Changing direction, have questions

[jr3900]

I graduated a year ago, and I've decided I don't want to pursue law school. Went to an ok private school, my overall GPA is around 3.0, science/math GPA much lower. Failed Gen Chem once and dropped it twice (all on transcript). I've signed up to take a few prereqs at the local community college--how bad is that really? Could I just take orgo and physics at the university level? I have about 100 hours of volunteer service in a hospital setting (earning more), and am looking for research opportunities. The only good news I can offer in this mess is that I scored in the 99th percentile on the LSAT; I'm very good with standardized tests and am not intimidated by the MCAT.

Is medical school still possible for me? I love working in the hospital environment, and in theory I like science. It's just not where my talents lie. Is my GPA too low, or are community college prereqs too toxic? Is an MD program out of the question? (I'm a Florida resident, if that helps.) Could I get into a DO program?

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[smingo]

You can do it!

 

[Siromas]

Is an MD program out of the question? (I'm a Florida resident, if that helps.) Could I get into a DO program?

Is medical school out of the question? I'd say no. But by no means will it be an easy path.

My two cents on what you should do:

- Really consider what it means to pursue a career in medicine. What happened to make you not want to continue law school? Could the same reasons come up while in medical school?
- Set realistic expectations for yourself and map out a plan. Putting yourself in a position to be a competitive applicant could take years- especially for MD schools. This website is full of great (and not-so-great) advice. Take your time sifting through it all.
- Continue volunteering and start to nurture relationships with the professionals you interact with. The experiences you gain could speak volumes in your PS, and the network you establish could eventually turn into strong LORs.
- Your GPA needs help. A lot of non-trads turn to an SMP to help with a sub-par GPA and prove their academic abilities. However, it might be difficult to get accepted into an SMP with your GPA. Maybe start off by taking pre-req classes at a CC, and then look to apply for an SMP program. Keep in mind that for your classes at the CC: you'll need to take them all once (no dropping), and pass them all with A's.
- Keep in mind the grade replacement factor for DO schools. While DO schools will factor in the last-attempted grade received for a class, I believe they'll still see your previous grades for that same class. Targeting and retaking your lowest grades (while acing them this time around) would be a huge benefit.
- Don't underestimate the MCAT (by no means am I downplaying the difficulty of the LSAT- congrats on 99th percentile, btw!)

Keep in mind that I'm pretty inexperienced and I'm still learning a lot about the process myself! Apologies in advance

 

[projectplat]

The LSAT and MCAT are two different animals. You have a massive amount of content to master first for the MCAT.

 

[Gurby]

I think CC classes are a bad idea in your situation. Your academic track record is extremely shaky. You need to show that you've turned things around and figured out what you were doing wrong before. If you do well in your CC classes, people will just assume it's because they were not as rigorous.