Non-Trad international student trying to get the pre-reqs in for medical school

Nontraditional Premed Discussion
1

Hello,

TLDR: I am looking to take pre-req courses as a non trad international student. Looking for recommendations on doing a core postbacc program/DIY postbacc or pursuing a second bachelors degree.

I am an international student and I recently completed my master’s in biomedical informatics from USA with 3.85 GPA and I am currently working in the United States on OPT (student visa). I completed my undergraduate degree in computer science outside the United States.

I have considerable research experience with one publication on its way and currently I work for a radiology informatics research organization. I have studied public health courses during my masters, and I have few physician shadowing hours under my belt. I am trying to get involved in clinical volunteering at hospitals nearby. The e-shadowing sessions through this website have been immensely helpful. I have started preparing for MCAT and aspire to apply next year or the year after to medical schools.

Since I am a career changer, I am planning to do a Postbacc premed program this summer / fall. However, some resources suggest that getting a second bachelors is an alternative and better route to getting in the pre-reqs for non-trad international students. I would love to know if there are any other premeds in a similar situation and how they made it through. Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

1 Like
2

I would go for the post-bacc program over a 2nd bachelor’s. My BA is in English and I also have a psychology minor, so I’m in a DIY post-bacc at UC Berkeley Extension. It’s cheaper than a 2nd bachelor’s because you don’t pay fees other than those for classes. As a DIY program, you can take as many or as few classes as you need. They don’t make you repeat classes you passed elsewhere. I’m not taking bio with them because I got A’s both semesters when I took it at UDC. Even when you’re in the program, you don’t have to take every class in house. Most of the classes are at night or weekends as most of us are working professionals. Finally, I like that UCBx classes are separate from UCB because being in classes with other non-trads was important as I started the program 8 years after undergrad

3

Thanks, this is helpful .

1 Like