Pre-med newbie

[SBUXMed]

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Hi everyone, I'm pretty new here. As I've been reading many of the posts on here I've become increasingly motivated and inspired by your stories. I'd like to share a story of my own to get some feed back as well.

I just graduated from college with a BA in econ; moved to a new city and started a part-time mba program along with doing an internship. Unfortunately, I came to a realization that I'm not quite satisfy and not 100% happy with what I'm doing. I dreamed of a career in med field but never pursue it in college bc I was afraid that I wouldn't succeed. I really regreted that; I feel that I am more mature now and this is something I want to pursue and I hope it's not too late. I am looking at different post-bac programs and researching financial options.

Does anyone have a good post bac program to suggest or any advices on how I should prepare to be a 'suitable' candidate for post bac program. Please feel free to share your experiences as well.

I don't have direct med-volunteering experiences, but I do have a lot of volunteering, leadership, non-scientific research, and study abroad experiences.

Financially speaking, how much debt should I be expecting? I 'm working part-time and probably will take out 50% loan.

Thanks a lot!

 

[J ROD]

Basically, you just need the prereq classes like I did. Just go back to school like looking to get a second degree (informal postbac) and take the classes you need. I think it saves alot of money compared to the "formal" postbac.

Just make sure to do well!!

 

[Medic2MD4me]

You are pretty much in the same boat as me in terms of moving to a new city and deciding you want to start your pre-reqs. If you've moved to a city within your home state you're fine because you'll still qualify for in state tuition. However, if you've moved out of state, like myself, then you'll be paying out of state tuition rates, which border some of the private post bacc costs or slightly under. The one semi informal post bacc that I've found and can accomadate me financially is Harvard Extension School. The classes are $1100 per class, which is on par with most in state costs. Some formal programs will run closer to 3k a class...ugly.

By the time you finish your pre reqs your debt could either be around 8k for the informal route or upwards of 25-30k for the formal private post bacc route. Don't forget living expenses either. If you're working p/t you may be able to cover those though.

 

[SBUXMed]

What will my chances be like if I just go to any school for post bac vs. the more "elite"? I'm thinking Columbia, Johns Hopkins? My goal is to be able to get into one of the top schools in the clinical field. And also could anyone suggest what kind of jobs or volunteering I should look for.
Thanks

P.S How does the program at Harvard Extension School works? Do you have a good advising team? what is the community like? and where do most of it "graduates" ended up going?

 

[EdLongshanks]

What will my chances be like if I just go to any school for post bac vs. the more "elite"? I'm thinking Columbia, Johns Hopkins? My goal is to be able to get into one of the top schools in the clinical field. And also could anyone suggest what kind of jobs or volunteering I should look for.
Thanks

P.S How does the program at Harvard Extension School works? Do you have a good advising team? what is the community like? and where do most of it "graduates" ended up going?

I understand the desire to go to an elite school. I started out thinking that way also. But after gathering more information - both here on SDN and in informal talks with doctors, I realized that which med school you go to doesn't matter as much as I first thought. It is the residency that matters most. If you look at the prestigious residencies, you will see that they are filled by people from many schools - not just a few.

The ranking of the medical schools is based on research and grant dollars spent and gained - not by the quality of doctor training. The training is not that variable. If you want to be a prestigious research PhD/MD student, then by all means try to get into Harvard or Columbia, but otherwise, it might not be worth the tuition differential.

 

[BennieBlanco]

I understand the desire to go to an elite school. I started out thinking that way also. But after gathering more information - both here on SDN and in informal talks with doctors, I realized that which med school you go to doesn't matter as much as I first thought. It is the residency that matters most. If you look at the prestigious residencies, you will see that they are filled by people from many schools - not just a few.

The ranking of the medical schools is based on research and grant dollars spent and gained - not by the quality of doctor training. The training is not that variable. If you want to be a prestigious research PhD/MD student, then by all means try to get into Harvard or Columbia, but otherwise, it might not be worth the tuition differential.

wow. spot on.

 

[J ROD]

I understand the desire to go to an elite school. I started out thinking that way also. But after gathering more information - both here on SDN and in informal talks with doctors, I realized that which med school you go to doesn't matter as much as I first thought. It is the residency that matters most. If you look at the prestigious residencies, you will see that they are filled by people from many schools - not just a few.

The ranking of the medical schools is based on research and grant dollars spent and gained - not by the quality of doctor training. The training is not that variable. If you want to be a prestigious research PhD/MD student, then by all means try to get into Harvard or Columbia, but otherwise, it might not be worth the tuition differential.

+1. Residency is where you "learn" to be a physician. Schools teach pretty much the same thing.

 

[Medic2MD4me]

P.S How does the program at Harvard Extension School works? Do you have a good advising team? what is the community like? and where do most of it "graduates" ended up going?

Do a search of "havard extension school" and you'll come up with enough hits to have you reading for a couple hours. But in a nutshell, it's a diploma program with VERY inexpensive courses and if you pay $500 they will write you a committee letter of rec so long as you meet certain gpa and mcat criteria. I belive the advising is fairly minimal as it borders an informal post bacc route.

 

[EdLongshanks]

wow. spot on.

Benny, you just agreed with me. You've got to stop posting when you're drinking like that.

 

[BennieBlanco]

Benny, you just agreed with me. You've got to stop posting when you're drinking like that.

100% sober agreement. It surprised me more than you!