Is this a good plan as a non-trad?

[AcneRosaceaDermatitis]

23, female, working full-time in a field that's not related to any clinical settings.

I posted my sob story about not being good at science in undergrad and giving up on my "dreams" of being a doctor. I took some time to read the replies and think about it some more.

I've decided that while I'm still very undecided about going into medicine or NP school, that I should at least do something about my situation and see if it's even viable to go to medical or nursing school at this point.

I don't know why, but life has been reminding me over and over about medicine recently. Like, I'll go to certain neighborhoods in the city and see medical students walking around in their subs, acquaintances will bring up that their Airbnb roommates are in medical school - heck, even my parents brought up something about the MCAT recently.

Anyway, so I've completed Gen Chem and Lab, Calc I/II, Stats, Organic Chemistry 1/Lab, and Organic Chemistry II. I still need O-Chem II Lab, 2 semesters of biology, 2 semesters of physics, biochemistry, and some upper division science classes (2-3).

I got a B- in O-Chem 1 and a P in O-Chem 2 (would have been a B or B+). I don't feel like I understand organic chemistry well and I should probably retake it LOL, but I'll be paying by the unit, so yikes.

This is my plan:

1. Between now and mid-2023, I'm going to read the textbooks for the classes I still need to take and/or lack a solid foundation in (organic chemistry, biology, physics, biochemistry, upper division science classes). I think this is a very low stakes way for me to increase my foundation of premed science classes and just for me to generally increase my scientific literacy, as I don't think I know enough science to understand things in daily life. I'll be using the textbooks that my undergrad used. I'm also going to do the textbook problems and take some old exams from my college to check my understanding / skill level. Even if the postbacc classes don't use the same texts, at least I will have a good foundation of the material (?)

2. If I feel like Step 1 goes well, I'll start looking into low commitment clinical opportunities just to get a better idea of what the medical/nursing field is like. I will also start studying for the CARS section of the MCAT as well as the psych/soc/behavioral section as those don't really require much scientific knowledge.

3. If Step 1 and 2 go well, then I may start looking into a formal post-bacc program and take the pre-reqs I need to take. I found one that will cost at least $18,000, which sucks, but I'm currently saving about 1.2k -1.5k a month. I can save even more on a monthly basis if I get even more frugal (a goal I'm working on), so I should have enough by mid-2023.

4. If the post-bacc goes well (i.e. straight A's or almost straight A's) then I'll continue doing more medical/nursing EC's and study for the science parts of the MCAT.

I'd ideally like to apply to medical school before 2027 as I took gen chem in 2017 and don't want the pre-reqs to expire (I heard they're bad after 10 years)? I'll be like, 27 by then but welp.

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[Med Ed]

I got a B- in O-Chem 1 and a P in O-Chem 2 (would have been a B or B+). I don't feel like I understand organic chemistry well and I should probably retake it LOL, but I'll be paying by the unit, so yikes.

Would you describe yourself as a perfectionist?

 

[AcneRosaceaDermatitis]

Would you describe yourself as a perfectionist?

Kind of, but it's not that I'm trying to retake the class for a higher GPA or anything? I just want to make sure I understand ochem well for the MCAT and other stuff?

 

[chilly_md]

Studying for the MCAT should not occur over a multi-year period.

Get exposure to clinical opportunities and shadow both physicians and NPs first. You could review ochem 1 concepts on your own time and if you struggle with math (trig and algebra), work on those skills before taking physics. But then you could take the remaining classes as a student seeking a 2nd degree at a state university, and if they go well, study for the MCAT over a shorter time period once you are finished with classes. Take psych and sociology too if you haven’t already since these are starting to become pre-reqs at many schools.

 

[AcneRosaceaDermatitis]

> Studying for the MCAT should not occur over a multi-year period.

Why? I was going to pre-read all of those subjects and benchmark / test my knowledge with practice MCAT'S before shelling out money for a formal post-bacc.

 

[chilly_md]

> Studying for the MCAT should not occur over a multi-year period.

Why? I was going to pre-read all of those subjects and benchmark / test my knowledge with practice MCAT'S before shelling out money for a formal post-bacc.

You will forget many of the things you studied by the time you take it. The formal (or DIY post-bacc) gets you much of the concepts but MCAT studying is completely different and should occur immediately prior to when you take the actual test. Reading books and studying section by section over a couple years sounds good, but wouldn’t help you and you’d waste the finite number of good practice tests that there are.

 

[karaya]

I don't think you should do a formal postbac, for 2 reasons. 1) They usually fall into two categories: career changer (covers basic prereqs) and grade repair (upper level bio). Since you've completed about half of your prereqs, and no bio, you won't be served best by either category. 2) Cost--you can save a lot of money by taking your classes a la carte thru open university. Yeah, there's uncertainty about registration, but DIY is doable and probably better for you. The classes you listed would come out to <30 credits at my state school, roughly $9000.

Look into clinical opportunities ASAP. If you don't like patient care you can bail before investing more time and $$. Don't wait around while you flip thru textbooks--your study habits will improve with maturity and focus. To this last point: when you're doing your postbac you really must treat schooling as seriously as a job.

If you committed right now you could apply in summer 2024. But I realize you're still undecided. Good luck.