Hi there 2022 hopefuls! It's been quite awhile since I've posted on SDN, but have been trolling lately and really like this thread. I'm obviously a non-trad with a detailed story like many of you. However, I'll save space (and my fingers) by directing anyone interested in my back story to search for the thread "Austin Fire Fighter - Seeking MD."
A lot has changed since that time and I'm realizing true progress towards med school. My wife graduated med school a couple of years ago and matched into ortho at WVU (Morgantown, WV)! While matching into ortho was a dream come true for her (and myself), we had really hoped/believed that we would have matched into a Texas program. That said, my plan to continue my career with AFD while finishing prereqs was put in a huge predicament.
Long story short, I put my 'big boy' pants on and took a leap of faith... I took early retirement from the fire department, moved with my family to West Virginia, and have officially been a full-time college student for the past 2 years. My wife is at the end of her pgy2 year and really looking forward to 3rd year. On a side note, we've been really impressed with both the med school and residency programs at WVU.
As of now, I'm on perfect pace to take the MCAT next April. I've finished 3 bio courses, calc, and both gen chems. I'm starting ochem in a week (summer course) and will take biochem in summer II. My fall will be ochem II, stat, physics I, and two other degree related courses. I've made a 'name' for myself in the bio and chem departments here. I am a TA for professors in both and have several options for letters of recommendation from them. As of now, my cGPA is a 3.4-ish (it's been an uphill battle, secondary to one bad year of grades in '98!!!) and my sGPA is a 4.0. Since starting school again, I have a 4.0, so I'm hoping that my grade trend from 1998 compared to the past couple of years will catch the eye of an ADCOM.
Also, I was accepted into a 'pre-med' summer program here at WVU that focuses on MCAT, application, and interview prep. It's a 6 week Kaplan-based MCAT course and 2 week hands for on interview, personal statement, etc. My real MCAT studying will begin in October of this year, so wish me well! The only thing I'm worried about, regarding the MCAT, is that I will be taking physics II the same semester as my MCAT. If anyone has any suggestions for overcoming this, feel free to let me know!
Sorry for the long post, but I get excited talking to like-minded med school hopefuls! Good luck with everything and I'm looking forward to getting to 'know' you guys/gals!