Finding Your Foundation


Having a solid foundation is important...which is why my second round of school was going to start with a good foundation and pacing on my own terms. Looking back on everything, I should have taken a gap year before going into undergrad. I felt as though I was not prepared for college and I rushed into everything. Understanding that, I knew I needed to take time off before I enter my second round of school. It is sort of like a second chance, or at least that is the way I am looking at it all...

I bought my book from Barnes & Noble

My first step in building my foundation was reading The Princeton Review's The Best 167 Medical Schools 2015 edition. (There is a 2016 edition and I am sure the two books are similar in content. Either book will do fine.) In the 2015 book, there are six chapters that are extremely informative. It is especially important to read the chapters that have to do with medical school itself, the different types of medical programs, nontraditional students, and post-bacc premed programs. If you do not want to do a full read, just read those, BUT I strongly recommend the full book.  I personally went through the whole book -- I even went through school profiles and made an "I like" and "I do not like" list for later.

When looking into the post-bacc programs, I strongly recommend you do your research. Look up every school and see if and when programs are available.  Be aware that many programs are certificates, not degrees. If you are looking for a degree, look into graduate programs (this applies to those of you who are coming from non-science backgrounds too).  I was not at all into getting a certificate. I personally wanted more out of going back to school, which is why I chose the graduate school route.

For me, the book served as my platform and foundation. Everything, for me, started here --it was my first stepping stone. So, whether you are a book person or not, you need to start with your own foundation. Once you have your foothold, you are set to start your journey.

The next step -- the GRE.

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