Newbie Has Basic Questions re: Post-baccs

Here is my situation:
I have applied to several law schools for the fall 2004 admissions cycle and am now considering post-bacc programs for premedical coursework. I’ve always wanted to practice medicine, and law school was kind of a default for me.
I graduated last May with a Political Science degree -3.4- and have no science courses on my transcript. However, I have significant medical research experience and an intense interest in becoming a physician.
Here are my questions:
1- Is it possible for me to be admitted to a post-bacc program?
2- I have not taken the MCAT, will I still be qualified to apply to a post-bacc?
3- Are post-baccs competititive?
4- Will my undergrad GPA and minimal training in the sciences bar me from allopathic medical schools (assuming I do well in post-bacc and MCAT)?
5- If I already took out federal loans for undergrad, can I get federal loans for a post-bacc?
Thanks to all who respond. This board rocks!

Caveat: I didn’t do a formal post-bacc, nor did I look into them, so I can’t answer with specifics. But here’s my thoughts.
1. possible to be admitted? It’s my impression that each post-bacc program has somewhat different criteria for the students they consider. Go to www.aamc.org to find a link to post-bacc programs, which then gives you links to programs. You’ll be able to find out a lot about their different requirements, I think.
2. no MCAT yet? At least some post-bacc programs assume you won’t have taken the MCAT. Your search to answer #1 should help you determine which programs would suit you.
3. are post-baccs competitive? You do have to apply and not everyone gets in, but with a 3.4 undergrad GPA I think you’ve got a good chance of getting into many of these programs
4. chances of getting into an allopathic school? Presuming you do well with the prerequisites and on the MCAT, you’ll be fine. People major in music, religion, philosophy, history and get into medical school. Why do you specify allopathic? Either M.D. or D.O. can get you into medicine…
5. loans - I don’t know about that, but keep in mind that post-bacc programs are a business, and they will be only too happy to help you find the money to pay them. I would be very surprised if their sites did NOT include a lot of specifics about how to pay.
Finally, are you set on a formal post-bacc program? It is NOT necessary to do it that way, although many people do it for a variety of reasons. You can take the prerequisites independent of a program and achieve the same result. Formal post-baccs have a lot of benefits such as access to a pre-med committee that will provide letters of recommendation, interview coaching, MCAT prep etc. (these are possible benefits, not necessarily provided by all programs). However, those benefits come at considerable cost. Obviously doing it on your own means that you’ll need to find your own resources to make up for the stuff you’d get as part of a formal program, and that may not be an attractive option. OTOH saving $$ is a good thing, especially if you’ve already got a loan burden. Medical school is going to set you back considerably more in loans, so avoiding additional debt prior to getting in is to your benefit.
Bullet points:
1. post-bacc programs are not uniform by any means, so their prerequisites and benefits vary considerably.
2. you can get into medical school from virtually any background.
3. you don’t have to do a formal post-bacc.
4. be careful about debt!
Good luck!

Wow, thank you very much for your thoughtful feedback! I definetly feel that I at least know of a place to start now.
Just one quick question. Is it possible to get into some of the better post-bacc programs with minimal healthcare experience, no science background and no MCAT? Also, I’ve only been out of school for a year. Will this hurt me?
Thanks again.

Hi and welcome to OPM.
Have you thought about maybe going and getting a minor in Biology. Then you would have the science courses you would need for the MCAT and to apply to med school. You can get loans for fulltime enrollment to schools.
After you take the required courses then you would take the MCAT and it is at that time when you can determine if you are going to be a competitive applicant. It is really hard to say now without the science courses, math courses and the MCAT.
The only post-bac programs that I know about that require the MCAT are for students that have taken all the necessary required med school classes, and have taken the MCAT and need the classes to try and boost up their GPA because they have been turned down for admission to some med school.
You can take classes at most universities as a non-degree seeking student to get in all the required courses. It is not a formal program and you can take only what you need to take. Being out of school a year won’t matter at all!!!
Good luck

Quote:

You can get loans for fulltime enrollment to schools.



Thanks for your input and it’s nice to see someone else from central VA on here! Do you know if federal aid in the form of loans is given to students seeking a second degree/non-degree courses? Also, do med schools combine your GPAs?
Thank you

Hello and Welcome to OPM! My situation is similar to yours. I just filed my FAFSA online a few days ago and I’ll let you know what happens. I classified myself as a 2nd bachelor’s degree student since I already have a bachelor’s degree in another field. I wasn’t sure what to put since I applied to 3 formal post-bac programs (certificate programs?) and 2 informal 2nd degree programs. (I’ll also probably apply to Georgetown this summer through the back door–their summer program where you can take the 4 core science classes). I figured since the programs that accepted me (so far) are regular 4-year universities that I was best to put down 2nd degree bachelor’s on the FAFSA. I hope I get some aid! FAFSA asked for my savings & checking accounts & investments (nada there) and then calculated the exact figure I had in my savings (which I’ve been saving for school) as my “expected family contribution.” It was a little freaky that my EFC was within $5 of my savings account!





Bottom line: I’m pretty sure we’re both eligible for financial aid. As to how much and whether it’s subsidized or unsubsidized, I don’t know. I guess I’ll find out soon.





Love,


Stacy

Question for both B1leper and StartingOver: do you have a source of support for living expenses (like a spouse or parents)? I’m single and have no source of support other than myself, and I really want to do a post-bacc full time, and I’m wondering whether I’ll be able to borrow for living expenses as well as tuition.

Trismegistus-
I too am single though I will be engaged here in a few months. Here’s my situation. I’ve already borrowed 21K in undergrad and from what I am told by my pre-bacc program, I am eligible for up to $5,500 subsidized and $5,000 unsubsidized. That’s $10K. Luckily, my program will only be around $4K a semester, so I can live off the rest of the federal aid (~$3K/semester) and I’ll probably have to take out a smal private loan to cover the rest. So I guess what I’m saying is that it really depends on your program cost. Many are very expensive, few are affordable. A better plan for some may be to look at a state school and do prereqs there because most post-baccs are very, very expensive. HTH.
Stacy-
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, I’ve already applied for the FAFSA listing myself as a graduate-seeking student because I have law school apps out right now (thinking of doing a post-bacc). From what I’ve been told by the post-bacc program I’m interested in, I will only be eligible for the senior-year level stafford loans (sub and unsubed) and this depends on how much I actually have left to borrow on my undergrad loan cap.
Good luck to both of you!!

Quote:

Trismegistus-
I too am single though I will be engaged here in a few months. Here’s my situation. I’ve already borrowed 21K in undergrad and from what I am told by my pre-bacc program, I am eligible for up to $5,500 subsidized and $5,000 unsubsidized. That’s $10K. Luckily, my program will only be around $4K a semester, so I can live off the rest of the federal aid (~$3K/semester) and I’ll probably have to take out a smal private loan to cover the rest. So I guess what I’m saying is that it really depends on your program cost. Many are very expensive, few are affordable. A better plan for some may be to look at a state school and do prereqs there because most post-baccs are very, very expensive. HTH.


Interesting… I wonder, what do people who go to these expensive post-baccs do? Can you (if worst comes to worst) just take out a large private loan to cover living expenses?

“Interesting… I wonder, what do people who go to these expensive post-baccs do? Can you (if worst comes to worst) just take out a large private loan to cover living expenses?”
That’s percisely what most do. unfortunately, you need a credit score in at least the 700s to qualify unless you have a very genorous cosigner. This is what makes the post-bacc quest so damn risky; especially if you have an SO in your life.
Then there’s those fortunate second chancers who can get the money from their parents or trust fund. Lucky bastards