Please use Buff Portal Advising to pre-register for all CE Pre-Health group meetings and special events.
Meetings marked with an asterisk (*) are considered essential.
Summer 2024
5:30 to 7:00 PM (MT)
Join us for a casual Q&A session with former post-baccs who are now in medical school -- our group of presenters includes MD and DO students who are attending med schools across the country, including CU School of Med's Anschutz and Ft. Collins campuses.
Sign up: Buff Portal Advising (After logging in, click on Elisa Cripps's photo to pull up her calendar. Navigate to the day of the presentation to sign up for this meeting.)
Zoom Link: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/my/elisacripps
Can't make it to the live session? This event will be recorded.
Co-hosted with post-baccs who have successfully navigated the professional school application process, we will look ahead to the application year to come, discussing topics such as:
- The Casper and AAMC PREview situational judgment tests
- Tips for success when working on secondary applications
- How to put yourself in a position to get as much financial aid as possible
- What the interview experience is really like (from students who completed multiple interviews this year)
- How to explain the application process to family and friends
- Logistical considerations if you plan to take more classes at CU Boulder with degree-seeking status
- Timeline: When to expect to hear from schools, when to start planning to reapply if necessary
- When and whether to send update letters/letters of intent
- ... And much more!
Sign up: Buff Portal Advising (After logging in, click on Elisa Cripps's photo to pull up her calendar. Navigate to the day of the presentation to sign up for this meeting.)
Zoom Link: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/my/elisacripps
Can't make it to the live session? You may access a video version from a prior year via this webpage.
9:00 to 10:30 AM (MT)
Our presenter is Kevin Clark, who is one of our post-baccalaureate pre-medical mentors who also completed a master's degree in CU Boulder's Integrative Physiology department. He will provide a primer on finding research opportunities at CU Boulder and getting the most out of the experience.
Sign up: Buff Portal Advising (After logging in, click on Elisa Cripps's photo to pull up her calendar. Navigate to the day of the presentation to sign up for this meeting.)
Zoom Link: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/my/kevinclark
Can't make it to the live session? You may access a video version from a prior year via this webpage.
11:00 AM to Noon, MT
Anki is an online flashcard system that has become wildly popular among students in medical, dental, and other professional schools. It utilizes the concept of spaced repetition to help you encode new information into your long-term memory. Over the past few years, more and more post-baccs have been using it for their pre-health coursework and for preparing for standardized tests such as the MCAT and DAT.
Join this session for a tutorial on how to use Anki! Our presenter is one of our former program mentors, Ellie Sandoval.
Sign up: Buff Portal Advising (After logging in, click on Elisa Cripps's photo to pull up her calendar. Navigate to the day of the presentation to sign up for this meeting.)
Zoom Link: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/96341913528
Can't make it to the live session? You may access a video version from a prior year via this webpage.
5:15 to 6:45 PM (MT)
In the professional school application process, you will be tested via interviews and situational judgment tests on your ability to recognize and mitigate unconscious bias.
Attitudes and stereotypes are developed about people and groups of people that affect our understanding and actions without our awareness or intentional control. This workshop examines unconscious bias and identifies key areas where it affects our work, interactions, and decision-making processes. Participants explore personal and group practices that can help reduce bias and increase inclusion, engagement, and productivity.
Our presenter is Teresa Wroe, CU Boulder's Assistant Vice Chancellor of Prevention Education & Deputy Title IX Coordinator
Sign up: Buff Portal Advising (After logging in, click on Elisa Cripps's photo to pull up her calendar. Navigate to the day of the presentation to sign up for this meeting.)
Zoom Link: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/my/elisacripps
Fall 2024
5:15 to 8:00 p.m.
Location TBD
The Fall Kick-Off Event includes:
- Free dinner!
- Tips for success from Elisa Cripps, Jess Talbot, and the post-bacc mentors
- Opportunities to meet fellow post-baccs
- Optional pay-on-your-own post-bacc hang-out session with fellow post-bacc students at Sanitas Brewing Company (lawn games! taco truck! non-alcoholic bevs available!)
There is strategy involved in choosing a list of schools that will maximize your chance for application success. Factors such as location, GPA, and standardized test scores are good starting points, but this session will dive into additional factors you should consider when learning more about your schools of interest.
Can't make it to the live session? You may access a video version from this webpage.
At this workshop, we will discuss what to do in the months ahead to prepare for the application process next summer. We will review copies of successful applications, discuss strategies for asking for strong letters of recommendation, and complete a self-assessment document designed to help you evaluate your own readiness to apply next year (and ways to further strengthen your candidacy between now and then).
Can't make it to the live session? You may access the video version of this presentation from this webpage.
We recommend that you complete the first draft of your common application over winter break. To prepare you to do so, this workshop identify the objectives of the professional school personal statement and offers tips for success as well as common pitfalls to avoid. We also coach you on the types of experiences to include on your application and how to write effective experience descriptions. (The objectives are NOT the same as when writing your resume.) In addition, we will provide advice on writing the disclosure statements for academic or legal infractions, in case either or both of these apply to you.
Can't make it to the live session? You may access the video version of this presentation from this webpage.
Spring 2025
Our presenters are two of our program mentors who currently are in the medical school application process and who earned competitive scores on the MCAT.
- One took the "fast-track" approach to MCAT prep (full-time for 7 weeks in the summer)
- The other took the "long-track" timeline (part-time over a few months)
Their presentation will provide concrete suggestions for structuring your approach to MCAT prep on either timeline. They'll also offer helpful tips that they either were glad they knew before starting MCAT prep or that they wish they knew before they got started. This session will not focus on MCAT content; rather, it will provide guidance on how to organize your approach to studying for the MCAT.
This session will be recorded, but attending the live version will allow you to ask questions during the presentation.
Super Important Advising Note: For those of you planning to start studying for the MCAT in the summer, we do NOT recommend studying for the MCAT over winter break. Now is the time for rest and relaxation so that you are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when it's time to jump into your spring courses in January. (The only exception we suggest: If you do not spend much time reading for fun on a regular basis and/or if you have reason to believe that the CARS section is likely to be extra-challenging, now would be a good time to start the practice of doing one CARS practice passage per week on an ongoing basis.)
In this presentation, we will discuss strategies for engaging in ethical decision-making when faced with ambiguous situations. This skill is assessed in professional school interviews and on Situational Judgment Tests such as Casper and AAMC Preview.
Can't make it to the live session? You may access the video version of this presentation from this webpage.
You are strongly encouraged to attend this presentation or watch the video if you will be applying to professional schools later this year. The more familiar you are with the interview process, the more likely you are to do well. This workshop will cover the following topics:
- The categories of questions that are commonly asked at professional school interviews (and an explanation of why they are asked)
- How to structure effective answers to interview questions.
- Tips for doing your best, plus a list of common mistakes to avoid.
- What to expect during an interview day at a professional school.
- And more!
Can't make it to the live session? You may access the video version of this presentation from this webpage.
The MMI format is common at professional schools. With this format, each interviewee rotates through 6 to 10 interview stations, meeting a new interviewer and responding to a new interview prompt at each station. MMI interview questions typically include a mixture of traditional interview questions, role-playing scenarios, and responses to ethical dilemmas. At this session, you will take turns answering MMI-style questions and also serving as a peer evaluator (using a rubric as your guide). Experiencing both roles will help you become more comfortable with this style of interviewing and will allow you to gain insight into the components of effective answers.
Can't make it to the live session? You may access the video version of this presentation from this webpage.