Help!! thinking of reapplying, 10 years removed from school... strange story

[tbd82]

Hello,

I'll try to make this as short as possible.

UC Davis 2005
Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior
cGPA: 3.5
BCMP: 3.6
estimated these using a CV I wrote before senior year
MCAT 32 (1st try from 2005, will need to take it again ofc)
piss poor ECs

I was unfocused and easily distracted in my ugrad years and had seriously downward trending grades (~4.0 first 1.5 years, ~2.7 senior year, as well as a full quarter of Ws). I applied to a few MD programs in 2005 and was not accepted anywhere. During the time leading up to my senior year, however, is when I realized I was pursuing medicine for the wrong reasons. I made no attempt to reapply after that, and from that point on I ended up following a very strange career path.

I learned to play poker in college, but only as a hobby. Long story short, I continued playing after I graduated and was very successful... more than enough that I could not justify going back to school or finding a job. I used the capital to invest in 3 start-ups (two of which I co-founded) as well as the market. This naturally would lead to things related to finance, business school, etc. However, a lot of self-reflection the last year or two has made me realize that none of that is for me.

I want to get back on the path to medicine, but a few things concern me:

- Full quarter of Ws
- Downward sloping trend in undergrad
- ~10 years removed from school (will schools really consider my prereqs "expired"?)
- Applied, was rejected and made no immediate attempts to stay on track
- Poker. What are your general thoughts on this? I will be going against people with PhDs, JDs, established careers in more "traditional" fields and so forth...

Would taking more undergrad courses and doing well in them boost my GPA enough and help negate the downward trend? Do I need to do a formal post-bacc?

Any and all comments appreciated. Thank you

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[Gauss44]

Is that a triple major? If so, did you have a better GPA in some majors than in others?

 

[Chuchunezumis]

Hello tbd82,

I did the poker thing too, though graduated later and probably didn't do it as long or make as much money as you (I didn't play pre-UIGEA etc). I'm applying next year, but most people I've talked to who seem pretty knowledgeable seem to think it's pretty cool and like talking about it. That includes doctors and residents at the hospital I volunteer at, my counselor, etc. A lot of it depends on how you spin it. If you played poker the least 10 years, you're not going to be able to avoid the question, so you need to answer it in a positive way.

If you say "Yeah, I sort of fell into poker when I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in life, it allowed me to learn a lot about mental discipline and meet some amazing people" and say it while smiling and sounding excited, then you'll probably be seen as interesting an story. Also, if you're being friendly people will like you anyways. If you sort of murmur "oh, hi, yeah I played cards...." then obviously it sounds like you're ashamed and makes it sound like you just want to go to medical school because full tilt stole your monies.

You can totally do this, but we need some more information.

#1) What science classes have you taken, and what are your grades?

#2) Do you know how DO schools grade replacement works? Do you know what a doctor in osteopathic medicine is (I didn't before I started volunteering and searching this website)? If you are from California as your undergrad degree suggest this is a much easier option for you then MD school, but MD schools are totally doable.

Once we get that information, the response you're going to get is basically to then

A) Take classes and boost your GPA. Show your lack of interest in school 8 years ago doesn't reflect your priorities now.

B) Start clinical volunteering ASAP. You need to get experience in a hospital and know what is going on and what you like and what you don't like.

C) Also start researching and non-clinical volunteering. Everyone does this now, and once you've been doing this stuff for a year or longer no one is going to doubt your passion is in medicine.

D) Be smart and just keep studying for the MCATs even if it's a year or so away. 35+ on the MCATs goes a long way.

You can PM me if you want some advice over skype.

 

[Goro]

I think you'll need the post-bac program to show you still have your stuff. Naturally, taking the MCAT is a must, and you have to get all your ECs in a row. Try doing some volunteer hospital work first to see if Medicine is truely your calling. The poker playing? I see it as something interesting, not a stigma. How may pre-meds can say that have that in their background???

Hello,

I'll try to make this as short as possible.

UC Davis 2005
Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior
cGPA: 3.3, BCMP: 3.5
MCAT 32 (1st try from 2005, will need to take it again ofc)
weak ECs

I was unfocused and easily distracted in my ugrad years and had seriously downward trending grades (~4.0 first 1.5 years, ~2.7 senior year, as well as a full quarter of Ws). I applied to a few MD programs in 2005 and was not accepted anywhere. During the time leading up to my senior year, however, is when I realized I was pursuing medicine for the wrong reasons. I made no attempt to reapply after that, and from that point on I ended up following a very strange career path.

I learned to play poker in college, but only as a hobby. Long story short, I continued playing after I graduated and was very successful... more than enough that I could not justify going back to school or finding a job. I used the capital to invest in 3 start-ups (two of which I co-founded) as well as the market. This naturally would lead to things related to finance, business school, etc. However, a lot of self-reflection the last year or two has made me realize that none of that is for me.

I want to get back on the path to medicine. Assuming I can get my ECs covered, raise my GPA through additional coursework and/or a post-bacc and improve my MCAT, what are my chances?

Things that concern me:
- 3.3 cGPA
- Downward sloping trend in undergrad
- ~10 years removed from school (will schools really consider my prereqs "expired", or will more recent academic work like a 2nd bac or post-bacc help remedy this?)
- Applied, was rejected and made no immediate attempts to stay on track
- Poker. In general, gambling is pretty badly stigmatized. However, it was very rewarding for me both financially and intellectually (extremely competitive, utilizing logic/game theory/probability/money management, etc). Is this something that will make or break me depending on how I spin it in my personal statement or interviews? Or will adcoms just see this and toss my app out

Any suggestions as to what my best options are? I'm very interested in SFSU, since they are local to me and have an "academic enhancer track" post-bacc program. Please be brutally honest

Thank you!!

 

[tbd82]

Gauss: No, it's not a triple major. It's sort of a strange major that only UC Davis has, encompassing mostly neuro and physiology classes. I remember taking quite a few endo and gastro classes my last year... I'll be getting a copy of my transcript very soon, so I can post the actual classes if that helps

 

[tbd82]

Hello tbd82,

#1) What science classes have you taken, and what are your grades?

#2) Do you know how DO schools grade replacement works? Do you know what a doctor in osteopathic medicine is (I didn't before I started volunteering and searching this website)? If you are from California as your undergrad degree suggest this is a much easier option for you then MD school, but MD schools are totally doable.

1) I've taken all the prereqs in GChem, Ochem, Bio, Physics and Calc. The main difference between my major and the normal biology major is that instead of upper division micro/molecular, I took neurobio, endocrinology, gastroesterology, etc. My science GPA is about 3.5 iirc

2) Yes and yes. I would prefer to do MD though...

Sending you a pm, thanks!