Hey, I'm a newbie

[billehbaw]

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Hey all,

Ummm, yeah, so I'm not sure if I qualify as a non-trad, but here goes. I graduated this past May from a pretty well-known research university with a BA in biology and minors in Jewish Studies and Environmental Sciences, ending up with a 3.79 GPA. I studied to get the grades, but I never knew what I wanted to do with my degree afterwards :/ And yeah, I was never premed while I was in school. Well, after graduating I enrolled in an alternative certification teaching program, teaching biology and chemistry in the inner city, but by day 3 I felt that it really wasn't for me and so I pulled out. After spending a month or so jobless/temping, I landed a job as a research assistant at the local medical school and I'm currently volunteering at the trauma center at the local hospital. I've found that experience to be awesome to say the least, and I'm getting inspired to explore a career in medicine. Haven't taken the MCAT yet, but I was wondering if the fact that I didn't have direction in college and that I quit my first job so quickly cripples my chances of being an applicant...any feedback would be appreciated...thanks!

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey all,

Ummm, yeah, so I'm not sure if I qualify as a non-trad, but here goes. I graduated this past May from a pretty well-known research university with a BA in biology and minors in Jewish Studies and Environmental Sciences, ending up with a 3.79 GPA. I studied to get the grades, but I never knew what I wanted to do with my degree afterwards :/ And yeah, I was never premed while I was in school. Well, after graduating I enrolled in an alternative certification teaching program, teaching biology and chemistry in the inner city, but by day 3 I felt that it really wasn't for me and so I pulled out. After spending a month or so jobless/temping, I landed a job as a research assistant at the local medical school and I'm currently volunteering at the trauma center at the local hospital. I've found that experience to be awesome to say the least, and I'm getting inspired to explore a career in medicine. Haven't taken the MCAT yet, but I was wondering if the fact that I didn't have direction in college and that I quit my first job so quickly cripples my chances of being an applicant...any feedback would be appreciated...thanks!

You meet the definition of nontrad since you didn't go directly from college to med school. Wouldn't worry about the first job as there's not much you can do about it. Put together some good experiences at your current job and volunteering that you can play up in the applications, do well on the MCAT, make sure you have all the prereqs, and make sure you are sure about your career path this time. Medicine is a hard and expensive road, so only do it if you are sure it is for you. Good luck.

 

[billehbaw]

Thanks for the reply, Law2Doc! Wouldn't they ask me why I quit though? And do u think that research and volunteering are enough for one who has never had ANY pre-med type experience?

 

[DrMidlife]

Wouldn't they ask me why I quit though?

If you finished the certification, that goes on your app. If you only had the job 3 days, imho that doesn't go on your app. Have an answer for why you didn't pursue the field for which you got certified. Such as "medicine felt like a true calling, instead of just a job."

And do u think that research and volunteering are enough for one who has never had ANY pre-med type experience?

Research and volunteering ARE pre-med type experience. You'll have 6 mos to a year of each, right? Look for shadowing opportunities, try to get your name on a paper, etc. Your GPA will open doors. Make sure your MCAT doesn't close them.

Best of luck to you.

 

[njbmd]

Hey all,

Ummm, yeah, so I'm not sure if I qualify as a non-trad, but here goes. I graduated this past May from a pretty well-known research university with a BA in biology and minors in Jewish Studies and Environmental Sciences, ending up with a 3.79 GPA. I studied to get the grades, but I never knew what I wanted to do with my degree afterwards :/ And yeah, I was never premed while I was in school. Well, after graduating I enrolled in an alternative certification teaching program, teaching biology and chemistry in the inner city, but by day 3 I felt that it really wasn't for me and so I pulled out. After spending a month or so jobless/temping, I landed a job as a research assistant at the local medical school and I'm currently volunteering at the trauma center at the local hospital. I've found that experience to be awesome to say the least, and I'm getting inspired to explore a career in medicine. Haven't taken the MCAT yet, but I was wondering if the fact that I didn't have direction in college and that I quit my first job so quickly cripples my chances of being an applicant...any feedback would be appreciated...thanks!

It doesn't matter that you quit your first job. What matters are your academics (GPA/MCAT), extracurriculars and your interest in medicine. As you continue to volunteer in the trauma center, write down some of your experiences so that you can combine them into a good personal statement for your AMCAS/ACOMAS when you apply to medical school. It's better to have a few thoughts and experiences on paper than to try to start from nothing when application time rolls around.

Think about who you will approach for some good letters of recommendation: science professors, physicians that you have shadowed etc and get their contact information to keep on file when you need that too.

Finally, figure out how and when you will begin preparing for the MCAT and stick to your schedule. Good luck!

 

[billehbaw]

Haha, wow, I feel loved 😀 Thanks for all of the wonderful advice, everyone. Hmmm...would everyone agree with DrMidlife that a 3-day stint shouldn't go on an app...? I'm a little nervous about that...considering that I did sign a contract and whatnot. Any thoughts?

 

[DrMidlife]

...agree with DrMidlife that a 3-day stint shouldn't go on an app...

Yeah, to put that in context, I had 50 jobs before my big fat software career started, and it would be literally impossible to list them all on AMCAS. A 3 day stint is background noise to me. No, seriously, 50 jobs: I've cleaned toilets, tended bar, worked graveyards at a 7-11, etc. Hopefully that makes me colorful in a good way as a med school candidate. Yikes.

I should shut up but that never happens, so let me recommend that you talk to somebody in the certified-contracted job industry you joined to see how common it is for folks to bail early, and how it's viewed within that industry. As a former manager I'd be delighted if somebody knew within 3 days that the job wasn't going to work out, thus avoiding the 18 month shared hell of trying to force it to work.