Many factors come into play: how many sciences you’ve taken, the level of rigor in your course choices, academic trajectory, BCPM and cumulative GPA, strength of letters of recommendation, MCAT score, state of residence, factors that may have affected your ‘distance traveled’ to medical school (such as coming from a first generation, lower income, or underrepresented in medicine background), and any external factors that affected your academic performance. Come meet with us to discuss!

If you aren't feeling drawn to medicine now and aren't doing well in the classes, taking a break and spending the summer really exploring your options may be a better plan than trying to slog through the classes, doing poorly, and wasting the opportunity to study what you're passionate about. But there are pros, cons, and nuances to every decision -- definitely come talk with us so that we can get a fuller picture of your specific situation and provide some insight for you. 

It varies significantly. Do you feel ready to commit to a rigorous program that will require significant time and focus? Are you financially able to take on a program? Are you as sure as you can be that medicine is for you? It's very common to take some time to take stock in your motivation, to recover from any academic burnout, to earn money, to shore up non-academic preparation, and to learn to "adult" before jumping into a postbac program. But, we have students every year who feel like they're gaining momentum and want to take advantage of that by going directly into postbac. 

It'll depend on how many prereqs you have left and how you did in the ones that you already took. For example, if you didn't do well in the sciences you have taken, it may make sense to go back and repeat some classes, see how you do, and then decide whether you're in a place to apply or whether you'll need additional record enhancer course work. You could do this at a state school near home as a non-degree seeking student or through a program with a lot of curricular flexibility. If you're just one or two courses shy of completing prereqs, it may make sense to do those over the upcoming year while working, then applying to postbac record enhancer programs after that if your GPA isn't competitive for schools of interest, or just applying to medical school if it is. Stop by to chat with us about when and where to take courses (state residency is a factor to consider, for example) -- we can help you work out a timeline and school list.