Finance to medicine

[axt1012]

Hello everyone I’m 22 years old and I graduated with a finance degree (3.79 GPA) from the university of Miami this past May. After finishing my 9month internship at a boutique investment bank and a summer internship my junior year commercial real estate investment firm, I have realized that I don’t think a career in finance is for me. I find it extremely unfulfilling and have this gut feeling that I will not find a liking for it even people have been telling me to stick it out. Last year I was thinking of starting my pre-med req classes but my advisor told me to stick it out since it’s my last year and finish my finance degree and then reflect and decide whether to go this route. I wanted to get some advice on how should I approach my situation. Should I spend the year volunteering and getting clinical exposure before doing the whole post-bacc route? Does anyone have experience being in my position? What are the thoughts on post-bacc programs? What is the good, the bad, and the ugly of post-bacc programs and going into med school probs at like 25-26 years old?

Any advice or opinions are appreciated!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Rachapkis]

You can simultaneously work on completing your pre-med prerequisites and ECs (volunteering, clinical exposure, etc.). As far as starting medical school at 25 or 26 (or even in your 30s and beyond), that will not be a problem at all. It has become increasingly common for people to take time between undergrad and medical school to experience life and bolster their application.

 

[LizzyM]

Many people seek to change careers and go from finance or music performance or teaching into medicine.

I'd suggest this route:

• Get a professional job that you are qualified for. Earn some money - this is not an inexpensive process.
• Arrange to shadow some physicians and, in particular, at least one who is engaged in office-based primary care. Aim for about 50 hours of shadowing to get a feel for what doctors do. (In addition to examining patients there is time spent reviewing diagnostic tests and reports, communicating with patients and other practitioners, continuing education, documenting everything!) Talk with them too about how the profession is evolving and the challenges they're seeing today.
• If your reason for a career in medicine is to help others, demonstrate your interest in helping others by actually helping others. It can be 2 hours/week helping out in a shelter or a food pantry or a program for at-risk kids or isolated senior citizens. Get out of your comfort zone and help people who can't help themselves.
• Buy the MSAR to get an idea of the courses that are required for admission to medical school and look at your own transcript to identify the gaps. Your GPA as it stands is good and could rise depending on how many courses you need and how well you do in them.
• AAMC.org has a list of schools that offer post-bac programs that will help prepare you to apply for medical school. Some will put you in touch with clinical volunteering positions and research labs concurrent with your coursework so that you have the whole package by the time you apply. I've also seen some schools provide very informative and supportive letters of recommendation. Some will also offer mock interviews and similar wrap-around services.
• Consider that you will need to devote a few hundred hours to MCAT prep. You may get away with less because you will have just taken the courses and they should be fresh in your mind but you can't skip taking at least a few practice tests (7 hours each) and spending another 7 hours going over what you missed and what you got right to be sure you know the material cold and didn't just make a lucky guess.

So, you need to determine if medicine is the right career for you and if you enjoy helping people who are different (and sometimes difficult).
Then you need to get some clinical experience (volunteer or paid), and apply to post-bac programs which are likely to take at least 12 months depending on how much coursework you've already completed. You'll want to attend office hours or otherwise get to know faculty who will write letters of recommendation on your behalf.
You'll need to prep for and take the MCAT and then be ready to submit an application in early June about a year before med school will begin for you.

One last thing: ask the post-bac programs what proportion of students who started 5 years ago completed the program and what proportion are now in medical school. Some schools will tell you what proportion of the graduates are now in medical school but some post-bacs are easy to get in, hard to stay in and the attrition rate is astounding. Get all the info you can before you accept an offer of admission.

 

[axt1012]

Many people seek to change careers and go from finance or music performance or teaching into medicine.

I'd suggest this route:

• Get a professional job that you are qualified for. Earn some money - this is not an inexpensive process.
• Arrange to shadow some physicians and, in particular, at least one who is engaged in office-based primary care. Aim for about 50 hours of shadowing to get a feel for what doctors do. (In addition to examining patients there is time spent reviewing diagnostic tests and reports, communicating with patients and other practitioners, continuing education, documenting everything!) Talk with them too about how the profession is evolving and the challenges they're seeing today.
• If your reason for a career in medicine is to help others, demonstrate your interest in helping others by actually helping others. It can be 2 hours/week helping out in a shelter or a food pantry or a program for at-risk kids or isolated senior citizens. Get out of your comfort zone and help people who can't help themselves.
• Buy the MSAR to get an idea of the courses that are required for admission to medical school and look at your own transcript to identify the gaps. Your GPA as it stands is good and could rise depending on how many courses you need and how well you do in them.
• AAMC.org has a list of schools that offer post-bac programs that will help prepare you to apply for medical school. Some will put you in touch with clinical volunteering positions and research labs concurrent with your coursework so that you have the whole package by the time you apply. I've also seen some schools provide very informative and supportive letters of recommendation. Some will also offer mock interviews and similar wrap-around services.
• Consider that you will need to devote a few hundred hours to MCAT prep. You may get away with less because you will have just taken the courses and they should be fresh in your mind but you can't skip taking at least a few practice tests (7 hours each) and spending another 7 hours going over what you missed and what you got right to be sure you know the material cold and didn't just make a lucky guess.

So, you need to determine if medicine is the right career for you and if you enjoy helping people who are different (and sometimes difficult).
Then you need to get some clinical experience (volunteer or paid), and apply to post-bac programs which are likely to take at least 12 months depending on how much coursework you've already completed. You'll want to attend office hours or otherwise get to know faculty who will write letters of recommendation on your behalf.
You'll need to prep for and take the MCAT and then be ready to submit an application in early June about a year before med school will begin for you.

One last thing: ask the post-bac programs what proportion of students who started 5 years ago completed the program and what proportion are now in medical school. Some schools will tell you what proportion of the graduates are now in medical school but some post-bacs are easy to get in, hard to stay in and the attrition rate is astounding. Get all the info you can before you accept an offer of admission.

Hi thank you for the through response. When you say “get a professional that you are qualified for” are you talking about a job in finance or in general. Nonetheless, appreciate all the advice!

 

[LizzyM]

Hi thank you for the through response. When you say “get a professional that you are qualified for” are you talking about a job in finance or in general. Nonetheless, appreciate all the advice!

In general. Of course, if you can get a good paying job in finance that allows you enough work/life balance to pursue your "other interests" that might be win-win in terms of being able to bank some cash that you can later use for post-bac tuition, MCAT & application fees.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Hello everyone I’m 22 years old and I graduated with a finance degree (3.79 GPA) from the university of Miami this past May. After finishing my 9month internship at a boutique investment bank and a summer internship my junior year commercial real estate investment firm, I have realized that I don’t think a career in finance is for me. I find it extremely unfulfilling and have this gut feeling that I will not find a liking for it even people have been telling me to stick it out. Last year I was thinking of starting my pre-med req classes but my advisor told me to stick it out since it’s my last year and finish my finance degree and then reflect and decide whether to go this route. I wanted to get some advice on how should I approach my situation. Should I spend the year volunteering and getting clinical exposure before doing the whole post-bacc route? Does anyone have experience being in my position? What are the thoughts on post-bacc programs? What is the good, the bad, and the ugly of post-bacc programs and going into med school probs at like 25-26 years old?

Any advice or opinions are appreciated!

Lizzy M gave you some great advice, but I have a question: While it's clear that you're not crazy about financial services as a career and probably should explore alternatives, how do you know that medicine is right for you?

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Great advice above! You also are only 22 and that works in your favor. I have had older students feel left out as they were 10+ yrs older than their classmates. Generational differences. The older students with prior careers also don't like being freshmen again. Good luck and best wishes!

 

[axt1012]

Lizzy M gave you some great advice, but I have a question: While it's clear that you're not crazy about financial services as a career and probably should explore alternatives, how do you know that medicine is right for you?

I didn’t take any science courses in college but I did enjoy them in highschool. I enjoy helping people, i enjoy working with people, I have always been fascinated by the human body, and I have come to realize I need a job that’s actually fulfilling otherwise I’m never truly going to be happy. Before starting college I considered pre-med, but my folks convinced be to go the finance route because the doctor route is “too long”, in their opinion. I was naive and listened to them but upon completing my internship and graduating this year I realized that careers are long and one might as well follow what they are interested in rather than being stuck in front of a computer screen 10-12 hours a day doing something they hate. I come from an entrepreneurial family that owns their own large company so my entire life I have basically been groomed to take over at some point. As great as this sounds I am not sure if I want it.

 

[LindaAccepted]

I didn’t take any science courses in college but I did enjoy them in highschool. I enjoy helping people, i enjoy working with people, I have always been fascinated by the human body, and I have come to realize I need a job that’s actually fulfilling otherwise I’m never truly going to be happy. Before starting college I considered pre-med, but my folks convinced be to go the finance route because the doctor route is “too long”, in their opinion. I was naive and listened to them but upon completing my internship and graduating this year I realized that careers are long and one might as well follow what they are interested in rather than being stuck in front of a computer screen 10-12 hours a day doing something they hate. I come from an entrepreneurial family that owns their own large company so my entire life I have basically been groomed to take over at some point. As great as this sounds I am not sure if I want it.

Excellent response. I think you are smart to move away from a profession you don't like to one you find fulfilling. Certainly what you wrote above indicates that you should explore medicine again to see if it is what you want to do going forward. Perhaps take a science class or two and do some clinical volunteering before going full steam towards medicine. .

FYI, I have a cousin who was having a very successful career in computers when he decided it wasn't for him. He felt "empty" inside. He decided to go into medicine (his father was a doctor) and is practicing now and doing research. He is very happy with his decision.

That doesn't mean it's right for you, but it does mean that you're not the only one finding that you need to course-correct.

 

[Dral]

First of all you need to do a decent amount of shadowing to attempt to see if medicine is what you think it's all cracked up to be. You also need this for an app, so you're getting that done at the same time. You could start some clinical volunteering as well. If you feel it's the direction you want to head with your career, then you can start thinking about a post bacc.

In your situation, I think you could easily do a diy post-bacc opposed to something formal. You are not in need of an SMP either. Starting school at 25 to 26 is not an issue.

 

[axt1012]

Excellent response. I think you are smart to move away from a profession you don't like to one you find fulfilling. Certainly what you wrote above indicates that you should explore medicine again to see if it is what you want to do going forward. Perhaps take a science class or two and do some clinical volunteering before going full steam towards medicine. .

FYI, I have a cousin who was having a very successful career in computers when he decided it wasn't for him. He felt "empty" inside. He decided to go into medicine (his father was a doctor) and is practicing now and doing research. He is very happy with his decision.

That doesn't mean it's right for you, but it does mean that you're not the only one finding that you need to course-correct.

Thank you. As of right now, I am planning to work alongside my family while looking for full-time employment. I am also reaching out to doctors for the ability to shadow and volunteer opportunities in the community. I think doing this for a 3 or so months will help solidify my curiosity to potentially pursue this career choice.

 

[sillychemistry]

Hi there!

I was in your shoes exactly 2 years ago!! My degree is finance and after my internships decided it was not the right path for me in my senior year fall (fall of 2020). I applied to post-bacs in the winter of my senior year, and started the summer after I graduated from undergrad.

Two years later, I just applied to 32 MD schools and have 2 interview invites so far this cycle! I did a formal post-bacc program and while it was $$, I think that it allowed me to go "all in" on pursuing medicine. I also liked the guidance I got from the deans of post-bac program, because they kind of helped me understand how to structure the my past two years with classes, MCAT, EC's etc. However, I also know people in the program who wished they did a less formal program which would have been alot cheaper. There was also a non insignificant amount of people who dropped out after realizing medicine was not what they thought it was, they could not keep up with the pre-reqs or that the process was too long and expensive. BUT that being said, I think the program I went to is helping me in this process because of the name recognizability. Idk if thats actually true but I think it has certainly helped me secure research experience and gap year employment

I was pretty confident in my decision and felt like if I worked hard enough that I could successfully pull off this pivot. I will not lie its been a ton of work but also an incredibly rewarding process! I had a full-time offer post-grad in finance and turned it down to do my post-bac and while letting go of the potential earnings was difficult, I do not question if I made the right choice. Message me if you want to chat!!

 

[axt1012]

First of all you need to do a decent amount of shadowing to attempt to see if medicine is what you think it's all cracked up to be. You also need this for an app, so you're getting that done at the same time. You could start some clinical volunteering as well. If you feel it's the direction you want to head with your career, then you can start thinking about a post bacc.

In your situation, I think you could easily do a diy post-bacc opposed to something formal. You are not in need of an SMP either. Starting school at 25 to 26 is not an issue.

Why would you suggest a DIY post-bacc rather than a formal program when I have not taken a single science course during undergrad?

 

[PapaGuava]

Both threads merged.

 

[LizzyM]

I would highly recommend a program. You put yourself in the hands of an post-bac advisor at Columbia or Mills or Swarthmore (et al.) and you'll get great wrap around services, be able to find like-minded people with whom to form study groups, get connected to research and volunteer opportunities, and come away with a great LOR based on your conversations with the advisor (these letters are pure gold in terms of having the help of someone else to tell some of your story without letting some of that stuff bog down your personal statement).

 

[axt1012]

I would highly recommend a program. You put yourself in the hands of an post-bac advisor at Columbia or Mills or Swarthmore (et al.) and you'll get great wrap around services, be able to find like-minded people with whom to form study groups, get connected to research and volunteer opportunities, and come away with a great LOR based on your conversations with the advisor (these letters are pure gold in terms of having the help of someone else to tell some of your story without letting some of that stuff bog down your personal statement).

Lizzy thank you for the insight. Does it matter what post-back program I do? I understand that a name brand school will definitely help but how much…. I’m from chicago so I have been looking into either Northwestern or Loyola Chicago. I know that some offer more linkage programs than others but from what I understand getting in that way is a crap shoot

 

[LizzyM]

Northwestern has one of the highest LizzyM scores (amalgam of GPA and MCAT) of any school in the country so I highly doubt you'll find a linkage there. Not sure about Loyola Chicago. I have seen multiple applicants from Swarthmore, Columbia and Mills and they are well-known entities. Interview the schools and ask not only what proportion of graduates are in school 2 years after graduation but also ask what proportion of matriculants (everyone who started) is in medical school 5 years after they start. Some schools are easy to get into but leave a lot of bodies on the side of the road.

 

[j_diggity]

Lizzy thank you for the insight. Does it matter what post-back program I do? I understand that a name brand school will definitely help but how much…. I’m from chicago so I have been looking into either Northwestern or Loyola Chicago. I know that some offer more linkage programs than others but from what I understand getting in that way is a crap shoot

Just a heads up about Northwestern. I applied and got accepted there before deciding on a postbacc in another city.

I have a friend from my undergrad who went to the Northwestern postbacc. Smart, hard-working, did well in our rigorous undergrad. I reached out and talked to her about the program. She told me it was extremely difficult, a GPA destroyer. So hard that, out of the 6 friends she still keeps in touch with from the postbacc, only 1 was accepted to med school, after multiple cycles and reapplications. A's are very limited and the average students gets a B or B-, which is not great for med schools. That's why I chose not to go there.

If you KNOW you're an elite student, you can probably do well there, and I'm sure getting all A's at a Northwestern postbacc would be a huge advantage if you could swing it. However, I'd consider an alternative program.

Update: I just reached out and my friend did eventually get accepted to med school, but only after completing an MPH *after* the Northwestern postbacc.

 

[axt1012]

Northwestern has one of the highest LizzyM scores (amalgam of GPA and MCAT) of any school in the country so I highly doubt you'll find a linkage there. Not sure about Loyola Chicago. I have seen multiple applicants from Swarthmore, Columbia and Mills and they are well-known entities. Interview the schools and ask not only what proportion of graduates are in school 2 years after graduation but also ask what proportion of matriculants (everyone who started) is in medical school 5 years after they start. Some schools are easy to get into but leave a lot of bodies on the side of the road.

Are you saying to ask the schools what is the attrition rate for for the post-bacc program? Also to ask out of the entering post-bacc class how many actually matriculate after completing the program?

 

[LizzyM]

Are you saying to ask the schools what is the attrition rate for for the post-bacc program? Also to ask out of the entering post-bacc class how many actually matriculate after completing the program?

You are interested in two proportions:

Number of people starting this post-bac program/ number of people completing post-bac program = ?

number of people who started post-bac program 5 years ago who are now in medical school/ number of people who started post-bac program 5 years ago = ?

From these two proportions you can also make an estimate of the number of people who start in your cohort who will be in medical school 5 years from now.

 

[Dral]

Why would you suggest a DIY post-bacc rather than a formal program when I have not taken a single science course during undergrad?

Either would be fine in my opinion. If you could somehow take the classes at your undergrad institution, you should be able to utilize the pre-med advisors. The formal will likely cost more but have more advising opportunities as mentioned. But you don't need to pay someone extra to tell you to take bio I, bio II, chem I, chem II, etc. Best of luck.