Going to med school as a JD

[JD2MDGUY]

34-year-old attorney, former soldier, wanting to go to med school(DO). A 2.95 cGPA when I was younger but killed the LSAT and got a full ride to a smaller law school in Midwest and graduated there in top 10% of my class. It was sort of a slacker student but still smart thing and I was dealing alcoholism then from some issues stemming from my time in the Army(I don't drink anymore). I have since started taking science classes to fulfill the credit requirements for Med school and have 12 of the 24 credits I need with a sGPA of 3.8 right now. If I can keep an sGPA of 3.8+ and do well on the MCAT is it feasible to go to Med School or should I cut my losses being too old?

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[Faha]

If you increase your cGPA to over 3.0 and keep your sGPA in the 3.8 range then you would have a chance for interviews at some DO schools. You would also need a MCAT of 505 or higher as well as 50 hours of shadowing (including a DO physician) and several hundred hours of clinical volunteering. MD schools are more unpredictable. Where is your state of residence?

 

[QofQuimica]

Your age is irrelevant. The biggest thing that concerns me in your narrative is the "dealing with alcoholism then" part. Unfortunately, many people don't "deal with alcoholism" once and then never have to deal with it again. And being an impaired physician is a serious risk that could not only put patients in danger (which is what any state licensing board or hospital will care about), but could also endanger yourself (which is what I, as a person who treats addicts, would care about).

First: have you ever had any kind of legal trouble because of your drinking? If so, you should start by contacting your state medical board and finding out whether you would even be eligible to be licensed as a physician some day. If the answer is no, it's best to know that now, before you sink any further time or money into pursuing a medical career. If the answer is yes, be aware that you may still have to register with your state board or otherwise do additional paperwork, drug testing, etc to prove your sobriety. Every state has its own rules.

Second: assuming you are able to be licensed, what kind of plan do have in place to protect yourself and avoid relapse? You have obviously learned some improved coping strategies during your law career, and people will definitely want to know about what you do now to cope with stress and obstacles that you could continue to do instead of using alcohol?

Third: do not, under any circumstances, lie to adcoms about your past with alcohol problems, especially if there is a record of any kind. But at the same time, be aware that it will be a major red flag, and yes, you will have to be a significantly better applicant than most everyone else in order to hopefully convince someone to give you a chance. It's ironic, but there is a significant bias against recovering addicts in medicine. You should know that fact up front.

Finally, it would help if we had some understanding of why you want to go to medical school, and what your goals are. If you say you want to be an anesthesiologist, I will tell you now that this is a very dangerous path for you (or for anyone else with an addiction problem) to walk, since anesthesiologists have the most direct access to controlled substances of any specialty (and the highest risk of dying from addiction/drug use). But as any type of physician, you will still have the ability to prescribe substances that are much more addicting and dangerous than alcohol. It is worth seriously introspecting up front about whether this is a risk that could leave you dead.

 

[Goro]

34-year-old attorney, former soldier, wanting to go to med school(DO).
Thank you for your service to our country. Hooahh!


A 2.95 cGPA when I was younger but killed the LSAT and got a full ride to a smaller law school in Midwest and graduated there in top 10% of my class.
Alas, as an Adcom, I don't care about the LSAT or how you did in law school.


It was sort of a slacker student but still smart thing and I was dealing alcoholism then from some issues stemming from my time in the Army(I don't drink anymore). I have since started taking science classes to fulfill the credit requirements for Med school and have 12 of the 24 credits I need with a sGPA of 3.8 right now.
This is what counts. Showing that the you of now is not the you of then


If I can keep an sGPA of 3.8+ and do well on the MCAT is it feasible to go to Med School or should I cut my losses being too old?[/QUOTE]
Yes. And you're NOT too old! Some of my all-time best students have been in their 30s and 40s. I graduated a 50 year old two years and and she's a FM (or Peds, I can't remember) resident in CA right now.

Another challenge you face is explaining that you're running TO Medicine, and not merely away from Law.

 

[rabbott1971]

There are lots of law-to-doc converts lurking around here. I practiced law for nearly 19 years before starting to make the switch. I also had just under 3.0 from undergrad like you, and I've definitely been encouraged by the idea of recent academic performance being more important than historical grades. I have 41 hours of 4.0 post-bacc, and just took the MCAT. Applying this cycle. I'm 45. Good luck, pard.

 

[atomi]

Your age is irrelevant. The biggest thing that concerns me in your narrative is the "dealing with alcoholism then" part. Unfortunately, many people don't "deal with alcoholism" once and then never have to deal with it again. And being an impaired physician is a serious risk that could not only put patients in danger (which is what any state licensing board or hospital will care about), but could also endanger yourself (which is what I, as a person who treats addicts, would care about).

First: have you ever had any kind of legal trouble because of your drinking? If so, you should start by contacting your state medical board and finding out whether you would even be eligible to be licensed as a physician some day. If the answer is no, it's best to know that now, before you sink any further time or money into pursuing a medical career. If the answer is yes, be aware that you may still have to register with your state board or otherwise do additional paperwork, drug testing, etc to prove your sobriety. Every state has its own rules.

Second: assuming you are able to be licensed, what kind of plan do have in place to protect yourself and avoid relapse? You have obviously learned some improved coping strategies during your law career, and people will definitely want to know about what you do now to cope with stress and obstacles that you could continue to do instead of using alcohol?

Third: do not, under any circumstances, lie to adcoms about your past with alcohol problems, especially if there is a record of any kind. But at the same time, be aware that it will be a major red flag, and yes, you will have to be a significantly better applicant than most everyone else in order to hopefully convince someone to give you a chance. It's ironic, but there is a significant bias against recovering addicts in medicine. You should know that fact up front.

Finally, it would help if we had some understanding of why you want to go to medical school, and what your goals are. If you say you want to be an anesthesiologist, I will tell you now that this is a very dangerous path for you (or for anyone else with an addiction problem) to walk, since anesthesiologists have the most direct access to controlled substances of any specialty (and the highest risk of dying from addiction/drug use). But as any type of physician, you will still have the ability to prescribe substances that are much more addicting and dangerous than alcohol. It is worth seriously introspecting up front about whether this is a risk that could leave you dead.

Dude, WTF? He said he doesn't drink anymore. Let it go. Just because you had problems with alcohol in the past doesn't mean you have a mental disorder and can't control yourself or even learn to drink in moderation again in the future. Presumptuous much?

 

[QofQuimica]

Dude, WTF? He said he doesn't drink anymore. Let it go. Just because you had problems with alcohol in the past doesn't mean you have a mental disorder and can't control yourself or even learn to drink in moderation again in the future. Presumptuous much?

Actually, what he said was that he was "dealing [sic] with alcoholism." Perhaps it was an imprecise choice of words, but most people who spend a few years binge-drinking in their youth do not at that time, much less later in life, self-identify as alcoholics. And the fact that he has successfully stopped drinking for several years now is my point: severe stress (such as due to medical training) can and does sometimes lead to relapse. People with a history of substance abuse should be aware of that possibility, and they should take it into consideration.

With all respect, you are being pretty presumptuous here yourself. I never said that he "had a mental disorder" or "can't control [sic] himself." I'm simply pointing out a potential significant concern from the perspective of someone who is working/training in addiction medicine.

 

[857770]

Dude, WTF? He said he doesn't drink anymore. Let it go. Just because you had problems with alcohol in the past doesn't mean you have a mental disorder and can't control yourself or even learn to drink in moderation again in the future. Presumptuous much?

A recovering alcoholic should NEVER drink. PERIOD.

 

[AnotherLawyer]

34-year-old attorney, former soldier, wanting to go to med school(DO). A 2.95 cGPA when I was younger but killed the LSAT and got a full ride to a smaller law school in Midwest and graduated there in top 10% of my class. It was sort of a slacker student but still smart thing and I was dealing alcoholism then from some issues stemming from my time in the Army(I don't drink anymore). I have since started taking science classes to fulfill the credit requirements for Med school and have 12 of the 24 credits I need with a sGPA of 3.8 right now. If I can keep an sGPA of 3.8+ and do well on the MCAT is it feasible to go to Med School or should I cut my losses being too old?

I think this comes down to what you mean when you say "do well on the MCAT." Your options may range from having a chance at most MD and DO schools to not having a chance anywhere.

Also, if you're interested in my n=1 experience, my MCAT score was within a few tenths of a percentile of my LSAT score.

Good luck!

 

[esob]

I think this comes down to what you mean when you say "do well on the MCAT." Your options may range from having a chance at most MD and DO schools to not having a chance anywhere.

Also, if you're interested in my n=1 experience, my MCAT score was within a few tenths of a percentile of my LSAT score.

Good luck!

Few points higher or lower?

 

[AnotherLawyer]

Few points higher or lower?

The MCAT was ever so slightly higher.