Should I apply next cycle or focus on longer re-invention?

[NonTradTeacher]

I’m a non-trad reinventing myself after a poor undergrad start and a mediocre finish. I'm determining the best allocation of my efforts / resources to push and study hard for MCAT and shooting for the 2021 cycle. Do I have any chances or do I need to re-invent more?

Brief Background:
35 years young, started working as a developer at the age of 13 and eventually made my way to be a HS teacher. My goal is to be a teaching physician which I feel is the best use of my skills/talents/interests that I’ve discovered over the years.

Education
I have a passion for learning but felt like formal education was just to get a degree, so I was studious enough just to get the grades (as I already had a successful career outside of my formal education). I have a poor GPA though because of my first two years.

Fresh/Soph (engineering) - I h ad health problems and I failed out not knowing how to manage both. Repeated/failed math classes greatly affected my sGPA
Junior College - After my health improved I returned w/ a rocky start but after I committed to transferring I got a 4.0 in my last 34 units.
Undergrad (business) - Local state school to save money, switched to business because better use of my people skills. I averaged a 3.0
Masters (theology) - I pursued a Master in Theology because I wanted to be the best possible educator in my job at the time. I’m finishing my thesis now while enrolled in my post-bacc because personal life (and work) prevented me from finishing. gGPA 3.6
DIY Post-bacc - I can only afford going to a JC right now, but I should be able to 4.0 all my science classes despite distance learning.

Expected GPA after 28 units and apply 2021-22 (assuming I 4.0 my post bacc) uGPA: 3.07 sGPA: 3.02

After 22 more units and apply 2022-23 uGPA: 3.17 sGPA: 3.33

Career
Developer for 13+ years at different small firms, then after graduating college I left a job to serve my community as a youth minister (at a church I volunteered for 4 years prior).
Youth Minister (4 years) / Teacher (4.5 years) - Same time I became a youth minister, I pursued a 3 year cohort for a Master in Theology as I felt like this would be edifying in my life regardless of career choice. After my master’s, I landed a position as a long term sub which transitioned into an engineering/programming teacher and head coach for the Robotics team. While teaching/coaching was rewarding, the 80+ hour weeks on a teachers salary had no end in sight so I left at the end of the school year for a career change amidst COVID.

I originally planned on running away back to being a developer, but I knew I still wanted to be an educator. This led me on my journey of discovering and wanting to be a teaching physician (ideally in a clinical environment). The indicators for medicine were always there in my life, but I was pigeon holed early on into being a developer to clearly see it.

Clinical/Volunteering Hours
I will be volunteering in a hospital program beginning next year where I’ll have 250 hours after 9 months (can finish earlier and also get more hours). I can most likely get additional hours of shadowing through the volunteer program (during COVID). Applied to be a medical scribe and have heard back--but nothing fits my current school schedule.

I have years of nonclinical volunteering, picked up conversational Spanish from serving the community.

MCAT
I am still finishing my MCAT courses (ochem / Physics in Spring) and am debating on focusing on MCAT self-study during break/concurrently during Spring semester or delaying and taking more recommended courses in Fall (Considering self-study for biochem as it is only offered as an 8 week course, and distance learning has been predominantly structured self-study)

I’m hoping for a 510+ (aiming for 515+) and wondering if I should preemptively email school admissions in case I’m filtered out for my GPA.

Things I’m considering:

A. Self study biochem during break and take MCAT Spring semester depending on FL scores, apply early 2021-22​

B. Finish spring semester, give myself a full month to study MCAT in the summer and apply later 2021-22​

​

Planning these regardless:​

C. Finish courses Summer/Fall 2021 that will support MCAT / prereqs, take MCAT 2022 and apply 2022-23​

D. Try to get some research and be competitive for 2022-23 to stay local (T20/T40) and also save money + have a strong support system.​

E. Working part time (and maybe eventually full time as a medical scribe)​

My main question is if I should try option A or B? I read a guide on reinvention and know MCAT is important, but wasn’t sure if my poor initial years would be overlooked (as it was 15+ years ago). Is it worth the shot? This is where I value and appreciate your feedback.

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[GreenDuck12]

1. Study for the mcat only when you are in the best possible position to earn a high score (ie after completing all prerequisite courses).
2. Most study schedules recommend 3 months of intensive mcat prep of 3-6 hour days. Given the breadth of the material on the exam, I think your one month prep would be unwise. For reference, I spent a month just doing practice AAMC exams after spending previous months doing content review and 3rd party practice exams.
3. Take the time to put yourself in the best possible position to have a successful cycle. That may mean waiting another year.

 

[NonTradTeacher]

1. Study for the mcat only when you are in the best possible position to earn a high score (is after completing all prerequisite courses).
2. Most study schedules recommend 3 months of intensive mcat prep of 3-6 hour days. Given the breadth of the material on the exam, I think your one month prep would be unwise. For reference, I spent a month just doing practice AAMC exams after spending previous months doing content review and 3rd party practice exams.
3. Take the time to put yourself in the best possible position to have a successful cycle. That may mean waiting another year.

Thanks. Your first point is what i'm debating. Financially right now I can focus just on school / studying. Later on I'll potentially be full time employed + part time school which leaves less room for MCAT studying. I understand the brevity of break which is why I would buy books and start reviewing now and during spring semester.

Delaying MCAT would give me additional time to study in the summer, but at the expense of delaying my application by a couple months which based on your third point is not a good idea?

An option of waiting for the following cycle is not taking certain GPA boosting classes while working full time so I can dedicate that time to MCAT study.

Is there any benefit to applying/reapplying such as getting feedback?

 

[GreenDuck12]

I was a high school teacher for 7 years before starting medical school. I did night classes while working full-time and the studied around my teaching schedule. I won’t lie - it was really tough. To make it work I would get up at 3:00 and study from 3:30-7:00 and then do a couple hours after school. My advice would be to do things one step at a time. My premed classes were pretty intense so managing them while working full-time was tough. I couldn’t imagine adding mcat prep on top of that. Additionally, I found that forward momentum is really important for the mcat as it requires a different type of reasoning. Studying for a couple days a week really won’t yield strong results, even over a longer period of time.

I don’t think there is a benefit to applying with the purpose of getting feedback. You really won’t get a lot of in-depth feedback from many programs, especially if you don’t receive an interview invite.

Delaying mcat till the end of summer is fine for DO, not ideal for MD. For MD, in a normal cycle, you want to shoot for your application to be complete by mid September.

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

There's no benefit to reapplying. In fact there is some stigma against re-applicants. If you apply to the same school twice, they will know and it may make them wonder why you weren't accepted in the first place. At some schools, re-applicants are required to write an essay or two about why they're reapplying and how the application has improved. If you want feedback on parts of your application, email admissions now. Some schools give feedback to rejected applicants, others don't.

Thanks. Your first point is what i'm debating. Financially right now I can focus just on school / studying. Later on I'll potentially be full time employed + part time school which leaves less room for MCAT studying. I understand the brevity of break which is why I would buy books and start reviewing now and during spring semester.

Delaying MCAT would give me additional time to study in the summer, but at the expense of delaying my application by a couple months which based on your third point is not a good idea?

An option of waiting for the following cycle is not taking certain GPA boosting classes while working full time so I can dedicate that time to MCAT study.

Is there any benefit to applying/reapplying such as getting feedback?

I

 

[ZhivagoMD]

I think I need some clarification here. Your goal is to be be a physician who teaches in a medical college? Im assuming that is long term, and your immediate goal is to become a physician because if you are solely interested in teaching medical students, boy do I have news for you.

 

[NonTradTeacher]

I think I need some clarification here. Your goal is to be be a physician who teaches in a medical college? Im assuming that is long term, and your immediate goal is to become a physician because if you are solely interested in teaching medical students, boy do I have news for you.

No, not necessarily a medical college. I know as a physician I'll be a teacher just in that capacity alone; whether I eventually become a preceptor as a PCP or an attending at a hospital, as a doctor I know I'll be an educator. I already know that you can't plan your life so this is just an idea I'm branching from and setting as a goal. I'm completely open to whatever new avenues med school or my career in medicine might bring.

I've always been interested in medicine but never considered it because my entire life I was always told I was good with computers. I'm the type of person that always looks things up and always did so with any new medical term/disease etc... that I encountered in my life. While that's not necessarily a clear indicator, a significant difference is that I never became uninterested in comparison to other options or avenues (like when I would look up legal torts, I would easily dismiss any interest in being a lawyer).

I've taken career surveys my entire life and they've always pointed to something medical, human services, or psychology. While that itself is not also a distinct indicator--in my career I've gravitated towards people oriented jobs especially in service to others. While I was good at programming, my strength wasn't writing creative algorithms to solve problems. What I was good at was looking at existing systems and seeing how they were supposed to function. I was a great troubleshooter and great at diagnostics. My life experience has ruled out other possible careers that I have interest in, and I'm discovering what is the best use of my talents.

I could keep going on, but in summary there is a Japanese term called "Ikigai" which if you're unfamiliar with, there is a Venn diagram that explains it on a quick Google image search. In a nutshell, Ikigai is your purpose and I strongly feel that becoming a physician is my purpose and my vocation. Of course I will volunteer and shadow and gain more first hand experience other than the people interviewed before embarking on this journey and things could change--but I know myself pretty well enough that I think I'm on the right path.

I appreciate your concern and if you'd like to continue this conversation more where I can go more in depth, please feel free to DM me. I would happily enjoy this discourse to get objective feedback (also these are the types of questions that would prepare me for an interview).

 

[Goro]

MCAT
I am still finishing my MCAT courses (ochem / Physics in Spring) and am debating on focusing on MCAT self-study during break/concurrently during Spring semester or delaying and taking more recommended courses in Fall (Considering self-study for biochem as it is only offered as an 8 week course, and distance learning has been predominantly structured self-study)

I’m hoping for a 510+ (aiming for 515+) and wondering if I should preemptively email school admissions in case I’m filtered out for my GPA.

Things I’m considering:

A. Self study biochem during break and take MCAT Spring semester depending on FL scores, apply early 2021-22​

B. Finish spring semester, give myself a full month to study MCAT in the summer and apply later 2021-22​

​

Planning these regardless:​

C. Finish courses Summer/Fall 2021 that will support MCAT / prereqs, take MCAT 2022 and apply 2022-23​

D. Try to get some research and be competitive for 2022-23 to stay local (T20/T40) and also save money + have a strong support system.​

E. Working part time (and maybe eventually full time as a medical scribe)​

My main question is if I should try option A or B? I read a guide on reinvention and know MCAT is important, but wasn’t sure if my poor initial years would be overlooked (as it was 15+ years ago). Is it worth the shot? This is where I value and appreciate your feedback.

You apply when you have the best possible app, even if it means skipping an app cycle or two, You're in a marathon now, not a sprint, and emd schools aren't going anywhere.

Do NOT call med schools about your GPA and MCAT plans.

 

[NonTradTeacher]

You apply when you have the best possible app, even if it means skipping an app cycle or two, You're in a marathon now, not a sprint, and emd schools aren't going anywhere.

Do NOT call med schools about your GPA and MCAT plans.

Thanks. I think I need to keep reminding myself of your sentiment. My eagerness coupled with financial uncertainty (during this pandemic) has me wanting to finish sooner than later. This isn't my first time dealing with the latter so I just need to keep looking at the bigger picture like you mentioned and do what I can one step at a time.

Sorry, I may have used the wrong word with 'preemptive'. I thought I read somewhere that if you have a lower GPA (like in my case) after submitting your application it may be good to e-mail admissions that might auto-reject your application. Do you have any insight into this?

 

[Goro]

Thanks. I think I need to keep reminding myself of your sentiment. My eagerness coupled with financial uncertainty (during this pandemic) has me wanting to finish sooner than later. This isn't my first time dealing with the latter so I just need to keep looking at the bigger picture like you mentioned and do what I can one step at a time.

Sorry, I may have used the wrong word with 'preemptive'. I thought I read somewhere that if you have a lower GPA (like in my case) after submitting your application it may be good to e-mail admissions that might auto-reject your application. Do you have any insight into this?

Not a fan of "pre-emptive" emailing. Schools (not all) give apps a second pass for diamonds in the rough. Best to target schools that reward reinvention.