Hello, currently I am marketing major and currently a senior. I have always had a fascination with medicine and help people, in result I would love to become a medical doctor. Currently I have 109 credit hours with cumulative 3.5 gpa. I have taken some science courses such as biology, animal science, and meteorology to fulfill the gen-ed requirements for the marketing program at my university.
I am a 26 year old nontraditional student with a family and I was prior service military with medic experience overseas. I am mostly concerned about pre-reqs for medical school and not having the proper science courses taken.
Does medical schools take in account non-traditional students as well as military members when admitting into medical school?
Basically I am looking for the recommended steps I should take to pave my path for getting successfully admitted into a medical school.
Thanks!
1. Finish taking pre-reqs if you haven't taken them all: physics, gen chem, organic chem, biology, labs, biochemistry, psychology, sociology, English, maybe calculus.
2. Ensure that you get very good grades. This can be done by hiring a tutor if necessary or prepping ahead of time.
3. Study for and take the MCAT once your practice test scores say you are ready to score above 30 at least.
4. (or before 4) Get experience working in research, and write publications if you are given the opportunity.
5. (or before 5) While taking your pre-reqs make a point to get to know your professors and pave the way for them to write you LoRs (at least: 3 from science professors, 1 from a non-science professor).
6. Note application instructions and timeline in the SDN Pre-Allo forums sticky.
7. Be aware that the medical profession can use more doctors who are excellent at communicating with the media, individuals, and large populations. As a marketing major you probably have very valuable skills that are not all that common among doctors.*
*Examples:
1. Doctors are teachers (to their patients if to no one else). A marketing major is usually an expert persuader and expert communicator. Yes, that will come in handy.
2. (Similar to #1 but on a larger scale.) The medical profession does a bad job of persuading communities, nations, etc. to do healthy things as simple as coughing into your elbow. A marketing major, in all likelihood, could put together some truly persuasive (not dumb, half-a**d, sensational, or weird) commercials or advertisements to fix that. Even something as simple as using the televisions in waiting rooms to show 30 second commercials or give 30 second health tips in between pre-recorded shows would work. (Doctors, while highly educated in science, usually have not had extensive training about communication.)
3. (More communicating new ideas to different ¨markets.¨) Part of the reason the Ebola outbreak is SO out of control in Africa is that there was a misunderstanding between the local villagers and American doctors. The villagers
thought that the doctors were ¨experimenting¨ on local villagers. They (many villagers) freaked out and raided the Ebola tent, probably getting exposed. Then they raided the morgue. A marketing major would probably have known that the villagers should have been informed ahead of time or as soon as possible, and how to deliver that message (with the audience in mind).
4. Science textbooks have the worst grammar, most awkward language, and worst tone of any books I have read in my life. Some doctors contribute to these near debacles, and I know you can do better than most or all if you ever want to! The students who read these books will be grateful.
5. Listening to someone who knows how to communicate well is just a breath of fresh air. Every organization can use more of that.
Good luck!
