Making a Game Plan

[tarot]

Hello! I'm a non-trad who has been lurking in these forums for a while and I've decided that now is the time to get a real game plan set in order to tackle this insane admissions process! I'm looking for a little advice and insight from those who have been down this route before.

A bit of background: I'm in my last year of law school in the Midwest. While I don't think I would loathe a career in law, much of my focus during these almost three years has been health law and I find myself becoming more drawn to the clinical side of healthcare rather than the legal side of it. I'm a research assistant focusing on healthcare policy and the ACA as well as a volunteer in the E.R. at my local hospital (which I adore doing!). My time in the E.R. has really opened my eyes to realize that I want to be doctor more than anything else and in particular, that I am seriously drawn to Emergency Medicine. I understand that there are many players in the healthcare team, but I think that being doctor would not only provide an intellectual challenge, but it would also allow me to take a leadership position in the care of patients, which I'm really interested in doing. I'm only 24, but will be 25 when I graduate in May 2016.

When I was in undergrad, I started off as pre-health (open to the particular field) and I took two semesters of Chemistry, one semester of Biology, and one semester of calculus. Due to some serious health concerns during two of those semesters (Mono took me out for two months at the end of one semester. I took all of my finals without having gone to class in eight weeks and about as lethargic as could be), I ended up with some less than stellar grades. By the time I apply, it will have been almost 10 years since I took those classes. As it stands, with my 16 BCPM credits, I have a 2.0 (one B, two Cs, and one D). My cumulative undergrad GPA was 3.81 (humanities major). If I kicked major tuchas, I could probably get my science GPA to about 3.45 (shooting for nothing less than a handful of B+'s), even though my post-bacc GPA would be much higher. Do you know of any schools that reward this kind of reinvention?

I think I have the best chance for admission at my state school and my undergraduate institution (gives preference to alumni). However, both require additional upper-level science classes beyond the traditional year-long sequences in Bio, Chem, Orgo, and Physics.

My state school requires Genetics, Biochemistry, and Statistics.
My undergrad's med school requires Biochemistry, Statistics, and Physiology.

I plan to enroll full-time in a DIY post-bacc after I (hopefully!) pass the bar in July 2016, working part-time as an attorney to pay for living expenses. How should I structure these classes while still budgeting time to study for the MCAT and apply to schools as early as possible during the admissions cycle? Would taking 3 math/science classes with labs while working 20-25 hours per week and doing ECs be a recipe for disaster? I understand that medical school is grueling and I should not be skimpy during pre-reqs, but I also don't want to overload and allow my GPA to suffer. Ideally, I would like to apply when I'm 27 and start when I'm 28 (so, apply in 2018 for matriculation in Fall 2019), but I'm not sure that this is possible with all of the classes I need for my state school and undergrad's med school. If I have to delay a year in order to allow adequate time to prep for the MCAT and apply as early as possible during the cycle, I think I'm okay with that. I only want to apply once!

Any thoughts about how I should plan for these courses and MCAT prep?

Thanks for reading this grossly long post. I would really appreciate any advice you could give me!!!

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[futuremdforme]

How many credits do they need in those pre-reqs? If they're only half-years, you could do it all in one year. I wouldn't take all 6 together since it's been a while since you took science classes and you will want As. (All of them will contribute to your sGPA.) Depending on the scheduling, you could retake your D (and maybe your Cs) to bring them up to As. This would help your sGPA and show your capability in the science. If you want to do that, maybe do it first since they'll give you a better foundation.

Don't take the MCAT until you're done your pre-reqs because it makes it harder to do well, AND the MCAT will expire but pre-reqs don't.

Lots of schools reward reinvention. If you search the non-trad forum for "reinvention" you'll probably find a good list! Good luck!

 

[tarot]

Thank you so much for the response! My state school and my undergrad's med school require just one semester of Genetics, Biochem, Physiology, and Statistics (3 credits each) and both schools require a year-long sequence in Chem, Orgo, Physics, and Bio (8-10 credits of each).

I am planning on starting anew completely, retaking Chem I and II and Bio because it has been so long since I took those and I have forgotten a lot. Also, I want a really solid foundation before I tackle more advanced courses and begin to prep for the MCAT. So, in total, I think I need about 48-51 credits depending on whether I want to retake Calculus (neither school requires it, just statistics, but I thought that since my grade was so poor (again, poor health that semester), I should demonstrate that I can handle it).

I'm also toying with the idea of going full speed and taking 16 hours each semester and not working (just living off savings and loans), but I'm not sure I want to blow through my savings before med school. I'd really like to start med school in the fall of 2019, but I'm not sure where to fit the MCAT into this sequence without having to have two years between when I finish pre-reqs and start M1.

I know that a lot of schools just require that you have those pre-reqs done before matriculation. Do you think that I should apply without having taken Genetics, Biochem and the like and take them during the application cycle (Fall 2018-Spring 2019)? The downside to this is that it means that I would have fewer credits to boost my sGPA, but it might allow me to start in 2019.

Any thoughts about these options?

 

[Ad2b]

1. Pass Bar exam
2. Shoot for As in your remaining pre-req courses
3. Take MCAT when you are done with pre-reqs so you can focus on just that; aim for 512+
4. Slow down... you are only 24... make money, put it away, take one step at a time; med school will come
5. Don't focus on one state's schools (and make your post anonymous - far too much info provided there )

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

1. Don't focus on only 2 schools' requirements. You'll want to apply broadly to many if you can. Med school admissions is tough!
2. Second the make money idea! Pass the bar and save up $.
3. I'd say take 1-2 classes per semester while working...but then I want As and I know science and math don't come as naturally as the humanities to me.
4. Relax, 24 is technically not very nontrad. You've got time. Throw in some more ECs.
5. Don't forget the new MCAT and some schools require psych and sociology.
6. If you're going MD, retaking a class won't matter, the admissions team will average your GPA, if you're going DO, retakes will replace the poor performance entirely.
7. However, if you think retaking certain classes will better prepare you for the MCAT and show an upward trend, then by all means go for it. Just make sure to ace them!

 

[DrESQ]

@tarot we're kindred spirits. I went to law school in the midwest, specialized in health law, currently practice health law. Even during school found myself much more interested in the clinical side of what we were learning, and now especially so since I have to be on-site at hospitals every so often to meet with clients. I'm also mostly drawn to Emergency Medicine, though I have some other interests, too.

I can't speak much to the med school application process, as I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. However, with regards to being a lawyer, unless you're opening your own practice (which wouldn't make a ton of sense if you're planning to do med), I don't think very many places do part-time law work. Exceptions to this include contract attorneys or document reviewers, but you'll be lucky to make peanuts at those types of positions. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I'm saying be mindful that being a lawyer will likely take up more of your time than you think, especially once you factor in commute time, time where you have to stay late (I work in a non-trad law position, not in biglaw, and a place with incredibly easy billable hour requirements and still have to stay late at least 2-3 times a week. Sometimes it's 30 min late, sometimes it's 1.5 hours late), time spent doing continuing legal education, etc. Many places also require a certain number of billable hours per month, which could hinder your part-time plans.

I obviously don't know the particulars of your situation, but as someone who's currently in law and seeking ways to make a post-bacc work, I thought I'd impart some advice.

Also, based on the responses I've gotten on here and through my own research, it seems like med schools value ECs and shadowing/volunteer time. Not to say that's the entire ball game, because obviously GPA and MCAT matter a ton, but taking the time to go through your pre-reqs, do really well, and boost your volunteer/shadowing hours seems to be a good rule around here.

 

[DrESQ]

One more thing: I know it was said above but I'll emphasize: focus on passing the bar. Studying is going to take a ton of time, probably more than you realize. Put all of your effort into that after graduation, put med school completely out of your mind until after the bar, and pass the dang test.

I'm sure you're well aware that bar pass rates are declining across the country. It would really screw up your plans if you don't pass the bar on the first try and then have to take it again in February. So just focus on that for now, continue your awesome volunteer work up until graduation, and resume planning after the bar

 

[mspeedwagon]

I am going to add to number 3. If you decide to go this route, take at least one full semester of classes before starting med school. Going from taking one to two classes per semester, to a med school load is a real shock to the system. Take one full undergrad semester of classes. I would recommend copying classes that you would expect in your first semester of school: Anatomy, physiology, biochem. You can then throw in a fun class. This will give you a leg up on making first semester of med school manageable.

1. Don't focus on only 2 schools' requirements. You'll want to apply broadly to many if you can. Med school admissions is tough!
2. Second the make money idea! Pass the bar and save up $.
3. I'd say take 1-2 classes per semester while working...but then I want As and I know science and math don't come as naturally as the humanities to me.
4. Relax, 24 is technically not very nontrad. You've got time. Throw in some more ECs.
5. Don't forget the new MCAT and some schools require psych and sociology.
6. If you're going MD, retaking a class won't matter, the admissions team will average your GPA, if you're going DO, retakes will replace the poor performance entirely.
7. However, if you think retaking certain classes will better prepare you for the MCAT and show an upward trend, then by all means go for it. Just make sure to ace them!

 

[tarot]

Wow, thanks to everyone for the insights!

At this point, I'm leaning towards not taking the bar. I'll be working at a JD-preferred-but-not-required job in compliance when I graduate, one that will allow me a flexible schedule to take pre-req courses and save some money, too. I've decided that if I'm not going to practice law, I wouldn't waste my time, money, or energy taking the bar.

I'd still be using my law degree, albeit in a nontraditional sense, but I wouldn't actually be an attorney. Is this a bad idea? Do you think admins will look at this in a negative light?

 

[GreenDuck12]

I would be surprised if medical schools give passing/not taking the bar any consideration at all. It may make a difference for what opportunities you are eligible for while working and taking pre-med classes but not for admissions purposes. ADCOMs will be more interested in your answer to "why medical school and why now" question. Make sure you have a strong narrative explaining why you went to law school and how your interests evolved over time. Be sure to have the volunteer/shadowing experience to back it up and demonstrate that "yes, medicine is that career for me" and you should be fine.