Post-Bac Guidance

[yellowjackatl]

Hey y'all I'm kinda struggling with a direction/guidance for this question so I'm here! I am a graduating super senior from Georgia Tech that was pre-med but switched out roughly halfway through my college career due to my declining mental health over the course of a year related to me coming out as an LGBT individual. In the fallout of this, I changed my major to save my GPA, and im currently hovering around a 3.05 GPA upon graduation which is obviously not competitive for med school right now, so im thinking of doing a post bacc program after a year of work in order to position me better/relearn material. For those that have completed or are in one, can you give me any insight to the quality or opportunities offered by these programs? I also am wondering how to position myself in the best possible light for post bac admissions (and med school down the line) and right now I have a full month of clinical experience lined up for me after I graduate before I start my full time job, research experience from college, and I'm currently exploring volunteer/continuing clinical opportunities within my community in addition to a full time job for the next calendar year until I apply for post bac programs in 2021.

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[GreenDuck12]

I can take a stab at this one. For your post-bac program you have a lot of options. Most programs fall into two broad categories of formal and informal. Formal programs are structured 1 year programs that will have you complete all the basic prerequisite courses to apply to medical school. The big names are Scripps, Goucher, and Bryn Mawr but there are many others. These programs have a high cost and have high bars for entry (there is a reason why they boast that their students have a 90%+ acceptance rate to medical schools.
The second category are informal programs in which you are able to register and take classes a la carte. These programs come with much less support and can be completed at almost any public university or college. These programs tend to be significantly cheaper but you have to do more research and seek out the support that you need.

There is a third group that is a combination of the two (Harvard Extension School premedical program is a good example). There is more support but still pretty self guided.

For the structured post Bacc programs, your cumulative GPA is going to be a hurdle. They typically only accept students with high GPAs and high standardized test scores.

Your best bet would be to take some time to shadow physicians and volunteer in a clinical setting to see if medicine is the career you want to pursue. Make sure you have other aspects of your life squared away before getting started with classes. In the end, it really doesn’t make too much of a difference where you take your classes. What matters is that you do well and get the preparation you need for the mcat. Let me know if you have other questions and best of luck to you

 

[TD_302]

This response definitely helps...I found that my local college had a Biotechnology program that essentially covers the pre-reqs required for med school. This gives me an opportunity to build my GPA as well as experience the Biotech industry and possible take on lab jobs. Not sure if every one is shaded by money trees but i can definitely use the experience as well as some pay to cover basic essentials.

 

[kb_medicine]

This response definitely helps...I found that my local college had a Biotechnology program that essentially covers the pre-reqs required for med school. This gives me an opportunity to build my GPA as well as experience the Biotech industry and possible take on lab jobs. Not sure if every one is shaded by money trees but i can definitely use the experience as well as some pay to cover basic essentials.

Are you located in Georgia? I was accepted into Agnes Scott but I would need a more cost-effective option as well.

 

[kb_medicine]

Hey y'all I'm kinda struggling with a direction/guidance for this question so I'm here! I am a graduating super senior from Georgia Tech that was pre-med but switched out roughly halfway through my college career due to my declining mental health over the course of a year related to me coming out as an LGBT individual. In the fallout of this, I changed my major to save my GPA, and im currently hovering around a 3.05 GPA upon graduation which is obviously not competitive for med school right now, so im thinking of doing a post bacc program after a year of work in order to position me better/relearn material. For those that have completed or are in one, can you give me any insight to the quality or opportunities offered by these programs? I also am wondering how to position myself in the best possible light for post bac admissions (and med school down the line) and right now I have a full month of clinical experience lined up for me after I graduate before I start my full time job, research experience from college, and I'm currently exploring volunteer/continuing clinical opportunities within my community in addition to a full time job for the next calendar year until I apply for post bac programs in 2021.

Do Agnes Scott’s Post Bacc. Pretty expensive, but it’s located in Georgia. They accept females and males for the program. They are very lgbtq friendly: My admissions counselor has her pronouns in her signature.

If you already took most of their courses though, I don’t think you can apply (double check). It’s not for improving your grade, but for those who haven’t fulfilled the requirements in years or not at all.

I heard about how tight-knit the post-bacc community is there so that’s why I applied. Very supportive with study groups, small classes, and a lounge strictly for us

They do have ideal GPA and GRE requirements, but take a holistic approach to applicants. So just explain your history and they take it into account.

They also have a linkage program with Mercer Medical School. They are still accepting applicants but it’s on a rolling basis. I was accepted for this summer. Check it out!

 

[kb_medicine]

This response definitely helps...I found that my local college had a Biotechnology program that essentially covers the pre-reqs required for med school. This gives me an opportunity to build my GPA as well as experience the Biotech industry and possible take on lab jobs. Not sure if every one is shaded by money trees but i can definitely use the experience as well as some pay to cover basic essentials.

Also, what is the name of your local college?

 

[TD_302]

Also, what is the name of your local college?

I'm in FL at Palm Beach State College
I'll be loading up my schedule during the day and working in the hospital overnights as a phlebotomist/lab assistant