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What is a Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program?

29 January 2012

What is a Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program?

First of all, a postbaccalaureate program is a course of study that may be used to prepare students for graduate or professional school. That being said, there are postbaccalaureate programs for law, engineering, and medicine.  These are considered continuing medical education programs for students who have already received a Bachelor's degree and are seeking to gain further education that may lead to a certificate, credentialing, or a master's degree in biomedical or health sciences.  

Let's talk about the postbaccalaureate premedical program.  These are formal programs offered by colleges and univertisities intended to give individuals interested in pursuing a medical profession a very structured course that would satisfy the premedical requirements for medical school.  Any individual with a Bachelor's degree is elegible for this program.  Your Bachelor's degree can be anything such as arts, economics, engineering, and chemistry.  Even those who received a Bachelor's degree in biological sciences can participate in these programs.

What are the resons for applying to Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs?

  1. You do not have the completed science courses required to apply for medical school
  2. You did not do well in your undergraduate science courses and need to improve your science GPA

Other programs are designed for individuals that are underrepresented in medicine or grew up in an educationally and/or economically disadvantaged background. In this case, the postbaccalaureate premedical program will provide individuals more services to increase their chances of successfully matriculating into a medical school  Some services including access to physicians that would mentor individuals,  intensive one-on-one counseling on analyzing their AMCAS application, and editing of personal statements.

Postbaccalaureate premedical programs are not for everyone

The postbaccalaureate premedical program is not for everyone.  If you need to improve your GPA, you can take chemistry, biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology courses on your own through university extension programs.  

How good is the MCAT as a predictor for Medical School Performance?

21 October 2009 30 January 2012

 

This is an interesting reading albeit one sided. According to the an article published in 2005 in the journal Academic Medicine (published by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) which is the same people that make and administer the MCAT), the author conclude...

Conclusions: MCAT scores almost double the proportion of variance in medical school grades explained by undergraduate GPAs, and essentially replace the need for undergraduate GPAs in their impressive prediction of Step scores. The MCAT performs well as an indicator of academic preparation for medical school, independent of the school-specific handicaps of undergraduate GPAs.

 

This studies aims to reinforce the MCAT's importance in the medical school admission decision making process. Why don't you read the article for yourself and let us know what you think.

 

Validity of the Medical College Admission Test for Predicting Medical School Performance

Julian, Ellen R. PhD

http://www.academicmedicine.org/pt/re/acmed/abstract.00001888-200510000-00010.htm

 

Interview Questions: Do you have any other questions?

25 January 2012

Question: Do you have any other questions?

Every applicant will get this question at their interviews.  For the majority of interviewers, it is all right not to have any questions.  

You can politely say that "this mornings orientation from Dr. XXX was very helpful and I was able to have all my questions about the medical school curriculum from the current students. If I have a question in the future, would you mind if I email you?"  This is a great way to get their email so that you can send them a Thank You note after your interview.  

During your interview day, keep your ears open. You might in fact have a question at the end of the day that your interviewer could answer for you.

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