With You at Every Step
We recognize how hard it is for you to take on the daunting challenge of meeting all the science course requirements for medical school in just one year. And we are committed to supporting you every step of the way on your path to becoming a physician, from before your arrival on campus to the time when you enroll in medical school. As the postbac program typically consists of no more than 75 students, you can be assured of receiving personal attention on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

Preparing for Science Studies
There are several ways we help ease your transition to a rigorous course of study in the sciences. Even before you arrive on campus, you can access a variety of science review resources on a Web site for enrolled students, including math self-assessment tools, math practice problems, and study hints and tips from our chemistry and physics faculty members. Before classes begin in the fall, you can take an optional math review course designed specifically for postbac students. Mini-courses in basic math are also offered by the Department of Mathematics in the fall term.

Our faculty members are available, outside of class, to help you with any questions or concerns you may have about your coursework. In addition, we offer peer-led instruction for many of the required courses you will be taking. Students who are trained by faculty members supplement class lectures and organize group information sessions before examinations. Group or individual tutoring in the sciences is also available free of charge at any time during the program.

Getting Settled
There are many apartment buildings and other rental properties within walking distance of Bryn Mawr College that offer easy, safe and convenient access to everything you might need, including the train station. Our housing coordinator is available to assist you with the search for off-campus housing, answer your questions and provide you with information on housing opportunities in the area.

Preparing for Medical School Admissions
The director of the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program will personally advise you in all aspects of the medical school admissions process. Some examples include how to prepare your medical school applications, what should be covered in your personal statements, where to get information on particular medical schools, and how to find any additional resources you may need. The director also writes a comprehensive and personal premedical committee letter for each student.

We also help you to learn how best to present yourself in person, not just on paper, through mock medical school admissions interviews offered by the College's Career Development Office. In addition, step-by-step workshops on the medical school admissions process explain the various requirements and expectations of different medical schools. Our workshops on medical school financing present details on all financing options, including military and National Health Services Corps scholarships. We also offer workshops on preparing for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) as well as an in-house study course, which teaches you study and review strategies for the MCAT.

Medical School Visits
You have opportunities to visit the medical schools with which we have conditional early-admission agreements on organized group tours during the fall semester. At each school, you will attend a group orientation meeting with the dean or director of admissions, talk with current students, including graduates of our program, tour the medical school and its affiliated hospital(s), and perhaps even observe a class. We provide a list of our alumnae/i at each school, with their contact information, so you can follow-up with any questions you may have after your visit.

Glide Year Networking
We will assist you in your search for a medically related job in the “glide year” between the time you complete our program and enroll at medical school. Because our program is so well respected in the medical community, we regularly receive job leads and postings, including positions created with our students in mind. Recent graduates of our program also provide us with information and contacts about where they are working during their glide year, and even pass their jobs on as they enter medical school. We can also help you to create your own ideal job by networking with medical school faculty whose research or clinical specialization matches your specific interests.

For example, our students have recently served as a program manager of a reproductive hormone study at the Center for Research in Reproduction and Women’s Health at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, a health care research intern in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission at the Center for Infectious Disease Research, Lusaka, Zambia, and a special assistant to the vice president of the Center for Clinical Care Improvement of the Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington, D.C.