Do I have any chance? (Please help)

[centralbiography]

I apologize if this is long.

I graduated high school in 2011. My GPA was high (4.4). My SAT Scores were high (Reading: 720, Writing: 730, Math: 610). My ACT score was good (Composite 29). I was a National Merit Commended Student and a National Achievement Finalist.

I started college in 2011 at a research university in the northeast with a good reputation. I always dreamed of being a psychiatrist. I was pre-med for 1 semester, but ended up leaving pre-med at my school because, at the time I was starting to have some sort of misguided moral objection to the heavy use of drugs in psychiatry. Over the years, my views on that changed. Anyway, I continued as just a psychology major and did not take any more of the pre-med prerequisites (except 1 chemistry class). The entire time I had a nagging feeling that I had made the wrong decision and something kept telling me to go back to pre-med, but I stupidly continued on as just a regular psychology major, thinking that I would one day get a PhD in clinical, counseling, or school psychology.

Well, I graduated with a B.A. in psychology in May 2015. My undergraduate GPA was 3.3. I immediately enrolled in a EdS program in school psychology (thinking I might eventually go on to get a PhD in school psychology). Now, I have finished my first semester of the program and am currently in my second semester. I have realized that this area of psychology is completely not for me at all and that I have no interest in the educational aspects of psychology. I have realized without any doubt that psychiatry is what has always been right for me. My graduate GPA is currently a 4.0 and I am pretty sure it will be a 4.0 at the end of this semester. I want to leave my current program at the end of this semester and apply for Post Bacc pre-med programs for Fall 2016, so that I can go to medical school and fulfill my dream of being a psychiatrist.

My GRE scores were
V: 161
Q: 149
A: 4.5

Do I have any shot of being accepted to a post bacc program with an undergraduate GPA of 3.3?

Do I have any shot of being accepted to a post bacc program with a GRE like that?

Do I have any shot of being accepted to a post bacc program when I haven't really taken any pre-med class?

Do I have any shot of being accepted to a post bacc program when I don't have any medical experience (I have psychology experience from working at a mental health charity)?

How do I even being to go about asking my current professors for recommendation letters to a post bacc program while also telling them that I want to leave their program?

Where should I begin to look for programs to apply to with my stats?

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[Mr.SoloDolo]

Yeah you definitely do. I also graduated undergrad with a degree in psychology (may 2015) and I am beginning a post-bacc program in June of this year.

There are lots of post-baccs. Some better than others of course, but more than you would expect. Go on the aamc website and look through the whole list. From what I remember some had minimum GPA requirements of 3.0 or something around there. Even if you're not eligible to apply to the most prestigious ones (which might have minimum 3.5 requirement) you can still absolutely get to med school by doing very well in a post bacc program that is easier to get into and doing well on the mcat. Just remember to apply broadly for these programs sort of like you did for undergrad. So like 7-10 id say to make sure you get into one.

Not sure how much research into post baccs you've done but you'll be relieved to know most career-changer post baccs are looking specifically for people with no science background who are trying to do a full career change. For some programs you're 1 Chem course might even mean you're ineligible to apply because you're not starting pre med fresh. But some allow you to apply if you only have a few premed courses done. Just go the aamc list of post baccs and start reading through each schools application requirements. You will be able to apply to many programs.

Charity experience is great and you can write that on your applications. Between now and when you apply Try to volunteer in some medical facility like a hospital, hospice, clinic or doctors office to get exposure to patients. Programs will want to see you demonstrated an interest in medicine. Contrary to what some might say, you don't need a million medical volunteer hours to get into a post bacc but ideally you will have some or at the very least a plan to get some before arriving at the post bacc for day 1 of class. Look for a volunteer opportunity and ask around friends and family to see if you can shadow a doctor also.

Don't worry so much about how you go about asking for a recommendation - if you have good relationships with those grad teachers, just go right up to them and explain what your plan is. People in academia have plenty exposure to those who switch paths - they won't hate you or anything and will most likely support you following a passion, no matter how late you discovered it. If you don't feel like you have good relationships with those professors, email some teachers from college. Even if it was a couple years ago, just remind them who you were and your performance and ask them for a recommendation. A majority of teachers will be willing to help students out with this. They're used to these requests. Choose teachers that knew you.

I am not familiar with GRE scores but they can only help not hurt, unless that isn't a good score in which case maybe don't submit it. Post baccs mostly care about undergrad GPA and SAT scores and maybe high school GPA for some in judging your academic performance. GRE can be a bonus on your app but only if it is good.

Just for piece of mind, I have some free advice that might help you. Take it or leave it. It seems you have had very specific ideas of what you want to be. Thats not necessarily bad and I can see how maybe you had a change of heart about psychiatry early on. Plenty of young undergrads change their minds all the time - I did. But your story comes off as a bit impulsive or short-sighted (no offense, seriously just being honest) from an onlookers perspective in the way that you definitely wanted to go into psych and then realized you detested the field and dropped out of pre med and then realized you definitely wanted to go into school psychology and realized you hated it immediately. In your essays for post baccs, Rather than getting into a confusing story about how you wanted psychiatry, then psychology, then back to psychiatry, I would focus on conveying that you want to go into medicine. Even if you know for sure you want to be a psychiatrist, you'll benefit from showing post bacc programs that you have an open mind and your passionate about the world of medicine and the many fields that are available. It's a known thing that many people change their minds during med school about which field they want, so it'll show maturity that you're open. Articulate what matters to you about being a doctor - making a difference on human level, connecting with others, fascinating human body, fascinating technology and treatment, etc etc rather than immediately saying you want psychiatry. You can definitely talk about being interested in mental/behavioral health and even that you have a strong interest in psych as a career. But dont dwell on it. Only because they'll question why you left pre med.

 

[student1995]

Hi all, I am seriously considering applying for a post back premed program. I am a current junior in college. I will be graduating next January, and plan on starting a post-bac program in the summer or fall of 2017. (So I will begin the application cycle in the fall of this year).

Here are my stats:
High School GPA: 4.0
Undergraduate GPA: 3.98, Major: B.A. in Economics (With a focus on math)
SAT scores: Reading 710, Math 720, Writing 750

Clinical Experience:
I am currently shadowing Spanish interpreters in a hospital (getting to see all specialties!) and will for the next 3 months
I will be volunteering at a hospital this summer
I will be volunteering at a hospital this fall semester (while I apply to post back programs)

I know that there is a focus on health care experience that these programs look for. I am wondering what my shots are at getting in to Goucher, BM, GW, UVA, Scripps, Tufts, etc. next fall and what peoples thoughts are on each of the program. Do I have a shot?? If not, what should I do to increase my chances??

 

[P0ke]

Nothing from high school matters.