Career Change - questions about finishing old prereqs, old LORs and more.

[FatJoshPeck]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to go back and finish up my premed courses: I have a degree from 2018 in Mathematics from a Pac-12 with some non-published research (Wet Bench Genetics work, presentations on a Mathematical Model of Cancer that I improved on as well as Algebra), some solids ECs with low-end hours Volunteering, worked in an ER for ~8 months. Tons of leadership (especially now). Nothing beyond a lower GPA that causes pause for my application.

I was diagnosed with bipolar the last semester of Junior year, so I stopped my premed work and focused on graduating and medicating. I have been stable since then, graduated and have enjoyed a lucrative run in Software Engineering (ML) and want to go back and finish a few courses (Orgo, Biochem, Genetics/Micro and labs) - but I don't have any universities doing research or anything notable close enough to me to attend so I'm hesitant. My GPA isn't stellar but the upward trend is literally 3.9+ for the last 3 semesters of school (research, high upper-division, one graduate class).

Will my old LORs from the genetics lab I was in and professors I had in undergrad (5 years ago now!) be acceptable (they're really good)? I was figuring I'd need more recent LORs from established professors and I feel like with my poor performance my sophomore and first junior semester, doing really well at the community college near me won't inspire confidence. Maybe I'm overlooking other things, as well. I know some SOMs don't accept "old" prereqs. Are there other components for an application that I could be overlooking?

any insight would be great!

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[Mr.Smile12]

You can ask and see if the reference feels comfortable writing you a letter. I would pay more attention to those who wrote you letters from more recent work. Others may not mind.

 

[wysdoc]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to go back and finish up my premed courses: I have a degree from 2018 in Mathematics from a Pac-12 with some non-published research (Wet Bench Genetics work, presentations on a Mathematical Model of Cancer that I improved on as well as Algebra), some solids ECs with low-end hours Volunteering, worked in an ER for ~8 months. Tons of leadership (especially now). Nothing beyond a lower GPA that causes pause for my application.

I was diagnosed with bipolar the last semester of Junior year, so I stopped my premed work and focused on graduating and medicating. I have been stable since then, graduated and have enjoyed a lucrative run in Software Engineering (ML) and want to go back and finish a few courses (Orgo, Biochem, Genetics/Micro and labs) - but I don't have any universities doing research or anything notable close enough to me to attend so I'm hesitant. My GPA isn't stellar but the upward trend is literally 3.9+ for the last 3 semesters of school (research, high upper-division, one graduate class).

Will my old LORs from the genetics lab I was in and professors I had in undergrad (5 years ago now!) be acceptable (they're really good)? I was figuring I'd need more recent LORs from established professors and I feel like with my poor performance my sophomore and first junior semester, doing really well at the community college near me won't inspire confidence. Maybe I'm overlooking other things, as well. I know some SOMs don't accept "old" prereqs. Are there other components for an application that I could be overlooking?

any insight would be great!

At only 5 years ago your pre-reqs will not age out & be thought too old. You only need to retake ones you scored a C-minus or less in.
You can take courses at a community college.