The advice may differ depending on how many science courses you’ve taken, your academic trajectory, where you’re from, and a number of other factors. Please come in for an appointment so that we can look holistically at your candidacy and brainstorm next steps based on your specific situation – it’s hard to give advice without knowing the whole picture!

Generally speaking, yes, there are less expensive ways to pursue classes, though they may take a little longer. If your family is willing to take you in for a year or two, and you feel that you could live at home and manage courses and work, that can save significant money. We recommend going to the best possible school that you can access, but at the same time, if finances are a concern, medical schools will take this into account – doing very well in the classes and on MCAT is key. Many students choose to attend a state school near a place where they can live for free/cheap and look for jobs in the area. Some alums take full-time jobs to help finance classes that they fit in part-time. If you work at a college or university (or an affiliated institution like a research center), you may be offered tuition benefits for free or reduced-price courses. If you still have to take the MCAT, consider working for a test prep company teaching ACT or SAT – you’ll gain communication skills and have access to discounts for your own MCAT prep.

Keep in mind that it’s important to know your limits – don’t try to do too much and sacrifice your academic performance – and be ready to take initiative: one of the benefits of a formal program is that you’ll have built-in advising and support from your academic institution that you won’t have as a non-degree seeking student. We’ll help as much as we can, but we won’t be experts on other schools’ curricula. In any case, we’re happy to talk with you about potential timelines and pros and cons to different preparation routes.

We hope you're willing to come in to discuss your candidacy with us holistically so that we can help you think about the "when to apply" issue! But to answer your specific question, schools will place the most weight on what's on your initial application, but many will accept updates throughout the year, so you will be able to send grades as you take the classes. Front loading courses into summer and fall is helpful so you can send some grades early in the application cycle.

In general, it's always a good strategy to continue to work on the weaker parts of your application, which may include service, work with patients, academics, communication / interpersonal skills, or other important aspects of your preparation for medical school. Life doesn't end with submission of the application—intentionally choosing endeavors that help you develop into the physician you want to be should continue! We're happy to brainstorm with you about ways you may seek personal and professional development.

First, come in and chat with us so that we can look at your candidacy holistically and give you a data-driven opinion on how much postbac coursework you might need. We'll want to look at your whole academic trajectory, course choices, MCAT score, state residency, and a number of other factors.

One alternative option is to look at other medical paths, like dental and podiatric medicine, where seats aren't in as high demand (making admission less competitive). Or you could spend some time in another profession of interest with less of an initial entry cost for a while to see if you could be satisfied in a life outside of medicine, then return to it if it's still calling to you.

The more experience that you accrue, the more evidence medical schools will have to consider holistically when you apply. At the end of the day, you'll still need to convince them of your readiness for the rigor of the curriculum, so you can't completely substitute experience for metrics, but stepping away from the application grind for a few years can leave you even more renewed and ready to return to it, which can make postbac courses go much more smoothly.

If you're 100% set on the traditional medical route, there's often a trade-off between time and money. You could work for a year or two to save up money to put toward a formal postbac program. You could work part-time and take classes part-time, which may mean taking more years to build up your academic profile. If there's a science discipline that you're passionate about, you could consider pursuing a PhD since that degree will most likely be fully funded, then return to medicine after the program. both options sacrifice time but subsidize cost. On the other extreme, you could go directly into a postbac program and take out loans to pay for it--maximizing time but accruing more debt along the way (knowing that once you become a doctor, you'll be able to pay off that debt).

The range of ways that students complete the prerequisites after graduation is wide and driven in part by what you think that you may need or want in terms of structure and support. The pricier postbac programs often offer more staff, which often also means that there are more services, which may include high quality advising, access to a committee letter, guidance in the application process, linkages to professional schools, shadowing/volunteer opportunities, seminars, programming, etc., as well as an established reputation with medical schools, and a peer community (see more info on our website).
 
At the same time, some individuals take courses independently without going through a postbac program and reach their goals successfully. HPA can provide guidance and support along the way to alums. If you tend to work well independently, can advocate for yourself, will seek out the information that you need to apply (which includes staying in touch with us at HPA), you may do fine taking classes on your own through a local college or university. If you know that you’d prefer more support and infrastructure, going through a program that has a track record of success, it may make sense to work for a while to earn money to help finance a more structured program. Note that many students choose to take a year or two between graduation and postbac coursework: this will give you time to recharge after undergrad, earn some money, and make sure that it's really worth the time, money, and sacrifice that a medical career requires.
 
The most important aspect of your science preparation for medical school is that you do well in your classes and on your MCAT, and that you have strong letters of recommendation from your science faculty, so whatever postbac option you choose, focus on one that will bring you academic success and science faculty support via strong letters. We’re happy to talk with you based on your own situation about options from taking out loans, to working for a while before your postbac program, to taking classes independently. Different solutions are going to make more sense for different students.

There’s a balance to be struck here between the rigor of the institution and the cost of the course. We’d recommend a four-year college/university rather than a community college in terms of rigor (plus there aren’t many advanced sciences offered at community college). Generally, an in-person course will be perceived as more rigorous and better aligned with professional school courses (and they’re often more meaningful learning experiences). Beyond that, it’s okay to choose the school based on cost, proximity, and course offerings rather than reputation. Stick with advanced courses that science majors would take rather than introductory or non-majors courses. Those will be more aligned with the professional school curriculum. Consider taking a job that’s affiliated with a college or university—sometimes your employee benefits will include discounted courses, plus it’ll be easier to access the courses if you’re already on or near campus.

There’s no common timeline – we have conversations with students and alums from all class years chatting with us about postbac options. Based on how many science courses you’ve taken, the type of postbac program that you would do would change. If you’ve taken all of your prereqs, you’ll be looking at record enhancer programs and if you’ve taken few or no science courses, you’d do a career changer program. If you haven’t taken too many science courses, deciding sooner rather than later can be helpful. Career changer postbac programs will expect you to take a core number of courses with them, so many have upper limits of how many courses a career changer postbac can bring in. But, one lower than desired grade doesn’t mean postbac is your only option! Come and talk with us about different paths forward.