Advice needed:Current Comp Sci master's student wanting to go to med school

[ConfusedSWE]

Hello everyone!

I am currently a Comp Sci master's student but I want to try for medical school. During my undergrad which was about 2 years ago, I took all the prereqs to apply to med school with my science GPA being around a 3.85 but never ended up taking the MCAT because of a lack of confidence. I plan to take the MCAT by the end of this year and apply for the 2026 cycle but, I'm lost on what else I can do to improve my chances at getting accepted. I have a couple of things I would like to ask advice on:

I worked at a prominent research medical school as a software engineer who worked directly with researchers and the web applications the researchers used, but past this I've only ever shadowed doctors. What can I do to get some clinical experience?


Is it worth taking Biology courses during my master's program to receive more recent LORs or would it be better to utilize my undergrad's pre-med committee packet for my applications.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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[AsclepiusAdvisingLLC]

It is really important to get clinical hours in any capacity that you can. If you can get more recent LORs in your masters program, that would be preferable but you do not necessarily need to take a Biology course just to get an LOR. Use a healthy combination of undergrad and MS letters that show your academic strengths from different perspectives. Having more recent letters is preferable, but being two years from undergrad does not mean that those letters are not going to be strong. You will also almost certainly need to apply with your undergraduate committee letter as well, so communicating with the director of the committee early will be important to so they can compile your package before any major deadlines arrive.

 

[ConfusedSWE]

It is really important to get clinical hours in any capacity that you can. If you can get more recent LORs in your masters program, that would be preferable but you do not necessarily need to take a Biology course just to get an LOR. Use a healthy combination of undergrad and MS letters that show your academic strengths from different perspectives. Having more recent letters is preferable, but being two years from undergrad does not mean that those letters are not going to be strong. You will also almost certainly need to apply with your undergraduate committee letter as well, so communicating with the director of the committee early will be important to so they can compile your package before any major deadlines arrive.

What are some of your recommendations for clinical hours opportunities? Should I pursue a certificate for EMS/MA? Would volunteering at a hospital/hospice work?