*Note: there is no standardized spelling for postbac so we will use postbac, post-bac, post-bacc, and post bacc interchangeably.
Students often are confused by pre-medical post-baccalaureate programs. There are so many to choose from. In general, premed postbac programs can be separated into two distinct types of programs: (1) remedial programs for college pre-meds who want to improve their GPAs and (2) “career changer” programs for students who have never taken premed coursework before. This article will focus on the latter, as this is the path most of our clients take.
Career changer post-bacc programs
If you haven’t taken many premed courses but want to be a good candidate in the über competitive medical school admissions process, a career changer premed post-bacc may be a good option for you. If you have already taken a small number of premed prerequisites (chemistry, biology, or physics), make sure you check the websites of programs you are interested in to ensure you are still able to apply. If you have an unusual situation, do not hesitate to email programs directly. This will answer your questions and also demonstrates interest in the program.
Here are some common questions non-traditional premed postbac applicants have:
1. Are premed postbacs expensive?
Yes, absolutely. They cost about the price of a year at a private liberal arts college. Note that the most prestigious of these programs (the big 3: Goucher, Bryn Mawr, and Scripps) were founded in the 1980s at all-girls schools that were suffering financially with the rise of co-ed education. Premed post-bacc programs were an opportunity to get a year or two’s worth of tuition dollars without having to increase undergrad enrollment.
(Check out our table of the top postbacs for details on individual program pricing!)
2. But are they just a way to take my money?
Well, not really. Simply put, these programs offer the fastest path to complete necessary premedical coursework. They also give you the best shot of getting into med school.
These programs have phenomenal advising (read: handholding) during the admissions process. Advising includes volunteer recommendations to bolster your application, timelines for submission, the much-desired committee letter, as well as guidance on your personal statement and the 15 AMCAS experiences. Certain program directors have even been known to review every email sent to admissions officers, including thank you notes.
From the perspective of medical schools, graduating from a career changer program is evidence of good pedigree. In the same way that attending a top University is widely viewed as evidence that you are smart and successful, attending one of these programs is evidence that you would make a great doctor.
3. Do medical schools even want non-traditional students?
Career changers (AKA non-traditional students) are an additional form of diversity that many prestigious medical programs seek out. Some programs (like UPenn and University of Chicago) pride themselves on having substantial numbers of students with non-traditional backgrounds. The term non-traditional includes those who have had previous careers, students who did not study biology or chemistry as undergraduates, and individuals who have had other unusual life experiences.
Video Postbacc Guide
4. What are my chances of getting into medical school with a post bacc program?
Your odds of getting into med school from a post-bacc program varies substantially with the quality of the program. At some of the top programs, your chances can be as high as 90-99% (Goucher: previously 99.7%, Scripps: 98%, Bryn Mawr 98%). Check out our premed post-bacc comparison table for further details. Suffice it to say if you’re serious about med school and do not have the prerequisites, you should strongly consider this option.
5. How strong of a candidate am I for a postbac?
What you need to be a good post-bacc candidate changes slightly with the proverbial tides. For instance, a “normal” GPA for med schools increased a couple years back (thank you grade inflation!) and so the premed post baccs have followed suit.
While each program is different, your ability to get into a premed postbac program depends on five main factors:
(1) How good of a student you were in college and high school. Yes, your GPA matters and so do your previous standardized test scores (especially SAT/ACT if you don’t have a master’s degree);
(2) Pedigree. What college did you go to? Unfortunately, it matters to these programs whether you went to Yale or a community college. However, from experience we can say that this matters more to some programs than others.
(3) A unique story and path to medicine. Many successful applicants have unusual backstories, such as a Fulbright scholarship, Teach for America fellowship, being ex-military, or experiences living abroad. However, you don’t need to have an incredible backstory to succeed in getting into a premed postbac. What you need is a compelling case for why your previous career choice wasn’t the right one for you and why you now want to go into medicine. In addition, you need to demonstrate that you know what a doctor does. Having shadowed a physician for a substantial period of time ought to show programs you have a good idea of what you’re getting into. However, you don’t need to go overboard. While everyone’s situation is slightly different, it’s more important to have longevity and consistency over months rather than a huge number of hours weekly.
(4) Volunteer experiences. One commonly overlooked component of a solid application is volunteering in the community. Ideally this would be something in a medical setting (e.g., Emergency Department volunteer, hospice volunteer, etc). However, it does not need to be medical in nature. Covid has upended many conventional medical opportunities by making it more difficult to work in a hospital setting. (Check out our post on how to get medical experiences during COVID.) Whether you do a traditional volunteer activity or simply volunteer a couple of hours weekly at a suicide hotline, volunteer work is essential to getting into a premed postbac.
(5) Being a normal, likeable human being. Once you are actually given an interview, your admission will depend largely on how nice and normal you seem as a person. (See this article for interview tips).
Summary: How do I know if I will be a good applicant?
You should have the following:
- A high GPA, ideally a 3.7 or above but it can be lower. (Please note that we had GPAs below this cut off and we still were accepted into pre-med post-bacc programs. It can be done!)
- Many volunteer experiences serving the community, ideally with underserved populations.
- A coherent, concise story detailing why you want to go into medicine.
- Great letters of recommendation. These are critical so please form great relationships with the people you work and volunteer with.
- Not have taken too many intro premed science classes (biology, chemistry, physics). Ideally, you will have taken zero but some programs will let it slide if you took only 1 or 2 classes, or if the courses were over 5 years ago.
Many of these features you can create over the course of a year or two. My brother and I have advised students before they begin to write their applications to ensure success on this path. If you’re interested in a conversation or additional services to help you get into the increasingly competitive pre-med post-bacc programs, contact us at [email protected]