Another Non-Trad Wanting Some Advice/Input

[Aspirantes MD]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I've been reading these forums for some time now, figured I'm going to make the plunge, create a profile and put my situation here for some feedback. Thank you ahead of time for anyone who chooses to take time out of their no doubt busy schedule! I apologize for the length.

I am 31 yrs old, married, 3 kids. Bachelor's in Sociology/Criminology, minor in Psychology in '04. Worked in Corrections for 6 years - 3 years juvenile institutional corrections then 3 years adult felony probation/parole officer. I needed to get away from the frequent life-threatening and evil side of human nature. I'm not the 'that kind' of adrenaline junkie many in my career field were. Additionally, there was very little professional advancement without selling your soul to the political side of management. Not my style. I've always had a passion for healthcare, however I have never acted on it.

Anyways, I have now returned to my alma mater, U of Montana to seek to fulfill that passion. Montana does not have a medical school. They have a decent (from what I know) Pharmacy school here, so I chose to declare Pre-Pharm as a Post-Bac and start working on those prerequisites to apply for that program. My cGPA is 3.51, but my last 2 years were 4.0. I'd like to forget my first two years of school! I have virtually no science GPA in my previous degree however - so I'm looking at pretty much 2 full years of post-bac work before reaching that point and the point where I ought to take the MCAT.

Something I've discovered about my situation is that I really don't have that passion or excitement for Pharmacy. I really didn't have any intention to applying any Pharm schools outside of the one here. I'm finding out that if your heart is really set on a program, you're gonna want to apply to quite a bit of different places. My primary hesitation was moving the family around - but my wife has been extremely supportive of me going back to school. I'm finding myself being pulled toward Pre-Med and am making the change for next semester.

Now, I will have fulfilled pre-med requirements in two years. I have further noticed that give one more year, I will be able to complete a BS in Microbiology *and* a BA in Biology w/Human Science option. The degrees are very similar and it would only require a few extra classes to get that double major complete.

This is where I am looking for some input. Given that I already have a bachelor's, would any med school admissions be significantly impressed by simply committing to finishing another degree (or two) prior to applying to schools? - This is assuming I will maintain or improve my GPA in the process.

I feel that extra year would probably give me valuable experience in research/lab work and also more general knowledge for the MCAT and some extra time to get volunteer experience done. However, I'm not getting any younger and I'm feeling that pressure to try and get in ASAP. It's hard to be a patient 31 yr. old non-trad. Should I take my time?

Bottom line is would an extra year of Post-Bac work and completing 1-2 more bachelor's degrees make a significant difference to my application or admissions?

 

[LingoLaine]

Extra classes that raise your GPA, research/lab work, and more extracurricular activity could definitely help your application. The extra two degrees in themselves, however, probably won't make much of a difference.

 

[theseeker4]

Extra classes that raise your GPA, research/lab work, and more extracurricular activity could definitely help your application. The extra two degrees in themselves, however, probably won't make much of a difference.

Agree with this, the degrees themselves are not going to make any difference at all. Your GPA is already good, and your sGPA should be excellent since you came in without any sciences with low grades to bring your GPA down, so the extra year is not needed from an academic standpoint (assuming you get everything done and do well between now and then). If I were you, I would probably try to get everything lined up and ready to apply as soon as you can do so, rather than waiting out another year, but that is assuming you can get the necessary ECs in without taking the extra year.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

You're already in great shape, so your goal now should be to take the bare minimum prereqs and get in as soon as possible. Focus on getting good grades in bio, chem, organic, physics, and any other classes that may be required by schools you're interested in. Do a little volunteering, preferably in a clinical setting if you don't have much experience there, do a little shadowing, study for the MCAT and you're good to go. Like everyone else has said, forget the extra degrees. With good prereq grades and a good MCAT you'll be a stronger candidate than most of us here, myself included.

 

[Aspirantes MD]

Thank you for the replies! Everyone has pretty much confirmed what I thought I ought to do. I guess this all ties into that "biggest fear as a non-grad" thread. Since I've put our family at a financial disadvantage when I returned to school, my fear is what I'll do if I don't get accepted with my first round of apps? I don't want to feel like I'm wasting a year going to school waiting to reapply. I just want to leave myself in the absolute best position for reapplication if it comes to that. Time to hit it hard. 😀

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

I really don't think you'll need to worry about being a re-applicant as long as you do well in your prereqs and on your MCAT. If you apply to a good range of schools you'll be almost certain to get in somewhere, especially if you're willing to consider becoming Aspirantes DO. Alaska's WWAMI program is pretty nontrad friendly, so Montana's might be too. Don't worry about reapplying until you've been through an unsuccessful cycle.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

If you aren't interested in Pharm, don't do it. Seriously, don't do it... It will be miserable. Not to mention I have pharmacists tell me all the time not to do it, I know people disagree, but there are many pharmacists who feel like there aren't enough jobs for the current graduates... Anyway, if you want medicine, do medicine, NOT pharm

 

[Aspirantes MD]

Thanks again for the input. I tell ya what, you people here on SDN forums are awesome.

@ Chip N Sawbones: I honestly think learning more about WWAMI and WICHE made me believe that med school is more of a real possibility for me in financial terms. Initially, I couldn't imagine the out-of-state tuition debt I'd come out of school with since Montana has no medical school. I have lived my entire life at the poverty level and the thought of adding $200K+ debt is pretty intimidating at first. Anyways, I've been reading both here and elsewhere the comparisons of MD and DO; DO definitely may be an option I choose to pursue. I do believe WWAMI/WICHE apply to Osteopathic schools as well right?

@ Prncssbuttercup: I have certainly decided that Pharm.D is not the right path for me. I would think the job outlook for any/all healthcare is positive as healthcare reform progresses, but I really do want to pursue my passion so MD (or DO!) it is! My primary interests right now are Pathology and Neurology. This could likely change as my experience with the clinical specializations grows. With any luck, I'll be able to shadow the medical examiner at the state crime lab this summer.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

WWAMI and WICHE are separate programs. Alaska doesn't participate in WICHE, so I don't know much about that. Nevada gives some preference to Montana residents, but their list of prerequisite classes is twice as long as usual. For DO schools, PNWU has a very strong preference for candidates in the region, including Montana. If you want to stay in the Pacific Northwest, Western's Lebanon campus is a great school.

I don't know if this will be possible for you, but may be cheaper in the long run to apply to schools with low instate tuition, pay OOS your first year, and then establish residency in that state. Make sure you check acceptance rates of OOS candidates first, though.