Stats Needed to Get Into Postbac Programs?

[gbvan]

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I've been searching this forum for a bit now and haven't really been able to find a concrete answer on what your stats should look like for postbac programs.

So, what stats should you have to get into a top tier program? What about a second tier program?

Also, are there places where postbac programs have admissions data for students that got in, or is that not standard procedure for these programs?

I'm also wondering, how many people typically apply to each program?

 

[theWUbear]

Information needed from you: are you

1. Someone who has never taken the pre-med curriculum (and thereby looking at structured programs)

2. Someone who has already taken prereqs and is looking at a post-bacc for people who are not "pre-med naive" so to speak

 

[gbvan]

Specifically, I'm looking for "career changer" postbacs, and a structured program, as opposed to a la carte.

 

[DoctorCoat]

For career changers that need to take all or most of the pre-reqs for med school, I recommend applying to the Career Changer Track at the San Francisco State Pre-Health Post-Bacc program.

A very supportive program that produces a lot of strong MD and DO applicants.

For a Career Changer: No GPA cutoffs but 3.3 + will make you competitive. That paired with either strong grades in a couple intro science/math/etc. classes or a streak of recent A's will make you a strong candidate. If you can't do either of those, then you could take the GRE. While not as useful for MD applications, a good GRE score is a great way to demonstrate academic potential to post-bacc programs.


Edit: I just finished their Academic Enhancer Track program so my opinion is obviously in no way biased. 😎

 

[gbvan]

For career changers that need to take all or most of the pre-reqs for med school, I recommend applying to the Career Changer Track at the San Francisco State Pre-Health Post-Bacc program.

A very supportive program that produces a lot of strong MD and DO applicants.

For a Career Changer: No GPA cutoffs but 3.3 + will make you competitive. That paired with either strong grades in a couple intro science/math/etc. classes or a streak of recent A's will make you a strong candidate. If you can't do either of those, then you could take the GRE. While not as useful for MD applications, a good GRE score is a great way to demonstrate academic potential to post-bacc programs.


Edit: I just finished their Academic Enhancer Track program so my opinion is obviously in no way biased. 😎

I actually live in Oakland, and am a married student (meaning moving would be a lot harder, but not impossible), so SFSU is my first choice for a variety of reasons.

Firstly, I really like how the program is structured, both in coursework and the cohort system. Plus, out of the three places I'll be applying - SFSU, Mills, and Scripps - it's also the lowest cost (this is a little debatable with Scripps because it's shorter but with higher tuition, but hey).

I'll post a very brief summation of my stats below if you have time to give me feedback on where I stand in the applicant pool, but definitely don't feel obligated to do so:

GPA: 3.73 (both in CC and UC Berkeley).

SAT Score: 1340 (old SAT)

GRE Score: About 1450, maybe higher. I took the new one so they only gave me estimated scores to hold me over until the new scoring scale is finished and I get my "real" scores in June.

Extracurriculars: Very involved in the psych community at Cal. Worked on the undergraduate research journal and the undergraduate psych conference. Also work as a research assistant in two cognitive science labs, and am completing an honors thesis.

Volunteer experience: None yet, but I just finished my second TB test today, so I should be starting that soon.

Other clinical experience: None yet, but I reduced my courseload for a variety of reasons (mostly financial) so that I have time to find a part-time job. Since I don't need one urgently, I'm going to wait until I (hopefully) get one medically related.

 

[examsherpa]

My recommendation is for you to go to the AAMC Postbacc Program Database. There you can sort for whatever region you are in and for Academic Enhancers or Career Changer programs. Once you get your list, each item is clickable to then view a page-long overview of each program. You will have your requirements on that page (hopefully). Otherwise, you will have to go to the program's own site.

So here in Manhattan, the 3 programs are Columbia, NYU, and CCNY, minimum GPA required 3.0, 3.0, and 2.8 respectively. I would say Columbia is the most rigorous here, and their minimu is 3.0, so that should give you an idea of top-tier programs.

As for admissions data, I think you are asking how many apply to the program and get into the postbacc. I don't remember seeing that on their websites. What the school offers in the AAMC database is how many apply and get accepted to medical school. Don't quote me on this, but I don't believe that enrollment is a problem if you meet their minimum requirements.

Hope that answers your question.

 

[DoctorCoat]

I actually live in Oakland, and am a married student (meaning moving would be a lot harder, but not impossible), so SFSU is my first choice for a variety of reasons.

Firstly, I really like how the program is structured, both in coursework and the cohort system. Plus, out of the three places I'll be applying - SFSU, Mills, and Scripps - it's also the lowest cost (this is a little debatable with Scripps because it's shorter but with higher tuition, but hey).

I'll post a very brief summation of my stats below if you have time to give me feedback on where I stand in the applicant pool, but definitely don't feel obligated to do so:

GPA: 3.73 (both in CC and UC Berkeley).

SAT Score: 1340 (old SAT)

GRE Score: About 1450, maybe higher. I took the new one so they only gave me estimated scores to hold me over until the new scoring scale is finished and I get my "real" scores in June.

Extracurriculars: Very involved in the psych community at Cal. Worked on the undergraduate research journal and the undergraduate psych conference. Also work as a research assistant in two cognitive science labs, and am completing an honors thesis.

Volunteer experience: None yet, but I just finished my second TB test today, so I should be starting that soon.

Other clinical experience: None yet, but I reduced my courseload for a variety of reasons (mostly financial) so that I have time to find a part-time job. Since I don't need one urgently, I'm going to wait until I (hopefully) get one medically related.

As far as your application, I would say you are in the upper tier of applicants based on your numbers. Your previous grades, GRE/SAT scores will support the idea that you can handle hard classes (science or otherwise). Your lack of volunteer experience is less than desirable, but most career changers don't decide to pursue med school until after they are done with undergrad so they have fewer opportunities to volunteer. The rest of your EC's are desirable since we don't see many CC's who have research under their belt. Definitely apply this upcoming cycle. If you can compose some quality essays to go with your application then I would say you have a pretty good shot at an acceptance.