Could use some advice...

[PatrickFutureMD]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post (I hope it's in the correct place) and I could use some advice.

I am 24 years old with a BA in psychology and English (3.4 cGPA, 3.55 sGPA). Before college I really wanted to be a doctor but kind of "waffled" during undergrad and didn't take any prerequisites for med school. Now, I realize that I really do want to be a doctor, so I'm looking for some advice for the best "strategy" for the next 2-3 years.

I was planning on doing a Master's degree to beef up my academic record, but after reading many threads on here, I realized that that may not be as helpful as I'd imagined. Now I'm leaning toward a formal post-bacc so that I can hopefully receive sponsorship (maybe Harvard Ext School's Health Careers Program?).

I realize my GPA's not fantastic, so I'm looking for any advice any of you might have in terms of making me as competitive a candidate as possible, especially regarding ECs and things of that nature. I appreciate any help!

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[Richardh]

i don't know about harvard ext school's health careers program but i would recommend you to

(1) (if you have not done so already) finish the pre-req classes (necessary for admission to medical school which i believe you're aware: bio, general chem, organic chem, physics, etc.) at a community college or your previous institution (in doing so you can raise your gpa ) (if you've already taken the pre-reqs but still want to improve your gpa then (5) )

(2) look for a pre-med club/organization where you can learn volunteer opportunities. it is best to have first-hand experience at either a clinic or a hospital. at the same time this will be great chance for you to obtain a letter of recommendation from a physician/resident/nurse.

(3) be involved in clinical research at either a university or a hospital. there, you will be able to refine your research skills for instance: lab techniques, data analysis, etc. it will be great if you're able to later on present your research with a poster or get published in a journal (and like (2) this will be a great chance for you to obtain a letter of recommendation from your research professor).

(4) study and take the mcat (the medical college admission test) . as you might already be aware this test covers biological sciences (biology, organic chemistry), physical sciences (general chemistry, physics), verbal reasoning (passage reading and answering questions regarding the passage), and writing (2 essays to be completed in 1 hour.)

(5) post-bac (like harvard ext school's health careers program but again i don't know about this program. sorry!) or smp which more info can be found here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=346106

good luck patrickfuturemd

 

[SFGuy2011]

Prior to joining the Army, I had a bachelor's degree and a cGPA of 2.8 with a science GPA that was even lower. After I left Active Duty, I decided to get a second bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology so that I could raise my GPA and show admissions committees that I could handle the course load of medical school. I suppose it's worked, because I'm getting interviews now. Hopefully it translates to an acceptance somewhere. Your GPAs are much higher than mine were. I'd recommend that you either do a second bachelor's degree or an SMP. You're going to have to show AdComs that you can hack it.