Another non-trad here! I require your assistance and advice - I'll be concise!

[deleted1016754]

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the butthole is meant for pleasure

 

[Ell19]

You definitely have a solid plan, but you have no shadowing or clinical experience so how do you 100% know medical school is the right path? You should definitely shadow some physicians so you know what you are truly getting into, and also explore other possibilities such as NP/PA/RN/paramedic.

Are those GPAs WITH you retaking courses? There is no grade replacement anymore for MD or DO. It will really depend on your MCAT, but with your current GPAs you would really only be applying DO.

You need to gain ~50ish hours shadowing, clinical experience, volunteer experience

-Am I going about my plan the right way?
sure, you have a solid plan but before you jump head first, I would gain shadowing experiences and/or clinical experience to solidify your decision to pursue medical school.

-Is my GPA enough right now for DO?
Your GPA currently is OK for DO, but on the lower side. The average matriculant for DO school has cGPA and sGPA around 3.4. Do you have an upward GPA trend?

-Should I worry about my withdrawals?
When were your withdraws? Earlier in your college years?

-What you would recommend me, if you were in my shoes, if anything?
I would absolutely recommend shadowing experience, and also looking into other medical professions (RN/PA/NP/paramedic), to be 1000% sure you want to be a physician. I would recommend gaining clinical experience as well so you have exposure to working with patients. Also volunteer- clinical and non-clinical, volunteer to help those less fortunate than you

-Do I have too many credits already from undergrad to the point where a postbacc is useless?
No, 120 credits is a bachelors degree, so you have slightly more than that. A true post-bac program might be useless for you since it sounds like you have already taken all of your pre-requisities. It sounds like you should be aiming specifically for SMPs (special masters programs).

-Can you offer any opinion on these programs, and if you think they're good options to take?
I have no experience or opinion on any of these programs.

 

[Ell19]

Thanks for the reply! I really appreciate it.

- I do not want to be a paramedic, a nurse, or a PA. I volunteered in an initiative with a charity I worked for that placed me alongside physicians, so I wasn't in a hospital setting, but I worked alongside physicians in underserved communities. I just haven't had the time yet to volunteer exclusively in hospitals because I got laid off from my last job, and am trying to interview for jobs and do grad apps at the same time

i did shadow in college but that was such a long time ago I also wouldn't consider it as actual hours since one physician has since retired, and the other died 🙁. so no way to get hours from them.

- that is my GPA including the old AND the new scores. no GPA replacement. i included both in my calculation

- yes, I have an upward GPA trend, finished three semesters with either all As or As + A-

- yes, my withdrawals were my junior year and before, but then i had my upward trend. this was like 6 years ago as well.

I figured you probably did shadow/have specific reasons to be a physician, but I just always suggest exploring other paths before you are 100% sure you want to pursue being a physician.

An upward GPA trend is definitely a positive and no withdrawals in your past few semesters is also in your favor. It will show ADCOMs that you have learned from your mistakes.

So as for your plan:
-Look into SMPs- these are special masters programs where you are essentially taking medical school courses alongside medical students and if you do well (you need to do well), it will show medical schools that you can handle the rigors of medical school.
-I don't think I would suggest a true post-bac programs as they are aimed towards career changers and since you already completed all of your pre-reqs I do not think you would qualify.
-Make a realistic study plan to study for the MCAT to start studying spring 2020 (emphasis on realistic where if you are maintaining a full time job or have other responsibilities, make a plan where you are not setting yourself up for failure), research opportunities surrounding volunteering and clinical experience, and start them asap
-Apply Spring 2021!

 

[Blueprint Med School]

You're not out of the running for MD. As long as you're able to ace your SMP/post-bac, (at least 3.9ish) and MCAT (~515+), you should have a solid shot for your state schools and lower tier OOS schools. If you're able to show clear signs of reinvention and get your clinical hours up, you should be good. I won't say you'll be a super competitive applicant, but it's possible!

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[AW0320]

I'm a non-trad student myself (coming from a non-science background) and did my post-bac at WashU. My undergrad GPA was about 3.45, and I ended up with a 3.75 post-bac science gpa. Don't count yourself out just because of a lower undergrad GPA. If you can do well in a difficult SMP/post-bac, get some solid clinical work/volunteering under your belt and can really tell your story well, then you'll be a competitive applicant for both MD and DO. My MCAT wasn't anything to write home about (506), but I think my passion for medical school came through in my personal statement, secondaries, and interviews. Know your story, know it well, and have confidence in what you bring to the table.

 

[chicandtoughness]

i did shadow in college but that was such a long time ago I also wouldn't consider it as actual hours since one physician has since retired, and the other died 🙁. so no way to get hours from them.

Those are still hours! You don't need to submit documentation or anything. As long as you still know their names/where you shadowed, that's enough. I would still get more recent hours, but it's not like the hours you did years ago suddenly disappear.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

- I do not want to be a paramedic, a nurse, or a PA. I volunteered in an initiative with a charity I worked for that placed me alongside physicians, so I wasn't in a hospital setting, but I worked alongside physicians in underserved communities.

If you do get an interview down the line, you must be able to articulate this point very well. There may be extra weight on it, you being a non-trad. Be able to assuage any questions of 'if you're so certain now, then why didn't you plan on medicine all along?'

I would make a plan for this by critically thinking - along the lines of a pro-con list - what distinguishes MD/DO from PA/NP etc in your eyes and why you want to go the former. I wold then think about what this field offers above and beyond the doors open to you with an engineering degree to explain the new attraction. Cheers!