Marissa Lipton
University of Connecticut School of Medicine MD Candidate 2014

Although I had earlier considered a career as a physician, I was not ready to make a commitment while in college and I embraced the liberal arts education offered to me at Tufts University. As a psychology major, working with mentally ill patients taught me that I really enjoyed the doctor-patient relationship. My research on the neurobiological processes involved in psychopathology showed me the importance of a medical education in order to fully understand how the human body thinks and works. As college graduation approached, I investigated ways I could reach my goal of becoming a physician. I applied only to UConn’s post bac program. Raised in Connecticut since the age of four, it was natural for me to return to the state to pursue a career in medicine . The program provided a rigorous pre-med curriculum to prepare me for medical school and to make me a competitive applicant. UConn faculty’s mentoring helped me gain acceptance into medical school and I entered UConn School of Medicine in the fall of 2010.

I was proud to promote UConn’s post bac program in a New York Times article published in April 2012, in which I highlighted the program’s unique reputation for placement into medical school. I look forward to my future career as a pediatrician, an honor I would not have been able to achieve without the post bac program.

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