Is my medical writing background competitive for Post Bacc?

[mtngoat]

I didn't believe it was possible for me to pursue a career in science or medicine after getting a degree in journalism. But I recently found out about PostBac programs and the idea is exciting to me.I know these questions get asked all the time, but I wanted to be specific.

I worked for a year at an osteopathic medical school as a writer and editor in the college's communications department. There I authored a handful of news articles and magazine features about biomedical research and medical pedagogy. I have some good published writing samples talking about the ACA, interprofessional education and different research topics.

Will this be counted as "background in a medical field" that so many PostBac programs look for in candidates? Will it hurt that it was only a writing job? Also, if I'm looking to get an MD, would it hurt that this was in an osteopathic school?

Age: 25
GPA: 3.9
ACT: 32
Graduated Magna Cum Laude, honors college
Volunteer experience: 6 months AmeriCorps in a conservation role
Lots of journalism internships
No real science courses, except for 101 plant biology and astronomy

Any suggestions for what level of school I could get into? I want to shoot for the highest I could possibly get into but don't want to waste effort on the way-out-of-reach. Thanks!

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[benjaminl1nus]

Will this be counted as "background in a medical field" that so many PostBac programs look for in candidates? Will it hurt that it was only a writing job? Also, if I'm looking to get an MD, would it hurt that this was in an osteopathic school?

Age: 25
GPA: 3.9
ACT: 32
Graduated Magna Cum Laude, honors college
Volunteer experience: 6 months AmeriCorps in a conservation role
Lots of journalism internships
No real science courses, except for 101 plant biology and astronomy

Any suggestions for what level of school I could get into? I want to shoot for the highest I could possibly get into but don't want to waste effort on the way-out-of-reach. Thanks!

It's hard to say without an MCAT. You have very nice ECs, but the writing thing (to me, at least) doesn't seem like "medical background." that being said, medical background basically means that you had experience with patients. if you don't, better start now! hospitals want volunteers.

have you taken the MCAT yet? if not, then go and do that and then you can get an SDN style assessment. as it stands, your grades tell me little. however, they *look* pretty good. as long as you can pull a 30+ MCAT you will have no problem getting into med school.

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

It's hard to say without an MCAT. You have very nice ECs, but the writing thing (to me, at least) doesn't seem like "medical background." that being said, medical background basically means that you had experience with patients. if you don't, better start now! hospitals want volunteers.

have you taken the MCAT yet? if not, then go and do that and then you can get an SDN style assessment. as it stands, your grades tell me little. however, they *look* pretty good. as long as you can pull a 30+ MCAT you will have no problem getting into med school.

This is a pretty ridiculous reply. This person has indicated that they haven't taken science courses yet, so it makes no sense for them to take the MCAT as a prerequisite for getting into a program in which they will take the courses required to do well on the MCAT.

OP, you're fine. Your medical writing background is either helpful or irrelevant- people get into postbaccs (not SMPs) with far less, especially considering the fact that the majority of them are meant for career changers. Postbaccs look for people who carry minimal academic risk (which your 3.9 indicates)- the other stuff, i.e. clinical experience, can be acquired concurrently with your premedical classes, as would be expected of any undergraduate. Find a program with good pre-professional advising since navigating timelines and requirements tends to be a challenge for people who are new to the game, moreso than learning Gen Chem or how to push electrons.

 

[ksyhe]

This is a pretty ridiculous reply. This person is has indicated that they haven't taken science courses yet, so it makes no sense for them to take the MCAT as a prerequisite for getting into a program in which they will take the courses required to do well on the MCAT.

OP, you're fine. Your medical writing background is either helpful or irrelevant- people get into postbacc's (not SMPs) with far less, especially considering the fact that the majority of them are meant for career changers. Postbaccs look for people who have minimal academic risk (which your 3.9 indicates)- the other stuff, i.e. clinical experience, can be acquired concurrently with your premedical classes, as would be expected of any undergraduate. Find a program with good pre-professional advising since navigating timelines and requirements tends to be a challenge for people who are new to the game, moreso than learning Gen Chem or how to push electrons.

Agree with notajock's entire post. I think you have a great shot of getting into at least one of the top career-changer postbacs (Byrn Mawr, Goucher, Johns Hopkins, Scripps). Your background is actually really, really similar to mine, and your stats are way better. Maybe do some shadowing or hospital/clinical volunteering before you apply to show that you have some firsthand knowledge of what you're going in to (unless you shadowed clinicians as part of your reporting for articles -- that was enough for my application). Good luck!

 

[benjaminl1nus]

This is a pretty ridiculous reply. This person has indicated that they haven't taken science courses yet, so it makes no sense for them to take the MCAT as a prerequisite for getting into a program in which they will take the courses required to do well on the MCAT.

OP, you're fine. Your medical writing background is either helpful or irrelevant- people get into postbaccs (not SMPs) with far less, especially considering the fact that the majority of them are meant for career changers. Postbaccs look for people who carry minimal academic risk (which your 3.9 indicates)- the other stuff, i.e. clinical experience, can be acquired concurrently with your premedical classes, as would be expected of any undergraduate. Find a program with good pre-professional advising since navigating timelines and requirements tends to be a challenge for people who are new to the game, moreso than learning Gen Chem or how to push electrons.

Wow, my bad. I didn't read the OP at all! I think I was on low sleep and misread that he was applying to med school, not a post bacc. Agree with the above posters, and sorry again!!

 

[mtngoat]

Thank you all for the reply. Yes, I'll be looking for a career changer program so preparation for MCAT needs to be included. And getting guidance on the application process is the main reason I'm going for a full PostBac program, instead of just taking the courses on my own.

I still need to talk to my old college advisers, but I'm planning on getting applications into JH, Bryn Mawr and Penn then. Ksyshe, so you did health reporting as well? I'm wondering how much this will come up in interviews, as I could talk a lot about how that informed my decision to go for medical school. Thanks again!

 

[ksyhe]

Yeah, it was one of the main topics in all my interviews. However, my personal statement focused on how my experiences as a writer inspired me pursue medicine; and how those experiences will help me to become a better doctor, so I did invite that conversation.