help organizing a plan

[daivimarga]

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Hi fellow non-trads,

I have posted a bit but here's my formal intro. I'm in my early 30s, an LMSW with no hard science background since high school other than neuroscience. I am likely going to do a DIY postbac, and I would really appreciate guidance as to how to piece it together, best pace myself, and also, how to self-assess. I have some really pedestrian questions here so please don't judge! I'm kind of a deer in headlights.

-This is my most pressing question: Is it ill advised to take classes at multiple institutions? I will be doing my coursework at CUNY. Ultimately I'd like to take most of them at City College but scheduling is nuts at CUNY- is it frowned upon (or even thought to be questionable or a red flag at all) by adcoms to take classes at different colleges in one city university system? Would it be tacky to reach out to admissions offices and ask them about this?

- I know CCNY and Hunter are the more reputable CUNYs; does any one know about the reputation of others (Baruch, Medgar Evers)?

-How many classes have you taken a semester? Did you warm up first with one or two courses and then add to it?

- I saw someone somewhere posted that Orgo II is being phased out as a req - is this true?

-At what point during the post-bac process do you take the MCAT? Can you take it prior to completion of all courses? At what point do you start studying?

-I know there is a distaste for Osteopathic medicine among many pre-meds but I'm actually interested in osteopathic medicine. Can DOs match in residencies other than family medicine or IM?

-I sheepishly thought about a post bac after college and took Chem at Hunter. Got an A on the midterm and then withdrew. It was eating into my boozing time, and I ended up pursuing MSW anyway. (Kicking myself now.) If I were to continue at Hunter, how would this W be viewed?

-Did any of you go into this with a back-up plan? ie: PA? This is daunting (though PA is also daunting) and I am still not sure I can cut it (much respect to all of you who have).

Ok I will stop there. Thank you for reading and for any responses! Also, this is how I feel:

 

[Eccesignum]

Hi fellow non-trads,

I have posted a bit but here's my formal intro. I'm in my early 30s, an LMSW with no hard science background since high school other than neuroscience. I am likely going to do a DIY postbac, and I would really appreciate guidance as to how to piece it together, best pace myself, and also, how to self-assess. I have some really pedestrian questions here so please don't judge! I'm kind of a deer in headlights.

-This is my most pressing question: Is it ill advised to take classes at multiple institutions? I will be doing my coursework at CUNY. Ultimately I'd like to take most of them at City College but scheduling is nuts at CUNY- is it frowned upon (or even thought to be questionable or a red flag at all) by adcoms to take classes at different colleges in one city university system? Would it be tacky to reach out to admissions offices and ask them about this?

I know nothing about the system in NY. If you take a class at one does it count for credit at another? My state system does this. I don't have a definite answer for this (someone else may) but no, it's hardly tacky to call a few schools and explain the situation (I wouldn't use the term "red flag" on the phone, just ask if that's acceptable).

- I know CCNY and Hunter are the more reputable CUNYs; does any one know about the reputation of others (Baruch, Medgar Evers)?

Again, I'm unfamiliar with the CUNYs. Hopefully someone with experience can answer this.

-How many classes have you taken a semester? Did you warm up first with one or two courses and then add to it?

If you have zero hard science background (apart from that Chem you took once) and are unsure how you're going to do, I would start out with one class. Ace the heck out of it. If you can do that, then increase your class load. You do eventually want to show you can handle a rigorous schedule with upper-div science involved.

- I saw someone somewhere posted that Orgo II is being phased out as a req - is this true?

This is true for some institutions, in part because biochem has been added to the MCAT. So at some schools biochem can substitute for OChem II. The MSAR will show you the full pre-reqs requirements for all MD schools, which I suggest you invest in because pre-reqs are not totally universal. For DO you'll have to check on schools yourself.

-At what point during the post-bac process do you take the MCAT? Can you take it prior to completion of all courses? At what point do you start studying?

Take the MCAT after you've completed all classes that the MCAT covers, and after you have taken multiple practice tests -- under testing conditions -- where you've scored in the range you want to score. In theory you can take it whenever you want. In practice, if you take it prior to completing all courses you obviously risk running into topics you're unfamiliar with. Some people make up for this by self-studying and they do fine. Some people can't. Only you know you.

As for when to start studying, it also really depends on you. I see a lot of people starting at 4-6 months out but it depends. If you're working full-time or having serious issues with content you may need more time. If your first practice test is a 517 you probably need less. In any case, take it no later than the spring of the year in which you intend to apply. You want your score back before you invest hundreds or thousands of dollars into primary applications, only to get a sub-par score after once you've already pulled the trigger and have your entire cycle boned.

-I know there is a distaste for Osteopathic medicine among many pre-meds but I'm actually interested in osteopathic medicine. Can DOs match in residencies other than family medicine or IM?

Many non-trads go DO. You may or may not know that DO schools practice grade replacement, which means if you retake a class you did poorly in prior, they'll only consider the second grade. This is often a good choice for people coming back from low initial GPAs. DO schools will also consider grad GPA, where MD won't.

DOs can indeed match into other specialties...the relative difficulty of matching into competitive specialties for DOs vs MDs is a complicated topic and appears at least once daily on SDN. I'd suggest doing a search and reading up, or talking to some DOs or DO adcoms here.

-I sheepishly thought about a post bac after college and took Chem at Hunter. Got an A on the midterm and then withdrew. It was eating into my boozing time, and I ended up pursuing MSW anyway. (Kicking myself now.) If I were to continue at Hunter, how would this W be viewed?

It will show up on your transcript like every other grade you've ever had. There's no way around that.

-Did any of you go into this with a back-up plan? ie: PA? This is daunting (though PA is also daunting) and I am still not sure I can cut it (much respect to all of you who have).

Personally, had I not gotten in this cycle I would have taken a year off from it to bolster my application and likely would have reapplied in 2017. But like the answer to many of your questions, this is highly specific to me. I didn't feel like PA was what I wanted. You may be different.

Also you may already know this, but remember that there are other things you're going to need to be doing as well. Volunteering, shadowing (demonstrating that you understand what doctors do and know what you're getting into), clinical experience (again, exposure to the medical side of things). You may already have done these but if you haven't you'll need to keep these in mind too. Best of luck to you.

 

[daivimarga]

Thanks @Eccesignum for your insight. What type of clinical experience would be acceptable? I have clinical work in the mental health field -but is this like EMT/CNA work?

Congrats on your acceptance!