I am a third year associate at a law firm planning to start a postbac program this summer. So far, I have been admitted to Columbia, but I am still waiting on a few other schools (NYU, Bennington, Goucher, etc.).
I know postbac programs are very difficult and competitive, but I am wondering how the competition compares to law school. How hard are the classes compared to law school classes?
Thanks!
My sister is a lawyer and she says they didn’t teach her anything in law school 
I think it all depends on the type of learner you are. Most of the difficulty for me (accounting/history background) is the complete 180 in your learning. You will spend a lot more time working problems and studying minutia, while in accounting it was more learning hard and fast rules and applying them. In Ochem there will be hard in fast rules for a reaction unless of course this funtional group is here rather than there or if it is in this solution. (last sentence is supposed to be sarcasm)
HealthNut,
Your post-bacc will be similar to what you would have found in any undergrad situation (as the classes are undergrad)–science and math courses can be difficult depending on your background, but they move at an undergrad pace.
Perhaps a more interesting comparison will be how medical school differs from law school. In talking with those who graduated from law school, it is COMPLETELY different. From what I understand from law school, the focus is on a great deal of reading and much less so on memorizing minutiae. Medical school is much more the opposite. Of course there is reading, but not nearly to the same degree. And minutiae comes at you a mile a minute in medical school. Thus, in my opinion, it’s just a totally different kind of experience and requires a completely different set of skills. The reasoning skills you developed in law school will help you in medical school as well. Clearly you’re an intelligent being and I’m certain that, although different, you will be able to make the adjustment.
Thanks for the responses! My concern is that I went to a state school for undergrad and I don’t want to find myself in over my head at Columbia’s postbac program. In undergrad, I only took one basic math class and one basic science class. Although I did well in both, I’m concerned about the level of competition at Columbia. Law school was very competitive, and I did well, but it’s a different type of thinking than science classes… Also, I hear the students at Columbia ain’t stoopid. 
Part of me wants to go to an easier program without a curve in the science classes, but I definitely plan to do my homework before deciding…
- HealthNut Said:
Thanks for the responses! My concern is that I went to a state school for undergrad and I don't want to find myself in over my head at Columbia's postbac program. In undergrad, I only took one basic math class and one basic science class. Although I did well in both, I'm concerned about the level of competition at Columbia. Law school was very competitive, and I did well, but it's a different type of thinking than science classes... Also, I hear the students at Columbia ain't stoopid.
Part of me wants to go to an easier program without a curve in the science classes, but I definitely plan to do my homework before deciding...
Part of me wants to go to an easier program without a curve in the science classes, but I definitely plan to do my homework before deciding...
This is NOT from personal experience but from conversations with students attending Columbia, the PostBacc students are cut-throat, brutal, ultra-competitive, full of people who want that Ivy League attachment. It does not sound like a place for timid. Personally, I think the best school that you can do well in in better that simply the best school. Take a look at Hunter
I think its around the same, you can doo it, think its a good choise.
Regards
James THomsen
www.lux-case.dk / www.lux-case.se
Hi Health Nut,
I apologize for chiming in late in the discussion, I’ve been slammed with school and applications and haven’t been on the forum much this spring. I too, did the law to medicine switch. I did some of my post bac in a large university with a post bac program and I would say that I found the small group of post bacs much less competitive than the general student body in law school. Of course, there were exceptions on both sides and I think this may also be dependent on the school. I think a good bet is to find 1-2 students who have the same mentality as you do and rely on each other. The stamina from long hours of studying in law school and then practicing law made studying for my pre-med coursework seem, in many ways, a luxury. Good luck! In interviewing for medical schools be prepared for lawyer jokes–every interview I had included at least a few. Best wishes to you!
The best lawyer joke I know comes from my husband (a lawyer):
Q: What’s the problem with lawyer jokes?
A: Lawyers don’t think they’re funny… and no one else thinks they’re jokes! 
Best of luck!
Annette
Yay, another jd to md! I am sincere since I am a jd who is about to start med school in the fall. Wanted to throw my $.02 into this post-bacc debate. I worked while taking my remaining pre-reqs so did not enter into a full-time post-bacc. I took most of my classes at a community college and a few at a local “established” post-bacc program affiliated with a major university. I did well in both and it was not an issue (atleast none that I know of) for medical school admissions. Got many interviews and holding unto two acceptances.
Since you are likely bright and would do well in science courses, I would beef up on clinical experiences and apply broadly and early.
Congrats on the journey.
It’s nice to see other lawyers making a change to medicine. I thought I would be the only lawyer crazy enough to completely change my career path by attempting to become an MD. Personally, I’ve met MD’s who later became lawyers but I’ve never met anyone who started off as a lawyer and then became an MD. It’s probably due to the fact that law school can also be accomplished on a part time basis if necessary(job, etc). It would be nice to see that option for med-school. Does anyone know of a med-school that has a part-time program? I wonder why it’s never offered.
Thanks.