1. Understanding the Role of a Career Changer Post-bacc Student and a Non-Traditional Applicant to Professional School

As a career changer, professional schools may perceive you differently compared to traditional applicants. For instance, post-bacc students are often older and have experience in fields outside of healthcare or in areas that are healthcare-adjacent, such as public health or healthcare administration. Additionally, there may be an expectation that your decision to transition into a new career was made after significant and thoughtful reflection.

We encourage you to think about how you might address questions related to these topics. It's crucial that your responses, whether in interviews or application materials, are thoughtful and clearly articulated.

2. Academic Preparation

Although you will be required to take the same core prerequisite courses as traditional applicants, your overall academic experience as a post-bacc student will differ. Unlike traditional students, you won’t be taking general education courses alongside your prerequisites. Typically, you’ll have room for only two elective courses, which may be used to fulfill additional prerequisites, such as math or statistics, or to take upper-level science courses, often offered by the Biology Department (e.g., Genetics, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Physiology).

A key goal for all applicants is to demonstrate the ability to succeed in a rigorous professional school curriculum. Traditional applicants often do this by maintaining strong grades (ideally B+ or better) in science courses while balancing non-science courses and extracurricular activities, both clinical and non-clinical. As a post-bacc student, you will showcase your readiness by excelling in subjects that many of you haven’t studied since high school, while also engaging in clinical experiences that provide deeper exposure to your intended profession.

For this reason, it is essential that post-bacc students achieve and maintain strong grades in their post-bacc science coursework.

Prerequisite Coursework
- Progression through prerequisite science courses is often straightforward for post-bacc students who have not completed any science coursework prior to enrolling in the program.
  - You may review a common timeline for taking premed coursework here.
  - The timeline for students who may have already completed one or two of the prerequisite courses may differ.
- When planning your schedule, be sure to review when science courses have historically been offered at Tufts.
  - You may review this information in Module 3.)
  - Additionally, make sure you have taken the necessary prerequisite courses that will allow you to enroll in certain courses.
- Strong academic performance is necessary to create a competitive application to professional school. In order to ensure this, post-bacc students have access to a variety of resources, included the StAAR Center, where you may schedule tutoring sessions for a variety of courses and also receive help developing more effective and efficient time management and study skills. Visit the StAAR Center's website today to learn more about services offered.
MCAT/DAT Timing and Preparation
- We strongly encourage students to begin studying for the MCAT after they have completed the majority--ideally all--of their prerequisite coursework, including Biochemistry. (Some students choose to begin studying for the MCAT while enrolled in Biochemistry, which typically takes place in spring of their second year in the program. *Note that this will be necessary for those applying through linkage.)
- We also advise students to only submit their professional school applications after they receive their official score (MCAT). (In the case of the DAT, unofficial results are available once the test is finished. It's rare that these scores vary from the official test scores.)
- Finally, we encourage you to review the information and resources we've gathered and provided regarding standardized test prep. This information can be found in the Fall Group Sessions module. Additional information about the tests can be found on the AAMC's website (MCAT) and the ADA's website (DAT).

3. Experiential Preparation

As a non-traditional student, we hope that you have participated in opportunities as an undergraduate student and as a young professional that have already helped you to develop and demonstrate many of the Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students. (See the AAMC's Anatomy of an Applicant Guide) This means that, while enrolled in the post-bacc program, your primary focus should be to gain experiences shadowing, volunteering, conducting research, or working in a clinical setting (or various combinations of these types of experiences).

These experiences help you to convey to admissions committees that your decision to change careers and pursue a career in healthcare is well-informed and that you understand the high risk, high reward nature of practicing medicine. Furthermore, while we offer opportunities for involvement in clinical experiences, such as our Lahey Preceptorship Program, we do expect that whatever you do, you will take an active role in engaging with the professionals you come into contact with and strive to gain as much from your clinical experiences as possible.

Consider reviewing this resource to gain a sense of what to expect while shadowing (or taking part in other clinical experiences).

View this resource, which contains information on activities that current and past post-bacc students have participated in around the Medford/Somerville areas. As you gain experiences, we ask that you please add to this document so that future post-bacc students continue to have access to this excellent resource.

View the Lahey Preceptorship Application in the Tufts post-bacccalaureate Premedical Program Quick-Links Guide (See link in #6 below.)

4. Linkage Programs Information: Applying to medical school and gaining acceptance via one of our linkage agreements provides post-bacc students the opportunity to proceed from the post-bacc program directly into medical school upon successful completion. If you are interested in possibly applying to medical school via linkage, then we encourage you to attend one or all of the information sessions held each fall semester. During these sessions, a representative from each medical school with whom we have a linkage agreement comes to campus to meet students, share information about their program, and to answer students' questions.

Note: Those applying through linkage will need to take the MCAT during spring semester of their second year. Deadlines for official scores may vary by program.

Read more about linkage on our website.

5. Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students (and other healthcare professionals)

Demonstration of the AAMC's Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students can be achieved through a wide variety of experiences. These experiences may come from those you gained as an undergraduate student, those gained while working in your prior field/industry, and of course through those experiences you'll gain as a post-bacc student. It is important that, as an applicant, you are able to articulate specific instances in which you have demonstrated many, if not all, of these core competencies. This requires regular, thoughtful reflection on the activities you participate in and experiences you have had and are currently having as post-bacc students. A great tool to help you do that is the AAMC's Anatomy of an Applicant Guide.

Utilizing the guide's Developmental Planning Worksheets will help you to recognize and articulate which competencies you have demonstrated, as well as those you may not yet have been able to demonstrate.

6. Additional Program Information: Only currently enrolled post-bacc students will be able to access this link via Box. The document contains additional links to important information and resources for your reference. Some of these resources include the Fall Reference Sheet, post-bacccaluareate Premedical Program Participant Contract, Orientation Reference Sheet, and Registering for Classes instructions.