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You should be earning semester GPAs of 3.5 or above (all As and Bs, with more As than Bs) while taking 9+ credit hours of math/science courses per term,Ìýfor at least the three consecutive semesters that lead up to the time when you submit your application to professional school.

If your cumulative Undergraduate and/or Science* GPAsÌýare currently below 3.0, take enough additional credit hours as a post-baccalaureate student not only to establishÌýthe grade trend listed above but also to raise both of those GPA calculationsÌýabove 3.0.

Note that professional schools do not recognize undergraduate course forgiveness programs; if you have taken certain courses more than once, your grades from all instances will be factored into your GPA calculations.

* "Science GPA" definitions:
Each of the common application services provides an itemized list of the course subjects that will count toward your Science GPA calculation, but general guidelines are as follows:

• AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service, for MD programs): "Science GPA" = all biology, chemistry, physics and math courses (does NOT include engineering courses)
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• All other common application services for healthcare professions: "Science GPA" = biology, chemistry, and physics courses (includes engineering courses)

In the Profession-Specific Details & Prerequisites section of our website, we provide lists of the most common prerequisites (with their ²ÊÃñ±¦µä course numbers) for each profession. Please note, however, that each professional school sets its own prerequisites. As you learn about your specific schools of interest, check to make sure your academic plan accounts for all of the prerequisites.Ìý

It is ideal if you can complete at least 1-2 additional upper-division science electives beyond the prerequisites before you submitÌýyour professional school application. Potential elective courses to consider include Human Anatomy (with cadaver lab), Human Physiology, Genetics, and Immunology.

If you are preparing for a field that requires applicants to take a standardized test, be sure to allocate an appropriate amount of time to standardized test prepÌý(total of ~150 hours for GRE prep orÌý~300-400 hours for MCAT, DAT, OAT, PCAT, and PA-CAT prep). Refer to our Standardized Test page for more detailed advice on this topic.

Anki is an online flashcard system that is wildly popular among medical students. In recent years, more and more post-baccs have started using it and have found it to be an invaluable tool, not only for learning the material in their courses, but also for helping you prepare for your standardized tests. It utilizes the concept of spaced repetition to help you commit information to your long-term memory. We highly recommend that you learn how to use it early on in your post-baccalaureate studies; you'll be glad you did!

A couple of former mentors for the Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions program, Holly O'Hara and Therese Murphy, have created the followingÌý20-minute video tutorial to help you learn how to use Anki.ÌýTopics covered in the video:

• A basic introduction to Anki
• How to download the Anki program on your computer, find add-ons, and put them into yourÌýAnki
• How to make some of the most useful types of note cards

Ìý(password: CEprehealth) andÌýhandout to accompany Anki video tutorial