Architect to Medical School at age 27? What are my next steps?

[Arch2Doc]

Hello SDN! I am seeking advice on what I should do next. I am a 27 year old licensed architect and I have decided I want to be a doctor (Yikes, I know. Stick with me). My first year in college I was "pre-med" but I was extremely unprepared for college, didn't have any study habits, etc. I ended up with a 3.0 gpa after my first year of college, I didn't think science was for me so I changed my major to architecture and I did well, I enjoyed it because I was good at it. You know the drill, I was young, unprepared, and indecisive.

I ended college with a 3.3 cGPA and a 2.8 sGPA. Those science classes are 8-9 years old at this point, so I'm not really sure how those will be viewed? From what I understand, a post bacc of some sort is likely my best option but I'm not sure what I should do to improve my application and be sure I am prepared. I would really prefer one that has linkage or a special track to MD/DO. I have done roughly 200 hours of shadowing physicians over the past 1.5 years and roughly 50 hours volunteering.

Stats:
27 years old
3 years of experience in healthcare architecture.
3.3 cGPA
2.8 sGPA
200 hours shadowing
50 hours volunteering

I understand that my GPA is gonna be a major hurdle to cover and possibly my age? My residence is Oklahoma if that matters. I am open to moving elsewhere for a post bacc or SMP. I understand that financially this doesn't make any sense, at all.

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[Agentcross]

Hello SDN! I am seeking advice on what I should do next. I am a 27 year old licensed architect and I have decided I want to be a doctor (Yikes, I know. Stick with me). My first year in college I was "pre-med" but I was extremely unprepared for college, didn't have any study habits, etc. I ended up with a 3.0 gpa after my first year of college, I didn't think science was for me so I changed my major to architecture and I did well, I enjoyed it because I was good at it. You know the drill, I was young, unprepared, and indecisive.

I ended college with a 3.3 cGPA and a 2.8 sGPA. Those science classes are 8-9 years old at this point, so I'm not really sure how those will be viewed? From what I understand, a post bacc of some sort is likely my best option but I'm not sure what I should do to improve my application and be sure I am prepared. I would really prefer one that has linkage or a special track to MD/DO. I have done roughly 200 hours of shadowing physicians over the past 1.5 years and roughly 50 hours volunteering.

Stats:
27 years old
3 years of experience in healthcare architecture.
3.3 cGPA
2.8 sGPA
200 hours shadowing
50 hours volunteering

I understand that my GPA is gonna be a major hurdle to cover and possibly my age? My residence is Oklahoma if that matters. I am open to moving elsewhere for a post bacc or SMP. I understand that financially this doesn't make any sense, at all.

I’d stay in Oklahoma, do informal postbacc science classes, do well in those, and crush the MCAT. Oklahoma is very favorable for instate applicants. Oklahoma also has relatively few applicants. I currently live in Oklahoma and I am a 28 year old nontrad. Feel free to PM me!

 

[Agentcross]

You’ve done enough physician shadowing. Continue to seek clinical volunteering options.

 

[Arch2Doc]

I’d stay in Oklahoma, do informal postbacc science classes, do well in those, and crush the MCAT. Oklahoma is very favorable for instate applicants. Oklahoma also has relatively few applicants. I currently live in Oklahoma and I am a 28 year old nontrad. Feel free to PM me!

Do you suggest taking classes at one of the state universities like OU or OSU? Or would somewhere like OCCC be better?

 

[Agentcross]

Do you suggest taking classes at one of the state universities like OU or OSU? Or would somewhere like OCCC be better?

If you can afford it, OU or OSU would be better. They also offer more options for upper level science courses. There’s also the CC stigma. My gpas were 3.47 and I got into OSU and I’m interviewing at OU soon. So you’re not too far off, a killer mcat would help a bunch. If you are Native, URM, or female, you have more leeway stat wise. Also, OU sends interview invites based solely on a combination of your GPA and MCAT score. This year the GPA cutoff was 500. OSU has a more holistic approach.

 

[Arch2Doc]

Also, OU sends interview invites based solely on a combination of your GPA and MCAT score. This year the GPA cutoff was 500.

Okay so correct me if I'm wrong, but in order to get an interview at OU with a 3.x cGPA, I would need to get a 497 on the MCAT?

 

[Agentcross]

Okay so correct me if I'm wrong, but in order to get an interview at OU with a 3.x cGPA, I would need to get a 497 on the MCAT?

497 isn’t going to cut it at OU. I believe there minimum is 500. The average score for 2019 was 509

 

[Arch2Doc]

497 isn’t going to cut it at OU. I believe there minimum is 500. The average score for 2019 was 509

Okay I guess I'm confused when you said its a combination of GPA and MCAT. Did you mean the MCAT cutoff was 500 for an interview? Regardless, I'd hope to get somewhere around the 509ish range and get my cGPA up to 3.4+. Congrats on getting into OSU btw, and good luck at OU!

 

[Agentcross]

Okay I guess I'm confused when you said its a combination of GPA and MCAT. Did you mean the MCAT cutoff was 500 for an interview? Regardless, I'd hope to get somewhere around the 509ish range and get my cGPA up to 3.4+. Congrats on getting into OSU btw, and good luck at OU!

Yea my bad, I should’ve explained better. OU scores applicants based on MCAT and GPA. MCAT has a 70% weight and GPA has a 30% weight in their formula. They send out interviews based on this combined score starting with highest.

Based on the number of applicants this cycle, the MCAT cutoff ended up being 500. Not sure what the GPA was.

If it sounds a bit confusing, it’s because it is.

my MCAT is a few points lower than 509 for what it is worth. If you need any help/guidance along the way, message me any time.

 

[Goro]

Hello SDN! I am seeking advice on what I should do next. I am a 27 year old licensed architect and I have decided I want to be a doctor (Yikes, I know. Stick with me). My first year in college I was "pre-med" but I was extremely unprepared for college, didn't have any study habits, etc. I ended up with a 3.0 gpa after my first year of college, I didn't think science was for me so I changed my major to architecture and I did well, I enjoyed it because I was good at it. You know the drill, I was young, unprepared, and indecisive.

I ended college with a 3.3 cGPA and a 2.8 sGPA. Those science classes are 8-9 years old at this point, so I'm not really sure how those will be viewed? From what I understand, a post bacc of some sort is likely my best option but I'm not sure what I should do to improve my application and be sure I am prepared. I would really prefer one that has linkage or a special track to MD/DO. I have done roughly 200 hours of shadowing physicians over the past 1.5 years and roughly 50 hours volunteering.

Stats:
27 years old
3 years of experience in healthcare architecture.
3.3 cGPA
2.8 sGPA
200 hours shadowing
50 hours volunteering

I understand that my GPA is gonna be a major hurdle to cover and possibly my age? My residence is Oklahoma if that matters. I am open to moving elsewhere for a post bacc or SMP. I understand that financially this doesn't make any sense, at all.

Read my post on reinvention for premeds