Career Changer Looking For Advice: Do I need a postbacc?
I'm a 23-year-old looking to make a career change into medicine and would love some guidance. I graduated from Embry-Riddle in Spring 2025 and have a BS in Aeronautics w/ a minor in Finance. uGPA: 3.31. I've taken two science classes, Psychology (A) and Introductory Physics (C).
Since I've started pursuing medicine I've done what I can to build experience in healthcare (started volunteering at a local hospital twice a week and have arranged 3 shadowing opportunities so far), but it's unclear to me if I'm competitive for a program at Goucher, Bryn Mawr, JHU, etc. My GPA is way below the median, but I think I have an interesting story, and I hold FAA Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor, and Ground Instructor certificates.
With the goal being to get into medical school, does attending a post-bacc give me a better change than doing the pre-med prereqs at a state school? If I do need a postbacc, do I shoot for one of the highly ranked programs? How much weight do admissions counselors give to factors beyond GPA and healthcare experience? Any other advice is greatly appreciated!
Posted Dec 3, 2025, 1:35 AM UTC