Could use some advice moving forward.

[icypepper11]

Hello!

I'm about 3.5 years out of college (Bachelor's degree) and am wanting to apply once the cycle opens in May of 2024, but am considering taking another year (and applying in 2025) to strengthen my application.

The main reason I'm considering delay is that, currently, I have no shadowing, patient-facing exposure, or volunteering. I'm taking the MCAT very soon, and plan to devote significant time towards these areas leading up the opening of the cycle, but I'm unsure how all of this will be viewed. I'm sure that "cramming" all of these things in the last 7 months or so prior to applying will be a red flag, but am hopeful I can still display a commitment towards becoming a physician, as well as communicate why I wish to do so.

From the beginning of college I wanted to become a physician, but felt the need to prioritize my grades. My only parent has a high school education, and proper study habits weren't enforced; they took quite some time to develop, but I was able to and finished my bachelor's with a decent GPA (~3.8).

Around the beginning of my junior year of college, I began to have medical issues that really "threw me off" any sort of path I had planned. Everything was cleared up by the end of my junior year, but at one point I was told by my physician that it was believed that I would require an intensive surgery or was afflicted with an incurable disease which would severely reduce my life expectancy. I hope I'm not being too dramatic, but this was all pretty traumatic. I spent a big portion of that year trying to cope with the reality that there was a realistic chance I only had 5 or so more years of life.

While I can't express how happy I was once everything had been resolved, I still needed time to re-evaluate my life and what I wanted to do career wise. I was able to get a job as a clinical scientist and attain several promotions, somewhat just letting life unfold as I figured things out. Without a doubt the experiences from this job would make me a strong applicant in many areas, but I'm still missing many that are crucial.

I'd like to ask if anyone has any advice, no matter how big or small. I'm not sure the best way to approach things from this point, but from what I've read there's many people on this board who are knowledgeable in regards to the application process and have provided help to others. So seriously, any advice would be greatly appreciated. And thanks to any who've read this (rather lengthy) post!

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[LunaOri]

Take your time and develop your best application. You won't do well without clinical exposure and without volunteering--it will be very hard for you to show a convincing narrative about why you want to become a physician.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

You are welcome to ask advice in the non traditional applicant forum too.

I think you need to shadow and get your clinical and community service hours before taking the MCAT. Once you get a score, the clock starts since most schools will not consider your score after 3 years after taking the exam. Commitment comes from the hours of exposure, not hours of mcat studying.

 

[icypepper11]

Take your time and develop your best application. You won't do well without clinical exposure and without volunteering--it will be very hard for you to show a convincing narrative about why you want to become a physician.

Thank you! I've had conflicting advice so far from some current med students/physicians that I know personally, generally telling me to apply sooner rather than later. But I think they may be biased due to our relationship. Your perspective is really helpful here, so again thank you!

 

[Goro]

You apply when you have the best possible app. It's a marathon now, not a sprint. Med schools aren't going anywhere.

 

[icypepper11]

You are welcome to ask advice in the non traditional applicant forum too.

I think you need to shadow and get your clinical and community service hours before taking the MCAT. Once you get a score, the clock starts since most schools will not consider your score after 3 years after taking the exam. Commitment comes from the hours of exposure, not hours of mcat studying.

Thank you for the reply! I'm a bit hesitant to call myself non traditional, I feel more like a traditional applicant who just got lost along the way. But I'm probably overthinking this. I took a quick look at the non-trad forum and there's many parallels, so either way it looks like it would be pretty beneficial to me.

I know it looks very questionable to take the MCAT prior to getting hours in those areas. My work schedule up until very recently was very unstable which made volunteering/shadowing difficult to plan. It felt like the best choice to just do what I could to work towards where I want to be, which was study when I had free time.

I test very soon and feel well-prepared, so I don't want to push back my exam. A lot of my motivation and reason for choosing medicine as a career to follow comes from my own personal experiences and the interactions I've had with the providers I've worked with (several pathologists, and IM doc, a DPM, and a clinical pharmacist). I do plan to shadow and get volunteering hours, but do you think my rather backwards approach in taking the mcat is something explainable?

 

[icypepper11]

You apply when you have the best possible app. It's a marathon now, not a sprint. Med schools aren't going anywhere.

Thank you, Goro! Looks like this is the general consensus.

Would you be willing to take a look at my reply to Mr. Smile and provide some input as well? It would be much appreciated.

 

[LunaOri]

Since you have already studied for the MCAT, it’s okay to take it if you are scoring well on the practice exams

 

[Goro]

Thank you, Goro! Looks like this is the general consensus.

Would you be willing to take a look at my reply to Mr. Smile and provide some input as well? It would be much appreciated.

No one will care when you take the MCAT relative to your ECs.