Super conflicted about doing a last ditch SMP or taking a job offer, what would you do?

[bngli]

I'm 24, graduated in 2014 with a poor GPA and a fairly useless major. Since then I've been working as a low paid scribe and have been taking post-bacc classes. This cycle was the first time I applied and I couldn't even land 1 interview. Obviously the post-bacc didn't turn out the way I wanted. Due to the overwhelming defeat of the cycle, I decided to apply for jobs in February. Then I got a couple of interviews, and yesterday I got a job offer for a really good job. Salary is very good with what they said was a substantial raise for the next year. It is in the medical field and is the type of work I am really interested in. Honestly, if I can't ever get into medical school, it is the kind of career I would go into. And it is something I will pursue if medical school just never works out for me. It is the first time I have thought of giving up the med school dream. But, I also decided to apply to a bunch of SMPs as a sort of last ditch effort to get into the school where the SMP is offered, or to my local state school (which says they will replace your undergrad GPA with post-bacc/graduate GPA).

I'm very conflicted and don't know what to do. At this point I am leaning towards declining the job offer and going for the SMP, since it is only a year. I am praying this won't burn bridges, although it probably will since I basically wasted their time. My hope is I will be able to land a job the year after the SMP, since it is a pretty high chance that I'll have to take another year off for the application cycle. In an ideal world, it would be the job I was offered yesterday - but what do you guys think will happen to a person who declines a job in favor of a master's and then applies for the same job the year after that?

I have to give the employer an answer by Friday morning and I just don't know which way to go. I feel like the chances of getting a job like this again is very low, and that I am taking a huge risk.

What would you guys do if you were in my position?

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[Seattle Mariners Fan]

I think Goro and company would likely find other stats like GPA and MCAT very helpful. There are ranges of either UGPA and MCAT that are fatal to prospective applications, regardless of performance during a reinvention period.

I'm very conflicted and don't know what to do. At this point I am leaning towards declining the job offer and going for the SMP, since it is only a year. I am praying this won't burn bridges, although it probably will since I basically wasted their time.

A tactful declination doesn't burn bridges with a mature prospective employer. "Thank you, I'm flattered, you're a great company and its a great offer, but for personal reasons I must respectfully decline" is as far as it needs to go...nothing about med school or the SMP. This preserves boundaries (they respect candidates more who show good boundaries) and warm social feelings if you want to reapply with them in the future.

There are employers who would take a declination personally. I just declined an offer as tactfully as humanly possible - largely on account of the employer signaling a high need to micromanage and general levels of neuroticism - and the prospective sent me a spicy email about the declination. The horror...I may not sleep tonight.

With respect to whether to take it or not...you're 24, all kinds of time to change, pivot, retrain, rebuild, even if it completely crashes and burns.

 

[bngli]

My stats are 3.1 cGPA and 2.7-8 sGPA. DO GPA is ~3.3 cGPA and 3.1 sGPA with a 28 MCAT. The SMPs I applied to said competitive applicants had >3.0 GPA and a higher than 24-27 GPA, so I figure I am competitive or at least borderline competitive for the SMPs. I also hope to take advantage of LSU's 32 hour policy with this master's.

Is my ruined post-bacc pretty much the same as a failed SMP, or could a SMP with classes with med school students ever redeem a bad post-bacc with undergraduate courses?

 

[italiancowgirl]

What would be the harm in working a year or so and deciding later if you want to continue to med school. This job sounds like a great learning opportunity which can only make you a better candidate if you do decide medicine is what you want. You can maybe do a few post bacc classes or improve your other ECs while you work. If I am reading this correctly you have a job offer in hand and the SMP is still unsure, so I don't know if I would take that gamble.

 

[bngli]

What would be the harm in working a year or so and deciding later if you want to continue to med school. This job sounds like a great learning opportunity which can only make you a better candidate if you do decide medicine is what you want. You can maybe do a few post bacc classes or improve your other ECs while you work. If I am reading this correctly you have a job offer in hand and the SMP is still unsure, so I don't know if I would take that gamble.

Yeah that's the situation, and that's a point my father made when I discussed it with him. The reservations I have about it are that the SMP+application cycle will be a two year thing. Which is why SMP this year and job next year followed by med school would be the perfect situation, although I don't know if I can swing that by declining. But if I work one year, then I'll have to quit, which won't look good, and then I'll do SMP followed by another year of uncertainty. So I'll be 27 if I get into med school with option B.

 

[Shotapp]

How do you know that you will succeed in this SMP? The difficulty level of your post-bac classes cannot be compared to the challenges that await you in an SMP (if you go this route) SMPs are an audition of medical school. Work and gain some life experiences. There should not be any rush. Medical schools will still be around. You really need to think long and hard about your next steps because I am sure you have not corrected the problems that made you have a sub-par post-bac performance...

 

[Brorthopedic]

It's difficult to say. If the job you attained was landed by a miracle and you feel that you could not pull it again, I would stick with it, if the job makes you happy. You can always come back to medicine, I have classmates that are much older than you are. There will always be cycles that you can apply to and your age is not an issue.

 

[etp123]

It sounds like you really want that opportunity, so if you think it might not come around a second time then I would take it. I also agree with what Shotapp said in that it seems there some problems with the way you're studying... I think maybe taking the job would be beneficial to just remove yourself from an academic environment for a while and "mature".

This is purely anecdotal evidence, but I had a slew of mediocre grades during my undergrad. I took a year and a half off to just work and volunteer then started a postbac program this year and so far I'm doing really well (knock on wood lol). I think I would have been making the same mistakes as in undergrad had I jumped straight from there into a postbac program. Taking time off also made me more eager to return to my studies, so when I hit those prereqs again I was more determined to succeed. So my vote is to take the job, work there for about 1.5-2 years, then do an SMP. You could also use your free time before an SMP to study for and retake the MCAT, as well as self study so when you hit the SMP you'll have a more solid foundation for whatever you didn't do well in before.

Also, wouldn't you be there for a year either way by your arguments? If you do SMP then job while applying to med schools, then you'd be working and quitting after a year anyways assuming you get into med school...?

 

[bngli]

Also, wouldn't you be there for a year either way by your arguments? If you do SMP then job while applying to med schools, then you'd be working and quitting after a year anyways assuming you get into med school...?

Yeah, what I meant was that if I quit after a year to do the SMP, I wouldn't have a shot at the job the year after the SMP - because quitting after a year looks pretty bad. Whereas if I declined now and then tried again after doing an SMP again, I might have a shot.

But anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for the feedback, it was very helpful. I'm going to take the job and use the year to figure out how to prepare myself for an SMP next year (or maybe even later).

 

[italiancowgirl]

I think that is smart but I also want you to know that leaving a great job after a year to do an SMP could easily be forgiven. It is all about the relationships you form and how you contribute while you are there. Give this opportunity your all, show them that you can deliver on what they really wanted to see, and they will not be surprised when they "lose you" to a higher degree program so you can go into medicine. Also, stop worrying about your age, I am older than you and was when I was applying. It may feel like it is taking too long because you want to learn and push to the next thing but enjoy these steps and learn about life for now. It will serve you well in school!!

 

[etp123]

Ah, OK. I think in that case just be honest with your plans/situation, assuming your superiors aren't crazy. If you form good relationships and they know your plans it'll be more likely they'll take you back after you finish your SMP. At my old job I had let them know ahead of time my plans for the future and while they were sad at the prospect of losing an employee, they were also really supportive and gave good recommendations. Good luck!

 

[esob]

I can't speak about the difficulty of SMP classes but I know personally I set a goal that if i couldn't absolutely crush my undergrad classes then I wouldn't be able to pull off med school since I do realize that the level of academics in med school is magnitudes more difficult. The question might be, what if you can get in, only to fail out? My lab partner today was fretting about the possibility of earning a B (her first B ever). These will likely be your peers in med school and your instructors will probably expect you to be able to keep up at that level.

 

[Sin Anestecia]

Yeah that's the situation, and that's a point my father made when I discussed it with him. The reservations I have about it are that the SMP+application cycle will be a two year thing. Which is why SMP this year and job next year followed by med school would be the perfect situation, although I don't know if I can swing that by declining. But if I work one year, then I'll have to quit, which won't look good, and then I'll do SMP followed by another year of uncertainty. So I'll be 27 if I get into med school with option B.

Your father sounds like a wise man, who likely has a lot more perspective on life than you do, and someone who DEFINITELY has your best interests at heart. I would really consider his advice. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a "real job" before going the SMP route, if that is ultimately what you decide to do. I have found my work experience over the past two years invaluable in determining what is most important to me. And to boot, I have been doing something that I really enjoy, making good money, and had plenty of time to enjoy my family, hobbies, and travel.

My situation is somewhat similar, but my stats may be a bit more consistent with the "median matriculated non-urm", although I am still missing a few pre-reqs and have never taken the MCAT so I digress. I am 27, married to an amazingly beautiful, very pregnant wife, and I have a 2 year old. I am working on finishing my pre-reqs and CC while I continue to work full time and I will be about 30 by the time I enter med school, but I am in no huge rush. Giving 4 years for medical school, 4 years for residency, and a 2 year fellowship (supposing I take the absolute longest route possible), that puts me practicing on my own by 40. A solid 25+ year career is more than enough for me if it means I get to thoroughly enjoy my 20s with my family.

Take the job

 

[atomi]

Take the job. It sounds like you've been in the undergrad environment for 6+ years. Full-time employment will give you money and perspective. Re-evaluate later as needed. Good luck.

 

[amoebatt]

I was in a similar predicament once. Take the job AND continue to enter the SMP. If you get in, quit. Don't tell anyone that this is your plan however. You have to put horsehair in the best position possible. Any medical school admissions committed would understand. Plus, your job is in healthcare, so you can justify it by saying it relates to your desire to be a doctor - that you just wanted a different perspective. One question is, what is SMP? Application for med school? If not, I'd take the job anyway.

 

[Goro]

THIS!!!!

Med schools aren't going anywhere, and in fact, by the time you apply, several more will open (both MD and DO).

What would be the harm in working a year or so and deciding later if you want to continue to med school. This job sounds like a great learning opportunity which can only make you a better candidate if you do decide medicine is what you want. You can maybe do a few post bacc classes or improve your other ECs while you work. If I am reading this correctly you have a job offer in hand and the SMP is still unsure, so I don't know if I would take that gamble.

 

[DrMikeP]

THIS!!!!

Med schools aren't going anywhere, and in fact, by the time you apply, several more will open (both MD and DO).

Ditto!

If you are questioning med school right now then you probably should do something else. You can always go back in 1, 2, 10, 15.... yrs when you KNOW it's your passion or you discover it's not and you've saved yourself 10yrs of unneeded hardship.