Advice for non-trad. creating a path forward

[phys2phys]

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Hi everyone, several months ago, I decided to move forward with my dream of becoming a physician. I have thought about this extensively and I am willing to go through all the sacrifices for it. I received my bachelor's in physics and master's in civil engineering, which is the field I am working in now. I have been out of school and working for a couple of years now. I calculated my AMCAS GPAs to be 3.59 cGPA, 3.39 sGPA. My plan is to enroll at a local university this fall in their extended university program (online/remote throughout the pandemic) to take some courses during the evenings in bio/chem/ochem/etc so that I can hopefully boost up my GPAs and prepare for the MCAT.

In terms of experiences, I frequently volunteer (100+ hours so far) at a small organization feeding people experiencing homelessness, where I serve as a lead over several volunteers, and also regularly donate platelets at a cancer treatment center. I hope to start shadowing physicians soon in a couple of disciplines. I was also planning to volunteer at a skilled nursing facility for the elderly that I used to volunteer at a lot while in high school, but COVID-19 has pushed that back. I am looking for other opportunities at the moment. For research experience, I completed a master's thesis, which involved heavy research on an engineering topic, but I did not get to a level where I felt comfortable publishing. Would this still be a good thing to elaborate on when the time comes to apply?

Assuming all goes well, my hope is to take the MCAT in Spring 2022 and apply that summer to many MD/DO programs.

I am curious to know what you all think about this so far and whether you have any advice for me. I am still in the process of reading through older threads, so apologies if this question seems repetitive. Thanks.

 

[rudy609OMS-III]

So it sounds like you are well on your way to having a competitive application. The goal for the pre-req science courses should be to excel at them. Med schools want to see that you can handle the rigorous science coursework that comes with the first year. I would also recommend that you get more clinical experience. This is for two reasons. One, medical schools want to see that you have clinical experience so they know you enjoy interacting with people in a clinical setting and that you have a very basic understanding of patient care. Two, you should be getting clinical experience so that you know for sure that this is what you want to do. Med school is mentally draining and time-consuming. It can be the greatest years of your life and leave you feeling fulfilled. However, it is not something to do if you are not 100% sure that you want to be a doctor. If you can see yourself as a nurse, a PA, a researcher, an NP, then go do that and don't go to medical school. Lastly, your research should be fine. You don't need publications, a poster presentation will do. The most important thing is that you took pride and were consistent with your research. That way when an interviewer asks you about your research, they will see that your research meant a lot to you and is something you are passionate about. Long story short, get some good grades on the sciences, be passionate about all that you do, get some clinical experience, and most importantly, be 100% sure that being a doctor is what you want to do before you do it. Good luck dude

 

[phys2phys]

So it sounds like you are well on your way to having a competitive application. The goal for the pre-req science courses should be to excel at them. Med schools want to see that you can handle the rigorous science coursework that comes with the first year. I would also recommend that you get more clinical experience. This is for two reasons. One, medical schools want to see that you have clinical experience so they know you enjoy interacting with people in a clinical setting and that you have a very basic understanding of patient care. Two, you should be getting clinical experience so that you know for sure that this is what you want to do. Med school is mentally draining and time-consuming. It can be the greatest years of your life and leave you feeling fulfilled. However, it is not something to do if you are not 100% sure that you want to be a doctor. If you can see yourself as a nurse, a PA, a researcher, an NP, then go do that and don't go to medical school. Lastly, your research should be fine. You don't need publications, a poster presentation will do. The most important thing is that you took pride and were consistent with your research. That way when an interviewer asks you about your research, they will see that your research meant a lot to you and is something you are passionate about. Long story short, get some good grades on the sciences, be passionate about all that you do, get some clinical experience, and most importantly, be 100% sure that being a doctor is what you want to do before you do it. Good luck dude

Thanks for taking the time to read about my situation and offering your feedback! I'll definitely take it to heart and will get started on getting some clinical experience soon. I have talked to a couple of doctors about it before and have also worked with patients in the past, which is what is pushing me to go through with it. Can't wait to get started on my classes soon!