An Expensive, Alternative Route to Medical School

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Most post- baccalaureate programs, however, are not for people who underperformed in undergrad. They are, instead, for people who succeeded in other fields and now are interested in medicine.

Postbac Sara of GA 9:37PM November 19, 2011

Pre-med post-bacc programs aren't just for students who took the easy way through school or who had lousy grades. I had good grades and took plenty of hard classes, but didn't know I wanted to be a doctor until after I graduated. For those like me, a post-bacc program is a must, not a "backup plan" or "second chance." Most post-baccs aren't trying to make up for poor performance, we're just doing the pre-med sciences we would've done as undergrads if we'd known our plans would change.

Kate of IL 2:00AM August 08, 2011

How is enrolling in a two-year MS or MPH program "longer and more expensive" than enrolling in a two-year postbacc program (with the exception of taking the relatively straightforward GRE)?
Also, in case you don't get accepted to med school, you can at least do something with an MS or MPH degree. Not so with a postbacc certificate.
And if you do get accepted to med school, it's worthwhile to note that there are many joint MD-MPH and MD-MS programs, which means that the MPH and MS degrees will carry weight even after you become a doctor.

Sohail of CA 3:31PM August 03, 2011