Jordan Roberts 

Like many students, when Jordan Roberts was attending college she didn’t have a clear picture of what she wanted to do with her life. She was thinking of a career in journalism or teaching. Her major was Anthropology.

When Jordan graduated, she was starting to think more and more about a career in medicine, but she committed to two years in Teach For America. 

By the time that commitment was completed, Jordan was convinced that medicine was where she needed to be. But she was short of the required science courses to apply for an advanced medical degree program.

The Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Studies program at Russell Sage College, she discovered, was the perfect fit for her. The program allows students with non-science bachelor’s degrees to complete the science classes required to apply to medical school, physician assistant school, physical therapy school, veterinary or dental school.

Jordan is now a physician assistant at a dermatology practice. 

“I’m doing something I really enjoy doing, I’ve got great job security and I’m earning a really nice salary,” she says. “I’m so glad I enrolled in the Sage program. It’s respected and I feel good about having it under my name.”

She also found it was perfectly suited to her needs. Classes were small, which meant she felt it easy to get to know her professors and ask questions, as well as receive significant one-on-one time.

“It also meant that I got strong references,” she says. “As well as plenty of advice when I was applying to graduate programs.”

She ended up getting her Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Albany Medical College.

One of the key advantages of Sage’s Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Studies program, according to Jordan, is its flexibility. Even while holding down a part-time job, she was able to schedule her classes in such a way as to complete the program in a year. She says at other colleges and universities this can often take up to two years.

“I’m really grateful,” she says. “It worked out so well for me.”