Postbacc candidacy

[ninajr90]

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I'm interested in applying to a postbac program for the 2014-2015 school year. So far, the colleges on my list are Bryn Mawr, Goucher, Columbia, and Hopkins. I would ideally like to complete the programs in a year and use the linkage options at these schools. I would appreciate if anyone reading this could take a look at my credentials and comment on my probability of being accepted to these programs and the relative merits of each given my experience.

High school:
- 3 years of honors science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) and 1 year of AP science (Environmental Science) at a highly ranked high school. My grades in these courses were mostly B+s and A-s since I was struggling with a debilitating illness for 2 years during high school. I know I certainly could have done better.
- SAT score: 800 Verbal / 700 Math / 720 Writing

College:
Graduated in the top 5% of my class with a 3.85 GPA (summa cum laude) at a top-ranked undergraduate business program in NYC double-majoring in Finance and Economics. Had several business-related extracurricular activities and interned in many humanitarian non-profits while at school, specifically those that worked with underprivileged children.

Professional:
I have worked ~1 year on Wall Street doing stock research on companies that manufacture surgical equipment, develop pharmaceuticals, and fractionate plasma. This is what precipitated my interest in going to medical school. By the time I apply I will have worked almost 1.5 years here.

Motivations:
I want to go to medical school because I am interested in a more compassionate career since finance can often seem inhumane to me. I want to get out from behind my desk and help people directly. I would like to work with children. I can empathize with children, particularly adolescents, due to some of the medical problems I had when I was younger. I definitely see myself in some kind of pediatric specialty.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I'd really appreciate anyone's honest opinion on my chances and on the programs I'm interested in.

 

[deleted248403]

other than reading about medicine/healthcare/pharma...

have you volunteered anywhere? worked in a hospital? nursing home?

"gotten your hands dirty" as DrMidlife puts it?

 

[ninajr90]

other than reading about medicine/healthcare/pharma...

have you volunteered anywhere? worked in a hospital? nursing home?

"gotten your hands dirty" as DrMidlife puts it?

Not in a medical context. I have volunteered a great deal but not in hospitals or nursing homes. I volunteered in a slum of Lima, Peru during college teaching children in a school. I also volunteered in the Rockaways after Hurricane Sandy for several weeks and did many community service projects with my college greek organization, none medically related.

I should have been clearer about my job though. We don't simply "read" about the companies to research them. We also interview doctors about the technologies and patient experiences; attend specialized industry conferences on cardiology, neurology, and orthopedics; and meet with company management to discuss the healthcare environment. It's very active.

 

[deleted248403]

Not in a medical context. I have volunteered a great deal but not in hospitals or nursing homes. I volunteered in a slum of Lima, Peru during college teaching children in a school. I also volunteered in the Rockaways after Hurricane Sandy for several weeks and did many community service projects with my college greek organization, none medically related.

I should have been clearer about my job though. We don't simply "read" about the companies to research them. We also interview doctors about the technologies and patient experiences; attend specialized industry conferences on cardiology, neurology, and orthopedics; and meet with company management to discuss the healthcare environment. It's very active.

either way - its not hands-on patient contact.

the top post-bacs will want proof of how you know you want to be elbow deep in someone's poop. you haven't proved that to them yet.

Your stats are there - just not clear how you know you want medicine, when you've never been around sick people. and while your job might have allowed you some insight into that, its not going to be enough to convince the top post-bacs IMO

 

[ninajr90]

either way - its not hands-on patient contact.

the top post-bacs will want proof of how you know you want to be elbow deep in someone's poop. you haven't proved that to them yet.

Your stats are there - just not clear how you know you want medicine, when you've never been around sick people. and while your job might have allowed you some insight into that, its not going to be enough to convince the top post-bacs IMO

Thanks for the honesty! I still have 9 months before I apply to get some volunteer experience - hopefully I can find something with flexible hours.

I was under the impression that I could volunteer in a hospital during a post bacc and that no actual medical experience is needed, but I suppose I was wrong. I'm glad the stats are where they need to be.

Any comments on the various programs I mentioned or others I should look into? Thanks again!

 

[Goucher2013]

You could also take the GRE to give a more recent example of your test-taking ability.

For volunteering, I'd suggest mixing shadowing to gain a better understanding about the life of a physician with holding down a consistent slot every week at a free clinic. The first gets you the knowledge, the second gets you experience and shows dedication. See this thread about free clinics if you're in NYC:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=805342

 

[pineapplepancakes]

You could also take the GRE to give a more recent example of your test-taking ability.

I'm curious: do you think that makes a substantial difference if your previous scores (ACT/SAT) are already competitive?

 

[bakagal]

I've gotten into several of the schools on your list for the upcoming year (2013-2014) and agree with the others - the only thing you're lacking is "hands-on" experience. Get thyself over to any of your local hospitals and volunteer for at least a couple of months. That, combined with your work experience and some shadowing (can be minimal), should be sufficient. Otherwise, I think you are a very well-qualified candidate. I disagree with those who have said to take the GRE. Your SAT scores are more than enough (especially since you did very well). I would venture to say mine was probably older than yours (comparable in scores though to yours) and none of the programs I applied to had any issue with them.

 

[Goucher2013]

I'm curious: do you think that makes a substantial difference if your previous scores (ACT/SAT) are already competitive?

It can only help. Most applicants already have top SAT/ACT scores. The GRE verbal section is a bit closer to the MCAT's (and the LSAT's even closer, since it's tougher), so slightly more predictive of MCAT success.

I don't think these scores make a difference once you get an interview, but who gets that interview involves a lot of tough choices by the postbac staff, so the more strong variables you present, the better.

Given the trade-off between clinical volunteering and taking the GRE just for postbac applications, I'd go for the clinical side, except in the following circumstances:
1. You've got enough time to do both.
2. You aren't comfortable with your GPA or SAT/ACT.
3. You're applying from a less selective school. We have a great guy from UMBC this year, and I have a hunch that his high GRE scores definitely made a larger difference than with most applicants.

It really is all about trade-offs. Will the ideal candidate have high GRE, GMAT or LSAT scores? Yes; but few people have the resources to tick every single box. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be aware of these boxes, though.

 

[ninajr90]

I've gotten into several of the schools on your list for the upcoming year (2013-2014) and agree with the others - the only thing you're lacking is "hands-on" experience. Get thyself over to any of your local hospitals and volunteer for at least a couple of months. That, combined with your work experience and some shadowing (can be minimal), should be sufficient. Otherwise, I think you are a very well-qualified candidate. I disagree with those who have said to take the GRE. Your SAT scores are more than enough (especially since you did very well). I would venture to say mine was probably older than yours (comparable in scores though to yours) and none of the programs I applied to had any issue with them.

That really relieves me! Can you tell me more about how to get a shadowing opportunity and which kinds are the best? I would have to do any shadowing/volunteering on the weekends since I work 12-14 hours a day on weekdays. Thank you!

 

[darkjedi]

That really relieves me! Can you tell me more about how to get a shadowing opportunity and which kinds are the best? I would have to do any shadowing/volunteering on the weekends since I work 12-14 hours a day on weekdays. Thank you!

Do you have any family members or friends with family members who are physicians? That is probably the easiest way to get shadowing. Otherwise, you can start volunteering at a local hospital and start conversations with the physicians there. I started volunteering at a hospital doing clerical work, but befriended the attending there who I began to just shadow.

There is no 'ideal' shadowing. Hospital or private practice are both great, as long as you feel like you are learning.

 

[bakagal]

I agree with darkjedi - there's no set amount that you need. What you really need is simply to be able to demonstrate that you've thought about this decision seriously and that you've seen first-hand what it entails. Personally, I myself had very little shadowing. Since I had some other things though that demonstrated my interest, the lack of significant shadowing wasn't really an issue. I don't even think I was asked directly about shadowing at any of my interviews. It was more of like, tell us your exposure to the medical field and why you want to be a part of it.

 

[drlemon]

With your credentials. You are certainly to be admitted without the demonstrated experience. They understand that you have a life and can't be expected to be fully committed to medicine before you even apply.

Out of curiosity..which one will you be attending?

 

[PrinceR]

Since this thread is on the topic, how much "relevant" work experience and/or shadowing would suffice for these top post-bacc programs? By the time I apply I would have roughly 5-6 months social work experience, over a year volunteer experience, and 30 hours shadowing.

 

[SeverusSnape]

Honestly PrinceR, if you're able to justify your desire and speak about those experiences, that should be fine. I had wayyyy less volunteer experience than that, well medically related anyway, when I got accepted last year. Best of luck!

 

[thesubmarine]

Hi everyone! Very helpful thread! Could you please give me some advice? I have 3.29 double major in math/psychology from a top 25 liberal arts university, I also have 4.00 psychology masters with thesis and 1370 on gre. I've only taken one bio course and got an A and I am interested in applying to the same programs mentioned above + tufts and some less competitive programs around the country. I have around 500 hrs clinical volunteering (emergency department and adult psychiatry - definitely heavy on patient contact) and about 40 hrs of shadowing. I also used to be a captain of D1 athletic team in undergrad and had a bunch of other ec's. Anyway, could you tell me if I have a realistic chance of getting into any of top tier postbac programs with these stats? I am willing to apply broadly and relocate pretty much anywhere but just wanted some honest opinion. Thank you!

 

[SeverusSnape]

Hey thesubmarine, I'll offer you my opinion, for whatever it's worth.

Your stats/history are actually super close to mine Psychology, Masters, top liberal arts school etc. I think you're probably a decent candidate with your ONLY potential worry would be your undergrad GPA. The GPA is probably offset by your other experiences, at the very least I think you should be fine getting an interview at most programs though.

The Master;s GPA itself doesn't count for much because most grad programs have ridiculous grade inflation, but the fact that you have the degree itself is definitely valuable. Also as a sidenote, keep in mind that most of these programs want your SAT scores as well as any other graduate testing, regardless of how long ago it was. Oh and another note, if you're applying this year, make sure you get to it! It's already mid-way through the application cycle and if you're not early, you're late.

It's really the same thing that I end up saying to most people in these threads: if you have the stats (which you pretty much do), just make sure your story is compelling enough and your passion comes through.


Best of luck!

 

[thesubmarine]

Hey thesubmarine, I'll offer you my opinion, for whatever it's worth.

Your stats/history are actually super close to mine Psychology, Masters, top liberal arts school etc. I think you're probably a decent candidate with your ONLY potential worry would be your undergrad GPA. The GPA is probably offset by your other experiences, at the very least I think you should be fine getting an interview at most programs though.

The Master;s GPA itself doesn't count for much because most grad programs have ridiculous grade inflation, but the fact that you have the degree itself is definitely valuable. Also as a sidenote, keep in mind that most of these programs want your SAT scores as well as any other graduate testing, regardless of how long ago it was. Oh and another note, if you're applying this year, make sure you get to it! It's already mid-way through the application cycle and if you're not early, you're late.

It's really the same thing that I end up saying to most people in these threads: if you have the stats (which you pretty much do), just make sure your story is compelling enough and your passion comes through.


Best of luck!

Thank you! Appreciate a quick response 🙂 I am actually thinking about applying during the next application cycle and working this year to get some more experience and also because I am about to borrow a ridiculous amount of money for medical schools. I guess another question I have, how exactly do the linkage programs work? Are there any kind of official guidelines that determine your eligibility? I am interested in a lot of east coast schools (Pitt, GWash, etc.) and they seem to be linked well to postbac programs. Thank you again for all the help. This forum has been life saving.

 

[SeverusSnape]

Thank you! Appreciate a quick response 🙂 I am actually thinking about applying during the next application cycle and working this year to get some more experience and also because I am about to borrow a ridiculous amount of money for medical schools. I guess another question I have, how exactly do the linkage programs work? Are there any kind of official guidelines that determine your eligibility? I am interested in a lot of east coast schools (Pitt, GWash, etc.) and they seem to be linked well to postbac programs. Thank you again for all the help. This forum has been life saving.

Hey, anytime I should be studying for a midterm I'll gladly reply ASAP =)
With the linkage programs, each school typically has a GPA/MCAT requirement that they set as their minimum threshold for admission. The GPA typically includes both undergrad and your current postbac GPA. If you meet the GPA requirement while you apply, then your application gets reviewed. You then go through a pretty normal application process, though it's pretty much after normal applicants are finished. You can then be offered conditional acceptance (or not), which hinges on you getting a minimum MCAT score towards the end of second semester (the score is completely school based and varies somewhat) as well as keeping your postbac GPA at a certain level. Also, some schools don't require an MCAT score which is nice.

While a lot of schools have linkage agreements, definitely try and find out how many people actually end up linking. It's certainly more prevalent at some schools. I remember at one of the schools I was applying to you had to be nominated to link to a specific school vs. my school where you just pick where you want to apply. If you have specific questions about linking feel free to private message me, I'm honestly not sure how much info is supposed to be public knowledge.