How can I strengthen my application?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

myfunnyusername

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Hi everyone,

I am a non-traditional career changer student, planning to apply for post-bacc programs this August/September. I work in tech right now and am doing ECs on the side. The biggest caveat that I see is that I am not a US citizen, which will make admissions to the post-bacc and then to medical school challenging (but I am determined!).

Here are my stats / life history :

  • Undergraduate degree from a T1 liberal arts school with a GPA of 3.6, majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Psychology
  • Big upward trend as I adjusted to the academic rigor while balancing it with being a student-athlete
  • 1450 SAT
  • Top student-athlete for the 4 years of college, with many accolades (All-American, Newcomer & Senior of the Year)
  • Worked for 1.5 semesters in the Psych Child, Attachment, and Development Lab (when I was considering majoring in psychology or neuroscience)
  • Have a history of working in big tech company (internship), and currently working at a small company as a product manager
  • 50 hours of hospital volunteering, 30 hours of hospice volunteering (currently doing ~6 hours of volunteer work per week, so it will be higher)
  • Getting my EMT license this month and hoping to start part-time volunteering sometime this summer
  • Will get strong LORs from my varsity coach, high school science teacher, and a college professor

I am also trying to get shadowing experience ASAP before I apply. Is there anything else I can do to strengthen my application? Do you think I have a chance of medical school admission if I excel in a post-bacc program, do research, ace the MCAT, and continue with my volunteer work? It is unfortunate that I need to keep my tech job for my visa and to pay the bills, but I am nervous that I don’t have enough research experience. I want to get into a top post-bacc program as it will set me up well for medical school, and I am hoping to link!


Any advice on applying to post-bacc programs (thinking Bryn Mawr, Scripps, UVA, George Washington), the best course of action to improve my application, or anything else I can do in the meantime before I go to post-bacc would be super appreciated!
 
Any advice on applying to post-bacc programs (thinking Bryn Mawr, Scripps, UVA, George Washington), the best course of action to improve my application, or anything else I can do in the meantime before I go to post-bacc would be super appreciated!
You don't need an expensive post-bac to put together a strong application!
What is your AMCAS science gpa and what courses do you lack to prepare for the MCAT?
 
@gyngyn I am a career changer, so I don't have a science GPA since I haven't taken any science classes. That's why I am thinking of doing post-bacc
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad