why do post bac programs

[scdocusc]

I realize that many adcoms look highly upon a PBL program students applying to DO school. But why? I'm sorry if I make people mad by saying this but if medicine is the ultimate goal, then why not just take more classes at a university. Why waste more money on a degree that will not directly fufill your dream of being a physician? As a reapplicant with a decent GPA I've been told time and time again to apply for a PBL program but if being a doctor is your dream why waste time, and additional money on a degree so you can go to Med school. I understand that taking more classes can be pricey but why go through all the hassle of applying to a PBL program when it can yield the same outcome? There is no way anyone could get me to enroll in a program i'm not interested in with the promise of med school.

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[spicedmanna]

I realize that many adcoms look highly upon a PBL program students applying to DO school. But why? I'm sorry if I make people mad by saying this but if medicine is the ultimate goal, then why not just take more classes at a university. Why waste more money on a degree that will not directly fufill your dream of being a physician? As a reapplicant with a decent GPA I've been told time and time again to apply for a PBL program but if being a doctor is your dream why waste time, and additional money on a degree so you can go to Med school. I understand that taking more classes can be pricey but why go through all the hassle of applying to a PBL program when it can yield the same outcome? There is no way anyone could get me to enroll in a program i'm not interested in with the promise of med school.

Well, by PBL program, I am thinking you are talking about SMP, the special master's degree programs? In my opinion, there are two ways to demonstrate your academic prowess after you have graduated. You can take additional undergraduate science classes either through a formal or informal post-baccalaureate program and rock ALL the classes (read: get straight A's) in a fulltime schedule for as long as it is reasonable, or you can, if your MCAT is good enough, attend a SMP. These SMP programs show your potential for academic success in medical school because you are taking many of the same classes that the medical school students take; you are often graded in accordance to their curve. This gives the adcoms something to directly compare you to. Also, there are some SMP programs that have linkages to the associated medical school, which can make your admittance much easier to obtain. SMP's are also valuable if you've already exhausted other options and have already taken plenty of science classes. Furthermore, formal programs offer structure, which some people need in order to stay focused. Other than that, it's personal preference. Hey, we are the land of freedom and opportunity, why not offer alternatives? Some people are willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means doing an SMP, to get into medical school.

 

[SunshineNYC]

I realize that many adcoms look highly upon a PBL program students applying to DO school. But why? I'm sorry if I make people mad by saying this but if medicine is the ultimate goal, then why not just take more classes at a university. Why waste more money on a degree that will not directly fufill your dream of being a physician? As a reapplicant with a decent GPA I've been told time and time again to apply for a PBL program but if being a doctor is your dream why waste time, and additional money on a degree so you can go to Med school. I understand that taking more classes can be pricey but why go through all the hassle of applying to a PBL program when it can yield the same outcome? There is no way anyone could get me to enroll in a program i'm not interested in with the promise of med school.

The pre-med post-bac programs are for people who graduated with a BA or BS in something other than pre-med (or biology or chemistry and so on). I graduated with a BA in psych and hadn't taken the required courses for medical school and so doing post-bac work was good for me. Similarly, for art majors, or for people who went on to other careers before deciding to apply to medical school. There are also programs where you earn a master's degree in something like biology, biochemistry, or physiology and those programs feed in to medical schools. This would probably be the option you are looking at, or people are recommending to you since you were pre-med in undergraduate school already. People generally do these programs if they didn't get in to medical school the first time around and were told that their grades weren't good enough and that they should take more classes or go in to one of these programs. I don't know if it is right for you... if your grades are already fine, then you could always just take an extra year to gain more experience by working in a hospital or doing research. The masters programs are not the ONLY way to go, but if you do well in one that generally feeds in to a particular medical school, you can rest assured that your chances of getting in to that school is pretty high.