JD to MD What Post Bac's Should I be looking at?

[jdtomd12]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello, for the last five years I have been a public criminal defense attorney, but I am finally ready for a career change. I knew early on that the law was not right for me and so a few years ago I began exploring my options. I started volunteering at a local hospital and shadowing doctors. Through this experience I confirmed my suspicions and realized I want to go into medicine.

So here are my stats. 3.5 Undergrad GPA. About 500 hrs. of volunteer experience in both private hospitals and local jail clinics, and 200 hours of shadowing experience (I have been doing it for a while now). After lurking around I have realized that SAT seems to matter, unfortunately, as mine was a lowly 1140, I believe? Seems silly since this was well over ten years ago. If it matters my LSAT was a 162 (87% percentile). Will having a JD weigh into the process at all? Additionally, what programs might I be competitive at? I would think that the big names are out of the question (JHU, Goucher, Columbia etc…) am I wrong? I live around Richmond Va., so I will likely apply to VCU's Cert., but I am by no means tied down to the area, though I will likely stay on the east coast.

Any opinions?

Thanks for any insight.

 

[smpbound]

SAT does not matter. LSAT does not matter. Your JD does not matter as much as you think it does. You are a non-trad so your experiences as a lawyer will be one part of your entire med school application. If anything, it seems to be a negative because you have to explain why you're changing professional careers.

Good luck to you.

 

[Gordon Gekko]

With that cGPA, you don't need a SMP unless your sGPA is lower than that. If sGPA is the same, then a good MCAT and good LORs are all you need.

 

[jdtomd12]

SAT does not matter. LSAT does not matter. Your JD does not matter as much as you think it does. You are a non-trad so your experiences as a lawyer will be one part of your entire med school application. If anything, it seems to be a negative because you have to explain why you're changing professional careers.

Good luck to you.

Thanks for the replies!

I understand the LSAT not mattering, I was just trying to give all my info. As far as post Baccs go, because that is all I am interested in at the moment, does SAT not matter at all? It seems as though most, if not all of the big name Bac programs want an SAT score, and yes UVA even wants the LSAT score. I guess when it comes down to it, my question can be better phrased as how much weight do these programs, Post Bac, not SMP, put into things other than GPA? I'm really just trying to figure out what "level" of school I should be applying to?

I understand there will likely be "why?" questions down the line for med schools, but these post bac programs are literally designed for "career changers," so while I will need a reason as to why I am choosing medicine, I don't think it will be a big "hurdle," at least at this point. Am I wrong about this?

Thanks Gordon! I definitely understand I don't need an SMP, but at this point I have none of the science pre reqs, so I am looking at post Bac programs. Although, what you said at least put my mind at ease a bit once med school apps start. As an aside, how much does a really high sGPA make up for an averageish cGPA?

Again, thanks everybody.

 

[ymmit]

jdtomd, I think you have a decent shot at the higher level postbaccs. I would not bar yourself from applying to them - often programs like Columbia love a good story like yours. They also accept a LOT of students, so you should have as decent a shot as anyone else. This is just from hearsay, though. You can try contacting potential programs and talking with their admissions office.
Just as an aside for the future, don't be too intimidated or swayed by what people tell you on SDN, even if they seem to speak with "authority". You should listen to opinions thoughtfully, and there is a lot of great info on here - but more often than not, the posters here cannot comment specifically on your case with any real credibility unless they are/were adcoms. Good luck!

Edit: One more thing, there are few enough career changer post-bacc programs (after you put your geographical considerations into account) that it won't hurt much to apply broadly.

 

[Gordon Gekko]

No pre-reqs, then Bryn Mawr.

 

[jdtomd12]

Thanks for the insight, ymmit!

 

[ksyhe]

Hello, for the last five years I have been a public criminal defense attorney, but I am finally ready for a career change. I knew early on that the law was not right for me and so a few years ago I began exploring my options. I started volunteering at a local hospital and shadowing doctors. Through this experience I confirmed my suspicions and realized I want to go into medicine.

So here are my stats. 3.5 Undergrad GPA. About 500 hrs. of volunteer experience in both private hospitals and local jail clinics, and 200 hours of shadowing experience (I have been doing it for a while now). After lurking around I have realized that SAT seems to matter, unfortunately, as mine was a lowly 1140, I believe? Seems silly since this was well over ten years ago. If it matters my LSAT was a 162 (87% percentile). Will having a JD weigh into the process at all? Additionally, what programs might I be competitive at? I would think that the big names are out of the question (JHU, Goucher, Columbia etc…) am I wrong? I live around Richmond Va., so I will likely apply to VCU's Cert., but I am by no means tied down to the area, though I will likely stay on the east coast.

Any opinions?

Thanks for any insight.

I agree with ymmit, don't let SDN intimidate you. I got into the "big names" with a lower GPA than yours, much less clinical experience, and a strong story for why I wanted to change careers and pursue medicine. I think that if you have the bare minimums for numbers, a great story will push the balance in your favor for programs like Bryn Mawr and Goucher, who are seeking out true career changers. Good luck!

 

[musicalfeet]

I think it's worth a shot to apply--I think the top post bac programs really are worth a shot (the learning experience and just the whole thing is totally worth it). Consider Goucher, Bryn Mawr, Scripps and JHU. Also think about which environment you thrive best in. I went to undergrad in a huge public instutition, so I definitely wanted to avoid a huge class size (I just felt lost in the shuffle..I think one of the other three have huge class sizes) and therefore Scripps was the best choice. I got in with a 3.4 GPA..although the SAT score I submitted was relatively high. It's worth a shot!

Now, even if you don't accepted to any of the programs doesn't mean that you're not cut out for med school or anything. Plenty of people do it on their own and make it. These programs tend to just pick students who would have made it into med school without their program.

That being said, I wouldn't apply to formal post bac programs unless they had linkages (even though I didn't take advantage of one). It's much cheaper to do it on your own, and I would do my research on whatever institution you were thinking of applying to and making sure their classrooms are structured for a non-trad to succeed. Some schools set up their pre-req classes to act as weeder classes, which I would argue is a little unfair for the nontrads who have been out of school for awhile, or studied something completely different and are years removed from their last math/science class. Be sure to look into that as well.

 

[jdtomd12]

Thanks for the advice guys! It sounds like my best bet is to apply broadly and see what happens. Thanks again.