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[Slytherclaw12]

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[Goro]

Hi--I'm posting this here because I didn't get any responses on the postbac forum! I just had a couple of questions that I've been confused about throughout my research on med school. A little background about me: I'm a rising URM senior at HYP who is interested in getting a healthcare job post-graduation (ie. biotech, pharma, health policy, etc.), and maybe applying to med school at 25-27. In that time (or right before applications) I would probably want to enroll in a postbac program. I currently have a around a 3.2 cGPA, and around a 3.0 sGPA, and have had a slight upward trend over the past year. Ideally for my senior year, I will continue my upward trend, but I'm looking at postbac programs right now because I don't know how much one more year will affect my GPA.

The prerequisites I've taken are as follows: 2 semesters of bio lecture, 1 semester of bio lab, 2 semesters of gen chem lecture, 2 semesters of gen chem lab, 2 semesters of orgo lecture, 1 semester of orgo lab, 1 semester of biochem, 1 semester of physics lecture, and no physics lab. So essentially I've taken some/most of the prereqs but haven't finished. I was thinking of doing a postbac so I could finish the prereqs, as well as take other advanced science classes to increase my uGPA (as I understand SMPs create a new graduate GPA). My current question is how should I determine if I should do a DIY postbac or a structured, more formal postbac program. I don't think an SMP would be good because it wouldn't increase my current GPA, costs a lot, and requires the MCAT which I haven't taken yet. Ideally I would like to continue to work full time while taking classes on the side (for financial reasons) and I don't know which postbacs would admit people who have taken some, but not all prereqs, so for that reason, I'm leaning towards a DIY postbac. Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated!

This forum is better suited for you if you are interested in becoming a doctor. Can't really advise on biotech, pharma, health policy, Suggest seeing your school's career counseling.

Post-bac programs are for career switchers to Medicine.
SMP is an audition for med school to salvage a trashed GPA and/or MCAT

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Hi--I'm posting this here because I didn't get any responses on the postbac forum! I just had a couple of questions that I've been confused about throughout my research on med school. A little background about me: I'm a rising URM senior at HYP who is interested in getting a healthcare job post-graduation (ie. biotech, pharma, health policy, etc.), and maybe applying to med school at 25-27. In that time (or right before applications) I would probably want to enroll in a postbac program. I currently have a around a 3.2 cGPA, and around a 3.0 sGPA, and have had a slight upward trend over the past year. Ideally for my senior year, I will continue my upward trend, but I'm looking at postbac programs right now because I don't know how much one more year will affect my GPA.

The prerequisites I've taken are as follows: 2 semesters of bio lecture, 1 semester of bio lab, 2 semesters of gen chem lecture, 2 semesters of gen chem lab, 2 semesters of orgo lecture, 1 semester of orgo lab, 1 semester of biochem, 1 semester of physics lecture, and no physics lab. So essentially I've taken some/most of the prereqs but haven't finished. I was thinking of doing a postbac so I could finish the prereqs, as well as take other advanced science classes to increase my uGPA (as I understand SMPs create a new graduate GPA). My current question is how should I determine if I should do a DIY postbac or a structured, more formal postbac program. I don't think an SMP would be good because it wouldn't increase my current GPA, costs a lot, and requires the MCAT which I haven't taken yet. Ideally I would like to continue to work full time while taking classes on the side (for financial reasons) and I don't know which postbacs would admit people who have taken some, but not all prereqs, so for that reason, I'm leaning towards a DIY postbac. Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated!

If I could do it all over again (and had the money to do so), I would have done a formal post-bac. I think I could have used some of the additional supports and guidance these programs offer (e.g., MCAT prep). With my DIY postbac, I felt like I was on an island a lot of the time - I had virtually nobody in my life, including at the university I attended, who could advise me on my path. I had to create my own plan from online resources like SDN and even now I wonder if I'm not as well suited for this as others who came through more structured pre-med/post-bac programs

Formal post-bacs are pretty challenging and fast-paced from everything I've heard. If you're struggling in the sciences, they might be too much, too fast for you. There was a blogger I followed for awhile who got chewed up and spit out by two formal post-bac programs - she was coming from zero science background and really struggled with the pace and content of the programs. She never made it to med school and was out tens of thousands of dollars.

Since you have the vast majority of prereqs down already, you will probably be fine with a DIY postbac, but consider retaking and acing some of those science classes.

 

[Moko]

My current question is how should I determine if I should do a DIY postbac or a structured, more formal postbac program.

Given your financial considerations, a DIY post-bac is your best bet. It'll be cheaper and offer more flexibility.

Most formal career-changer post-bac programs (off the top of my head: Scripps, Bryn Mawr, Goucher, Columbia, Penn, HES, etc) will only accept students who have taken none or 1-2 of the pre-requisite courses.

For those who have already completed most or all of the pre-requisite courses, possible options include:
i) academic-enhancement post-bacs
ii) specialized masters programs (SMP) and other Masters programs, and
iii) DIY post-bac.
The academic-enhancement post-bacs and DIY post-bacs will still count towards your undergrad GPA as you'll be taking undergrad level classes, whereas SMPs and other Masters programs will count towards your graduate GPA.

Generally speaking, the formal programs tend to be fast-paced, and are not suited for folks who cannot treat it like a full-time job. The formal programs also tend to be significantly more expensive without necessarily offering more value; at some places, the "personalized guidance" that folks receive is laughable / non-existent.. So be sure to do your research on the programs if you do choose to pursue the formal route. Specifically, you need to know what percentage of the each incoming class ends up matriculating, rather than the just the matriculation rate of those who received committee letters, etc. The latter is what is typically advertised by programs, which can be highly misleading. Good luck