Is this even worth my time??

[aehart]

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I'm sure these "what are my chances" threads get old, but I'm adding to the pile.

I graduated May 2011 with my BSN (GPA 3.4; upward trend. Freshman year was like a 2.7 or some other terrible number). I've worked at a big level one trauma center for one year (almost) as a RN (two years as a nurse tech). I have thought about med school off and on since I was in high school, but for personal reasons I never pursued it further. Now, at 23, being in the clinical setting, and working alongside docs, has made me realize how much I want to be in their shoes. It isn't that nursing isn't a wonderful field (it really, really is), but my heart is not in it, and I just can't see myself doing it for 50 more years.

That being said, here is my plan. I'm going to re-enroll in a public university (where I did my undergrad) and take my pre-reqs. I can probably get them done in roughly two years (probably earlier as some of my biology classes would count, but I want to take some upper level courses to pad that GPA. I have not participated in any research, but once I'm back in school I'm definitely planning on seeking out opportunities.

I am part of quite a few committees at my hospital such as working with other nurses (and sometimes the docs) about how we can treat our diabetic patients in order to produce better outcomes. I also take part in my unit's CPC which is pretty much talking about how our unit can provide better patient outcomes. I know these probably don't mean much in the grand scheme, but they're extracurriculars. I'm also a member of the nursing honor society which is pretty prestigious in the nursing world, but I'm sure won't mean jack when it comes to applying for med school.

I've always been a strong student (save that pesky freshman year that screwed my GPA quite a bit) and I'm always a strong test taker. Really, I just want someone who has more experience in applying to med school to tell me if this is just a pipe dream or not. And if you think I have a shot, what else can I do to better my chances?

Sorry this was kind of long. Also, I'm an OH resident, so I'd definitely be applying in-state.

 

[phaloz]

I'm sure these "what are my chances" threads get old, but I'm adding to the pile.

I graduated May 2011 with my BSN (GPA 3.4; upward trend. Freshman year was like a 2.7 or some other terrible number). I've worked at a big level one trauma center for one year (almost) as a RN (two years as a nurse tech). I have thought about med school off and on since I was in high school, but for personal reasons I never pursued it further. Now, at 23, being in the clinical setting, and working alongside docs, has made me realize how much I want to be in their shoes. It isn't that nursing isn't a wonderful field (it really, really is), but my heart is not in it, and I just can't see myself doing it for 50 more years.

That being said, here is my plan. I'm going to re-enroll in a public university (where I did my undergrad) and take my pre-reqs. I can probably get them done in roughly two years (probably earlier as some of my biology classes would count, but I want to take some upper level courses to pad that GPA. I have not participated in any research, but once I'm back in school I'm definitely planning on seeking out opportunities.

I am part of quite a few committees at my hospital such as working with other nurses (and sometimes the docs) about how we can treat our diabetic patients in order to produce better outcomes. I also take part in my unit's CPC which is pretty much talking about how our unit can provide better patient outcomes. I know these probably don't mean much in the grand scheme, but they're extracurriculars. I'm also a member of the nursing honor society which is pretty prestigious in the nursing world, but I'm sure won't mean jack when it comes to applying for med school.

I've always been a strong student (save that pesky freshman year that screwed my GPA quite a bit) and I'm always a strong test taker. Really, I just want someone who has more experience in applying to med school to tell me if this is just a pipe dream or not. And if you think I have a shot, what else can I do to better my chances?

Sorry this was kind of long. Also, I'm an OH resident, so I'd definitely be applying in-state.

Your post is arbitrary and a bit convoluted. You said you're a hard worker, good taste taker, and will do what it takes to become a doctor because its been a dream of yours. That's all fine and dandy, but without hard facts in the form of numbers, it's going to be difficult to accurately gauge your position. Have you taken the MCAT? How many hours of ECs do you have? I don't want to sound harsh, but giving us your back story isn't necessary too determine your chances of medschool. Medschools care about numbers, while it may not be always convenient, it's the best indicator of accomplishment and most indiscriminate way to go about reviewing applicants.

 

[ScamWow]

I'd ignore the above poster. Your GPA looks okay--you're in the ballpark for DO and MD schools. Let me warn you that being a good test taker doesn't mean much. The MCAT is not quiiiite like the ACT/SAT. It takes mastery of the material, which you build over multiple semesters of coursework. Anyway, I think you'll be a good candidate if you can maintain/improve your GPA, do reasonably well on the MCAT, and maybe squeeze in some fun ECs. Your clinical experience will be fine, but you still need to do some formal shadowing, I'd say. Good luck.

 

[phaloz]

I'd ignore the above poster. Your GPA looks okay--you're in the ballpark for DO and MD schools. Let me warn you that being a good test taker doesn't mean much. The MCAT is not quiiiite like the ACT/SAT. It takes mastery of the material, which you build over multiple semesters of coursework. Anyway, I think you'll be a good candidate if you can maintain/improve your GPA, do reasonably well on the MCAT, and maybe squeeze in some fun ECs. Your clinical experience will be fine, but you still need to do some formal shadowing, I'd say. Good luck.

Ignore me because I was being honest and genuinely want to help him? Medical schools care about numbers, so I asked for numbers. Of course there are other aspects of an application, but a first hand analyses of an applicant's stats based on numerical data is the best route to take initially. Numbers don't lie and provide a hard truth of exactly where an applicant stands. I guess I could have just thrown some generic response like "Do well on the MCAT" or "Improve your GPA", but I see you got that covered.

 

[Suncrusher]

^ I'd ignore you too, since you seemed to barely skim the original post. I really doubt OP has taken the MCAT yet since OP said they haven't even taken the prerequisites yet. 2 years as a nurse tech and 1 year as an RN is plenty of hours of healthcare experience. OP merely wanted to know if it was even worth going down the long road of completing all the other "numbers" (prereqs/mcat/research/physician shadowing/etc) considering that his/her GPA as an undergrad was 3.4. And the answer is yes. That GPA is completely solid for DO schools and will be even better after the upward trend is calculated. I got into several MDs with a 3.5, so even though MD doesn't calculate the upward trend...