How to Get Into a GREAT Pre-med Postbac Program!

[@BecomingMD]

I forgot to mention that it is really important to apply at the beginning of the cycle for programs that have rolling admissions. I applied at the beginning of the cycle and I definitely think it added to the strength of my application.

[@joychiang7698]

Thank you for the helpful video! How would you define early? I read that it takes at least 4 weeks for transcripts/the application to process.

[@BecomingMD]

@@joychiang7698 You're welcome! If possible, I would aim to submit within a month or two of the application opening. Applicants who apply later still have a chance of being admitted, so don't stress too much. There are just fewer spots as time goes on, so the earlier the better.

[@joychiang7698]

@@BecomingMD thanks for the thorough reply! :)

[@JO0729]

New subbie! This video is extremely helpful! May I ask, are you doing personal statement reviews? Also, would you mind sharing where you applied and how you decided on your chosen program? Thank you so much in advance!

[@BecomingMD]

Hello Jenny! Thanks for your comment. Happy to help. Email me at [e-mail] and we can discuss further :)

[@Jaydoe08]

your video has been really helpful! Do post baccs provide you with the premed prerequisites if you did not take them in college?

[@BecomingMD]

Yes!

[@troyguinn6211]

Hey Raven, I'm a fellow career changer. Currently, I work at a large public accounting firm with a background in accounting, law and economics. My undergraduate GPA was a 3.6 and no science courses. I'm planning to quit my job for a year to work as a medical assistant, scribe, and shadow physicians. In 2023, I plan on applying to a post bacc program. I'm hoping to get into John Hopkins, Goucher, and Northwestern. Any advance in ways to build a more competitive application for these highly competitive programs? Thanks 😊

[@BecomingMD]

That sounds like a great plan! They will look at your high school transcripts as part of the application as well to see your competency in the sciences. If you struggled at all in high school with science, you might consider taking one science class while you work as an MA or scribe to show you can be successful in the program.

[@troyguinn6211]

@@BecomingMD I was contemplating an anatomy course at a community college to help in my medical assistant pursuits. Do you think doing well in this course will count at doing well in a "science" course. Or are you referring to a bio or chemistry course?

[@BecomingMD]

@@troyguinn6211 Yes, I believe that counts! I also did an an anatomy course before applying to programs and I think it helped strengthen my application.

[@TrishasMusic]

Hi Raven, I am currently in the middle of undergraduate music school, and I'm considering doing a post bacc pre-med program once I finish my bachelor's to continue on into a career in medicine. Do you have any suggestions on how I can go about summer volunteering while still being an undergraduate, especially since I only have 2 freshman-level science classes on my transcript? Are there other things I can do right now as an undergrad to help strengthen my application? Thank you for the video, and thanks in advance!

[@BecomingMD]

Thanks for reaching out! I would recommend doing as much clinical volunteering as you can while still maintaining your grades. One of the best ways to get clinical volunteering experience is go to the website of your local hospital, find the volunteer opportunities section, and email or call the volunteer coordinator. However, due to COVID-19 many hospitals have suspended their volunteering programs for the time being. I would still recommend getting in contact with the volunteer coordinator at your local hospital and asking to be notified when volunteer opportunities open up again. In the meantime, seek out online opportunities to be of service. For example, here is an opportunity to volunteer to help blind and low-vision people live more independently: www.bemyeyes.com/ and here is a crisis text line: www.crisistextline.org/become-a-volunteer/. Postbac programs want to see that you have a commitment to being of service and that you are consistent in that commitment, so it is better to do one or two types of volunteering over a long period of time than to do a bunch of things that only last a couple of months. Once the pandemic is over, I would also recommend trying to shadow physicians. You can line yourself up to be able to do that by reaching out to your friends, family, and the alumni office at your college or university to see if any of them know a physician who would be willing to talk on the phone and share their experience as a physician. This is commonly called an information interview and it will help you to learn more about being a physician and develop a relationship that later on may make that physician more comfortable letting you shadow them. Do keep in mind that this is a difficult time for healthcare workers, so I would recommend only reaching out to physicians who aren't on the frontlines of the pandemic for now.

[@Copycat.pastecat]

Do you need to know which practice you're interested when applying? Because I am not sure at all

[@BecomingMD]

No, you don't -- in fact ,it is better if you keep an open mind because there will be plenty of time to make that decision during medical school.

[@millicentquartey3498]

Hi Raven, do you have an email that i can reach you by?

[@BecomingMD]

Hello Millicent! You can contact me here: [e-mail]