post bac program help please

hi all,


i’m looking for your guidance with finding the appropriate post pac program, which will accept applicant like myself. See below for details.


age: 37


undergrad: bs in biochem


grad: ms in chem and ms in management (stopped short from a phd program due to family)


career: 12yrs in pharmaceutical industry


why do i want to become a doc now? because it has been my dream. never pursued because of family commitment. unfortunately that commitment no longer exists, therefor i have time to commit to myself.


i understand that med schools require prereq’s to be at least within the last 7 years. my “premed” requirements have been more than a decade. this leads me to a post bac program, but these programs will not accept students who had taken these requirements.


i’m stuck!! help. thanks in advance.

I think perhaps you’re speaking of formal postbaccs? Those typically won’t take people who have completed pre-reqs or science courses prior. You can always take courses piecemeal (DIY postbacc) if your university allows it. If not, enroll for a second bachelor’s and take the courses you need but no need to complete the bachelor’s. Then there’s also SMPs and other types of 1 or 2 year formal programs with or without linkages to med schools. However, some may require the GRE or MCAT. You have options, but with the caveat that things are tougher if you’re in CA. AAMC has a link that lists formal postbacc programs that you can browse to see the requirements. There are also good FAQs on SDN.

Where did you see/hear that med schools require prereqs be no older than 7 years?

i called and asked several med schools. they all informed anywhere 5-10 years. i used 7 because its about avg.

yes, formal pbpp. and thanks for the info.

Well, many schools take old grades (e.g. the NY school of osteopathic medicine). I would take the MCAT again (AFTER taking a prep course), see how you do, and apply to med school that will take your old grades. At the same time, I think a few post baccs and masters programs have been developed for people like you. Otherwise, go the informal route. You certainly have the background for someone to pursue a career in medicine.

Call UVA’s postbac program…they will definately let you retake those classes due to the length of time since you’ve taken them. Also, it gets all the prereqs in within 1 year. The academic director, Bob Burnett, is the head of the chemistry department at UVA (and worked in pharmaceutical industry for many years…I’d bet he would be happy to talk with you about the program if you called the chem. dept. )


Regarding other post-baccs - when they say “not for repeaters” regarding courses, they generally mean not if you are taking the courses to enhance your grades. But they are often open to you retaking them due to the age of your credentials. It is worth calling and talking to the program deans for any programs you are interested in…that’s how I found out several I could apply to as I was in the same boat.


Kate