Most folks on their way to
becoming a physician finish their basic science courses at an undergraduate
university, spend four years increasing their knowledge and caffeine tolerance
at medical school, then go on to a residency that can last anywhere from
three years to the rest of your life. Being the nonconformist that
I am, coupled with my discovery that one simply could not major in the arts
while taking career-deciding science courses, I decided to concentrate on
graduating with a BA degree and a GPA that looked like I knew what I was
doing.
Four years later, I graduated from Drew University
with a double BA in theatre arts and classics, and enough "back in college"
stories to blackmail people with when they become important and powerful.
I also realized that I was still five courses away from my goal of
attending medical school, so I began researching what people in my position
do to get back in gear. It wasn't soon after that the term "Postbaccalaureate
Premedical Student" became a prominent phrase in my vocabulary...as soon
as I figured out how to spell it.
Now that I knew what to be called, I made great use of the term in looking
for universities that cater to us "Postbacs". There's a myriad of Postbac-tailored
programs in the US today, but the one that caught my eye was
Columbia University
's two-year program specifically created for those who haven't taken any
basic science courses before. I applied, and received my acceptance
package not too soon after. There was a glitch or two on the way (mainly
a one-year deferrence so I could strengthen my middle school-level math skills)
but I'll be starting there Fall '04.
If all goes as planned I'll be updating this area of the website every semester
so any of you masochists out there can see what's been going on. Normally
the program involves two years of basic science courses followed either by
linkage into an affiliated medical school or an "application/interview year",
but I'll be taking an additional year to concentrate on math first. All that
means is you'll get to see an extra year of my experience as a Postbac (and
you know you want to.)
First year,
'04-'05: Pre-calculus and Calculus I
Second year, '05-'06: Chemistry and Physics
Third year, '06-'07: Organic Chemistry and Biology
Fourth year, '07-'08: applying and praying for a miracle
