26 year old engineer wanting to switch to medicine need some advice.

[NigroqueSimillima]

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So to lay it all out,

I'm 26-year-old engineer in Houston, TX . My job gives me a decent salary and free time, but I really don't like engineering, and working from home these last few weeks has made me realize I'd be miserable spending the rest of my life behind a computer. Medicine seems to fit my aptitude better, I like fixing things better than building them, I like working on a team, and I like helping people.

However, it will be difficult for me to switch from engineering to medicine. My GPA is only a 3.0(I'm a URM which I suppose will help), which is obviously very low for medical school. I have about 5 classes undergrad classes I need to take, in order to fulfill the prerequisites(Chem II, Orgo I and II, and 8 credit hours of bio). And I'll need to take the MCAT. All of this I plan to do while working full time.

My plan is to start with the MCAT, I can't start taking my prereq classes until summer, so I'll use this quarantine period to start familiarizing myself with the format of the test. I have a history of doing very well on a standardized test, so I don't think to get a good MCAT score should be too much of a problem, given I have the time to prepare. A good score will also give me the motivation to push through my course work while working full time. Once summer starts I can begin taking classes at a local 4-year college, it shouldn't be too hard to find places with evening classes in a city as big as Houston. I can keep taking classes into the Fall and Spring, and volunteering during my weekends to get clinical exposure(assuming covids calmed down by then)

I plan to apply mainly to MD schools in Texas, which seems like they're the best value and not too difficult to get into, I think we have 4 in Houston alone. The good thing about this plan is that even if it's a stretch, I'll still have a 6 figure job as a backup if I don't get admitted to a school I'd like.

If it does all work out, I'll be starting med school at age 28 at the earliest. It'll suck being in school that late in life, but I think I'll get much more out of school with my experience working in the real world.

Questions I have:

- Despite not liking my job, my work experiences have been pretty incredible from a resume perspective, I don't want to give away too much information that could identify me but the teams I've worked and lead are some of the best in the world at what they do. Is this enough to offset a poor GPA, especially since undergrad will be 6 years behind me by the time I apply? Are there certain schools that prefer non traditional students?

- Is taking the MCAT before taking most of the prerequisites something considered ill-advised? Over the course of my career, I've gotten extremely good at picking up on difficult scientific concepts quickly, better than I was in undergrad; so I'm banking on being able to learn solely from prep material like Kaplan and prior knowledge from undergrad.

- Most of my low GPA comes from higher-level electrical engineering courses. I'm assuming this is bad because it'll count negatively towards my science GPA, and shows a downward trend if anything? On the other hand, those classes are completely irrelevant to medical school, and my post bacc classes will be more recent.

- Any other advice from people having experience in the Houston area is welcome. I'd prefer to stay in the area, but I know when it comes to med school, beggars can't be choosers. If I'd like to attend McGovern or Baylor, would it be a good idea to message their admission office to get feedback on my future plans?

 

[sw99]

Hey NigroqueSimillima, hope you're having a good night. My opinon about your plan is that you need to get serious about what you're going to do--you can't possibly shoot for straight As while working ft. This is not a good plan. You need to work out something financially that allows you to concentrate on school--take out a loan, hit up your parents, your friends, whatever, if medicine is what you're truly serious about. You're gonna be burning the candle at both ends and this is a recipe for disaster. Word to the wise.

My honest-to-God advice is to not spend all your time creating a plan for how to cram in everything minute by minute, but create a plan to FOCUS on what you really want. You're scheduling too many acitivites without enough room for downtime/relaxation time, and this is also a recipe for disaster. Everybody needs an hour, even half an hour a day to themselves, and it sounds like your plan doesn't allow for that.

-There ARE schools that prefer nontraditional students--do your hw on SDN, ask around, do a Google search. Traditionally these schools tend to be DO schools.
-Science GPA--not that important.
-Taking the MCAT w/out taking ALL the prereqs is a sh$tty idea--plain and simple. Would you take a test w/out studying for it?
-Why do you want to do a post-bacc in the first place? Just finish the pre-reqs.

Good luck with everything.
-txjmd

 

[TheIllusionist]

GPA is such a dumb focus of med schools. There should be several MCAT tests like 10 that are averaged and that should determine stuff. GPA is too variable based on professors, school, and major.

 

[sw99]

Well it weeds out a lot of people and makes the med schools' work easier lol

 

[emergencydancing]

-Science GPA--not that important.

Where do people come up with this stuff?

sGPA is important and at least in 2011 adcoms saw it as more important that cGPA https://www.aamc.org/system/files/reports/1/aibvol11_no6.pdf. I've heard the prevailing sentiment is it's still the case. sGPA tends to be lower https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2019-10/2019_FACTS_Table_A-16.pdf so it gives more information.

-Why do you want to do a post-bacc in the first place? Just finish the pre-reqs.

There are many reasons people do postbacs, including advising, resources, and committee letters.

 

[sw99]

sGPA tends to be lower so it gives more information

This doesn't make sense

There are many reasons people do postbacs, including advising, resources, and committee letters.

Well, the OP seemed like (s)he was strapped for cash, so we're trying to give him/her pragmatic advice, right? Not to knock official postbaccs, but they aren't always necessary--it depends on your situation.

 

[emergencydancing]

This doesn't make sense

Well, the OP seemed like (s)he was strapped for cash, so we're trying to give him/her pragmatic advice, right? Not to knock official postbaccs, but they aren't always necessary--it depends on your situation.

People on SDN should not be giving financial advice. No, they are not always necessary, but there's a valid reason to do them, like I mentioned. It is up to the individual to decide, but I was answering your question because it seems like you are a little lost in this process as well.

 

[NigroqueSimillima]

Hey NigroqueSimillima, hope you're having a good night. My opinon about your plan is that you need to get serious about what you're going to do--you can't possibly shoot for straight As while working ft. This is not a good plan. You need to work out something financially that allows you to concentrate on school--take out a loan, hit up your parents, your friends, whatever, if medicine is what you're truly serious about. You're gonna be burning the candle at both ends and this is a recipe for disaster. Word to the wise.

My honest-to-God advice is to not spend all your time creating a plan for how to cram in everything minute by minute, but create a plan to FOCUS on what you really want. You're scheduling too many acitivites without enough room for downtime/relaxation time, and this is also a recipe for disaster. Everybody needs an hour, even half an hour a day to themselves, and it sounds like your plan doesn't allow for that.

-There ARE schools that prefer nontraditional students--do your hw on SDN, ask around, do a Google search. Traditionally these schools tend to be DO schools.
-Science GPA--not that important.
-Taking the MCAT w/out taking ALL the prereqs is a sh$tty idea--plain and simple. Would you take a test w/out studying for it?
-Why do you want to do a post-bacc in the first place? Just finish the pre-reqs.

Good luck with everything.
-txjmd

Thanks for the reply, I haven't taken an undergrad course in such a long time I may be underestimating their difficulty, I've seen alot of engineers where I work take one master class online per semester so I figured I could do at least 2 lower level undergrad classes. I'd still have a lot of time to get those 5 classes in.

And regarding post bacc, I may be using the term wrong, I just meant taking the prereqs at a local college, not some special program.

 

[Goro]

OP, I'm not at all convinced that Medicine is a career for you, especially if job disatisfaction is a major reason.

Try shadowing some doctors first , and also volunteer with patients, so you know what you're getting into.

Your job skills will in no way make up for a weak GPA.

 

[lanzhou_lamian]

- Despite not liking my job, my work experiences have been pretty incredible from a resume perspective, I don't want to give away too much information that could identify me but the teams I've worked and lead are some of the best in the world at what they do. Is this enough to offset a poor GPA, especially since undergrad will be 6 years behind me by the time I apply? Are there certain schools that prefer non traditional students?

No. Could your work experience help your application? Absolutely. But it won't offset a 3.0 GPA. 3.0 is low even for DO, let alone MD schools.

You mention later in your post that you’d like to attend McGovern or Baylor, which have median GPAs of 3.9 and 3.93 respectively. Recognize that many of the people with GPAs near this median also have impressive work experiences.

Since you haven’t completed your chemistry sequence, you’ll need at least 3 semesters of rigorous science courses -- that you get all A's in -- to even begin to show schools that you're capable of completing the level of work required in med school.

Many schools look kindly on non-trads (BU and Dartmouth come to mind, but there are many.) There are several threads on this in the forum, so that’s a good place to start. Looking at average ages and backgrounds of matriculants on MSAR can also help you get a better idea of the profile of student individual schools go for.

- Is taking the MCAT before taking most of the prerequisites something considered ill-advised? Over the course of my career, I've gotten extremely good at picking up on difficult scientific concepts quickly, better than I was in undergrad; so I'm banking on being able to learn solely from prep material like Kaplan and prior knowledge from undergrad.

Highly ill-advised. A lot of people self-study P/S, so you could probably get away with it for that section, but the BB and C/P sections are based off several semesters of science coursework, and much of that coursework is cumulative.

The MCAT is different than an SAT or other standardized tests that you may have taken previously as its content based, and its format really requires a high level of understanding of the content (not simply being able to recall.) I don’t think Kaplan is sufficient for this, and I’m not sure how you’re going to bank on prior knowledge from undergrad when you haven’t taken most of the relevant classes.

Additionally, taking the MCAT multiple times is inadvisable, firstly because it’s just a huge time investment and doing it twice is unpleasant. More importantly though, if you take it and bomb it (which, with your current plan, you have a high probability of doing), most schools will average your scores for future retakes. That first MCAT will be an anchor on your application.

- Most of my low GPA comes from higher-level electrical engineering courses. I'm assuming this is bad because it'll count negatively towards my science GPA, and shows a downward trend if anything? On the other hand, those classes are completely irrelevant to medical school, and my post bacc classes will be more recent.

Doing well in your post-bacc will definitely help, especially because there’s some time elapsed, but it will not erase your undergrad grades.

- Any other advice from people having experience in the Houston area is welcome. I'd prefer to stay in the area, but I know when it comes to med school, beggars can't be choosers. If I'd like to attend McGovern or Baylor, would it be a good idea to message their admission office to get feedback on my future plans?

Do you have access to MSAR? That might be a good place to start so that you can see what courses are required from the schools that you’re interested in, the average experiences of accepted students, etc. This may help guide your course selection and volunteering choices. Beyond that, I’m not sure what feedback the admissions offices would give you as you’re really early in the journey.

Lastly, I'd encourage you to change the order of your process. I'd start with shadowing and volunteering. I recognize COVID makes that challenging right now, but as soon as it's feasible, go shadow a PCP. Shadow a surgeon. Get some hands-on, patient-facing volunteer experience. Right now, the reasons that you're presenting for this switch are that you're unhappy with your current job. As someone who has been there, I get where you're coming from, but make sure that you're running towards something you enjoy, not just away from someone you don't enjoy.

Before you invest the time and money into completing pre-med courses and an MCAT, take the necessary time to determine if this is really the right road at all. You seem to like the idea of what a doctor does in an abstract sense, but you need to get concrete evidence if this is actually a good path for you.

 

[sw99]

It is up to the individual to decide

People on SDN should not be giving financial advice.

Hmmmm

Additionally, taking the MCAT multiple times is inadvisable, firstly because it’s just a huge time investment and doing it twice is unpleasant.

That first MCAT will be an anchor on your application.

No, actually taking the MCAT multiple times is bad, no matter what your score was originally.

Before you invest the time and money into completing pre-med courses and an MCAT, take the necessary time to determine if this is really the right road at all. You seem to like the idea of what a doctor does in an abstract sense, but you need to get concrete evidence if this is actually a good path for you.

I agree with this.

 

[sw99]

part 2:

Thanks for the reply, I haven't taken an undergrad course in such a long time I may be underestimating their difficulty, I've seen alot of engineers where I work take one master class online per semester so I figured I could do at least 2 lower level undergrad classes. I'd still have a lot of time to get those 5 classes in.

And regarding post bacc, I may be using the term wrong, I just meant taking the prereqs at a local college, not some special program.

Yw. Online? Why would you want to take courses online, if you can help it? That doesn't look good. You want to try not to cut corners as much as possible--take your time and do this right.

I agree with Goro--you need to explore WHY you want a career in medicine, or in healthcare for that matter--is it prestige? The money? Respect? Or an interest in science and helping people?

Many schools look kindly on non-trads (BU and Dartmouth come to mind, but there are many.)

This isn't what I've heard

Lastly, I'd encourage you to change the order of your process. I'd start with shadowing and volunteering.

I disagree with this. Start w/MCAT & GPA. These are the keystones to a good application.

 

[lanzhou_lamian]

I disagree with this. Start w/MCAT & GPA. These are the keystones to a good application.

My point here is that by starting with some volunteering and shadowing, OP can decide if they should even pursue an application at all. Definitely agree that, once that decision is made, GPA and MCAT are the keystones to a good application.

 

[sw99]

My point here is that by starting with some volunteering and shadowing, OP can decide if they should even pursue an application at all. Definitely agree that, once that decision is made, GPA and MCAT are the keystones to a good application.

Yeah

 

[Ganon]

working from home these last few weeks has made me realize I'd be miserable spending the rest of my life behind a computer.

Doctors spend the majority of their time behind a computer.

Not trying to be negative, but that is the truth

 

[sw99]

Doctors spend the majority of their time behind a computer.

Not trying to be negative, but that is the truth

👍

 

[habibimarwan]

NASA good experience! What do you do? Do you like SPACEX too? Many opportunities for engineer, "bright future!" Medicine good, but too many years, many challenges along the way. Good luck stay safe!

 

[NigroqueSimillima]

part 2:Yw. Online? Why would you want to take courses online, if you can help it? That doesn't look good. You want to try not to cut corners as much as possible--take your time and do this right.

I agree with Goro--you need to explore WHY you want a career in medicine, or in healthcare for that matter--is it prestige? The money? Respect? Or an interest in science and helping people?

This isn't what I've heard

I disagree with this. Start w/MCAT & GPA. These are the keystones to a good application.

I wouldn't take the premed courses online, I've seen colleagues take Masters in Engineering courses online while working, so I figure it wouldn't be too hard to lower level biology classes and Chem classes in person. Personally, I've always found engineering course magnitude harder than any of the Chem and Biology courses I've taken in college.

As for why I'd want to switch to medicine, it's definitely not prestige or money, I'd probably get a downgrade in prestige in the eyes of some people from my current job, and I'd be behind in money for atleast a decade.

I just think it'd be a better fit for my personality and skills. It's something I can see myself doing until I'm 65, I can't even see myself being an engineer for 10 more years.

 

[GreenDuck12]

“My plan is to start with the MCAT, I can't start taking my prereq classes until summer, so I'll use this quarantine period to start familiarizing myself with the format of the test. I have a history of doing very well on a standardized test, so I don't think to get a good MCAT score should be too much of a problem, given I have the time to prepare“
- bad idea. The MCAT is not the GRE. Only take the MCAT when you are most prepared to do well which is after completing prerequisites. With you starting with a low GPA you cannot afford a retake for silly mistakes.

“ plan to apply mainly to MD schools in Texas, which seems like they're the best value and not too difficult to get into, I think we have 4 in Houston alone. The good thing about this plan is that even if it's a stretch, I'll still have a 6 figure job as a backup if I don't get admitted to a school I'd like.”
- TX is not as bad as some states but it isn’t easy either. 60% of applicants nationwide do not matriculate in any given year. There are plenty of applicants with higher stats than yours (so far).

“ If it does all work out, I'll be starting med school at age 28 at the earliest. It'll suck being in school that late in life, but I think I'll get much more out of school with my experience working in the real world.”
- I will be matriculating to med school in August at the ripe old age of 30. It’ll be fine.


Questions I have:

- Despite not liking my job, my work experiences have been pretty incredible from a resume perspective, I don't want to give away too much information that could identify me but the teams I've worked and lead are some of the best in the world at what they do. Is this enough to offset a poor GPA, especially since undergrad will be 6 years behind me by the time I apply? Are there certain schools that prefer non traditional students?

No? I mean your GPA is likely below a minimum GPA cutoff at many programs. Good ECs will get you farther along in the application process but you need to address your stats first. A solid MCAT will help but you need to bust out multiple semesters of high level academic achievement.

- Is taking the MCAT before taking most of the prerequisites something considered ill-advised? Over the course of my career, I've gotten extremely good at picking up on difficult scientific concepts quickly, better than I was in undergrad; so I'm banking on being able to learn solely from prep material like Kaplan and prior knowledge from undergrad.

Duh! Your MCAT is a test that should only be taken once. Personally I wouldn’t risk it while missing 5 prerequisite classes. What’s the harm in waiting till you have completed the classes? You’re going to have to take them anyway. Also, the mean MCAT for admitted applicants is a 511 which is roughly the 85th percentile. You likely need to do significantly better than the mean to compensate for a lower GPA.


- Most of my low GPA comes from higher-level electrical engineering courses. I'm assuming this is bad because it'll count negatively towards my science GPA, and shows a downward trend if anything? On the other hand, those classes are completely irrelevant to medical school, and my post bacc classes will be more recent.

You can look at the AMCAS guide to determine which classes will or will not count towards your sGPA. However, it is likely that courses with ENG in the class code will not count towards BCPM.

- Any other advice from people having experience in the Houston area is welcome. I'd prefer to stay in the area, but I know when it comes to med school, beggars can't be choosers. If I'd like to attend McGovern or Baylor, would it be a good idea to message their admission office to get feedback on my future plans?

 

[NigroqueSimillima]

My point here is that by starting with some volunteering and shadowing, OP can decide if they should even pursue an application at all. Definitely agree that, once that decision is made, GPA and MCAT are the keystones to a good application.

I actually did shadow a doctor and work in a doctors office the summer before my undergrad. It's not nearly enough experience for a med school application, but I've been in ORs during surgery and had enough patient contact not to be completely clueless.

No. Could your work experience help your application? Absolutely. But it won't offset a 3.0 GPA. 3.0 is low even for DO, let alone MD schools.

You mention later in your post that you’d like to attend McGovern or Baylor, which have median GPAs of 3.9 and 3.93 respectively. Recognize that many of the people with GPAs near this median also have impressive work experiences.

Since you haven’t completed your chemistry sequence, you’ll need at least 3 semesters of rigorous science courses -- that you get all A's in -- to even begin to show schools that you're capable of completing the level of work required in med school.

Many schools look kindly on non-trads (BU and Dartmouth come to mind, but there are many.) There are several threads on this in the forum, so that’s a good place to start. Looking at average ages and backgrounds of matriculants on MSAR can also help you get a better idea of the profile of student individual schools go for.



Highly ill-advised. A lot of people self-study P/S, so you could probably get away with it for that section, but the BB and C/P sections are based off several semesters of science coursework, and much of that coursework is cumulative.

The MCAT is different than an SAT or other standardized tests that you may have taken previously as its content based, and its format really requires a high level of understanding of the content (not simply being able to recall.) I don’t think Kaplan is sufficient for this, and I’m not sure how you’re going to bank on prior knowledge from undergrad when you haven’t taken most of the relevant classes.

Additionally, taking the MCAT multiple times is inadvisable, firstly because it’s just a huge time investment and doing it twice is unpleasant. More importantly though, if you take it and bomb it (which, with your current plan, you have a high probability of doing), most schools will average your scores for future retakes. That first MCAT will be an anchor on your application.



Doing well in your post-bacc will definitely help, especially because there’s some time elapsed, but it will not erase your undergrad grades.



Do you have access to MSAR? That might be a good place to start so that you can see what courses are required from the schools that you’re interested in, the average experiences of accepted students, etc. This may help guide your course selection and volunteering choices. Beyond that, I’m not sure what feedback the admissions offices would give you as you’re really early in the journey.

Lastly, I'd encourage you to change the order of your process. I'd start with shadowing and volunteering. I recognize COVID makes that challenging right now, but as soon as it's feasible, go shadow a PCP. Shadow a surgeon. Get some hands-on, patient-facing volunteer experience. Right now, the reasons that you're presenting for this switch are that you're unhappy with your current job. As someone who has been there, I get where you're coming from, but make sure that you're running towards something you enjoy, not just away from someone you don't enjoy.

Before you invest the time and money into completing pre-med courses and an MCAT, take the necessary time to determine if this is really the right road at all. You seem to like the idea of what a doctor does in an abstract sense, but you need to get concrete evidence if this is actually a good path for you.

Thanks for the reply, I was honestly shocked to see the median GPA of 3.9 for McGovern, that's just insanely high.

 

[sw99]

TX is not as bad as some states but it isn’t easy either. 60% of applicants nationwide do not matriculate in any given year. There are plenty of applicants with higher stats than yours (so far).

and IIRC this refers to in-state students (~60% of TX in-state students do NOT matriculate in any given year)

Duh! Your MCAT is a test that should only be taken once.

Just FYI, OP, this is an adage for a reason.

Not sure what else to say but it just doesn't seem like you have a good plan. Maybe work together with your post bacc's advisor or something? Or a physician you trust?

 

[theGuyWhoBuiltTheArk]

I actually did shadow a doctor and work in a doctors office the summer before my undergrad. It's not nearly enough experience for a med school application, but I've been in ORs during surgery and had enough patient contact not to be completely clueless.


Thanks for the reply, I was honestly shocked to see the median GPA of 3.9 for McGovern, that's just insanely high.

I have a very similiar background to you. My advice to you is to have a really strong reason to be a physcian. First, to be able to sell you story and second to motivate the long and hard road you have. Not only do you have to excell in your premedical undergraduate studies, you also have years of additional training in medical school in residency.

I would recomend getting a substantial exposure to the medical field before you embark on this journey. It would allow you to be sure for yourself and convey that to whoever you talk to.

 

[sw99]

@theGuyWhoBuiltTheArk good advice

 

[LindaAccepted]

So to lay it all out,

I'm 26-year-old engineer in Houston, TX . My job gives me a decent salary and free time, but I really don't like engineering, and working from home these last few weeks has made me realize I'd be miserable spending the rest of my life behind a computer. Medicine seems to fit my aptitude better, I like fixing things better than building them, I like working on a team, and I like helping people.

However, it will be difficult for me to switch from engineering to medicine. My GPA is only a 3.0(I'm a URM which I suppose will help), which is obviously very low for medical school. I have about 5 classes undergrad classes I need to take, in order to fulfill the prerequisites(Chem II, Orgo I and II, and 8 credit hours of bio). And I'll need to take the MCAT. All of this I plan to do while working full time.

My plan is to start with the MCAT, I can't start taking my prereq classes until summer, so I'll use this quarantine period to start familiarizing myself with the format of the test. I have a history of doing very well on a standardized test, so I don't think to get a good MCAT score should be too much of a problem, given I have the time to prepare. A good score will also give me the motivation to push through my course work while working full time. Once summer starts I can begin taking classes at a local 4-year college, it shouldn't be too hard to find places with evening classes in a city as big as Houston. I can keep taking classes into the Fall and Spring, and volunteering during my weekends to get clinical exposure(assuming covids calmed down by then)

I plan to apply mainly to MD schools in Texas, which seems like they're the best value and not too difficult to get into, I think we have 4 in Houston alone. The good thing about this plan is that even if it's a stretch, I'll still have a 6 figure job as a backup if I don't get admitted to a school I'd like.

If it does all work out, I'll be starting med school at age 28 at the earliest. It'll suck being in school that late in life, but I think I'll get much more out of school with my experience working in the real world.

Questions I have:

- Despite not liking my job, my work experiences have been pretty incredible from a resume perspective, I don't want to give away too much information that could identify me but the teams I've worked and lead are some of the best in the world at what they do. Is this enough to offset a poor GPA, especially since undergrad will be 6 years behind me by the time I apply? Are there certain schools that prefer non traditional students?

- Is taking the MCAT before taking most of the prerequisites something considered ill-advised? Over the course of my career, I've gotten extremely good at picking up on difficult scientific concepts quickly, better than I was in undergrad; so I'm banking on being able to learn solely from prep material like Kaplan and prior knowledge from undergrad.

- Most of my low GPA comes from higher-level electrical engineering courses. I'm assuming this is bad because it'll count negatively towards my science GPA, and shows a downward trend if anything? On the other hand, those classes are completely irrelevant to medical school, and my post bacc classes will be more recent.

- Any other advice from people having experience in the Houston area is welcome. I'd prefer to stay in the area, but I know when it comes to med school, beggars can't be choosers. If I'd like to attend McGovern or Baylor, would it be a good idea to message their admission office to get feedback on my future plans?

In addition to the many non-traditional applicants that we've worked with, including engineers of different stripes, I have a cousin who was a computer engineer and had a fantastic career, but he felt "empty." His father is a doctor, and he decided to be come a physician at right about your age. He never looked back and is now an MD who is going for a PhD in hem-onc.

So yes, it can be done.

To address your questions:
1. Having great work experience means you bring valuable skills and personality traits to med school and your career. It doesn't show that you can handle the academic demands of medical school. The adcom will look to your grades and MCAT for evidence you can do the work.
2. Taking the MCAT before taking the pre-reqs is a terrible idea. Take the pre-reqs first, Then prep for the test.
3. Med schools will look most closely at your most recent (and most relevant) classes, but they won't ignore the engineering grades. You need to do well in the post-bac classes. Being a URM will help.


Best,
Linda

 

[Doctorswithborders013]

A little older, but I sort of did the same thing...(not admitted yet, so I guess I can let you know in a year if I was just dumb)

Engineering was decent, don't get me wrong, but I just kept coming back to medicine in my head. What I did was I sat down over the course of a while and really tried to craft in one sentence "Why do I want to do this?" And along with that, I tried really hard to counter that argument. Anyways, I ended up going for it, quitting my job, and taking the whole summer to study for the MCAT. I self-studied. I hadn't taken O Chem, Biochem, Psychology, and was about 10 years out of any Bio course. I studied the whole summer about 6-8 hours a day and I got a 507, take it as you will, and I agree with the sentiments above, it's not a test you want to aim to take multiple times.

As far as experiences, at the very at least start getting some patient/provider contact, if anything just for your own awareness of what it's all about. Luckily, I had a lot of experience in the military, so I felt like I could truly weigh my experience as an engineer with the possibility of being a doctor.

Again, not sure my advice is coming from anywhere of authority, or can even give you a sense that it's the right choice, but just letting you know there are others out there.

 

[NigroqueSimillima]

I just realized my sGPA is a 3.5 since it doesn't include engineering classes thank god, should be able to easily get 3.7 with prereqs. That should definitely make my life easier.

Already started studying for the MCAT, test doesn't look like it'll be too bad based on how I did on my diagnostic. It definitely will take a lot of time to study all the material thoroughly enough to get a top score, luckily I'll probably have a year. I'm going to review all the subjects until summer classes start, which will make the classes even easier.

This all seems very doable, I'll probably be unable to get into McGovern on Baylor, but I definitely think med school , even an MD school is likely. Hopefully, I can stay in Texas.

 

[Small Cell Carcinoma]

Why would you want to go to medical school at this point? I get the wanting to help people, work in a team, etc but you already have what sounds like a good, respectable career. Trying to do what you are suggesting now will require you to jump into nearly a decade of uncertainty and loss of potential income. Even if you complete the required coursework and get in ASAP, you will not finish residency until you are in your late 30s. That is a long time to go accumulating debt. It is one thing to take on that debt when you are fresh out of college and have no career, but it is another matter entirely to give up a good job/future for one that is most likely going to be very challenging for you to obtain under the circumstances you mentioned (low GPA, likely little/no medically-relevant ECs, etc)

But I think you definitely need to look into this career and get some exposure to what it is like to practice medicine. The grass isn't much greener on the other side. You are still young enough and judging by your engineering degree can probably handle the workload of medical school, but really ask yourself if it is worth it at this point.

 

[NigroqueSimillima]

Why would you want to go to medical school at this point? I get the wanting to help people, work in a team, etc but you already have what sounds like a good, respectable career. Trying to do what you are suggesting now will require you to jump into nearly a decade of uncertainty and loss of potential income. Even if you complete the required coursework and get in ASAP, you will not finish residency until you are in your late 30s. That is a long time to go accumulating debt. It is one thing to take on that debt when you are fresh out of college and have no career, but it is another matter entirely to give up a good job/future for one that is most likely going to be very challenging for you to obtain under the circumstances you mentioned (low GPA, likely little/no medically-relevant ECs, etc)

But I think you definitely need to look into this career and get some exposure to what it is like to practice medicine. The grass isn't much greener on the other side. You are still young enough and judging by your engineering degree can probably handle the workload of medical school, but really ask yourself if it is worth it at this point.

Having a "good respectable career" isn't worth much if you don't enjoy it. Your profile says you're medical student, so I don't know if you've ever worked a professional job, but there's a certain finality to it and you realize, if you don't change course, you're going to be doing the same thing for 35 years plus. And you have to you realize doing it for the money in engineering is just as bad of an idea as doing it for the money in medicine. It's similar to running with a rock in your shoe, won't bother you for 100m dash, but it'll drive you crazy if you're running a marathon.

And if I get into an in state school and use my savings, that debt won't be that bad tbqh. I can almost pay for tuition at McGovern for all 4 years in cash as of today(not that I'd do that).

And I won't give up my job until I get into school, I'll be doing a post bacc and MCAT studying while working full time. The pre med courses look relatively trivial to me, I had no problem getting As in all of the ones I've taken in university, which was a much harder school than where I'm taking them, and I'll have over a year to study for the MCAT. I can probably handle 2 during a semester. This means I can bail whenever, all the way up to the day when I give my job notice of departure.

And assuming everything goes right, I'd finish residency mid 30s.

 

[Splenda88]

I am not sure why people are so keen in asking OP why he/she wants to go to med school. It does not matter why--whether it is for prestige, $$$, job security etc... Who cares? as long as OP will be a good physician and serve his patients well.

 

[deleted936470]

So to lay it all out,

I like fixing things better than building them, I like working on a team, and I like helping people.

so what about a mechanic?

 

[popopopop]

Why would you want to go to medical school at this point? I get the wanting to help people, work in a team, etc but you already have what sounds like a good, respectable career. Trying to do what you are suggesting now will require you to jump into nearly a decade of uncertainty and loss of potential income. Even if you complete the required coursework and get in ASAP, you will not finish residency until you are in your late 30s. That is a long time to go accumulating debt. It is one thing to take on that debt when you are fresh out of college and have no career, but it is another matter entirely to give up a good job/future for one that is most likely going to be very challenging for you to obtain under the circumstances you mentioned (low GPA, likely little/no medically-relevant ECs, etc)

But I think you definitely need to look into this career and get some exposure to what it is like to practice medicine. The grass isn't much greener on the other side. You are still young enough and judging by your engineering degree can probably handle the workload of medical school, but really ask yourself if it is worth it at this point.

He's a youngin! Oldest resident I met was a pgy-2 gen surg who was around mid-40s.

 

[Small Cell Carcinoma]

Having a "good respectable career" isn't worth much if you don't enjoy it. Your profile says you're medical student, so I don't know if you've ever worked a professional job, but there's a certain finality to it and you realize, if you don't change course, you're going to be doing the same thing for 35 years plus. And you have to you realize doing it for the money in engineering is just as bad of an idea as doing it for the money in medicine. It's similar to running with a rock in your shoe, won't bother you for 100m dash, but it'll drive you crazy if you're running a marathon.

And if I get into an in state school and use my savings, that debt won't be that bad tbqh. I can almost pay for tuition at McGovern for all 4 years in cash as of today(not that I'd do that).

And I won't give up my job until I get into school, I'll be doing a post bacc and MCAT studying while working full time. The pre med courses look relatively trivial to me, I had no problem getting As in all of the ones I've taken in university, which was a much harder school than where I'm taking them, and I'll have over a year to study for the MCAT. I can probably handle 2 during a semester. This means I can bail whenever, all the way up to the day when I give my job notice of departure.

And assuming everything goes right, I'd finish residency mid 30s.

Well it sounds like you have a good plan. There are just a lot of ifs in it and you could potentially be shooting yourself in the foot if you later decide to return to your current job. You are right that I have never worked a 9-5 job in my life. But I am your age and just finished medical school. I cannot even imagine starting the process over again at introductory chemistry at this age. Especially if I had a stable job already. The opportunity cost would just be unfathomable.

One more thing-if you do actually decided to go for it, please forget about the idea of doing a post bacc and studying for the MCAT while working full time. No matter how "trivial" the pre med courses look to you (don't think I've ever heard anyone say that in my life actually), you aren't setting yourself up for success with that strategy as becoming a doctor is a full time commitment even at the pre med stage. Best of luck to you

 

[NigroqueSimillima]

Well it sounds like you have a good plan. There are just a lot of ifs in it and you could potentially be shooting yourself in the foot if you later decide to return to your current job. You are right that I have never worked a 9-5 job in my life. But I am your age and just finished medical school. I cannot even imagine starting the process over again at introductory chemistry at this age. Especially if I had a stable job already. The opportunity cost would just be unfathomable.

One more thing-if you do actually decided to go for it, please forget about the idea of doing a post bacc and studying for the MCAT while working full time. No matter how "trivial" the pre med courses look to you (don't think I've ever heard anyone say that in my life actually), you aren't setting yourself up for success with that strategy as becoming a doctor is a full time commitment even at the pre med stage. Best of luck to you

Most of my Chemical Engineering friends considered the premed Chemistry courses relatively easy. I think there's a serious underestimation of how hard upper-level engineering courses are at T10 universities. Only reason my sciGPA isn't a 4.0 is one upper level math class. Bio I and II, and Chem I were all aced with relative ease.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Most of my Chemical Engineering friends considered the premed Chemistry courses relatively easy. I think there's a serious underestimation of how hard upper-level engineering courses are at T10 universities. Only reason my sciGPA isn't a 4.0 is one upper level math class. Bio I and II, and Chem I were all aced with relative ease.

Didn’t you post that your cGPA was a 3.0?

“ My GPA is only a 3.0 “

 

[PostBaccEngineer]

Well it sounds like you have a good plan. There are just a lot of ifs in it and you could potentially be shooting yourself in the foot if you later decide to return to your current job. You are right that I have never worked a 9-5 job in my life. But I am your age and just finished medical school. I cannot even imagine starting the process over again at introductory chemistry at this age. Especially if I had a stable job already. The opportunity cost would just be unfathomable.

One more thing-if you do actually decided to go for it, please forget about the idea of doing a post bacc and studying for the MCAT while working full time. No matter how "trivial" the pre med courses look to you (don't think I've ever heard anyone say that in my life actually), you aren't setting yourself up for success with that strategy as becoming a doctor is a full time commitment even at the pre med stage. Best of luck to you

I think this is incredibly unfair and I dont understand why there is so much push back on this thread when OP wants to follow his dreams and is willing to give it a shot. OP I am in a VERY similar boat. I have an engineering degree and my GPA was around 3.1 which is similar to yours (also due to hard EE courses that I had no interest in) I got a software engineering job right out of college and now co-own a start up that was founded last year. I also wanted to change careers and didnt think I wanted to be an engineer for the rest of my life so I started the NYU postbacc program in Spring of 2018 I am now halfway through the program (which I managed to do while working sometimes even longer than 9-5) and my current GPA is 3.75. Obviously I am still in a risky position and I didnt get all straight A's but I think my situation/story is somewhat unique and I think maybe that gives me an edge. I think your story if successful would be too. Now I dont want to undermine how hard all of this was so far. I have gone through hell trying to get to where I am today and I am only half way through. I actually enjoy chemistry and biology so was under the impression that it would be a walk in the park also but I assure you its not. Take it one day at a time and DONT take more than one class a semester, trust me. Its doable but its extremely challenging but I think if you pull it off that level of perseverance will reflect well on you even with your original poor GPA. Now I havent made it indo med school yet so could be talking out of my ass but I think a lot of the negativity on this thread is honestly disappointing. If you want to pursue this then go for it, and I agree with keeping the safety net of your job. You already said you are earning a lot of money so the only thing you are losing here is some money and effort and dedication for 2 years of your life. I dont think its a big deal if thats what you really want. Feel free to reach out if you wanna ask more about my experience with postbacc working FT so far.

 

[NigroqueSimillima]

Didn’t you post that your cGPA was a 3.0?

“ My GPA is only a 3.0 “

cGPA includes engineering classes, sGPA does not. Almost all of my non-As come from engineering classes, and few high level math classes classes.

If I aced my post bacc I could probably get a cGPA of around 3.1 and sGPA of 3.7, which is bizarre tbqh.

 

[NigroqueSimillima]

I think this is incredibly unfair and I dont understand why there is so much push back on this thread when OP wants to follow his dreams and is willing to give it a shot. OP I am in a VERY similar boat. I have an engineering degree and my GPA was around 3.1 which is similar to yours (also due to hard EE courses that I had no interest in) I got a software engineering job right out of college and now co-own a start up that was founded last year. I also wanted to change careers and didnt think I wanted to be an engineer for the rest of my life so I started the NYU postbacc program in Spring of 2018 I am now halfway through the program (which I managed to do while working sometimes even longer than 9-5) and my current GPA is 3.75. Obviously I am still in a risky position and I didnt get all straight A's but I think my situation/story is somewhat unique and I think maybe that gives me an edge. I think your story if successful would be too. Now I dont want to undermine how hard all of this was so far. I have gone through hell trying to get to where I am today and I am only half way through. I actually enjoy chemistry and biology so was under the impression that it would be a walk in the park also but I assure you its not. Take it one day at a time and DONT take more than one class a semester, trust me. Its doable but its extremely challenging but I think if you pull it off that level of perseverance will reflect well on you even with your original poor GPA. Now I havent made it indo med school yet so could be talking out of my ass but I think a lot of the negativity on this thread is honestly disappointing. If you want to pursue this then go for it, and I agree with keeping the safety net of your job. You already said you are earning a lot of money so the only thing you are losing here is some money and effort and dedication for 2 years of your life. I dont think its a big deal if thats what you really want. Feel free to reach out if you wanna ask more about my experience with postbacc working FT so far.

Were you able to do night/evening classes? What did you find hard about the post bacc? I'm guessing NYU is a lot more difficult than the college I'm planning on doing my post bacc.

I can't imagine biology and chemistry being that diffcult, but I'll take it under consideration. It's the lab that I'm more worried about than the class, because I might have to take time out of my workday, which would tip off my boss what I'm planning.

 

[NigroqueSimillima]

so what about a mechanic?

I know this post probably wasn't serious but I'd probably find being a mechanic more fun than being an engineer.

 

[Splenda88]

cGPA includes engineering classes, sGPA does not. Almost all of my non-As come from engineering classes, and few high level math classes classes.

If I aced my post bacc I could probably get a cGPA of around 3.1 and sGPA of 3.7, which is bizarre tbqh.

In such case, It might be hard sell for MD, but you should be ok for DO.

Even if you did well on lower level bio and chem etc..., don't be too overconfident regarding the MCAT...

 

[PostBaccEngineer]

Were you able to do night/evening classes? What did you find hard about the post bacc? I'm guessing NYU is a lot more difficult than the college I'm planning on doing my post bacc.

I can't imagine biology and chemistry being that diffcult, but I'll take it under consideration. It's the lab that I'm more worried about than the class, because I might have to take time out of my workday, which would tip off my boss what I'm planning.

I was lucky enough to work for a company that allowed me some flexibility and once I started my own company a few month later I was able to work remotely more. While working a traditional desk job I would try to take 8 am classes or 6 pm classes if they are offered. Since the way NYU does it these are the same classes offered to undergrads so they tend to be midday. I talked to my boss and for the classes that were at 11 am for example they would let me take an early 2 hour lunch and I would stay late that day, etc. Tech companies are pretty lax, especially in New York so it worked out. Not sure which state you are in but I knew Hunter in NYC offered a postbacc program with night and evening classes, I just preferred NYU since they had a better reputation in the postbacc world.

 

[NigroqueSimillima]

In such case, It might be hard sell for MD, but you should be ok for DO.

Even if you did well on lower level bio and chem etc..., don't be too overconfident regarding the MCAT...

Yeah MCAT is by far the hardest part of this master plan. Even if I have a year to prep, it takes one bad test day to ruin a year of post bacc and job shadowing effort.

No pressure.

I like challenges though, life gets dull without stress.

 

[Cornfed101]

I have a very similar background: engineering major, worked in industry, low GPA, etc. I quit my job to do classes full time because I felt like I needed to prove that I could handle the full course load. I wouldn’t recommend trying to keep a full time job while taking classes. I scored over 90th percentile on the MCAT, but even with that I haven’t had a ton of love from MD schools. I’ve noticed that DO schools are much more likely to overlook a low GPA than MD schools are. Unfortunately for you, Texas schools value GPA more than MCAT so you might have even more trouble with the MD schools there.

 

[winterwarlock88]

OP - good luck on chasing your dreams! I had a similar story as an engineer (ME) turned doctor. I matriculated at age 28 after taking post-bacc classes, volunteering, and shadowing while working FT. Your thought of being unfulfilled with your current job hits home with me. A good paying job and title as an engineer sounds good on paper, but it's not for everyone. Do what interests you.

As for getting there, what I did was take 1-2 classes per semester. Luckily all the classes/labs met after 6pm and then I volunteered in the ED on the weekends. My GPA was similar to yours, but I put in time to slowly increase it. Try not to rush it, you want to do it right. It won't be an easy path to pursue medicine, just make sure you enjoy the journey.

 

[East Coast Engineer]

I'm also there with you man. I am the around the same age as you, also a minority, and up until this year I was working full time as a research engineer for a top-tier defense contractor doing intense weapons design work. My undergraduate was in mechanical engineering, and in years previous to working full time as an engineer, I worked in community organizations organizing events and academic workshops for local students.

Two years into my job, I dove into learning about the field of healthcare. Though in many ways the healthcare system is just as broken as the companies that supply products to it, I saw there were easy ways to make a meaningful difference, especially as a doctor. However, I knew being a doctor would be a huge commitment, and I spent a lot of time following med students & med vloggers on Youtube to convince myself it made sense. I guess that's a plus side to living in this century: we can learn about other professions/shadow via the internet...

Anyways, the only downside to looking into medicine was that my work commitment, being full of intense 10 hour days, left me without the mental energy or free time to do in person clinical shadowing...like legit i just didn't even have the time on weekends (I didn't even have time to go to a gym or anything because of the insane work hours I was pulling).

After five years of work I decided to bite the bullet. I quit my job and am now studying a lot of used textbooks in preparation of courses in the fall. I too don't have the OChem and 3 semesters worth of Biology courses, but it's something that I'm hope to excel at by studying ahead. Likewise, I'm looking to volunteer at local hospitals and PCPs to see which branch of medicine I enjoy the most. The only downside is this whole plan is the whole Covid pandemic...guess I can't find a part time job on the side. Also for the time being hospitals are limiting volunteers. But on the plus side the pandemic does leave room to do amazing things for the community, like helping with food banks, delivering groceries to elderly folks, etc. If you want to see what medicine is all about, spend some time helping out in your city's most distraught communities - there are actually quite a few healthcare professionals volunteering at the places I've been helping out at and they have many neat insights to share.

Now I'm just eating up savings, but as I said I've had them prepared for the purpose of following my dream of going into medicine. If you don't really have the savings or cash on hand to quit your job - DONT! But if you are genuinely ready for the jump, go for it.

I wish you luck as you navigate this. Know you're not alone in being a young engineer looking to go to medicine. To the real doctors or other healthcare professionals reading my response on here...thank you for all that you do during this insane time!