Determined to reinvent myself and get a second chance

[Anonymousalpaca007]

Hey guys I'm new hear to SDN. I'm a sociology major who graduated college recently. However due to personal problems I was unable to do as well as i wanted. My cumulative is 3.4 my science is around a 2.9. I have 50 something science credits (I took all the pre req besides a semester of physics). I also have no letter of recs, research, shadowing, take the mcat, etc. I could go back to volunteering at hospitals i volunteered at, help people in need, and many people are in my family are doctors so I can shadow someone they work with. What would you suggest me do? My plan was to take courses at a CC for a year: upper div bio, ecology, anatomy, etc. (3 courses per semester) At the same time of taking CC courses i was planning on shadowing and volunteering at various things (hospital and helping kids who are in need). Then after I finish my courses i was planning to study for the MCAT for 20 hours a week for 4-6 months since it's been a while. Any advice you guys have for me? What EC's should I pursue? My spga is low but can easily be bumped up due to my low amount of credits. I feel so behind and so upset that I've been held up by many years. i would really appreciate your input. and since i graduated college who should i get good LOR's from? the person in charge of my volunteering department at the hospital would gladly give me a LOR.

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[Goro]

Hey guys I'm new hear to SDN. I'm a sociology major who graduated college recently. However due to personal problems I was unable to do as well as i wanted. My cumulative is 3.4 my science is around a 2.9. I have 50 something science credits (I took all the pre req besides a semester of physics). I also have no letter of recs, research, shadowing, take the mcat, etc. I could go back to volunteering at hospitals i volunteered at, help people in need, and many people are in my family are doctors so I can shadow someone they work with. What would you suggest me do? My plan was to take courses at a CC for a year: upper div bio, ecology, anatomy, etc. (3 courses per semester) At the same time of taking CC courses i was planning on shadowing and volunteering at various things (hospital and helping kids who are in need). Then after I finish my courses i was planning to study for the MCAT for 20 hours a week for 4-6 months since it's been a while. Any advice you guys have for me? What EC's should I pursue? My spga is low but can easily be bumped up due to my low amount of credits. I feel so behind and so upset that I've been held up by many years. i would really appreciate your input. and since i graduated college who should i get good LOR's from? the person in charge of my volunteering department at the hospital would gladly give me a LOR.

Get in ~50 hrs shadowing
> 150 hrs of clinical exposure (paid or not)
> 150 nonclinical volunteering
Research is not needed for DO schools

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[Anonymousalpaca007]

Get in ~50 hrs shadowing
> 150 hrs of clinical exposure (paid or not)
> 150 nonclinical volunteering
Research is not needed for DO schools

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

Hey Goro. Do you have any advice on who to get LOR from besides my hospital volunteer coordinator? like from physicians for professors from my Community College? Also what kind of clinical and nonclinical things should I partake in?

 

[Goro]

Hey Goro. Do you have any advice on who to get LOR from besides my hospital volunteer coordinator? like from physicians for professors from my Community College? Also what kind of clinical and nonclinical things should I partake in?

You typically need two from science teachers and one from a non-science teacher. Look at a few med school admissions websites for requirements.

As for ECs:
Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimer’s or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.


Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.

 

[Anonymousalpaca007]

You typically need two from science teachers and one from a non-science teacher. Look at a few med school admissions websites for requirements.

As for ECs:
Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimer’s or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.


Service need not be "unique". If you can alleviate suffering in your community through service to the poor, homeless, illiterate, fatherless, etc, you are meeting an otherwise unmet need and learning more about the lives of the people (or types of people) who will someday be your patients. Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Meals on Wheels.

thank you! also i took one quarter of physics but the CC i want to enroll in is by semester. should i just take physics 1 and 2 at the CC? i don't remember physics at all anyyways

 

[Goro]

thank you! also i took one quarter of physics but the CC i want to enroll in is by semester. should i just take physics 1 and 2 at the CC? i don't remember physics at all anyyways

Best to take it at a 4 year school, but if finances are an issue, then CC should be OK.

 

[Anonymousalpaca007]

Best to take it at a 4 year school, but if finances are an issue, then CC should be OK.

Hey Goro. So I was thinking about my options. One idea I had was work/recover/volunteer/shadow/study for MCAT, etc. this year and then next year get into a postbacc structured program. I've taken all the required science courses excluding two quarters of Physics (I have Kaplan Physics MCAT study books) so I can start studying for the MCAT. also having a job will allow me to have some money saved up for the post bacc. The structured post bacc will allow me to get good LOR, academica/psychological help, and like you said I would be taking the courses at a 4 year university (UCI, Cal state east bay, etc.) I also may also take 3 science courses this Summer just to keep my mind and science abilities honed. And the only thing holding me back i think is the cost. Do you think it's worth the extra 13k in debt over a DIY post bacc at a CC?

 

[Goro]

Hey Goro. So I was thinking about my options. One idea I had was work/recover/volunteer/shadow/study for MCAT, etc. this year and then next year get into a postbacc structured program. I've taken all the required science courses excluding two quarters of Physics (I have Kaplan Physics MCAT study books) so I can start studying for the MCAT. also having a job will allow me to have some money saved up for the post bacc. The structured post bacc will allow me to get good LOR, academica/psychological help, and like you said I would be taking the courses at a 4 year university (UCI, Cal state east bay, etc.) I also may also take 3 science courses this Summer just to keep my mind and science abilities honed. And the only thing holding me back i think is the cost. Do you think it's worth the extra 13k in debt over a DIY post bacc at a CC?

I'm getting the sense that you're more comfortable with the structure of a define program. If so, go for it.

 

[Anonymousalpaca007]

I'm getting the sense that you're more comfortable with the structure of a define program. If so, go for it.

kk cool would you take the MCAT before the post bacc or after it? would taking a year to do shadowing and taking the mcat before my post bacc program be a good idea?

 

[Goro]

kk cool would you take the MCAT before the post bacc or after it? would taking a year to do shadowing and taking the mcat before my post bacc program be a good idea?

Suggest taking before.

 

[Allosteopath]

Suggest taking before.

I'd also say keep in mind that the later you take the MCAT more likely your scores will be valid (2-3 years generally) for the schools you're applying for should any part of your plan go awry. Ultimately this is a big test, and you should take it on the timeframe (before or after) which you think you will perform to your peak.