Need Some Advice Please. What to do?

[9blade]

i/m

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[DocJanItor]

I'm currently 38 and in my 3rd year at an MD program so I don't think it's necessarily an impediment. It slightly depends on the school; Harvard, for example, prizes tons of research, etc that you wouldn't necessarily have the opportunity to get. It's not an issue of age as much as your non-trad-ness. I would look on the various school forums here and possibly the MSAR to see which MD schools are non-trad/older friendly.

As for your path back, I don't think an official masters is necessary. It's pretty likely that you're going to need a subject refresh at a minimum and some schools may consider your pre-reqs out of date. Since you have such a good GPA, you could easily do a non-degree seeking DIY post-bacc. There's some debate on community college (CC) vs. 4 year and how med schools view them, but obviously the most important aspects to consider are your time, availability, and cost. If a master's program is what you want to do, it certainly won't hurt you, but there'd be no need to do an SMP.

LORs are going to come hand in hand with whatever program you do. I got very good LORs from my CC professors and the general SMP letter (I had to do both because my undergrad grades were poo). But you'll have to do some sort of courses program (DIY or structured) to get those letters.

 

[9blade]

I'm currently 38 and in my 3rd year at an MD program so I don't think it's necessarily an impediment. It slightly depends on the school; Harvard, for example, prizes tons of research, etc that you wouldn't necessarily have the opportunity to get. It's not an issue of age as much as your non-trad-ness. I would look on the various school forums here and possibly the MSAR to see which MD schools are non-trad/older friendly.

As for your path back, I don't think an official masters is necessary. It's pretty likely that you're going to need a subject refresh at a minimum and some schools may consider your pre-reqs out of date. Since you have such a good GPA, you could easily do a non-degree seeking DIY post-bacc. There's some debate on community college (CC) vs. 4 year and how med schools view them, but obviously the most important aspects to consider are your time, availability, and cost. If a master's program is what you want to do, it certainly won't hurt you, but there'd be no need to do an SMP.

LORs are going to come hand in hand with whatever program you do. I got very good LORs from my CC professors and the general SMP letter (I had to do both because my undergrad grades were poo). But you'll have to do some sort of courses program (DIY or structured) to get those letters.

Thank you for the feedback. Appreciate it very much. Was thinking about doing a 15 month Masters in Biotechnology starting in January strictly because I enjoy the field and in case I didn't get into medschool, I'd have a backup of something to do. Problem is that the first semester is online. Does a letter from an online professor look bad to a medschool admission committee?

Thanks again for the feedback. I hope 3rd year is treating you well. I hear that's when it gets easier.

 

[Nugester]

I'd recommend a diy postbacc and obviously do well on the MCAT. You definitely need hard science letter writers so I'd recommend doing those in person if you can. Age won't be an issue (I'm 34 and applying)!.

 

[9blade]

I'd recommend a diy postbacc and obviously do well on the MCAT. You definitely need hard science letter writers so I'd recommend doing those in person if you can. Age won't be an issue (I'm 34 and applying)!.

Thank you very much for the advice. I'm definitely back on this MCAT study grind. I realize that I need to crush it this time around. Taking it in January or February and hopefully won't have to retake. Good luck to you this cycle.