Presentation presented as part of the Duke Career Center's Gap Year Exploration series.

1. Finding a Postbac Program
Dr. Alyssa Perz-Edwards &
Ms. Deborah Wahl
March 27, 2013

2. Gap year exploration series
So Many Choices, So Many Decisions: Tips for Crafting Your Gap
Year Experience: 6pm, Monday or Thursday, April 8, Location
TBD
“I want to do a gap year but I have no idea what I should do or where I can find
options.” Sound familiar? You’re not alone! Join Cindy Broderius from the Career
Center for tips in discerning types of opportunities you might consider, how to decide
which opportunities are best suited for you, and resources for locating them.
Job-Seeking Essentials for Gap Year Experiences:
6pm, Tuesday, April 16, Location TBD
Once you’ve decided on options for your gap year experience, the next step is to
apply. What documents might you need for a Teach for America application? What is a
personal statement? Are cover letters any use in applying? Networking—for a gap
year?! Answers to these and other questions, along with tips for job-seeking
essentials, will comprise discussion led by Cindy Broderius from the Career Center.

3. What is a postbac?
• Short for Post Baccalaureate
• Means after the bachelor’s degree
• One of many options for gap year activities
• Expensive and don’t always complement
educational experiences of undergraduate
years

4. Who does postbacs?
• Career Changers
– Students who have NOT completed pre-requisites (or
no more than a few)
– Students take undergraduate course work
– Fit in all pre-reqs in summer and school year=INTENSE
– Some have linkages with medical schools
– Examples: Bryn Mawr, Columbia, Goucher, Johns
Hopkins
– Selective and expensive
• Record Enhancers

5. Record Enhancers
• Medical Master’s
– Good if GPA is just below 3.3
– May need MCAT; application to medical school
– Take graduate-level courses (different GPA)
– Examples:
• Georgetown SMP in Physiology
• University of Cincinnati Master’s in Physiology
• University of Michigan Master’s in Physiology
• Boston University Medical Masters in Nutrition
• Loyola, Case Western and others

6. Record enhancers
• Undergraduate record enhancers
– Science GPAs below 3.0, not science major
– Repeat courses where C- or lower was earned
(some schools don’t accept C-, none accept Ds or
Fs for pre-reqs)
– Take advanced biology coursework and
challenging load to strengthen GPA; demonstrate
academic readiness
– Examples: WashU, UNC-Greensboro, Harvard
Extension Service, UPenn

7. Record Enhancers
• Programs for under-represented minorities
– Variable, some require that you apply to and not
get accepted to medical schools (NY, CA)
– Others focus on students who have completed
pre-reqs, but need to focus on MCAT prep, e.g., S.
Illinois MEDPREP (2 years); Georgetown
GEMS, Drexel

8. Before you sign up
• Do your research
• Programs vary by entry requirements (MCAT, course
pre-reqs, minimum GPA, etc.) and goals
• Prices range from $10-40K per year
• Services provided vary, some offer great advising, test
prep, others do not
• Many of these are designed to make money for the
institutions, so you must be a careful consumer
• Call and ask questions, don’t be afraid to inquire about
exceptions to GPA minima, program track record

9. Unstructured record enhancement
• Repeat science pre-reqs, take upper-level or
graduate level biology courses at in-state
tuition rates; 4 year schools
• 2-4 courses per semester, perhaps while
working or getting other experiences
• Utilize prehealth advising services at Duke
• Utilize MCAT prep materials or courses
• Far less expensive; structured programs
cannot guarantee results

10. Questions to consider
• Cost of program and what value-added
services does it provide?
• Is the program full-time/part-time? How long
does it run?
• Is financial aid available?
• Are there linkages to medical schools?
• Are advising, committee
letter, programming, community of students
part of the program?

11. Sample cases

12. Let’s look at the AAMC Database
http://services.aamc.org/postbac/
• AAMC website lists 130 schools with
programs
• Programs are self-described
• Good starting point