Need opinions on my next route. Obsessed with becoming a doctor.

[EngineerToDoctorKMJ]

Hello all, this is my first time posting here.
This is my story with a question.

I am a recent engineering student graduate at 23 years old. I have been working for 6 months now. I have been excelling but I want something more.

I feel that I would do anything to get into medical school. I did not want to become a doctor until after I graduated. I was always interested in medicine but never considered a career in it until a couple months ago. Since then I have been obsessed and researching nonstop but I need opinions on a more personalized level.


I was immature in school and hardly studied. I graduated with a cGPa of 2.75. AMCAS of 2.67. With 167 credits.

My plan was to go back to school this summer to start a post bacc to get all of my medical school pre reqs and to bring that AMCAS gpa over a 3.0.

I will take 12 credits in the summer, 17 in fall, 17 in spring, and 12 credits in the following summer. When I get A's for every credit, this will bring my AMCAS cGPA to 3.01 and my sGPA to around 3.3-3.4.

(Yes I know it would be difficult to believe that I would get A's in all of those credits based upon my previous gpa but I know I would. I have a whole new mindset now.)

Let us also assume I get an MCAT score of at least 510.

What do you all believe would be the best course of action to take next to get into a medical school?

I don't know what other options there are besides a masters program...I thinking a one year SMP program.

Let me know if you even believe if medical school is feasible at this point for me assuming the aforementioned goes to plan.

I appreciate any input.

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[GreenDuck12]

A couple questions for you:
1. When are you hoping to apply to medical school?
2. Why are you shooting for 46 credit hours in 3 academic terms?
3. How do you know you are ready to handle a science heavy course load and significantly improve your performance?

I ask the questions above because the plan you mentioned above feels very rushed and is hinges upon significantly improving your academic performance after just graduating.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Sorry, I accidentally submitted before finishing the post. continued below:

it is feasible to improve your GPA to make it past an auto screen and this forum is filled with students who have recovered from low undergraduate GPAs. The common thread that you will find is that it is something that happens over the course of several years. Many folks who have lower GPAs earn high scores on the MCAT but it takes time. this process is a marathon, not a sprint. I would recommend spending some time volunteering in a medical setting a shadowing to make sure this is what you want to do. I would recommend making a careful plan of what classes you want to take and be careful not to sign up for too much.

 

[deleted480308]

Hello all, this is my first time posting here.
This is my story with a question.

I am a recent engineering student graduate at 23 years old. I have been working for 6 months now. I have been excelling but I want something more.

I feel that I would do anything to get into medical school. I did not want to become a doctor until after I graduated. I was always interested in medicine but never considered a career in it until a couple months ago. Since then I have been obsessed and researching nonstop but I need opinions on a more personalized level.


I was immature in school and hardly studied. I graduated with a cGPa of 2.75. AMCAS of 2.67. With 167 credits.

My plan was to go back to school this summer to start a post bacc to get all of my medical school pre reqs and to bring that AMCAS gpa over a 3.0.

I will take 12 credits in the summer, 17 in fall, 17 in spring, and 12 credits in the following summer. When I get A's for every credit, this will bring my AMCAS cGPA to 3.01 and my sGPA to around 3.3-3.4.

(Yes I know it would be difficult to believe that I would get A's in all of those credits based upon my previous gpa but I know I would. I have a whole new mindset now.)

Let us also assume I get an MCAT score of at least 510.

What do you all believe would be the best course of action to take next to get into a medical school?

I don't know what other options there are besides a masters program...I thinking a one year SMP program.

Let me know if you even believe if medical school is feasible at this point for me assuming the aforementioned goes to plan.

I appreciate any input.

you have significantly below a 3.0, it is not reasonable to assume a 510 mcat

 

[Goro]

Sorry, I accidentally submitted before finishing the post. continued below:

it is feasible to improve your GPA to make it past an auto screen and this forum is filled with students who have recovered from low undergraduate GPAs. The common thread that you will find is that it is something that happens over the course of several years. Many folks who have lower GPAs earn high scores on the MCAT but it takes time. this process is a marathon, not a sprint. I would recommend spending some time volunteering in a medical setting a shadowing to make sure this is what you want to do. I would recommend making a careful plan of what classes you want to take and be careful not to sign up for too much.

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Hello all, this is my first time posting here.
This is my story with a question.

I am a recent engineering student graduate at 23 years old. I have been working for 6 months now. I have been excelling but I want something more.

I feel that I would do anything to get into medical school. I did not want to become a doctor until after I graduated. I was always interested in medicine but never considered a career in it until a couple months ago. Since then I have been obsessed and researching nonstop but I need opinions on a more personalized level.


I was immature in school and hardly studied. I graduated with a cGPa of 2.75. AMCAS of 2.67. With 167 credits.

My plan was to go back to school this summer to start a post bacc to get all of my medical school pre reqs and to bring that AMCAS gpa over a 3.0.

I will take 12 credits in the summer, 17 in fall, 17 in spring, and 12 credits in the following summer. When I get A's for every credit, this will bring my AMCAS cGPA to 3.01 and my sGPA to around 3.3-3.4.

(Yes I know it would be difficult to believe that I would get A's in all of those credits based upon my previous gpa but I know I would. I have a whole new mindset now.)

Let us also assume I get an MCAT score of at least 510.

What do you all believe would be the best course of action to take next to get into a medical school?

I don't know what other options there are besides a masters program...I thinking a one year SMP program.

Let me know if you even believe if medical school is feasible at this point for me assuming the aforementioned goes to plan.

I appreciate any input.

Before committing any time or money into premed coursework, you should do some physician shadowing (start with 40 hours with a primary care physician) and gain clinical experience (e.g., hospital volunteering or employment). It doesn’t make a lot of sense to sink a ton of money into a postbac unless you’ve seen the day-to-day experiences of medicine firsthand. Clinical experience (at least 150 hours paid or volunteer) and 40+ hours of physician shadowing is an expected part of a medical school application anyway. Start with shadowing, and if you remain interested in medicine after shadowing, then start thinking about postbac work.

 

[EngineerToDoctorKMJ]

I am trying to take as many classes as possible to get in as fast a possible. I am already 23 and a postbacc is looking to take about two years. Then 4 years of Med school, around 6 years residency. It's adding up. I would like to have a family also and my girlfriend is 2 years older than me.
My last semester of engineering undergrad I took 20 credits and received a 3.75 GPA.
I am positive I can obtain a 4.0 in my post bacc. I have not taken the mcat before so I cannot say I am positive with getting a 510.


I'm not asking if people believe I can obtain the 4.0 post bacc or a high MCAT.

I'm questioning my chances of medical school acceptance assuming that I have a 3.0 cGPa with a 3.4 sGPA, a 4.0 for the last 75 credits, an engineering degree, a 510 MCAT, and a large amount of shadowing.
Yes, I can look up the statistics online of matriculants but I believe my great post bacc with all the pre-reqs would mean something?

 

[EngineerToDoctorKMJ]

Can medical schools (Do or MD) look past a bad GPA (c 3.0 s 3.4) if I demonstrate my ability after my mistake? That is basically the main question here. I am determined. I am willing to wake up on the weekdays and some weekends at 6am and to work/study until 10pm with breaks to eat.

 

[Bonne Nuit]

I am trying to take as many classes as possible to get in as fast a possible. I am already 23 and a postbacc is looking to take about two years. Then 4 years of Med school, around 6 years residency. It's adding up. I would like to have a family also and my girlfriend is 2 years older than me.
My last semester of engineering undergrad I took 20 credits and received a 3.75 GPA.
I am positive I can obtain a 4.0 in my post bacc. I have not taken the mcat before so I cannot say I am positive with getting a 510.


I'm not asking if people believe I can obtain the 4.0 post bacc or a high MCAT.

I'm questioning my chances of medical school acceptance assuming that I have a 3.0 cGPa with a 3.4 sGPA, a 4.0 for the last 75 credits, an engineering degree, a 510 MCAT, and a large amount of shadowing.
Yes, I can look up the statistics online of matriculants but I believe my great post bacc with all the pre-reqs would mean something?

Assuming all those things, you’re marginal for MD, at best, and possibly OK for DO if ALL other elements of your application are in order.

Since you’re making reference to a 6 year residency, I’m assuming you’re interested in a competitive surgical specialty. You’ll want to aim for MD, if that’s the case, and a 3.4/510 isn’t going to cut it.

I hear that you want to do this as soon as humanly possible, but what do you actually know about the field of medicine? Do you have any clinical experience or shadowing yet? How can you be sure you want to sacrifice a decade of your life in pursuit of this endeavor?

You need only 60-80 hours shadowing, but you’ll also need 200+ clinical hours, plus 200+ community service hours, plus leadership experience, research, etc. There is so much more to a successful medical school application than just GPA/MCAT. This is not a quick or easy thing.

I am sympathetic to you wanting to get this project underway, but I don’t think you’re being realistic right now. It took me several years to get my application in order as a postbac applicant, and I’m now in my 30s.

My earlier advice still stands: start gaining some clinical hours or shadowing (and do this in primary care - roughly a third of physicians end up in primary care roles), see if you even like it, then worry about school.

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Can medical schools (Do or MD) look past a bad GPA (c 3.0 s 3.4) if I demonstrate my ability after my mistake? That is basically the main question here. I am determined. I am willing to wake up on the weekdays and some weekends at 6am and to work/study until 10pm with breaks to eat.

@Goro directed you to his guide for premed reinvention where he explains that, yes, it’s possible, but it will take several years of an upward GPA trend. Please read his guide. It will answer most of your questions.

 

[DokterMom]

I am trying to take as many classes as possible to get in as fast a possible. I am already 23 and a postbacc is looking to take about two years. Then 4 years of Med school, around 6 years residency. It's adding up. I would like to have a family also and my girlfriend is 2 years older than me.
My last semester of engineering undergrad I took 20 credits and received a 3.75 GPA.
I am positive I can obtain a 4.0 in my post bacc. I have not taken the mcat before so I cannot say I am positive with getting a 510.


I'm not asking if people believe I can obtain the 4.0 post bacc or a high MCAT.

I'm questioning my chances of medical school acceptance assuming that I have a 3.0 cGPa with a 3.4 sGPA, a 4.0 for the last 75 credits, an engineering degree, a 510 MCAT, and a large amount of shadowing.
Yes, I can look up the statistics online of matriculants but I believe my great post bacc with all the pre-reqs would mean something?

Do you know how very young 23 is?... So don't rush things so much that you get in your own way.

The advice to start with shadowing - or at least, shadow before you go too far - is very sound. What does a mature adult do when considering a career switch with a significant investment of time and money? Research that career. That's what shadowing is. So do that. Soon. Even if you already know, it will make you look mature and responsible, if nothing else. (And imagine the pain you'll avoid if you realize you hate it!)

Next, since you did extremely well at the end of your engineering career, I'll believe you have the smarts to pull it off. And since you attribute your poor early performance to immaturity, I'll believe that too - it's a pretty common thing.

So, in addition to pre-med grades high enough to raise your GPA above a 3.0, you'll also need time. That's right - just plain old time to allow the patina of maturity and good judgement to replace the taint of immaturity and foolishness. So, even if you can crunch 75 hours of 4.0 coursework into 15 months, it's a bad idea. It's a desparate and reckless plan that makes it look like your immaturity problem isn't really quite behind you... Spread it out over a full two years. Pace yourself. Demonstrate the maturity and judgement you will claim to possess.

And as has been mentioned - Do some serious volunteering. Again, you'll want to demonstrate that you're the kind of applicant MD schools want. So show them you're a good person, starting now. Maybe put your engineering skills to work in an inner city school? Free tutoring? Habitat for Humanity?

And yeah - read Goro's Guide. You need a comprehensive plan, not just GPA repair.

And good luck to you --

 

[Agentcross]

The sooner you get past the idea of rushing through life because you are a certain age the happier you will be. I’m starting medical school at 29. It really doesn’t bother me. In fact, Id rather it be this way.

Also, nobody says you have to wait until it’s all over to start a family. It’s certainly much harder. I have two kids. One will turn 3 in a few months. The other was born so recently that I was filling out med school applications while we were in labor and delivery.

 

[acstylin]

Don’t forget research. If you have hopes of attending an MD school, you need to show a strong desire to contribute to research by not only doing research now, but by taking the reins of your own little piece of the project. You can’t show your desire to do research by washing dishes and pipetting for a couple months.

 

[Goro]

Don’t forget research. If you have hopes of attending an MD school, you need to show a strong desire to contribute to research by not only doing research now, but by taking the reins of your own little piece of the project. You can’t show your desire to do research by washing dishes and pipetting for a couple months.

Research is over-rated by pre-meds, it's only given moderate importance by Admissions deans, and it's not a pre-req for med school, especially for non-trad students.

 

[acstylin]

Research is over-rated by pre-meds, it's only given moderate importance by Admissions deans, and it's not a pre-req for med school, especially for non-trad students.

I do agree with Goro to some extent (he definitely knows more than I do about this process) but I have talked to other interviewers that have focused on the importance of research and one in particular spent 10 minutes of my interview bagging on the applicant right before me who didn’t perform any research for exactly the same reason “it’s not a pre-req.” It is something that isn’t REQUIRED at all schools but is at some. It will never hurt you if you do it, but it could hurt you you if you don’t. If you look at MSAR, and see that the 97% of the matriculants to that school performed research, you better be doing research too. Most MD schools seem to have over 90% of the matriculants doing research- at least the ones to which I applied.

 

[Goro]

I do agree with Goro to some extent (he definitely knows more than I do about this process) but I have talked to other interviewers that have focused on the importance of research and one in particular spent 10 minutes of my interview bagging on the applicant right before me who didn’t perform any research for exactly the same reason “it’s not a pre-req.” It is something that isn’t REQUIRED at all schools but is at some. It will never hurt you if you do it, but it could hurt you you if you don’t. If you look at MSAR, and see that the 97% of the matriculants to that school performed research, you better be doing research too. Most MD schools seem to have over 90% of the matriculants doing research- at least the ones to which I applied.

The premeds are doing research because all other premeds are doing research.

There definitely are research ****** among the MD schools, can't deny that.

But its less of an issue for Nontrads like OP.

 

[theKingLT]

I do agree with Goro to some extent (he definitely knows more than I do about this process) but I have talked to other interviewers that have focused on the importance of research and one in particular spent 10 minutes of my interview bagging on the applicant right before me who didn’t perform any research for exactly the same reason “it’s not a pre-req.” It is something that isn’t REQUIRED at all schools but is at some. It will never hurt you if you do it, but it could hurt you you if you don’t. If you look at MSAR, and see that the 97% of the matriculants to that school performed research, you better be doing research too. Most MD schools seem to have over 90% of the matriculants doing research- at least the ones to which I applied.

This is like telling a pre-med they need to go get laid because less than 5% of accepted students are virgins. Percent of research experience doesn't mean jack without knowing the percentage of applicants with research experience and how the rest of their applications compare to the non-research folks. I would argue that the fact that so many accepted students have research experience actually supports goro's statement that research is overrated by premeds.

By the way I had no research experience and was accepted to a school that reported 97% of accepted students had research experience. Someone has to be that 3% that didn't listen to their pre-med advisor.

 

[GreenDuck12]

N = 1 but I was accepted to my in state MD program without research experience. School had a 93%+ of matriculants doing research. Personally, I think there are other factors in one's application that count for significantly more depending on the schools one targets in their application. My state school was more interested in my work in underserved communities and what I got out of my clinical experiences in a community hospital.

 

[Sleepingdoc]

Honestly research is wasting time for you.. Like the above poster said, all premeds are doing research because they heard everyone is doing it. There are no requirements for research for admission. If the adcom's like you, they take you.
and 23 is not old. Make the most out of your life. Your gpa is the biggest hindrance to you getting into med school and I seriously doubt you will make it to med school with that GPA. I hope you prove me wrong.

 

[deleted1005514]

SHADOW a doctor before you plan another thing or make another move. Make sure you shadow a primary care doc, because no matter how confident you are that you’ll land in a super competitive specialty, you need to be sure you’d still take this path doing family med in the middle of nowhere if that’s how it all shakes out.

Being “obsessed” with going to medical school could lead to a rude awakening if you later find out that you will hate every day of your new chosen career, and now you have to spend 8-10 hours a day grinding away at new material to do it. Know what you’re getting yourself into, and not that you’re chasing an unrealistic dream.

 

[Moko]

I agree with the advice given thus far.
You should NOT make any decisions about prereqs while you are "obsessed" with the idea of being a physician. That is a recipe for disaster, a potentially very expensive one at that. Get some shadowing and volunteering experience first before going back to school. Medicine is a pretty cool career, but it's definitely not for most folks, and there's no shame in that. There are many avenues to help others. In your case, the path to medical school will be longer without any guarantees even if things go well from this point forward. Your best bet will be to get your cGPA up to 3.0, and then to consider a SMP especially if you're leaning towards a MD vs DO. Admissions is still very much a numbers game, though strong upward trends are taken into account and looked upon very favorably.

 

[Deecee2DO]

I am trying to take as many classes as possible to get in as fast a possible. I am already 23 and a postbacc is looking to take about two years. Then 4 years of Med school, around 6 years residency. It's adding up. I would like to have a family also and my girlfriend is 2 years older than me.
My last semester of engineering undergrad I took 20 credits and received a 3.75 GPA.
I am positive I can obtain a 4.0 in my post bacc. I have not taken the mcat before so I cannot say I am positive with getting a 510.


I'm not asking if people believe I can obtain the 4.0 post bacc or a high MCAT.

I'm questioning my chances of medical school acceptance assuming that I have a 3.0 cGPa with a 3.4 sGPA, a 4.0 for the last 75 credits, an engineering degree, a 510 MCAT, and a large amount of shadowing.
Yes, I can look up the statistics online of matriculants but I believe my great post bacc with all the pre-reqs would mean something?

Never ever ever rush medical school. Why do all these premeds come on here and act like the sky is falling-if they take a year or two off they are doomed. Dude youre in your 20s you are young as hell. I started med school at 28 and im now a second year. If i do my desired specialty ill be an attending at 37 which still gives me 30 years or more in practice. so do NOT rush-this is not something you rush

 

[Heliopolis]

A few thoughts to the original post:

Engineering GPAs tend to be on the lower side (but I’m not thinking chemical engineering or biomedical engineering).
If you can get the grades in your proposed plan that would help, with your timeline.
Your aspirations on a surgical specialty will also be based more on your medical school performance.
Research experience is always good, but focus on your GPA and MCAT scores first.
Your goals in reference to your timeline for starting a family are appropriate.
Good luck!

 

[MusicDOc124]

I am trying to take as many classes as possible to get in as fast a possible. I am already 23 and a postbacc is looking to take about two years. Then 4 years of Med school, around 6 years residency. It's adding up. I would like to have a family also and my girlfriend is 2 years older than me.
My last semester of engineering undergrad I took 20 credits and received a 3.75 GPA.
I am positive I can obtain a 4.0 in my post bacc. I have not taken the mcat before so I cannot say I am positive with getting a 510.


I'm not asking if people believe I can obtain the 4.0 post bacc or a high MCAT.

I'm questioning my chances of medical school acceptance assuming that I have a 3.0 cGPa with a 3.4 sGPA, a 4.0 for the last 75 credits, an engineering degree, a 510 MCAT, and a large amount of shadowing.
Yes, I can look up the statistics online of matriculants but I believe my great post bacc with all the pre-reqs would mean something?

Can medical schools (Do or MD) look past a bad GPA (c 3.0 s 3.4) if I demonstrate my ability after my mistake? That is basically the main question here. I am determined. I am willing to wake up on the weekdays and some weekends at 6am and to work/study until 10pm with breaks to eat.

I think it is unwise to suspect you will get a 4.0 when you have a 2.75 (2.67) with 167 credits, with the best semester (assuming since it's the only one you point out) was a 3.75.

While schools will consider a lower GPA from time to time when there is a strong upward trend or something, they still want something more than a 3.01 - the average for MD is around 3.6 and 3.5 for DO. You also stated you were lazy and just didn't study, with no real evidence of this change. It's also going to take a lot to change your GPA when you already have 167 credits.

 

[EngineerToDoctorKMJ]

Hello everyone,

OP here.

It’s been 3.5 years since making this thread and 3 years since starting my postbacc premed journey – wow! Reading my original post today made me realize how far I’ve come.


So, here’s how everything turned out -

Postbaccalaureate undergraduate (May 2020-May 2022)

– 4.0 GPA, 79 credits (76 science, 3 psychology)

–MCAT: 512 (lower than expected, was scoring 516 on AAMC practice exams, not good at CARS)


From this my cumulative undergraduate GPAs were s-3.45, c-3.09. I had a great upward trend but these numbers still didn't look too appealing.


I was teetering back and forth on whether to complete a SMP while applying to medical school. Most people suggested I should wait to see how the application cycle turned out. However, I ended up deciding that completing a SMP was worth it to me to increase my chances of getting accepted this cycle and not having to use another year reapplying.


I did my SMP at a MD medical school where the masters students take the same classes as medical students. It was a ton of work, but I ended up getting a 4.0 GPA.


I’m happy to say that I was accepted to the MD program where I did my SMP.


I write this now because these success stories are what made me believe it was possible back when I was thinking of starting this journey and without them, I might not have taken the risk and would have been left thinking “what if?”

I have no regrets and am very glad about my decision!

Also, if you’re wondering, I gained about 500 hours of clinical experience which included 40 hours of shadowing. Plus, I had about 200 hours of academic research.

 

[MusicDOc124]

Hello everyone,

OP here.

It’s been 3.5 years since making this thread and 3 years since starting my postbacc premed journey – wow! Reading my original post today made me realize how far I’ve come.


So, here’s how everything turned out -

Postbaccalaureate undergraduate (May 2020-May 2022)

– 4.0 GPA, 79 credits (76 science, 3 psychology)

–MCAT: 512 (lower than expected, was scoring 516 on AAMC practice exams, not good at CARS)


From this my cumulative undergraduate GPAs were s-3.45, c-3.09. I had a great upward trend but these numbers still didn't look too appealing.


I was teetering back and forth on whether to complete a SMP while applying to medical school. Most people suggested I should wait to see how the application cycle turned out. However, I ended up deciding that completing a SMP was worth it to me to increase my chances of getting accepted this cycle and not having to use another year reapplying.


I did my SMP at a MD medical school where the masters students take the same classes as medical students. It was a ton of work, but I ended up getting a 4.0 GPA.


I’m happy to say that I was accepted to the MD program where I did my SMP.


I write this now because these success stories are what made me believe it was possible back when I was thinking of starting this journey and without them, I might not have taken the risk and would have been left thinking “what if?”

I have no regrets and am very glad about my decision!

Also, if you’re wondering, I gained about 500 hours of clinical experience which included 40 hours of shadowing. Plus, I had about 200 hours of academic research.

Huge congrats!

 

[Angler]

I did my SMP at a MD medical school where the masters students take the same classes as medical students. It was a ton of work, but I ended up getting a 4.0 GPA.


I’m happy to say that I was accepted to the MD program where I did my SMP.

Wow! You really beat the odds! You deserve the right to thumb your nose at all the naysayers above!

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

jeese, 80 credits at 4.0 into a 4.0 SMP?

Bruh.

You need to make a how-to guide or something.