want to be a doctor. I really can't see myself not following this path now, but I'm really worried about my grades.

Does anyone have any advice, or is this just what post bac students feel during the fall semester? I also feel pretty isolated and miserable. All I do is study for 12-16 hours every day. The people here are really nice, but I never have time to do anything fun. I know it's only 6 more months and that the reward will be actually being in med school very soon. But this is not the experience I expected and, in my opinion, makes a lot of grad school programs look extremely easy in comparison.

Formal post bac programs can be an insane workload. It’s the deal you make: no life for a few years in exchange for an accelerated track to medical school. These programs are not for everyone, including me. I did very well in a DIY post bac, but there is no way I could have succeeded doing a formal program. Your grades have to come first if you want to be a doctor - do you think you can stick it out and earn high grades in your current program, or do you need to decelerate (maybe taking an extra year in the process) to preserve your GPA?

If you think you need to put the brakes on this, I recommend doing your best to finish out the semester, then drop out and complete your last remaining prerequisites in a DIY fashion at a local state school. It may take some extra time, but if you think the formal post bac is going to trash your GPA, then it’s worth it in the end.

 

[medschool129]

Is it worth sticking out if I can maybe make it? It might be possible with tutoring and literally only studying for the year. It's just a really intense year.

In my past life (lol) I was always pretty good at about not being intimidated by other people and just focusing on myself. Maybe it's because I haven't had any exposure to the sciences, but I'm honestly incredibly impressed by how some of my classmates effortlessly manage everything. Like I wouldn't be shocked if some of them literally have genius IQs in the 160s.

 

[Goro]

I go to a highly ranked formal post-bac. I have a doctorate degree and a near 4.0 GPA before I came here. I also got A's in both of the gen chem summer courses here. That said, this program has been incredibly tough for me. I failed two of my first round exams in the fall semester, and I feel all of my classes are competing for my time.

It's been a struggle studying for an exam while also having a lab report due the following day. Even though I'm putting the time in, I feel everything is rushed. And when exams require such precision, especially in orgo, it's easy for me to get flustered after cramming. I really need this program to work out for me. I put a lot on the line coming here and left a six figure job to do this. Dropping out would honestly be incredibly embarrassing. On top of that, I still really want to be a doctor. I really can't see myself not following this path now, but I'm really worried about my grades.

Does anyone have any advice, or is this just what post bac students feel during the fall semester? I also feel pretty isolated and miserable. All I do is study for 12-16 hours every day. The people here are really nice, but I never have time to do anything fun. I know it's only 6 more months and that the reward will be actually being in med school very soon. But this is not the experience I expected and, in my opinion, makes a lot of grad school programs look extremely easy in comparison.

There are several different answers to your question.

All I do is study for 12-16 hours every day.
First, it's a good thing that you're in a post-bac program. Make use of thier learning resources, because your problem might be one of learning how to learn. It will only get more intense in med school, you you need to master good study habits and time mgt skills in order to make it. And if you're studying that much but still not doing well, then you're not studying in the right way.

I really need this program to work out for me. I put a lot on the line coming here and left a six figure job to do this. Dropping out would honestly be incredibly embarrassing.

Are you in this program for your ego? Or to get into medical school? You don't "need" for this to work out. Life wil go on whether you succeed or not here.

Can't sugar coat this: There's also the possibility that this is a wake up call and that Medicine is not for you.

 

[Goro]

Is it worth sticking out if I can maybe make it?
Well, only you can answer this. But doing nothing right now is just going to guarantee failure.

It might be possible with tutoring and literally only studying for the year.
Very true. But as mentioned in the previous post, I suspect that you need more than mere tutoring.

In my past life (lol) I was always pretty good at about not being intimidated by other people and just focusing on myself. Maybe it's because I haven't had any exposure to the sciences, but I'm honestly incredibly impressed by how some of my classmates effortlessly manage everything. Like I wouldn't be shocked if some of them literally have genius IQs in the 160s.
The only person you should be comparing yourself to is yourself.

And no, your classmates are not all MENSA material either.

 

[LizzyM]

And what do you expect to do in medical school if you are lucky enough to grab the brass ring and garner admission?

Have you come to the realization that you'll have two more years of study like this one after med school starts? And that is followed by several years of servitude on the wards and in the clinics, first paying for the privilege and later being paid a paltry sum for 80 hours per week, and even more as a fellow as there is no cap on fellows' hours. Be careful what you wish for. What you are experiencing now might be a clue that you should wrap this up as a learning experience and go back to one of those 100K jobs that looks more attractive after you've experienced the alternative.

 

[mwsapphire]

And what do you expect to do in medical school if you are lucky enough to grab the brass ring and garner admission?

Have you come to the realization that you'll have two more years of study like this one after med school starts? And that is followed by several years of servitude on the wards and in the clinics, first paying for the privilege and later being paid a paltry sum for 80 hours per week, and even more as a fellow as there is no cap on fellows' hours. Be careful what you wish for. What you are experiencing now might be a clue that you should wrap this up as a learning experience and go back to one of those 100K jobs that looks more attractive after you've experienced the alternative.

I didn't fellows could have more hours than residents! Or is that just some of them? Woah.

 

[candbgirl]

So what classes are you taking? At first I thought you were taking the med school prereqs but are you in advanced sciences or maybe a SMP? Whatever you are doing , maybe science isn’t your thing at all. Why did you decide to go to medicine after a successful career academically and professionally? Maybe this is a wake up call that med school isn’t a good choice. If you are having difficulties now , you’ll faint in med school.

 

[jma90]

I go to a highly ranked formal post-bac. I have a doctorate degree and a near 4.0 GPA before I came here. I also got A's in both of the gen chem summer courses here. That said, this program has been incredibly tough for me. I failed two of my first round exams in the fall semester, and I feel all of my classes are competing for my time.

It's been a struggle studying for an exam while also having a lab report due the following day. Even though I'm putting the time in, I feel everything is rushed. And when exams require such precision, especially in orgo, it's easy for me to get flustered after cramming. I really need this program to work out for me. I put a lot on the line coming here and left a six figure job to do this. Dropping out would honestly be incredibly embarrassing. On top of that, I still really want to be a doctor. I really can't see myself not following this path now, but I'm really worried about my grades.

Does anyone have any advice, or is this just what post bac students feel during the fall semester? I also feel pretty isolated and miserable. All I do is study for 12-16 hours every day. The people here are really nice, but I never have time to do anything fun. I know it's only 6 more months and that the reward will be actually being in med school very soon. But this is not the experience I expected and, in my opinion, makes a lot of grad school programs look extremely easy in comparison.

Had a very similar experience to you and made it to med school. Feel free to PM!

 

[Giovanotto]

And what do you expect to do in medical school if you are lucky enough to grab the brass ring and garner admission?

Have you come to the realization that you'll have two more years of study like this one after med school starts? And that is followed by several years of servitude on the wards and in the clinics, first paying for the privilege and later being paid a paltry sum for 80 hours per week, and even more as a fellow as there is no cap on fellows' hours. Be careful what you wish for. What you are experiencing now might be a clue that you should wrap this up as a learning experience and go back to one of those 100K jobs that looks more attractive after you've experienced the alternative.

I wish you'd post more on the regular MD/DO side of this forum. I miss this wisdom.

 

[Bonne Nuit]

If you’ve never experienced science coursework, transitioning from a career back to the classroom would be extremely challenging even for a talented, bright pre-medical student. Add in the accelerated nature of many formal post bac programs (one program I looked into had you doing the entirety of Gen Chem over a 10 week summer term!), and I can see how an otherwise capable student could get underwater quickly.

You need to learn to crawl before you walk, and I knew I needed the slower pace of traditional university coursework to learn how to be a science student. I didn’t learn how to have effective 12+ hour study days overnight, and perhaps it’s the same for OP.

I don’t know that I’m quite ready to assume OP isn’t cut out for medical school, but s/he certainly needs to exercise extreme caution going forward. Yes, medical school is going to be just as rigorous (or more so) than a post bac program, but maybe OP just needs to get there in his/her own time. They just need to do everything they can to preserve their GPA while figuring it out. That’s why I still think OP should explore transitioning to a DIY post bac and see how they fare.

 

[Bonne Nuit]

One other thing OP, do NOT get into the “everyone else is a genius and it’s easy for everyone but me” mindset. Number one, it’s going to make you lose your mind. Number two, it’s absolutely not easy for everyone else and most of them are just regular people like you. Not super geniuses.

When I was doing well in my studies, other students would sometimes say “wow, you must be really smart, you make it look so simple”. It wasn’t simple. They didn’t see how I spent every Friday night doing calculus problem sets until 2AM, or how I had to leave my niece’s baptism after an hour to study for a Monday exam, or how I once spent only 15 minutes with my husband in a whole week (yes, he kept track). It’s hard for everyone, don’t let others’ apparent successes discourage you.

 

[DO2015CA]

I would echo the look at the future if this endeavor is successful. You will spend the next two years doing what you are doing now. You are complaining about it after 6 Months. I don’t blame you, I hate studying that much all the time. But you will do it for 4x longer than you have once you are accepted. If that’s okay then keep on chugging. If not then now is a good time to bail

 

[notretired]

Just want to point out that some of the "if you can't handle it now, you aren't cut out for med school" comments are simply perspectives shaped by one's own experiences in the process. Some post-bacc programs are extremely hard - a 3.8 in mine basically guaranteed a 518+ mcat. I felt very much the same way that OP was describing; not all programs are the same.

 

[mwsapphire]

One other thing OP, do NOT get into the “everyone else is a genius and it’s easy for everyone but me” mindset. Number one, it’s going to make you lose your mind. Number two, it’s absolutely not easy for everyone else and most of them are just regular people like you. Not super geniuses.

When I was doing well in my studies, other students would sometimes say “wow, you must be really smart, you make it look so simple”. It wasn’t simple. They didn’t see how I spent every Friday night doing calculus problem sets until 2AM, or how I had to leave my niece’s baptism after an hour to study for a Monday exam, or how I once spent only 15 minutes with my husband in a whole week (yes, he kept track). It’s hard for everyone, don’t let others’ apparent successes discourage you.

Wow. You're also nontrad though ( so likely having to juggle waaaayyyy more than the typical UGrad student does). 15 minutes with husband. You know if I ever make it to residency that's kinda what I imagine it would look like if I have an SO.

 

[Select All That Apply]

I go to a highly ranked formal post-bac. I have a doctorate degree and a near 4.0 GPA before I came here. I also got A's in both of the gen chem summer courses here... I... left a six figure job to do this.

Press X to Doubt

 

[premed20172017]

Out of curiosity, what is your course schedule like? I know that some formal post-baccs offer accelerated programs (Scripps, for example). Are you in one of those?

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Wow. You're also nontrad though ( so likely having to juggle waaaayyyy more than the typical UGrad student does). 15 minutes with husband. You know if I ever make it to residency that's kinda what I imagine it would look like if I have an SO.

It was really tough, but I actually wasn't juggling all that much besides school as I got acclimated. I don't have kids and, while I have friends, I'm not super social. I rearranged my entire life to focus on my studies, because that's what I believed it would take for me to earn As. I was either not working at all or working <10 hours/week during my toughest terms. I was a total bore for the first post-bac year, but I did eventually loosen up a little bit as I learned how to work efficiently.

The "15 minutes with husband week" was leading into a finals week where I had Gen Chem II/Calculus II/Biology II exams on two consecutive days. I watched a half of an episode of TV with him before I had to return to studying. I told him that it was a preview into residency, and he's OK with it. He knows what he signed up for