You may have noticed a recent trend: more and more students are taking a “bridge year” between undergraduate and graduate school to prepare for graduate studies, boost their research foundation, gain professional experience, or volunteer.
WHY CHOOSE A POST-BACCLAUREATE PRE-MED PROGRAM?
- Academic Preparedness: Post-bacc pre-med programs are designed to provide the necessary science coursework and prerequisites required for medical school admission. If your undergraduate degree didn’t include these courses, a post-bacc program will bridge the academic gap.
- Career Change: Many individuals decide to pursue medicine later in life or after pursuing a different career. Post-bacc programs offer a structured pathway for career changers, allowing them to transition into the field of medicine.
- GPA Enhancement: If your undergraduate GPA doesn’t meet the competitive standards for medical school, a post-bacc program can help you demonstrate your academic potential by achieving excellent grades in the prerequisite courses.
- MCAT Preparation: Post-bacc programs often include MCAT preparation as part of their curriculum, helping students excel in this critical standardized test.
There are many post-bacc programs out there, but the good news is that the American Association of Medical Colleges does a pretty great job of keeping a somewhat updated list of programs. As of this fall, there are 319 options, but they are not all equal when it comes to medical school preparation, course rigor or faculty mentorship.
TTA Top Tip: It’s imperative you research, explore, and ideally visit the post-bacc programs you’re considering in the context of your medical school aspirations and career goals.
Career Planning and Academic Advising
Clear, informed career planning and academic / extracurricular advising.
WHAT A GREAT POST-BACC PRE-MED PROGRAM SHOULD OFFER
- The ability to demonstrate successful completion of premedical requirements.
- One-on-one faculty mentorship and advising on your medical school and career path.
- 2-3 strong letters of recommendation from top faculty.
- Research experience and exposure, publications, conference presentations.
- Ability to show your continued high-level commitment to your end goal of becoming a doctor.
- Ability to share with medical schools that you’ve excelled in the post-bacc, whether that is via a certificate (which some provide) or a Master’s degree (which fewer provide).
- Strong placement rates in medical schools and an ability to see a list of where last year’s medical school applicants got in.
- Medical school affiliation (which not all offer), also referred to as a “linkage agreement.”
- Affordability, including financial aid and merit aid in some way.
- Full time, on-campus study with lab work included.
- A timeline under 15 months.
WHAT IS A “LINKAGE AGREEMENT”?
Some post-bacc pre-med programs have a formal relationship with specific medical schools. This means that completing the post-bacc accelerates the application process and offers you conditional acceptance into a certain medical school based on your performance in the program. Linkage agreements are also sometimes referred to as “early acceptance programs” or “pathways.” For example, Northwestern notes:
“Students who are admitted to a medical school via a linkage can accelerate their enrollment by starting their medical studies in the term following completion of their post-baccalaureate program, thus bypassing the glide year.”
Northwestern students pick one of three programs and can select from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, or Rutgers School of Dental Medicine.
POST-BACCALAUREATE PRE-MED: TTA SUCCESS STORIES
Here are a few post-bacc pre-med programs, in no particular order, where our students have recently been accepted and where they have excelled.
University of Michigan: The University of Michigan Post Bac MEDPREP Program is an 8 to 14-month program designed to enable a student without a strong science background to prepare for medical school and a career as a physician. MEDPREP is one of only a few post-bacc programs to have a linkage agreement with the University of Michigan Medical School.
University of Virginia: The University of Virginia Post Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program is an 11-month program that entails taking required science courses while being guided by advisors in the preparation of medical school application materials. As their site notes, “students augment their clinical exposure through shadowing and volunteer opportunities at the UVA Health System and other regional sites, and attend regular class sessions taught by a physician focusing on the US healthcare system, professionalism, and bioethics.” Students who have successfully completed this rigorous program have had a 95 percent acceptance rate to medical school, which is quite high!
Johns Hopkins University: The Johns Hopkins University Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program is a 9–14-month program that features an “integrated curriculum that furthers students’ concepts of medicine.” The program includes research experience with doctors and professors in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, provided MCAT prep, and coaching to help students find the best medical school match for their interests and skills. The program also has linkages with top medical schools such as Boston University, George Washington University, and Brown University.
Fordham University: The Fordham Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Med/Pre-Health Program (PBPH) is for college graduates interested in a career in the health professions and need prerequisite science courses. The program offers the pre-med curriculum in the evening during the academic year and summer sessions to prepare students for application to medical, dental, physician assistant, veterinary, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or anesthesiology assistant programs. They have 3 different NY campuses and allow for spring, summer and fall entry.
Georgetown University: The Georgetown Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Certificate Program prepares students to apply successfully to medical, dental, veterinary, physician assistant or other health professional schools. The program is designed for career changer students who need to complete pre-requisites. The time required to complete the certificate program ranges from fifteen to twenty-four months, depending on the preparation of the incoming student. Admissions are rolling and they also have spring, summer and fall entry options.
CONSIDERING A POST-BACCALAUREATE PRE-MED PROGRAM?
All post-bacc programs are unique in their own way, but on the whole, you’ll likely need the following as part of your application:
- Online app within the university’s admissions portal
- Personal statement (prompts and length requirements vary based on the program)
- Short answer essays or longer supplements; often these are “why essays”
- Resume/CV (noting research foundation, publications, clinical hours, etc.)
- Letter(s) of recommendation
- SAT or ACT
- Application fee
- All transcripts earned to date
Post-bacc applications are now open for a summer or fall 2024 start. If you’re seeking to gain a competitive edge in elite grad school admissions; we’d love to help!
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