OK, Another question in terms of how to add some things to my post-bacc application. I have a collection of about 30 certificates for trainings and symposiums and organizations I belong to. I also have about 25 letters, dating back to 1978, that are either congratulatory for certain achievements, or actual letters of recommendation from various professors, colleagues, etc. over the years.
How does one incorporate all these things that add to evidence as to why you should be admitted, without handing the admissions committee a 3 inch stack of materials???
Ideas?? Thoughts???
Enumerate them? 12 letters of achievement, 7 letters of recommendation, 6 of …
I guess I would put the most current and then just list the others.
In general, postbac admissions committees want to see:
- Fantastic personal statement
- Well-written resume that is brief but still tells your story
- Updated LOR
My suggestion to you:
- Any class/course you have taken can be listed under one resume heading
- Any award/honor under another resume heading
- Get new letters of rec. If some of those folks you speak about still know you and can talk about your growth and long-term desire to be a physician, ask them to write an updated version
Good luck!
–Dr. Miller
I planned on getting the LOR’s from psychiatrists that I currently work with. I just have all these very nice old ones…many from professors, many from people who are long dead. For some reason, it just seems valuable to me that so MANY people said so MANY complimentary things about my work for SO MANY years…Not really sure what to do about that. I ordered my high school transcript today…I ordered a sealed copy for admissions, and a copy for myself - I am in hopes it shows my SAT scores, and also reflects that I was an early admissions student to college, majored in Math, Science and Latin in High School, and received a Regent’s Scholarship from the State of New York. I did my last year of high school at college then came back and walked and graduated with my high school class. All this in 1978-1979 - just hoping it all shows on the transcript. If the SAT is not on there, I will need the College Boards to search their archives. I took it in 1977. I will try to find a way to add these certifications and trainings to my resume, along with counting the congratulatory letters as honors. Whew!! I’m sweating already and not even into the personal statement yet. (Maybe it’s just a hot flash…) 
Personally, I’m avoiding ANY achievement that indirectly gives my age away. For example, I won a local Miss America Preliminary pageant back in the day but do NOT plan to include it because it will indirectly give my age away.
Speaking from experience–having run two different post-bac programs and reviewed thousands of applications–I can give you the following insider’s advice:
- Do not inundate programs with materials; let the required application and supporting documents speak for themselves. Distill your accomplishments into a succinct package that summarizes your activities and future goals.
- Most programs require two letters and will accept three if you want to submit an extra one. More than that is usually too much. The key is to choose recommenders who are relevant to your decision to go into medicine, who know you well, and who can write about you in a meaningful way.
- Your resume can reflect all of your activities/involvements, etc.; if you have a lot to include don’t worry about the length.
- Programs will usually ask you to list all the science/math courses you’ve taken in the application itself; there’s no need to include that on the resume.
- Programs will also ask you to list honors/awards in the application itself; you don’t need to repeat those on the resume but many people do.
- Be sure to write a personal statement that clearly articulates “why medicine” with evidence for your decision.
Best of luck to you!
Liza
Hi there,
I applied to postbacs with my three strongest, most recent LORs. When it came time to apply to med school, my advisor kept making more and more suggestions about various former employers/volunteer supervisors/professors from my past who would be able to add something to my application, which she then rolled into my committee letter. I ended up having about a dozen LORs by the time I applied (including one that was about a decade old – tried for months, but just couldn’t track down that recommender to get a new one).
So maybe just use the big guns to get into the postbac (so you don’t overwhelm them), and then pull out all the stops for your med school apps (but using your committee letter so you don’t overwhelm the med school adcoms)?
Good luck!
Pretty much all post-bacc programs have extra seats available in their classrooms. Getting rejected to post-bacc programs is generally an act of mercy as they don’t think you can make it and want you to save time/money.
There is essentially no difference between being a student at large and being in a post-bacc program, don’t worry about flooding them with letters. It is not like med school where many people that could make it get rejected. And worst case if you think they are wrong you can become a student at large. I completed a top tier post-bacc program and got accepted to US med school and I wish I just registered as a student at large and used my application fee and college algrbra CLEP test fee to go out to a couple nice dinners.
Even for med school apps most will say more than 3-5 letters (depending on the school) is pointless.
I think that is pretty awesome and bodes well for you that virtually everyone that has had academic or professional contact with you seems to like you 
Even though these previous recs you mention sounds fabulous, remember that post-bac admissions committees want to know what you are like now. You are certainly not the same person you were 20 years ago. Thus, think about how to keep your recs fresh and relevant. And, also think about how you can prove to admissions committees that it is better to give you a seat in the class than someone 10-20 years younger.
–Dr. Miller
Just to clarify and help OPMers looking at this thread:
While several aspects of applying to post-bac programs and med school are the same, the letters submitted–and the format they’re in–are different. Most med school applicants, but not all nontrads, will use the committee letter process at their undergrad institution or through their post-bac program. The committee letter (and I have written a lot of them!) attempts to summarize the candidate as comprehensively as possible. The letter uses additional letters from your academic, clinical, extracurricular, and professional pasts to round you out as an applicant. Thus more letters are used in conjunction with the committee letter than with a post-bac application.
I hope this helps clarify the processes/letters used. If not, ask away and I will respond!
Liza
Hi Do you think it’s best to not talk about your age, even during the interview?
They ask for transcripts…including high school…how on earth could I possibly “hide” my age??? I have wrinkles for crying out loud!!! My “style” is to wear it proud and wear it loud!!! I HAVE much more to offer based on my 30 years of experience in the field…
Love your response! I agree. Hiding your age is basically impossible and not the point. The key to getting into a great post-bac program is to use your interesting past experiences to show the post-bac admissions committees a few things:
- Why now
- Why MD
- Why will you be a fabulous MD
It’s the overall story that will get you in.
–Dr. Miller
“Pretty much all post-bacc programs have extra seats available in their classrooms. Getting rejected to post-bacc programs is generally an act of mercy as they don’t think you can make it and want you to save time/money.”
Hi. I really have to disagree with you. Getting a rejection from Temple, for example, is not an act of mercy. Bryn Mawr is also competitive. For Temple, it’s b/c of what they offer you–provisional acceptance into their medical school should you maintain a 3.5 or > in their program, and a MCAT > 30, with no 1 area < 8 or 9 I think. That’s a very sweet deal, so long as you can work it. And their BCMS and ACMS are pretty competitive–especially b/c of that deal and the number of available seats.