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Hi all,
This is my first post on SDN (long time lurker), and I figured I'd rather cast to the internet my queries than pay a professional pre-med consultant some exorbitant rate to tell me things that may be obvious to members of this community.
I want to become a doctor (obviously).
I'm 29. I have a degree (2004) from an Ivy ugrad in Neuroscience (all premed prereqs except Orgo 2), but didn't apply to medical school out of college due to a sub-standard GPA (3.4). My ugrad transcript is a little spotty due to some severe depression (diagnosed, still presently treated) my first two years, but I've worked very hard to hopefully overcome the things that held me back all those years ago. Since I didn't apply, I didn't take the MCAT.
While in ugrad, I worked in a pathology lab, TA'd Histology at the med school, volunteered EMS, and completed honors research with a ugrad fellowship in the local hospital surgical research dept. I've seen Medicine from many angles and consider myself well-informed enough to say that this is what I love without question.
The past six-and-a-half years I've worked in finance, rising to the head of my division (managing my own fund) and saving up enough money to support myself for several years while pursuing a new career. Sadly, I haven't been able to keep up my medical ECs due to my job, but I do miss EMS somethin' fierce.
I live in NYC with my lovely wife and would prefer to keep any pre-med prep steps local so I wouldn't have to move us unless it were for the best possible reason: MD school.
THE QUESTION:
What's a good game plan to get the wheels grinding toward MD once again and atone for my prior misjudgments and mistakes?
CONSIDERATIONS:
I've thought about post-bacc (Columbia or NYU), but it looks like I've already taken most of the classes they recommend taking as part of the program. Admittedly I didn't do as well as I could now, and I last took many of them more than ten years ago, so I may still qualify as a "career changer."
SMPs seem an interesting option, but only for those who apply to Med school and don't succeed the first time. Not having taken the MCATs or applied previously, this would seem to rule out that option.
SUMMARY:
This is basically a "what would YOU do?" Sort of question, and I realize there's no right answer. Pursuing medicine for me would mean giving up a very comfortable salary, so for practical purposes I want to be sure I'm not overestimating the feasibility of giving my calling one more shot.
Thanks in advance all out there in cyberland,
Matt
This is my first post on SDN (long time lurker), and I figured I'd rather cast to the internet my queries than pay a professional pre-med consultant some exorbitant rate to tell me things that may be obvious to members of this community.
I want to become a doctor (obviously).
I'm 29. I have a degree (2004) from an Ivy ugrad in Neuroscience (all premed prereqs except Orgo 2), but didn't apply to medical school out of college due to a sub-standard GPA (3.4). My ugrad transcript is a little spotty due to some severe depression (diagnosed, still presently treated) my first two years, but I've worked very hard to hopefully overcome the things that held me back all those years ago. Since I didn't apply, I didn't take the MCAT.
While in ugrad, I worked in a pathology lab, TA'd Histology at the med school, volunteered EMS, and completed honors research with a ugrad fellowship in the local hospital surgical research dept. I've seen Medicine from many angles and consider myself well-informed enough to say that this is what I love without question.
The past six-and-a-half years I've worked in finance, rising to the head of my division (managing my own fund) and saving up enough money to support myself for several years while pursuing a new career. Sadly, I haven't been able to keep up my medical ECs due to my job, but I do miss EMS somethin' fierce.
I live in NYC with my lovely wife and would prefer to keep any pre-med prep steps local so I wouldn't have to move us unless it were for the best possible reason: MD school.
THE QUESTION:
What's a good game plan to get the wheels grinding toward MD once again and atone for my prior misjudgments and mistakes?
CONSIDERATIONS:
I've thought about post-bacc (Columbia or NYU), but it looks like I've already taken most of the classes they recommend taking as part of the program. Admittedly I didn't do as well as I could now, and I last took many of them more than ten years ago, so I may still qualify as a "career changer."
SMPs seem an interesting option, but only for those who apply to Med school and don't succeed the first time. Not having taken the MCATs or applied previously, this would seem to rule out that option.
SUMMARY:
This is basically a "what would YOU do?" Sort of question, and I realize there's no right answer. Pursuing medicine for me would mean giving up a very comfortable salary, so for practical purposes I want to be sure I'm not overestimating the feasibility of giving my calling one more shot.
Thanks in advance all out there in cyberland,
Matt
