How do I get there from here?

[Ticky]

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I'm trying to figure out where to go from where I am to get into medical school. I'm in this weird quasi-nontrad position. I'm currently a masters student in engineering (with a bachelors in engineering). I should graduate in the spring. However, I've become convinced I want to go into medicine.

I've taken OChem, GenChem, and basic physics, but at a CC (and got b's). At the CC, I finished u with a 3.32 GPA, followed by a 3.78 at my U, for a 3.57 overall. My grad gpa is high (~3.9). I've got ooodles of math and science courses, but a lot of it is not labeled bcmp. I have epic GRE scores.

I don't have much volunteer experience, but I do have a ton of experience tutoring, especially with disadvantaged youth (although I have always been paid). I have leadership experience. I do not have shadowing experience. I should be able to get great letters of rec. from my adviser (who I've also taken coursework with), and at least 1 former employer. Anything outside this might be a challenge.


If you were me, where would you go from here? Informal postbac? Formal postbac? Something else? Do I need any additional non-academic stuff besides shadowing and volunteering? My only EC is an obsession with backpacking, is this a problem?

 

[DrMidlife]

1. Give your ambition some credibility by exposing yourself to clinical medicine. Start volunteering in a hospital or clinic right away, and keep doing it pretty much forever. Use this gig to get access to physicians who will let you shadow. Think up lots of questions about medical practice and ask them of multiple people (not just of doctors).

2. Figure out how much work you still have to do for the prereqs. If you don't remember any content from chem/ochem/physics, then retaking would be reasonable.

3. Figure out how to take the coursework above at a university. Look at programs like Harvard Extension & Berkeley Extension. UT Dallas has a good option as well. I doubt you need to do full time study. Do not mess around: every professor is an LOR candidate until proven otherwise.

4. Figure out how far you are from a killer MCAT score. You can take a practice exam for free at www.e-mcat.com. If your verbal score isn't pretty good (10+), cold, imho that's a sign you need months of prep to get ready for the real test. The MCAT forum here is helpful.

You're probably the 150th engineer to ask this in this forum. Meaning you're not alone.

Best of luck to you.

 

[SilenceDoBad]

I'm trying to figure out where to go from where I am to get into medical school.

Simply whistle for a cab and when it comes near......say yo homes to M.D!

 

[Autarkeia]

Simply whistle for a cab and when it comes near......say yo homes to M.D!

That will only work if his license plate says "fresh" and he has dice on the mirror. Otherwise, you'll find yourself filing for bankruptcy in Maryland.

 

[NontradICUdoc]

One step at a time. You are entering a marathon, not a sprint.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

So you need to take the bio requirements, you may or may not need to brush up on your chemistry for the MCAT... you need your LOR's, Personal Statement, volunteering, shadowing, and the MCAT...

Start working on your personal statement sooner than later. It is better to have it done a year + in advance than to rush it. Really nail down WHY you want to be a physician.

Start figuring out how to get the remaining prereqs done, and figure them out for the schools you're likely to apply to, they are different for many schools.

LORs, start finding a couple physicians who might be willing to let you shadow and then write a letter... This is very important. My former coworker was rejected primarily because the ADCOM didn't think he really knew what a doctor did (because he'd never shadowed, he had no way to refute)

Volunteering... get some clinical, and if you can something with at-risk or under-privileged groups, they can be separate, but either way, try to encompass both things.

MCAT... get your bio prereqs done and take a practice test. You can also take a free one on the AAMC website, either way, I'm guessing your physics score will be a lot higher than mine (26Q, 7ps, 10bs, 9vr) considering I didn't take a class, I think I did ok (and I got in, soooo)

Best of luck... I started down this path many years ago, and now I start next summer... it's mind-boggling....