Very Non-Traditional, Lots of questions

Started by Jatt
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Jatt

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First of all hi, this is my first post after being referred here by "The Not So Short Introduction To Getting Into Medical School". I have lurked around for the last week or so reading more threads than I care to admit and I figure it's time to start getting some feedback.
Here is my story:

I left school a little over three years ago because I was drafted in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. At the time I was in my fourth year of school but held junior status and decided to leave to pursue my childhood dream of becoming a major league baseball player. I am still playing baseball professionally but things haven't worked out to my liking and I have recently been strongly considering going back to persue Medical School. Currently I have 28 credits to finish to complete my undergraduate degree. I spent my first 2 years of undergrad in a Pre-Dental program, then because of baseball transfered schools, lost some credits and ultimately decided that my heart was Medicine. My academic back ground is as such, high school I was an under achiever but still had grades well above average, at my first university my grades were nothing to write home about, I didn't handle the adjustment to being a college level student athlete well. At my second school I did fairly well except for my last semester when I was more than distracted by all the of the pre-draft hype and travel demands of the baseball season.

Ok so my main questions are these (sorry if this is too long winded)

1.) During my baseball career I have done extensive volunteering in the form of Public appearances, school visits, and free clinics at the field. Will these be easily counted towards extracirriculars?

2.) What is a realistic target for me to take the MCAT if I were to resume my undergrad this fall?

3.) I haven't done anything in terms of research or clinical expirience, if I cram this into the last year before I apply, will this be frowned upon?

4.) Will my years in school when I wasn't sure where I was headed hurt my chances, ie: bad grades, transferring for baseball, etc

5.) Should I retake classes to replace bad grades? My GPA currently stands at ~3.2 at my current school, but I'm not sure what it was at my first school, I would assume it was lower

That's enough for now, I await any thoughtful responses and Thank in advance for reading this rather long post
 
Jatt said:
I left school a little over three years ago because I was drafted in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft.
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Other people will soon reply with actual helpful advice on applying to med school... But I just saw your post and I have to say I think of all the stories I've seen so far, you take the cake for the coolest previous career to be switching from. 😎 (FWIW all your concerns sound very much the same as more "conventional" career changers/late discoverers of a love of medicine, so I'm guessing it's very do-able.) Good luck!
 
Haha, well thanks Kate. I'm gald to hear that my concerns are some what convential. I'm very anxious to hear from anyone that can help
 
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Well to comment on the academics, your grades would get compiled from both schools. You might want to finish the degree then do a post-bacc program of sorts in order to boost your gpa and show your commitment. Especially do well in the last few credits and as many science classes that you can take to help with the gpa as well as if you want retake some classes (although that will really only help you if you apply osteopathic as they replace grades while allopathics average the grades).

As for volunteer work, I have no idea. I mean it has to count for something but they also want to see your commitment to medicine so shadowing a physician or volunteering in hospital wouldn't hurt.

As for the MCAT, if you have finished your prereqs and feel ready you can take it whenever. But if its been awhile since your prereqs and you are going to take them over, I'd wait to take your MCAT after you have finished them.

I would contact your local medical school and ask them about your situation as it is unique. They would be able to point you in the right direction.

I have contacted a few schools in my quest and pretty much get the same information. Especially having a lower gpa. Do well in your current class work, shoot for at least all 9's (27+) on the MCAT and you have a fighting chance.

:luck:

Oh and totally cool career change! 👍
 
Jatt said:
1.) During my baseball career I have done extensive volunteering in the form of Public appearances, school visits, and free clinics at the field. Will these be easily counted towards extracirriculars?

2.) What is a realistic target for me to take the MCAT if I were to resume my undergrad this fall?

3.) I haven't done anything in terms of research or clinical expirience, if I cram this into the last year before I apply, will this be frowned upon?

4.) Will my years in school when I wasn't sure where I was headed hurt my chances, ie: bad grades, transferring for baseball, etc

5.) Should I retake classes to replace bad grades? My GPA currently stands at ~3.2 at my current school, but I'm not sure what it was at my first school, I would assume it was lower

That's enough for now, I await any thoughtful responses and Thank in advance for reading this rather long post
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1. I think the volunteering would fit in on some level, but as was previoulsy mentioned, you will still need some medical volunteer work.

2. Take the MCAT when you feel prepared for it. And keep in mind that it is going to be offered more times per year in '07.

3. I don't think it will be frowned upon at all, any clinical experience or research is a plus.

4. A lot of non-trads either messed or screwed up around 10,15,20... years ago but they still manage to get into med. school each year! So nah, it probably won't (on it's own) keep you out of school.

5. 3.2 isn't too bad, especially if you can do well on the MCAT and are planning to go the DO route. I know you say that at your first school you believe it was lower--but how much lower is kind of important. If it was really really low and will bring that (overall) 3.2 down to a 2.5 or something then yes, you might want to repeat some stuff.

Anyway, good luck and I'm sure your story will make for a wonderful PS! 🙂
 
Thanks for your help, I have already talked to my current team doctor about shadowing him when I have time, so that's a start. As far as calling these medical schools, how hard is it to get someone important on the line? Also a question I have wondered for some time, what is the DO vs. MD deal, I mean I understand the difference in philosophy, I mean why does it seem that DO schools are looked at as second options and are generally easier to get in to? anyways hope I'm not asking to many questions, but as you all well know, it's a very big decision

My gpa at my previous school wouldn't drag my overall under a 3.0 I'm fairly certain of that
 
Jatt said:
Thanks for your help, I have already talked to my current team doctor about shadowing him when I have time, so that's a start. As far as calling these medical schools, how hard is it to get someone important on the line? Also a question I have wondered for some time, what is the DO vs. MD deal, I mean I understand the difference in philosophy, I mean why does it seem that DO schools are looked at as second options and are generally easier to get in to? anyways hope I'm not asking to many questions, but as you all well know, it's a very big decision
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Shadowing the team doctor is a great start, grats!

The DO vs. MD debate....ugg 😉
I really think most of the problem stems from views that were popular years ago. There is still some ignorance toward the DO route but I think it's getting better. As far as DO being easier to get into, yeah that does seem to be the case-but both MD and DO are becoming more competitive.
 
Cool thanks for the clarification, I perused the forums a bit and found some other threads on the very topic, sounds like it is just a stigma thing as no one could produce a convincing argument that MD is significantly better
 
Jatt said:
Thanks for your help, I have already talked to my current team doctor about shadowing him when I have time, so that's a start. As far as calling these medical schools, how hard is it to get someone important on the line? Also a question I have wondered for some time, what is the DO vs. MD deal, I mean I understand the difference in philosophy, I mean why does it seem that DO schools are looked at as second options and are generally easier to get in to? anyways hope I'm not asking to many questions, but as you all well know, it's a very big decision

My gpa at my previous school wouldn't drag my overall under a 3.0 I'm fairly certain of that
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Hi there,
DO schools tend to look at the entire applicant thus putting GPA and MCAT performances within the context of the entire application. Many allopathic (MD) schools will automatically screen by GPA and MCAT or some formula combining both and never review the rest of the application.

Some schools, like the one that I serve on the admissions committee, will look at the GPA and MCAT but will review the entire application and attempt to choose the applicants who show promise of 1. being able to complete a challenging curriculum successfully 2. have a realistic idea of what the practice of medicine entails 3. have some experiences outside of academics that show an interest in dealing with human beings. We look at the entire application and will often interview and invite for admission, applicants that might not make the GPA/MCAT cut at other schools. In this manner, we are more like a DO school in terms of admissions.

After you have made your decision to pursue medicine, you want to cast a very wide net i.e. apply to a large number of schools across the board. Apply to both osteopathic (DO) and allopathic (MD) schools where you think you would be a good fit.

Get some good extracurricular activities and do more than show up for public appearances. Do something that wouldn't make headlines like Big Brother etc. Rock on the MCAT after you have thoroughly prepared for this exam and apply.

Good luck!
njbmd 🙂

P.S. My cousin played major league baseball for three teams before retiring. It was totally fun going to the park to watch him play. One of my favorite things to do to let off steam during my first and second year. 😎
 
njbmd, great advice, many thanks. While yes some of my 'volunteering' resume consist of public apperances, which admittedly are a bit shallow to be considered volunteering; the greater half of my volunteering involved visiting schools and speaking at assemblies or reading to a class with little or no media attention, I would hope that would count for something, but if not I'm excited to get involved in new ventures and understand that I would stand to gain a great deal of valuable expirience in volunteering without a jersey( if you know what I mean). You mention getting good extracirricular activities, may I ask what kind of activities you mean. I only ask because much of my college career was dominated by my athletic commitments, I am an avid reader and have used my free time both in college and in the professional ranks to further myself not only through reading, cultural exploration, and involvement in whatever local community I happed to join each summer. Unforchanately I don't have a any substantial way to qualify or quantify my expiriences, and I have read that many organizations are nothing by 'stat padders', my desire is to boost my resume but I don't want to do it by running around joining a bunch of benign groups who get together every couple of months and have a dinner or do nothing by add my name to a newletter mailing list. On top of all that I also would like to get the process started with some expeditiousness anyways, this is a great discussion, I appreciate all of you very much
 
I'm a 4th year med student about to graduate in a week and am also a non-trad. If you're really a major league baseball player, that will get you an interview. Believe me. If you're grades are not that great or whatever you may want to go by the medical school before applying and try to meet a higher up, preferably male.

Who you know makes a big deal getting into med school. I never knew any of this until I started. You'll have some of the kids of doctors with low grades and GPAs that get in, minorities just walk in no matter what their scores are, and some of the other lower qualified students have parents who know somebody. I've seen it happen year after year and have talked with friends at other schools who confirm that the same thing goes on everywhere.

There was a MINOR league baseball player that was talking to an attending of mine and he was eating that crap up. This baseball player was worried because he was coming from low grades. Well, he got an interview. This is just something to keep in the back of your mind if you really want to go to medschool. Use every advantage that you can.

Good luck.
 
Jatt said:
njbmd, great advice, many thanks. While yes some of my 'volunteering' resume consist of public apperances, which admittedly are a bit shallow to be considered volunteering; the greater half of my volunteering involved visiting schools and speaking at assemblies or reading to a class with little or no media attention, I would hope that would count for something, but if not I'm excited to get involved in new ventures and understand that I would stand to gain a great deal of valuable expirience in volunteering without a jersey( if you know what I mean). You mention getting good extracirricular activities, may I ask what kind of activities you mean. I only ask because much of my college career was dominated by my athletic commitments, I am an avid reader and have used my free time both in college and in the professional ranks to further myself not only through reading, cultural exploration, and involvement in whatever local community I happed to join each summer. Unforchanately I don't have a any substantial way to qualify or quantify my expiriences, and I have read that many organizations are nothing by 'stat padders', my desire is to boost my resume but I don't want to do it by running around joining a bunch of benign groups who get together every couple of months and have a dinner or do nothing by add my name to a newletter mailing list. On top of all that I also would like to get the process started with some expeditiousness anyways, this is a great discussion, I appreciate all of you very much
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Basically there are two things med schools are looking at as far as your ec's is concerned. First, is that you have some experience with the medical profession so you know that it's what you actually want to do. The second is basically that you care about helping other people. It sounds to me like you have the second one covered, and now you just need to get some medically related experience to show you know what you're getting in to.
 
burntcrispy said:
I'm a 4th year med student about to graduate in a week and am also a non-trad. If you're really a major league baseball player, that will get you an interview. Believe me. If you're grades are not that great or whatever you may want to go by the medical school before applying and try to meet a higher up, preferably male.
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Thats good to know, as most players with Major league expirience I spent the majority of my career in the minor leagues, and at the current moment I am not in the Majors, none the less I am very proud of my accomplishments and will defenitely take your advice in trying to meet a higher up.

Does anyone know if LOR's from doctors in the school hospital system or that graduated from said Med school hold special weight? What about a letters from non-medical references, in my case the baseball world(ie: my agent, former managers, possible well known teammates)


burntcrispy said:
.. minorities just walk in no matter what their scores are..
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I am also a minority and while I don't want to get in to the whole affirmative action debate, I will say that I had no idea that this was the case...has anyone else found this to be true?
 
Jatt said:
I am also a minority and while I don't want to get in to the whole affirmative action debate, I will say that I had no idea that this was the case...has anyone else found this to be true?
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It is an exaggeration.

One suggestion I have is to get a clear picture of your GPA situation. This involves every grade for every course you have ever taken in any college, community college, or university. You will need to calculate your average GPA for "BCPM" courses (bio, chem, phys, math), and then an overall GPA including all other courses. There is more on the pre-allo forum about how this is done on the AMCAS (MD) /AACOMAS (DO) med school applications; the grade for each course is weighted by the number of credit hours.

The reason for this recommendation is that your GPA will be an important factor in your discussions with med school admissions people. You can usually make an appointment and meet with a senior admissions person at schools you're interested in; you tell them a bit about yourself, and they tell you what you will need to do to be competitive. This is a good time of year to do that, before the next admissions cycle really gets going in late summer-fall.

Your GPA will also be an important factor in deciding where to go next; whether a post-bacc program, simply repeating courses, or just going ahead with the MCAT.

I would also find out whether your current school has a pre-med advisor, and set up a meeting with him/her. They can be great or crappy, it's pure luck, but it's worth trying.
 
I work with an orthopod who is on a resident selection board. He always talks about filtering through 600+ applications for 4 spots. He stresses that you need something to make you stand out from the crowd. I don't know what speciality you want to go into, but if it encourages you, he's mentioned repeatedly that research, advanced degrees, and being a professional athelete are good ways to do this. I'm sure it works similarly in other residencies, so once you get in, a lot of options open up for you.
 
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burntcrispy said:
Who you know makes a big deal getting into med school. I never knew any of this until I started. You'll have some of the kids of doctors with low grades and GPAs that get in, minorities just walk in no matter what their scores are, and some of the other lower qualified students have parents who know somebody. I've seen it happen year after year and have talked with friends at other schools who confirm that the same thing goes on everywhere.

Good luck.
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The truth hurts. No one ever claimed the world was fair, only that it should be. Found out that a former graduate classmate of mine with a sparkling MCAT score of 20 matriculated. Yep, what to say?
 
Jatt said:
I am also a minority and while I don't want to get in to the whole affirmative action debate, I will say that I had no idea that this was the case...has anyone else found this to be true?
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There are post-bacc programs that assure graduates places in med school for minorities (if they pass the MCAT requirement). Creighton med school has one of these, and I am sure there are others.
 
Thanks for all the pertinent responses guys, you all have been extremely helpful. I have already started the process of obtaining my official transcripts so I can get a clear view of my GPA

The "BCPM" gpa scares me because my math scores are low, I limped through Calc I and II, but my Bio, Chem and Physics scores are strong, hopefully they equal out( are they of equal wieght?)

Let me get something straight, if I choose to retake courses any new grades I recieve will simple be averaged into my existing grades when considered by Allopathic schools? What about post-bacc grades?

Do they take into consideration strong performance after one has decided that they want to persue medicine?

Another concern I would like to get some feedback is on the subject of time. While I have come to fully understand the time involved in the process upon entering Med School I am a bit concerned about the time I will have to spend on the lead up, I would hope to start Med School at the absolute latest by 2008, is that enough time to boost an application?
 
Jatt said:
Thanks for all the pertinent responses guys, you all have been extremely helpful. I have already started the process of obtaining my official transcripts so I can get a clear view of my GPA

The "BCPM" gpa scares me because my math scores are low, I limped through Calc I and II, but my Bio, Chem and Physics scores are strong, hopefully they equal out( are they of equal wieght?)

Let me get something straight, if I choose to retake courses any new grades I recieve will simple be averaged into my existing grades when considered by Allopathic schools? What about post-bacc grades?

Do they take into consideration strong performance after one has decided that they want to persue medicine?

Another concern I would like to get some feedback is on the subject of time. While I have come to fully understand the time involved in the process upon entering Med School I am a bit concerned about the time I will have to spend on the lead up, I would hope to start Med School at the absolute latest by 2008, is that enough time to boost an application?
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The application timeline is always a year in advance - if you were applying this season you'd hypothetically start in fall of 2007. Entering in fall of '08 would give you this summer, fall, and the spring of '07 (+'07 summer if you applied later, but that's risky). How much can you do in that time? You could complete a formal post-bacc, but depending on your current GPA, it might not be enough. That's for you to decide.

Schools will notice an upward GPA trend after you decide to med, but they'll also want to see that your GPA is at least above 3.0. AMCAS averages the class grades of takes and retakes. GPA is weighted by hours.

I held down a full-time job while I was pplying last year, and I applied to 27 schools. I received 25 secondaries, completing in an average 2 1/2 weeks, so I was 90% done by August (Opened AMCAS May1, filed AMCAS June 1, secondaries received June-July). It's possible to get things done quick, but you'll lose most of your evenings for a month or so when the secondaries roll in.
 
RxnMan, thanks for the timeline, it looks like I have some major choices to make. I think my grades are strong enough to have a decent chance with a strong MCAT score, I will know for sure when I get my transcripts.

All I think left to worry about is the fact that I haven't been in school since Spring of 2002 and feel that I want to freshen up as well as attempt to up my GPA for the sole reason that I have my eye on a particular Med School that is, from what I have read, one of the tougher ones to get in to. It is in my home state so maybe that will help, but regardless I really want to give myself the best possible chance to go to this school.

Now comes the hard part, walking away from baseball. Maybe not as hard as scary, I'm sure other nontraditionals can relate.

Anyways I can use any and all tips people may have to offer, and I will be sure to keep everyone up to date through this post, boy am I glad I was directed to this forum, you guys have made this decision so much easier for me...
 
Jatt said:
RxnMan, thanks for the timeline, it looks like I have some major choices to make. I think my grades are strong enough to have a decent chance with a strong MCAT score, I will know for sure when I get my transcripts.

All I think left to worry about is the fact that I haven't been in school since Spring of 2002 and feel that I want to freshen up as well as attempt to up my GPA for the sole reason that I have my eye on a particular Med School that is, from what I have read, one of the tougher ones to get in to. It is in my home state so maybe that will help, but regardless I really want to give myself the best possible chance to go to this school.

Now comes the hard part, walking away from baseball. Maybe not as hard as scary, I'm sure other nontraditionals can relate.

Anyways I can use any and all tips people may have to offer, and I will be sure to keep everyone up to date through this post, boy am I glad I was directed to this forum, you guys have made this decision so much easier for me...
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Just remember to take the MCAT when you are ready, don't rush and apply to more than that school to get in, most apply to no less than 10 schools. 🙂
 
Went out and bought an MCAT prep book, figure it's time to get my brain going again, I can't wait!

I also emailed the premed adviser at my school, so we'll see what he has to say.

How early do people typically start to prepare for the MCAT?
 
Jatt said:
Another concern I would like to get some feedback is on the subject of time. While I have come to fully understand the time involved in the process upon entering Med School I am a bit concerned about the time I will have to spend on the lead up, I would hope to start Med School at the absolute latest by 2008, is that enough time to boost an application?
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Depends how much “boosting” your application needs. Make no mistake though, it can take much longer than two years.
 
You would be on the fast track if you could finish your GPA-boosting pre-reqs, prepare for and take the MCAT, and get some good volunteer/shadowing experience by a year from now. That would mean you were applying in 2007 to start med school in 2008. If you're Type A and super-motivated, you could probably do it.

It's probably more realistic to look at starting med school in 2009, depending on how much other stuff you have going on in your life, work, finances, etc. and exactly what your academic record looks like and how many courses you need to take.

You also want to get a good look at the world of medicine as a future career, so you can feel OK with the decision to leave baseball.
 
chrisjohn, thanks for the words of warning, hopefully I don't need too much boosting, my transcripts will tell the tale...

MeowMix, I would characterize myself as a Type A very motivated persons, so we'll see, I think I can do it but ultimately if I come to the realization that I need more time then I will take it.

I definitely plan to learn more about the world of medicine in the coming months, every team I have ever been on I have befriended the team doctor and training staff and asked question after question, for the most part this is what I have formed my opinion of the reality of being a doctor from, I realize I need more. Shadowing my team doc this year should be a great expirience.

Looking at the AAMC website it looks like the MCAT is offered a bunch of times next year, if I'm reading it right then I could possibly taking it in July, that would give me the spring semester to retake a class or take a research course.

Also I feel compelled to add that while this decision seems sudden, it has been over a year in the making and I'm quite serious about it, barring some pretty harsh findings in the next few months I am going to go for this.

Once again thanks a million, I didn't know who to talk to about this, you have all been a great source of reilief
 
Jatt said:
Now comes the hard part, walking away from baseball. Maybe not as hard as scary, I'm sure other nontraditionals can relate.
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It's kind of scary. You invest years & years of focus, time, energy - everything you have to be the best you can be at something. You might even pretty much only have ever envisioned yourself as being one thing, (a baseball player) and now are trying to redefine yourself to yourself as well as to these "other people" (admissions committees and the like). Or something like this.

I think the important thing to stay close to while you get everything you "need" assembled for your application, is to remember that you're doing these things for yourself, not for these admissions committees. YOU want to gain the experiences to see if it is the right choice for you, YOU want to see if you like it, if you're any good at it, and you want to test it to see if it's a good fit for you & your life. So often you see premeds treating it all like a checklist they must assemble: must volunteer, must do some research, must take the MCAT, and the classes, must shadow a doctor... like a checklist of things you can now show "them" you've done. Those kids don't really get it.

But when you are thinking to yourself & questioning during tough times in medical school, "Did I really want to leave baseball for THIS?" - you need to know that you made the right choice, and why. That will get you through the scary times. I hope that makes sense.
 
Jatt said:
chrisjohn, thanks for the words of warning, hopefully I don't need too much boosting, my transcripts will tell the tale...
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I would say that you need to boost your GPA. You don't know what your previous "bad" GPA is, and you cite your current 3.2 as a "good" GPA. AVERAGE GPAs for matriculants are 3.6-3.7ish, so with a 3.2 AT BEST, I would say that your GPA needs improvement. If you do really well on the MCAT, that will help mitigate things, but while some schools DO look at the "whole applicant," lots of others are "by-the-numbers."
 
kate_g said:
Other people will soon reply with actual helpful advice on applying to med school... But I just saw your post and I have to say I think of all the stories I've seen so far, you take the cake for the coolest previous career to be switching from. 😎 (FWIW all your concerns sound very much the same as more "conventional" career changers/late discoverers of a love of medicine, so I'm guessing it's very do-able.) Good luck!
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👍 I definitely think thats cool too, but for different reasons... finally someone else on here with a strange and "glamourous" career like mine was - an aerialist/acrobat/dancer in large theaterical productions... 😀
 
njbmd said:
Some schools, like the one that I serve on the admissions committee, will look at the GPA and MCAT but will review the entire application and attempt to choose the applicants who show promise of 1. being able to complete a challenging curriculum successfully 2. have a realistic idea of what the practice of medicine entails 3. have some experiences outside of academics that show an interest in dealing with human beings. We look at the entire application and will often interview and invite for admission, applicants that might not make the GPA/MCAT cut at other schools. In this manner, we are more like a DO school in terms of admissions.
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I know you probably don't want to give away your identity, but I'm looking for an MD school just like the one you described. Would you mind if I asked if you can name some that do that?
 
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Orthodoc40 said:
It's kind of scary. You invest years & years of focus, time, energy - everything you have to be the best you can be at something. You might even pretty much only have ever envisioned yourself as being one thing, (a baseball player) and now are trying to redefine yourself to yourself as well as to these "other people" (admissions committees and the like). Or something like this.

I think the important thing to stay close to while you get everything you "need" assembled for your application, is to remember that you're doing these things for yourself, not for these admissions committees. YOU want to gain the experiences to see if it is the right choice for you, YOU want to see if you like it, if you're any good at it, and you want to test it to see if it's a good fit for you & your life. So often you see premeds treating it all like a checklist they must assemble: must volunteer, must do some research, must take the MCAT, and the classes, must shadow a doctor... like a checklist of things you can now show "them" you've done. Those kids don't really get it.

But when you are thinking to yourself & questioning during tough times in medical school, "Did I really want to leave baseball for THIS?" - you need to know that you made the right choice, and why. That will get you through the scary times. I hope that makes sense.
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OrthoDoc40, your comments make complete sense, I can see how easily it can turn into a check list and a person could lose touch admist the competitive nature of the process, in a way it's very similar to baseball, and in all honesty it may be why I have played as long as I have(that and the obvious lures ie: fame and money). In all honesty your advice is very much at the heart of this decision..and sparked a very productive discussion with my father, he is very supportive of me and agrees that this choice is a very personal one, but he also is very concerned about the financial implications. While I feel his concerns are legitimate I just can't bring myself to believe that it is a deal breaker.

Just so that people don't get the wrong impression, I have always been interested in being a doctor, as early as junior high, more recently my serious ambitions to pursue a career in medicine started my last 3 semesters in school and while I ultimately chose to pursue baseball, I have never let go of the idea of medicine as a career.

The hardest part of trying to make the neccessary preparations is that I am still playing, which puts me in a different city on average every 5 days, cities in which none of them are within 200 miles of my home...

As always, many thanks for the thoughtful responses
 
Jatt said:
OrthoDoc40, your comments make complete sense, I can see how easily it can turn into a check list and a person could lose touch admist the competitive nature of the process, in a way it's very similar to baseball, and in all honesty it may be why I have played as long as I have(that and the obvious lures ie: fame and money). In all honesty your advice is very much at the heart of this decision..and sparked a very productive discussion with my father, he is very supportive of me and agrees that this choice is a very personal one, but he also is very concerned about the financial implications. While I feel his concerns are legitimate I just can't bring myself to believe that it is a deal breaker.

Just so that people don't get the wrong impression, I have always been interested in being a doctor, as early as junior high, more recently my serious ambitions to pursue a career in medicine started my last 3 semesters in school and while I ultimately chose to pursue baseball, I have never let go of the idea of medicine as a career.

The hardest part of trying to make the neccessary preparations is that I am still playing, which puts me in a different city on average every 5 days, cities in which none of them are within 200 miles of my home...

As always, many thanks for the thoughtful responses
Click to expand...

Wow - good luck with the whole endeavor! I don't know HOW you can do classes with the kind of schedule baseball has. Northeastern U has an online Chemistry class but it obviously doesn't include lab. It's geared for people who have already had the lab part.

Professional musicians are often compared to athletes and all I know is that while I'm in medical school, I expect to be challenged and for there to be times when I really question whether I wanted to give up all that I invested in my career, and all the things that I love about it, that will never go away. The only way I will be able to make it through is knowing exactly why I did it, and that's I guess why I thought it might help you during this time to think about it as you making sure you're sure, and knowing why.

By the way, my brother has a student who is a dentist, and used to play in the NFL (with OJ Simpson!) I think a lot of athletes go into medicine. It might be interesting to find out how they got those classes taken care of.
 
I don't think I can even consider trying to do both, I am definitely going to have to give up baseball when I decide to go all in for medicine.

I would definitely love to talk to any former professional athletes that have made the switch if anyone knows of any I would greatly appreciate if you could direct me towards them
 
Jatt said:
Thanks for your help, I have already talked to my current team doctor about shadowing him when I have time, so that's a start. As far as calling these medical schools, how hard is it to get someone important on the line? Also a question I have wondered for some time, what is the DO vs. MD deal, I mean I understand the difference in philosophy, I mean why does it seem that DO schools are looked at as second options and are generally easier to get in to? anyways hope I'm not asking to many questions, but as you all well know, it's a very big decision

My gpa at my previous school wouldn't drag my overall under a 3.0 I'm fairly certain of that
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Shadowing your team doctor is a great idea. A lot of athlete turned doctors go into orthopedics. So, if you know an orthopedic, you should see if you could shadow him as well. I did this in college and it was a great experience.

Also, have you thought of trying to do a postbac premed program? I don't know much about them, but I know they are out there. This would give you some guidance and a better chance to improve your gpa and prepare for the MCAT.

I think you will get in if you really go for it.
 
Hey Jatt,

Where are you located? I ask because I've heard that at the USC Postbacc Program there was a former NFL football player a few years back. Food for thought.
 
Jatt said:
1.) During my baseball career I have done extensive volunteering in the form of Public appearances, school visits, and free clinics at the field. Will these be easily counted towards extracirriculars?

2.) What is a realistic target for me to take the MCAT if I were to resume my undergrad this fall?

3.) I haven't done anything in terms of research or clinical expirience, if I cram this into the last year before I apply, will this be frowned upon?

4.) Will my years in school when I wasn't sure where I was headed hurt my chances, ie: bad grades, transferring for baseball, etc

5.) Should I retake classes to replace bad grades? My GPA currently stands at ~3.2 at my current school, but I'm not sure what it was at my first school, I would assume it was lower

That's enough for now, I await any thoughtful responses and Thank in advance for reading this rather long post
Click to expand...

Welcome to the site! Glad to have you! I'm a bit of a non-traditional applicant myself (although I'm no means a MLB-quality athlete!)... but a history major who has been out of school for a few years, while getting some good clinical experience. I'll do my best to answer your questions in relation to my experiences that I've had.

1) As far as the EC credits of free clinic in the field, schools visits, etc... I'd think they'd count for something. Schools like to see not only medical volunteer/work experience, but also just regular volunteering in the community. I did someowrk with underpriv kids after school... just helping them with their homework, studying, playing games... basically just spending time at a community center. Go ahead and put your experiences on your app, but I would think about getting some add'l ones, too. And if you can get med experience through work or volunteering, it'll really help.

2) Take the MCAT after you feel familiar with org chem, gen chem, bio, phys, etc... I'm in the Kaplan course, and I like it so far. Take as many practice tests as you can!!!

3) It won't be frowned upon to cram a lot of experience in this one year. It just shows that you really want this, and you've started working hard to get it.

4) Years whwere you weren't in school shouldn't hurt. As long as you can convey to the ad comm that this is what you've def decided you want in life, and you're willing to work hard to get it, you should be good. I've been out of school myself for a few years. I've been getting some good work experience in the medical field (ortho and ER). As long as your app is good, you'll be fine.

5) I would consider retaking the classes you didn't do well in, for two reasons. First, you need a good background in them for your MCAT studies. Second, it'll increase your GPA, and show that you're really serious about this. But it couldn't hurt to talk to an academic advisor.

Well, I think my answers were more long-winded than your questions! 😉 But I know what it's like to have a dream and be willing to bust your a** for it, especially when you're a little different than most applicants. Your experience will make you stand out from the crowd. If you really want this, don't let anyone stop you or discourage you. You can do it! Good luck! :luck:
 
Monkeygirl said:
Hey Jatt,

Where are you located? I ask because I've heard that at the USC Postbacc Program there was a former NFL football player a few years back. Food for thought.
Click to expand...

MG, thanks for the tip, but my home state is Michigan and thats where I would like to do most if not all of my lead up to med school(that is also where I'd like to go to med school). After 5 seasons, I just want to be around home for a while.


lsumedgirl said:
Well, I think my answers were more long-winded than your questions! But I know what it's like to have a dream and be willing to bust your a** for it, especially when you're a little different than most applicants. Your experience will make you stand out from the crowd. If you really want this, don't let anyone stop you or discourage you. You can do it! Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the encouragement, a couple of big things have happen in the last week, I have recieved one of my transcripts, things aren't too bad outside of the calc grades, also I have gotten things in order so that I can start taking classes at the end of this month(june), which will give me another semester I didn't count on having.

Thanks all, I will keep you updated
 
Another non-traditional here, 47 years and counting. Also hoping for Fall '08 admission. I was undisciplined and immature as an undergrad, and finished a Biology BS with 2.55 GPA, about 2.8 in the sciences. I've been a *much* better student as an adult, and finished an MS in Information Systems (while working full time) about 10 years ago with a 3.83 GPA. Throw in a few non-degree courses, and my overall Graduate-level GPA is about 3.78, with no grades below "B". I'm working on getting back up to speed in the life sciences, because my present job has nothing to do with science (long story). I haven't found out yet if there are any post-bacs in my area...I'm looking at taking courses in Biology, Inorganic, Organic, and Physics before taking the MCAT. Opinions on whether in-resident or online courses make a difference are welcome.

TT
 
Unfortunately, Graduate courses are considered separately from Undergrad. courses (and usually weighted LESS heavily,) and your 2.55/2.8 undergraduate GPA won't get you in anywhere, I'm afraid. That's not to say that your upward trend in GPA will not be noticed and considered, however. You most likely WILL need to pursue a post-bac program, do REALLY well, and kill the MCAT. It need not be a formal post-bac program -- in my case, I just took 3-4 classes per semester at my local 4-year University as a "Non-degree seeker," but I think, in your case, taking these classes at a 4-year college instead of a CC or online would definitely give ADCOMS one less thing to say "hmmmmm" about on your application. You might ask some of the specific schools to which you are planning to apply how they feel about online courses, as opinions about theses sorts of things vary greatly from school to school.

Good Luck,

Jota
 
jota_jota said:
Unfortunately, Graduate courses are considered separately from Undergrad. courses (and usually weighted more heavily,) and your 2.55/2.8 undergraduate GPA won't get you in anywhere, I'm afraid...
Click to expand...
My experience is that the grad GPA is weighed less than ugrad - by the time you get to grad school, you are expected to do well, and there's less work load than ugrad. Otherwise my grad GPA of 3.6 would have got me into schools sooner. Instead, the schools judged my fitness as an applicant based on my 2.35 ugrad GPA.
 
RxnMan said:
My experience is that the grad GPA is weighed less than ugrad - by the time you get to grad school, you are expected to do well, and there's less work load than ugrad. Otherwise my grad GPA of 3.6 would have got me into schools sooner. Instead, the schools judged my fitness as an applicant based on my 2.35 ugrad GPA.
Click to expand...

Sorry, poor wording (I meant to say what you did.) I'll go back and fix it.
 
Don't sweat the "mid career" change issue too much. A lot of physicians weren't always physicians, only 90 % of them. 🙂 Medical school admissions are arbitrary if you fall outside the "normal" matriculant parameters. As a minority you've already got an important box marked on your packet. Talk to the folks at the schools you're considering, it's really important to get the real intel.
 
Jatt said:
MG, thanks for the tip, but my home state is Michigan and thats where I would like to do most if not all of my lead up to med school(that is also where I'd like to go to med school). After 5 seasons, I just want to be around home for a while.




Thanks for the encouragement, a couple of big things have happen in the last week, I have recieved one of my transcripts, things aren't too bad outside of the calc grades, also I have gotten things in order so that I can start taking classes at the end of this month(june), which will give me another semester I didn't count on having.

Thanks all, I will keep you updated
Click to expand...

Hi Jatt! Definitely keep us updated. I was a cyclist for many years, (olympic trials, Europe etc...), but I live for baseball (watching mainly, I suck at playing). One of the worst things about living in France (not many things are bad, but...) was the lack of MLB coverage. Granted Eurosport would cover everything else in the world...I digress. I'd be interested to hear how things go. My application is going in once MCAT scores come out. My last two years have been a blast, and without classes this summer, I'm racing again, but not getting paid. Anyway, you certainly have the discipline to do this, I think any athlete from the elite level has. Enjoy the process, it is a ton of fun (okay, maybe not some classes I had to retake) and a great change. Cheers!
 
minorities just walk in no matter what their scores are,

Ok, seriously, is this how things are at your school? Cuz there are plenty of minorities who do not get in. Yeah, I know some. Give me a break. Think about what you say first before it comes out. I hate to think that all the black/hispanic/other minority doctors out there that excell in what they do, sat on their lazy behinds in undergrad and still got in just cuz they had a little color to them.
 
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Just an update for those who care.

Well I did it, I am back home and getting things in order to start this new chapter in my life. I'm taking 2 courses this summer semester, which starts in a couple of weeks and I am as excited as I am nervous, it's been 4 years since I took my last class!

Anyways just wanted to give everyone that was kind enough to respond and provide insight, a quick update....now comes the hard part, Organic Chemistry II 😱
 
chocomorsel said:
minorities just walk in no matter what their scores are,

Ok, seriously, is this how things are at your school? Cuz there are plenty of minorities who do not get in. Yeah, I know some. Give me a break. Think about what you say first before it comes out. I hate to think that all the black/hispanic/other minority doctors out there that excell in what they do, sat on their lazy behinds in undergrad and still got in just cuz they had a little color to them.
Click to expand...

I don't think anybody here has even come close to suggesting "minorities just walk in no matter what their scores are".
 
pmtdenna said:
I don't think anybody here has even come close to suggesting "minorities just walk in no matter what their scores are".
Click to expand...

Read response #11 by "burntncrispy" and then you'll get what I'm talking about.
To the OP, sounds like things are falling into place. You have a great background that will guarantee to get you interviews. Good luck, and work hard.
 
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