Help Needed with Timing of Application

[Trapper_John]

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Hello! I was hoping to get some help/advice. Below is information about my situation and a list of questions at the bottom.

Thank you so much for any advice you can give!

Undergraduate Institution: Private University (known for grade deflation)
Major: BS Mechanical Engineering
Graduation Year: 2018
cGPA: 2.93
sGPA: 3.07
MCAT: Scheduled for August of 2026
State of Residence: Wisconsin
Citizenship: United States
Ethnicity: ORM

DIY Post Bacc Institution: Public State University
Courses: Fall 2025 - Organic Chemistry 1 w/ Lab + Biology 1 w/ Lab
Planned Courses Spring 2026: Organic Chemistry 2 w/ Lab + Biology 2 w/ Lab + Biochemistry
Current Post Bacc GPA: 4.0
cGPA w/ Post Bacc Work (as of Fall 2025): 2.97
sGPA w/ Post Bacc Work (as of Fall 2025): 3.22

MBA Institution: Public State University
Anticipated Graduation: Spring 2027
GPA: 3.95 (20 out of 44 credits completed)

Clinical Experience

• Supervisor at High Acuity Behavioral Adult Family Home (6,000 hours)
  • Oversaw operations of adult family homes serving ID/DD individuals with high acuity behavioral needs (basically a step down program from our state mental institution).
  • Lots of work with social workers/guardians/funding sources but also tons of hands-on experiences with individuals.
• ED Medical Scribe (230 hours, increasing)

Non-Clinical Experience

• Engineering Jobs (10,000 hours)
  • Mainly manufacturing with a bit of product development, project management, and operations management/supervision.

Volunteering

• Reception Desk/Rooming Patients at Surgery Center (126 hours, increasing)
• Mobile Hospice Visitor (53 hours, increasing)

Shadowing

• General Surgery OR (8 hours)

Questions

• If I continue to get A’s in my DIY post bacc classes and take another 12-ish credits in the fall of 2026 (28 credits total) do I have a reasonable chance at an MD acceptance in the 2027-28 cycle? I’m weighing the option of applying DO only after getting my MCAT score in fall 2026 vs. waiting to apply DO/MD in spring 2027. I’d really like to stay in Wisconsin (only MD schools) but I don’t want to delay applying if there isn't a real chance of an MD acceptance.
• If an MD acceptance in 2027-28 is a possibility what MCAT score should I be targeting?
• Is there anything I should be doing to strengthen my application? I’m planning to continue with my current volunteering and scribe position and to find a non-clinical volunteer opportunity. I wasn’t sure if I should be trying to get research or some other experience before applying.

 

[nobadwaves]

If you complete your postbacc with the 4.0 and smoke your MCAT, you should find a seat at an MD school, but still apply broadly (so, include DO's).

I would say, that trying to specify a state or a particular school may be difficult unless you have an inside connection.

Is there a particular reason why you want to apply MD vs DO?

And, focus more on the non-clinical volunteer opportunity as this is more of a non-negotiable bullet point for most schools. If you are planning on applying to research heavy institutions you'll need some research, but volunteering will still take you farther.

 

[Trapper_John]

If you complete your postbacc with the 4.0 and smoke your MCAT, you should find a seat at an MD school, but still apply broadly (so, include DO's).

I would say, that trying to specify a state or a particular school may be difficult unless you have an inside connection.

Is there a particular reason why you want to apply MD vs DO?

And, focus more on the non-clinical volunteer opportunity as this is more of a non-negotiable bullet point for most schools. If you are planning on applying to research heavy institutions you'll need some research, but volunteering will still take you farther.

Okay, thank you. I'm thinking I'll just have to wait and see how the remainder of my grades and MCAT turn out and then make a decision. It sounds like I may have a shot at MD even with my low undergrad GPA, which is good to know.

The biggest reason I want to apply MD is to have a chance at staying in Wisconsin. The second reason is that I have interest in multiple specialties and some of them are on the more competitive side. I know DOs match to all specialties but I figured MD would make the path easier and give me more flexibility in residency location.

 

[Med Ed]

Why did you pursue an MBA?

 

[Trapper_John]

Why did you pursue an MBA?

I’m pursuing an MBA because at the time I enrolled I was still committed to making a career in engineering or some type of corporate management work out, although my heart’s never really been in it. As early as my freshman year of undergrad I was contemplating making the switch to premed but I didn’t feel I had the maturity or study skills to be successful (my uGPA suggests that was a correct assumption). There were 3 or 4 more times I was very close to making the switch during and after undergrad but I didn’t for the same reason each time.

When I started the MBA courses and excelled, I started thinking about medicine again. I felt a lot more focused than I had in undergrad even without having a passion for the subjects. Now that I’ve spent some time volunteering, working as a scribe, and being successful in a couple of prereq courses, I’ve decided I’m ready to finally take the leap.

I had actually thought about asking about the MBA in my original post but I didn’t to keep it shorter. My tuition is being reimbursed entirely by my employer and it’s not terribly rigorous so I should be able to get very close to a 4.0. I’m about halfway through the program at this point. Do you think I should stop pursuing the MBA? I felt it was maybe a way at no cost to me and a relatively low time commitment to further reinforce to adcoms that I have changed since undergrad. But I also think it’s going to be distracting and difficult to explain to adcoms.

Thank you for any advice you have!

 

[Rabbsters]

Non-trad (Comp Sci), career change (10+ yr in the workforce). I have my MS in Comp Sci, and never had it be a distraction or something I had to explain to ADCOMs (frankly I've been able to leverage it in my opinion to my advantage during interviews by connecting it to how it'll be beneficial to me as a student and future physician, I'm sure the knowledge and skills learned in a MBA program would have touchpoints to medicine as well). And your employer is covering tuition so it really sounds like it was an opportunity that presented itself to you and you took advantage to better yourself through higher education (which imo shows maturity, curiosity, and a growth mindset).

So I wouldn't necessarily keep going or, stop/drop out of your MBA for those reasons (worry over having to explain why). Your plate looks extremely full for the next two years, finishing up your Post-Bac prereqs (I'm scared for you next semester that's quite the load of courses, and I feel that you have to maintain a 4.0 in your post-bac work), studying for the MCAT, preparing your application, volunteering, working etc. I think the question should be, will dealing with the MBA coursework be a point of burnout/exhaustion for you?

As devil's advocate, you'll have to submit all your transcripts for any schools you attended, including your MBA program, so if you do stop pursuing it, that may be another thing you'll have to address as to why you quit something you started, and might you be the type of person to stop pursuing medicine while at Med School because something else came up? I don't think these things will come up (for either completing it or stopping it) but it's another way to look at it.

In my experience as a non-trad you're going to get asked, why medicine and why now, If you can answer those, your path there and what you did along the way isn't nitpicked by ADCOMs. You get to choose how/when to bring in relevant life experiences from your journey that have prepared you, shaped you, and made you the amazing applicant they should accept. Its your story and I believe ADCOMs will respect which ever decision you make because it was the right decision for you (not because you thought it was the decision you thought someone else wanted you to make).

 

[esob]

I'll be the naysayer in this conversation and encourage you to temper your expectations. I applied both in-state and OOS. I'm in Texas, so there is arguably some bias b/c of Texas. Still, I applied broadly as a non-trad to MD programs across the country w/ a 3.5 (with the last 3 years at 4.0, including all science gateway courses (ochem, physics, biochem etc). I'm former military, had research, good EC's, etc, etc, and got ZERO OOS MD invites. In Texas, I used academic fresh start so, my GPA was a 4.0. Aside from the difference in GPA, the remainder of my application was the same, and I was interviewed at all but two schools, with multiple pre-match offers. For reference, my MCAT was just above the median for matriculants in my cycle.

Hence, my takeaway is that even a 3.5 is not compelling for MD schools regardless of post-bac record. Of course, anything can be different but my application was truly a comparison of the difference between a 4.0 and a 3.5 for MD schools. Most of the OOS DO schools I applied to w/ that 3.5 sent me invites.

Don't get me wrong, apply to all the MD schools that you can afford, but I would focus on DO schools if funds are limited. I ultimately chose an MD school but the reality is that from residency going forward, no one cares if you are a DO or an MD.

 

[Med Ed]

I’m pursuing an MBA because at the time I enrolled I was still committed to making a career in engineering or some type of corporate management work out, although my heart’s never really been in it. As early as my freshman year of undergrad I was contemplating making the switch to premed but I didn’t feel I had the maturity or study skills to be successful (my uGPA suggests that was a correct assumption). There were 3 or 4 more times I was very close to making the switch during and after undergrad but I didn’t for the same reason each time.

When I started the MBA courses and excelled, I started thinking about medicine again. I felt a lot more focused than I had in undergrad even without having a passion for the subjects. Now that I’ve spent some time volunteering, working as a scribe, and being successful in a couple of prereq courses, I’ve decided I’m ready to finally take the leap.

I would absolutely finish the MBA.

The big question at the heart of every application is why the candidate wants to pursue medicine. That's doubly true for non-trads, who often have other career paths open to them. Non-trads can also be victims of their own success. You've got a degree in engineering, work experience, a new degree in progress, etc. Why put all that to the side and take on a very long, difficult, and expensive journey?

 

[Trapper_John]

I really appreciate the feedback and sorry for the delayed response, I just got back home from visiting family over the past 1.5 weeks!

I think my plan will be to stick with my current plan (including continuing with the MBA) and then reassess what cycle to apply in and what schools to apply to once I've gotten the remainder of my grades and MCAT score (but it does sound like there's maybe a slight chance at MD if I knock everything out of the park).

Your plate looks extremely full for the next two years, finishing up your Post-Bac prereqs (I'm scared for you next semester that's quite the load of courses, and I feel that you have to maintain a 4.0 in your post-bac work), studying for the MCAT, preparing your application, volunteering, working etc. I think the question should be, will dealing with the MBA coursework be a point of burnout/exhaustion for you?

I hope I don't sound too arrogant but the workload for the MBA courses has been very low. I'm holding off on taking the MCAT til the late summer or early fall to avoid overloading my spring schedule and to get the benefit of completing the 3 spring courses. I plan to keep the summer completely open for studying (except for volunteering and work). Fingers crossed that I'm not underestimating any of my activities!

The big question at the heart of every application is why the candidate wants to pursue medicine. That's doubly true for non-trads, who often have other career paths open to them. Non-trads can also be victims of their own success. You've got a degree in engineering, work experience, a new degree in progress, etc. Why put all that to the side and take on a very long, difficult, and expensive journey?

I know that's a rhetorical question but I just want to say that my biggest fear with all of this is that sometime in the future I'll regret the decision to start this journey but it will be too late to stop it. I've talked to several doctors that seemed pretty bitter about their decision to enter medicine (and they were all traditional students).