I never realized how many hoops and hurdles getting into medical school takes

[cmeza83]

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I'm a 26 yr old nontraditional student as well. Sometimes it feels like nontraditional is just keyword for 'you're not getting in.'

I decided my late sophomore year in college to pursue an MD. But majoring in Psychology, didn't give me much overlap or time to finish the med school requirements.

After graduating, I decided to work part time as a substitute teacher, and go to school full time to finish the science courses. I could only afford a community college on my limited income, and much less, volunteer somewhere to pad my application. Here I am, 3yrs later, with only having to finish a semester of organic chemistry and physics to fulfill all mcat requirements.

1) Some of the hurdles I face now, is that community college classes are full, so I have to wait another semester before i can finish ochem, which is going to delay me taking the mcat.

2) I've taken a lot of extra classes like (stats, calculus, genetics, anatomy & physiology, etc), but I realize most Med Schools require at least a semester of biochemistry, which no community colleges offer. I would probably have to pay more than 1,5000$ for that course, and this might delay me another year.

3) Another obstacle, is the damn letters of recommendation. I can gather up 2 from professors, but some schools require 3, and recommend one being from a physician or a place where you volunteer.

4) I was going to apply to a post-bacc program to increase my chances, but I encounter the same problem with the letters of recommendation AND once again, I have no community service (at least in medicine related places, although I did volunteer in my undergrad, but that was 5+yrs ago).

5) I was looking into D.O. schools, but they also require you being in the medical field and getting letters of rec from an MD or DO.

6) I was looking for a backup plan, and considered applying to Physician Assistant programs. I am overqualified academically, but they tend to require at least 100 hours on the field experience (i.e., EMT's, volunteers, etc).

I guess the only things I have going for me, is that I am smart and my GPA is good. I'm sure I will do well on the MCAT, but that is not enough.

And what makes it worse, is that time is going by and I haven't made anything of myself. I wish I would not have had this ambition from the beginning and I would have pursued another interest.

Unfortunately, the only career that fascinates me is medicine. I love science, and I love how everything in the body is connected and interdependent. Unfortunately, having the intelligence and desire, is not enough.

You have to know, the right people, go to the right schools, choose the right major, and most importantly, be young!..


Sorry guys..I am aware I'm just venting. But I dont feel like anyone gets how hard or frustrating this is.

 

[2010houston]

I guess the only things I have going for me, is that I am smart and my GPA is good. I'm sure I will do well on the MCAT, but that is not enough.

Welcome! The grades & GPA are by far the hardest thing to fix, and though the other things are important, GPA + MCAT is the single most important stat on getting in to med school (whether reasonable or not). So keep your chin up - you're coming at this from a position of strength 🙂

For the biochem - have you gotten an MSAR, or looked at one in the library? Although some schools certainly do require biochem, I don't think it's the majority yet. You might not HAVE to take it.

ALso, 2nd semester Ochem is not terribly high-yield for the MCAT. If you're self-motivated and did well in Ochem I, you could probably teach yourself the stuff you needed to know and take the MCAT before the class. You only have to have the prereqs before you matriculate, not before you apply. So that might be an option for you.

Good luck to you!

 

[NTF]

I highly suggest you MAKE TIME for clinical volunteering. The above poster is correct that the GPA/MCAT is a lot of the battle. I'd hate to see you sink your ship because you didn't think you could find 2 hrs out of a week to spend some time with patients.

As an adcom once said, "Would you accept an applicant into the seminary if he did really well in all his classes, said he deeply wants to be a clergyman, but claimed he couldn't find time to go to church?"

 

[2010houston]

I highly suggest you MAKE TIME for clinical volunteering.

And because hospitals are 24/7 operations and many clinics have extended hours, you can fit this in SOMEWHERE.... plus it may give you more motivation to continue the gruntwork.

 

[IcemanDDS]

Its good to keep other options open like the possibility of becoming a PA or AA/CRNA, which you are not academically overqualified for at all. I don't think that is even possible. You just gotta show interest in whatever it is you want to pursue, and you do that by getting involved somehow in the form of shadowing, volunteering, etc. I also wouldn't worry about the biochem since its not required by any schools I dont believe, just good to have. When you shadow, try to build some rapport with a physician who can then write you a letter when you apply. There's no way around that. Good luck! I'm tryin to decide if I want to go the medicine route myself @ 28.

 

[agirl]

deleted.

I'm a 26 yr old nontraditional student as well. Sometimes it feels like nontraditional is just keyword for 'you're not getting in.'

I decided my late sophomore year in college to pursue an MD. But majoring in Psychology, didn't give me much overlap or time to finish the med school requirements.

After graduating, I decided to work part time as a substitute teacher, and go to school full time to finish the science courses. I could only afford a community college on my limited income, and much less, volunteer somewhere to pad my application. Here I am, 3yrs later, with only having to finish a semester of organic chemistry and physics to fulfill all mcat requirements.

1) Some of the hurdles I face now, is that community college classes are full, so I have to wait another semester before i can finish ochem, which is going to delay me taking the mcat.

2) I've taken a lot of extra classes like (stats, calculus, genetics, anatomy & physiology, etc), but I realize most Med Schools require at least a semester of biochemistry, which no community colleges offer. I would probably have to pay more than 1,5000$ for that course, and this might delay me another year.

3) Another obstacle, is the damn letters of recommendation. I can gather up 2 from professors, but some schools require 3, and recommend one being from a physician or a place where you volunteer.

4) I was going to apply to a post-bacc program to increase my chances, but I encounter the same problem with the letters of recommendation AND once again, I have no community service (at least in medicine related places, although I did volunteer in my undergrad, but that was 5+yrs ago).

5) I was looking into D.O. schools, but they also require you being in the medical field and getting letters of rec from an MD or DO.

6) I was looking for a backup plan, and considered applying to Physician Assistant programs. I am overqualified academically, but they tend to require at least 100 hours on the field experience (i.e., EMT's, volunteers, etc).

I guess the only things I have going for me, is that I am smart and my GPA is good. I'm sure I will do well on the MCAT, but that is not enough.

And what makes it worse, is that time is going by and I haven't made anything of myself. I wish I would not have had this ambition from the beginning and I would have pursued another interest.

Unfortunately, the only career that fascinates me is medicine. I love science, and I love how everything in the body is connected and interdependent. Unfortunately, having the intelligence and desire, is not enough.

You have to know, the right people, go to the right schools, choose the right major, and most importantly, be young!..


Sorry guys..I am aware I'm just venting. But I dont feel like anyone gets how hard or frustrating this is.

 

[cmeza83]

Thank you for the replies, they helped a lot.

Sometimes you can get overwhelmed by the details and requirements and loose perspective.

For inspiration I think of the saying, "If being a doctor was easy, everyone would be a doctor."

I just have to keep looking at hurdles as obstacles along the way, and overcome them one at a time if necessary.

I do think its dumb, that I would let letters of recommendation or community service, be what brings my dreams down.

I'll see what I can do about those.
And you guys are right, about not having to do biochem before applying. But most medical schools here in California do require it (UCI, UCLA, etc) or 'strongly encourage it.'

 

[7starmantis]

I'm a 26 yr old nontraditional student as well. Sometimes it feels like nontraditional is just keyword for 'you're not getting in.'

You have to know, the right people, go to the right schools, choose the right major, and most importantly, be young!..

Trust me, I know exactly how you feel. Dont let it get you down though, lots of non-trads are getting in now days. In fact I think its becoming a badge for applicants more than a hindrance. Dont worry about the major, young, know people, etc. I'm 32 now, got a BA not a BS, went to a small "sister school" of my state school, had a lower MCAT, etc etc.

Hang in there, just take it in small steps and you will be fine.

ALso, 2nd semester Ochem is not terribly high-yield for the MCAT. If you're self-motivated and did well in Ochem I, you could probably teach yourself the stuff you needed to know and take the MCAT before the class. You only have to have the prereqs before you matriculate, not before you apply. So that might be an option for you.

I second this. I had almost no O-Chem II on my MCAT. May be a reasonable option.

I do think its dumb, that I would let letters of recommendation or community service, be what brings my dreams down.

Yeah, dont worry about it. I didn't have a letter from any of my recent professors, no committee letters, so its not a solid rule, especially for non-trads. My school didn't even have a pre-med committee or whatever. Getting letters from someone who really knows you is much more important in my opinion.

also, if you just get 1-2 hours a week shadowing and keep it up for a while, that can really add up. Plus I think its more about length of the service in general than the number of hours racked up.