If you are thinking about medical school, you may have heard of post-baccalaureate premedical programs as a second chance option. If so, there are some things you should consider before fully accepting this as your back-up plan.
These programs are designed to help students transition from undergrad to a professional school, such as medical school. They are also helpful for those who are considering a career shift and need to complete the necessary science requirements. These programs can improve your chances of getting in to medical school, but only if you do well in the program. Even then, not all programs are created equally.
Some programs are well-known and have several affiliations with medical schools which may offer conditional acceptance into the medical school based on performance in the program. Programs can vary in length between 8 and 24 months. Some are degree-seeking, which grant a master’s degree, while others are non-degree-seeking that only grant certificates upon completion. Most programs require at least a 3.0 GPA for acceptance. You can look up programs using AAMC’s free Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs database to learn more about the length, tuition, success rates for acceptance into medical school, and affiliations. Here are some other resources for more information about post-bacc programs:
https://www.aamc.org/students/aspiring/experience/357926/postbaccrightforme.html
