Any advice on points to hit as I work to revitalize my application?

[luftmensch03]

I'm definitely a non-trad student. I'm currently 26 and attending a master's program in speech-language pathology at one of the best programs in the field. I'm working on a thesis (which, according to my professor, has a good chance of being published) on cough reflex in Parkinson's disease with a world-leader in cough reflex and DBS. Incidentally, most data collection for my thesis will take place in the OR during open-head surgery. I have a 3.84 GPA in my MA program (only 2 A minuses brought me down) and am generally working on establishing bonds with professors and clinicians. Before I did this program, I attended a post-bac in SLP and did very well (one B in 10 health-science courses specific to speech-language pathology, and otherwise straight As).

Unfortunately, my undergrad was not good. I had a variety of mental health and trauma-related issues and was not very successful, finishing with a cGPA of 3.21. I was a sociology/geography double major and did fairly well in that (approx. 3.7 GPA in-major for both). I hardly took any science courses and the ones I did take, I either failed or barely squeaked by in. I understand that this may be a mixed blessing, as I didn't have the chance to mess up a bunch of grades earlier on, and can probably take them in a post-bac now. The ones I did take were mostly for non-science majors. However, I failed intro to biology.

As of now, I am a completely different person than I was in 2011 when I started undergrad. I have the ambition of being an otolaryngologist or neurologist. I want the challenge of medical school, and I want the ability to diagnose and treat as a doctor. When I begin applying to post-bac programs, I will have one or two years of experience working as an SLP in a hospital setting. I am a chapter leader of the National Stuttering Association and am currently volunteering (in a non-clinical capacity). I'm wondering whether working alongside doctors can offset the need to shadow, and whether working in a medical-adjacent field will mitigate the need to do clinical volunteering. I consider myself somewhat fortunate that I'll have a decent income for a few years so that I can pursue a top-notch MCAT study course and whatever post-bac I can get into. Otherwise, does anyone have advice for more things I can do to bolster my application?

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[GreenDuck12]

Your cGPA is low but will increase depending on how you do in the prerequisite courses. Before worrying about an MCAT, you will need to take post-bac classes in order to complete the usual sequence of pre-med classes (general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, physics, and biochemistry). Make sure you do well in your classes and learn the material as this will be the foundation for your MCAT prep. Once you've finished your classes you will be able to study for and take the MCAT. When you have your GPA and MCAT scores established, you'll be able to ask for advice about where to apply and if you're interested in applying to MD or DO programs. Given that you mentioned that you either failed or squeaked by in the few science courses you had, you will likely need to apply broadly.

In terms of strengthening an application, you need to gain some clinical volunteer experience where you're around people in a medical setting. This is important, especially before taking the prerequisite courses, because you need to see if medicine is the career for you. Try to shadow physicians in a variety of specialties but especially in primary care as most physicians will end um in pediatrics, family medicine, or internal medicine. Make sure you get non-medical volunteer experience as well. While doing this, think about how you are going to tell your story and why you decided to pursue medicine when you did. There is no wrong answer, but especially for folks who are coming to this from another career, the standard "I want to help people" answer really won't cut it. We have to be substantive.

Start with the basics first: shadowing, volunteering, and researching your options. You can likely start post-bac classes this summer or fall with the year long sequences. Make sure that you don't sign up for more than you can handle initially. Getting good grades in your classes will have to be your priority. Biggest mistake many folks make is trying to rush things because they are worried about time/age/life passing them by (myself and my friends included). This will likely be a multiyear process, especially if you take classes part time. I started my post-bac at 25 after finishing my masters in education and I will be 30 when I matriculate to medical school this August. Best of luck to you.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

I actually know many people who were in your situation and ended up at American MD schools. In fact, people like you are the reason there are career-changer post-bac programs. If you're able to get accepted at a good program, do well, and score highly on your MCAT, you should have a very good shot at getting an acceptance.

Try to get some clinical experience as well, either through shadowing or hospital volunteering.

 

[luftmensch03]

I actually know many people who were in your situation and ended up at American MD schools. In fact, people like you are the reason there are career-changer post-bac programs. If you're able to get accepted at a good program, do well, and score highly on your MCAT, you should have a very good shot at getting an acceptance.

Try to get some clinical experience as well, either through shadowing or hospital volunteering.

Thank you for the reply! Do you have any particular recommendations for career-changer programs? I'm not sure what's realistic considering my stats. I'm honestly thinking about applying to the Harvard post-bacc since it's doable on nights/weekends and I might be living in Boston when I'm starting post-bacc work. The most ideal programs would be those which can accommodate a 40 hr/wk working schedule as I'm well past the age where I can rely on my parents for support.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Thank you for the reply! Do you have any particular recommendations for career-changer programs? I'm not sure what's realistic considering my stats. I'm honestly thinking about applying to the Harvard post-bacc since it's doable on nights/weekends and I might be living in Boston when I'm starting post-bacc work. The most ideal programs would be those which can accommodate a 40 hr/wk working schedule as I'm well past the age where I can rely on my parents for support.

HES would be well suited for you. I completed my post-bac there and you will find many classmates who are doing similar things.

 

[luftmensch03]

HES would be well suited for you. I completed my post-bac there and you will find many classmates who are doing similar things.

Thanks! Where did you end up applying/getting in?

 

[GreenDuck12]

I ended up being admitted to my state's MD program.

 

[luftmensch03]

I ended up being admitted to my state's MD program.

No worries, I understand the need for anonymity. I was more asking about how many schools you applied to and got into. Did you utilize the guaranteed interview? Of the students you know who finished, did all of them get accepted?

 

[GreenDuck12]

No worries, I understand the need for anonymity. I was more asking about how many schools you applied to and got into. Did you utilize the guaranteed interview? Of the students you know who finished, did all of them get accepted?

I applied to, and was accepted by, one school due to family constraints. I knew going into this application cycle that there was a very high likelihood that I would be a rep-applicant due to applying to one school and was prepared to apply more broadly next year. Fortunately, that will not be the case.

Harvard Extension's premedical program does not have linkages with medical schools, so I'm not sure what interview would be guaranteed? The program is not a formal postbac like Goucher or Bryn Mawr in which if you're accepted, you complete all the prerequisite classes in one year and depending on performance are guaranteed an interview at one of their linked programs. It also is not a completely informal program as you have access to a premedical advisor, Harvard University resources, as well as a committee letter. It was really popular for career changers like myself. Many students were clinical coordinators, lab assistants, etc at one of the many medical schools or universities in the area.

The classes are open to anyone who wants to take them, as well as to folks who are accepted to the premedical program. Many of my classmates throughout my time there did not participate in the program because they either only needed to take a couple classes or didn't need to worry about a committee letter (many of their undergraduate institutions did that for them). For folks I know who were in the program, many were successful, but not everyone gets admitted to medical/dental/veterinary school. HES does not have a 98% acceptance rate like one would see at Goucher or Bryn Mawr (both excellent programs and I've had friends attend both) but that's because it is a much more open program with students taking classes there who had high undergraduate GPAs and less stellar undergraduate performances. The folks that I know got into medical/dental school all did well in their classes at HES, on their entry exams, and usually did well in undergrad. The folks I know who have struggled to gain admission had average to lower GPAs and average to lower MCAT scores.

Let me know if you have any other questions