Career Changer - Need some advice

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Misugaru

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Hi everyone,

Age: 25 (26 in nov)
School: UCsd - political science/econ
ugpa: 2.96
High school SAT: 1210
Work: 3 years of accounting/finance work experience

As the title states, I'm looking for a career change towards medicine. I have not taken any science related courses. I'd like to stay in California and get into a structured program, however, my gpa puts me right at the cutoff point. In addition, I don't have any Academic LORs and zero Medical volunteering experience.

That being said, I am making an effort to get this ball rolling. I've signed up for postbacc orientation at CSUF and will start volunteering at a local hospital this month. I do want to make sure of my desire and motivation for such a big change in direction.

What would it take for me to get into a post bacc program by Fall 2013? Assuming I'm volunteering and studying Chem and bio independently after work, how do I overcome the obstacle of my low gpa and get into a legit program?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :)

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ugpa: 2.96
...
As the title states, I'm looking for a career change towards medicine. I have not taken any science related courses. I'd like to stay in California and get into a structured program, however, my gpa puts me right at the cutoff point. In addition, I don't have any Academic LORs and zero Medical volunteering experience.

That being said, I am making an effort to get this ball rolling. I've signed up for postbacc orientation at CSUF and will start volunteering at a local hospital this month. I do want to make sure of my desire and motivation for such a big change in direction.

What would it take for me to get into a post bacc program by Fall 2013? Assuming I'm volunteering and studying Chem and bio independently after work, how do I overcome the obstacle of my low gpa and get into a legit program?
It's definitely a good idea to get some volunteering and shadowing in prior to doing your pre-reqs. You want to be sure this is the right choice for you prior to starting any classes. 'Career-changing' is a long commitment, especially so since you're coming in with a low uGPA. Getting into a post-bac program isn't hard as the admissions standards for them can be pretty low. Instead of focusing on this 'post-bac hurdle,' what I think you should look at is your chances of getting into a med school after finishing the post-bac. Your GPA is unlikely to be considered competitive for med school admissions even if you get 3.8+ in your science pre-reqs. You'll likely need to do additional year(s) of classes/programs afterward to continue bumping up your GPA. Are these extra years of GPA repair something you're willing to do?
 
I am confused as to why you are worried about getting into a post bacc program? Just take all the pre-req's you need for medical school and see how you do. If you want to stay in California then stay and just take the classes you need as non-degreeing seeking student. Study for the MCAT and then look at how competitive you will be. SAT is irrelevant. Probably won't get into an MD school, look at DO schools and their grade replacement. You have a ways to go but don't need to waste time on a formal post bacc if you are set on a specific state to stay in.
 
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