A post-baccalaureate premedical program is a stepping stone to medical school for those who did not sufficiently prepare to apply during their undergraduate education. Aspiring doctors may attend a premedical program to fill out gaps in premedical coursework, improve performance on academic transcripts, or begin a transition from another career path into medicine. When it comes to these programs, the prestige of the university that houses the program does not necessarily correlate with the quality of the program. Instead, those interested should research each program’s preexisting relationship to certain medical schools (known as linkage programs), admission criteria, and additional resources, such as an MCAT preparation service.

Why are Post-baccalaureate Premedical Programs Necessary?

Medical schools demand that their applicants meet incredibly rigorous standards. Ambitious undergraduates with medicine on their minds would probably be able to recite the premedical coursework requirements like the Gospel: at least one semester of biology with a lab, one semester of physics with a lab, two semesters each of general and organic chemistry with a lab, one semester of biochemistry, not to mention your standard math and English proficiency. Hunter College maintains a helpful database of these requirements, which vary slightly across institutions. This coursework is the standard fare of post-baccalaureate premedical programs, but that’s not all. 

Medical schools uniformly prize applicants with high GPAs, high MCAT scores, and stellar letters of recommendation. Not everyone graduated from college with a competitive GPA, nor did they receive enough preparation to do well on the MCAT. Many future doctors might not even know any STEM faculty to call upon for recommendations. Premedical programs take care of all of these discrepancies. Of course, a premedical program is not necessary for those who knew they wanted to be doctors at an early age and used their undergraduate years to prepare, but there should be no shame for those who decide to make use of one such program later in life! Additionally, some programs teach applicants specialized skills that bolster their medical admissions competitiveness, meaning they draw students who have already completed their coursework but want an extra edge.

What Makes for a Good Post-baccalaureate Premedical Program?

Not all post-baccalaureate premedical programs are made equal. The best programs have reputations for producing alumni who matriculate to top medical schools. Those that maintain linkages with existing medical schools are largely considered to be among the best premedical programs out there, but not all reputable programs have linkages.

Below is a list of the best post-baccalaureate premedical programs for aspiring doctors:

School	Number of Linkages
University of California, San Francisco	0
University of Virginia	1
Washington University in St. Louis	2
Scripps College	5
University of Pennsylvania	5
New York University	6
Johns Hopkins University	8
Goucher College	9
Columbia University	13
Bryn Mawr College	17

All of the programs listed above have a strong reputation for getting students into medical school, and furnish participants with keys to application success. They vary a bit in terms of student/faculty ratio, length to completion, and whether participants enroll in courses alongside undergraduates, but these particularities could be bugs or features depending on what a student seeks to get out of the program. Some want an accessible program with flexible hours that they can take on a part-time basis, others want to dive right into their coursework as though it is a second bachelor’s. These programs are, however, uniformly expensive, so applicants should do a lot of research into the quirks of each program so that they know what they are getting into. 

How Ivy Coach Helps Premedical Applicants

We get it. Medical school applications are overwhelming. That’s why we provide our clients with graduate admission counseling for both medical schools and post-baccalaureate premedical programs. 

If you’re interested in optimizing your case for admission to an elite medical school or premedical program, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch!