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Hello everyone, I am looking for some advice. Sorry for the lengthy post.
I am a URM nontraditional premed student who graduated with a BS in biology and got a 3.28 cGPA and a 3.15 sGPA. I worked full-time for 3 yrs while in school to sustain myself, which made me miss out on many opportunities to participate in clubs, research, volunteering, and extracurricular activities. I took the MCAT and bombed it completely (<490). I am currently in my gap year. I got my CNA license and am employed by a hospital as a PCT in the ICU. I have about 1200+ hours of PCE and I'm shadowing an ICU physician. I hope to shadow a DO physician and also a PA soon. I applied to PCOM's biomedical sciences program, which is linked to their DO school if you do well; however, it is not a guarantee. I have heard about programs like these and even if you do well, you could be put on a waitlist and never accepted, which is risky. Also, the program is quite expensive (40-59k), and loans are a pain. I do not plan on working during school because I want to do my best and fully concentrate on my studies. Basically, what I am asking here is if accepted to PCOM's program, should I go and attend? Or should I do a DIY postbacc? The only thing about the DIY postbacc is I used all my undergrad loans and I will have to pay out of pocket for the cost of these classes. I don't make that much as a PCT to afford that. This process has been quite stressful and I am not sure what to do here. I have even considered becoming a PA or just leaving medicine altogether to go into engineering or tech. I have no financial help from my parents, who live out of state.
I am a URM nontraditional premed student who graduated with a BS in biology and got a 3.28 cGPA and a 3.15 sGPA. I worked full-time for 3 yrs while in school to sustain myself, which made me miss out on many opportunities to participate in clubs, research, volunteering, and extracurricular activities. I took the MCAT and bombed it completely (<490). I am currently in my gap year. I got my CNA license and am employed by a hospital as a PCT in the ICU. I have about 1200+ hours of PCE and I'm shadowing an ICU physician. I hope to shadow a DO physician and also a PA soon. I applied to PCOM's biomedical sciences program, which is linked to their DO school if you do well; however, it is not a guarantee. I have heard about programs like these and even if you do well, you could be put on a waitlist and never accepted, which is risky. Also, the program is quite expensive (40-59k), and loans are a pain. I do not plan on working during school because I want to do my best and fully concentrate on my studies. Basically, what I am asking here is if accepted to PCOM's program, should I go and attend? Or should I do a DIY postbacc? The only thing about the DIY postbacc is I used all my undergrad loans and I will have to pay out of pocket for the cost of these classes. I don't make that much as a PCT to afford that. This process has been quite stressful and I am not sure what to do here. I have even considered becoming a PA or just leaving medicine altogether to go into engineering or tech. I have no financial help from my parents, who live out of state.
