Law School and then Med School

[marcdagr8]

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Here are the relevant facts/details:
- I am 30
- My undergrad GPA is under 3.0 with sGPA around 3.2
- Biochem undergrad
- LSAT of 165 (92%) and GRE in 92%-95%
- Worked in law x 1.5 years as a paralegal in nursing board law
- Registered to take MCAT this month with first practice test a week ago of 31 (AAMC #2 or 3, the free one)
- Planning on starting law school this semester and completing in 2.5 years
- Law school is 3rd or 4th tier

Any thoughts on chances of getting into MD school with good law school grades? For the sake of argument, let’s not discuss a SMP.

 

[premedgrad]

I haven't really heard about a situation like this, just because it's so unique, but here's my 2 cents... Even if you got good grades in law school, your uGPA will still carry a lot more weight and the low sGPA especially will hold you back for MD. I think a SMP might be a good idea.

 

[Goro]

Chances are 0% with those GPAs. Your law school performance would not be considered by AdComs.

Here are the relevant facts/details:
- I am 30
- My undergrad GPA is under 3.0 with sGPA around 3.2
- Biochem undergrad
- LSAT of 165 (92%) and GRE in 92%-95%
- Worked in law x 1.5 years as a paralegal in nursing board law
- Registered to take MCAT this month with first practice test a week ago of 31 (AAMC #2 or 3, the free one)
- Planning on starting law school this semester and completing in 2.5 years
- Law school is 3rd or 4th tier

Any thoughts on chances of getting into MD school with good law school grades? For the sake of argument, let’s not discuss a SMP.

 

[NeverWalkAlone9]

Chances are 0% with those GPAs. Your law school performance would not be considered by AdComs.

I couldn't disagree more strongly.

Some schools may not consider your performance in law school, but some will (many admissions directors are JDs and not MDs after all, so I'm sure they have some appreciation for the difficulty of law school; a strong performance tells a lot about you). And while those gpas aren't great, many other factors are considered and weighted differently for non-traditional applicants (for instance, my undergrad gpa was similar, but my grad school gpa and clinical exp made the difference in proving growth/maturity/etc and being accepted this cycle)... For your situation I would think focusing on crushing the mcat, gaining extensive clinical experience, and knowing how to clearly articulate why you want to be a JD/MD are most important (how you achieve this while earning your JD with stellar grades is beyond me, good luck).

It might be worthwhile to try to identify a school where you think you might be competitive and see if an admissions officer would be willing to meet with you to discuss your situation and how you can increase your competitiveness as an applicant at their school. (Probably look to do this after this application cycle is complete, i.e. June/July, because adcoms officers are probably too busy right now; I would guess that meeting when they have more time would be much more fruitful.)

Hope this was helpful and possibly encouraging; don't listen to people who tell you you have no chance, give up, etc.. I heard this a lot myself; although it took me 3 app cycles, I eventually gained acceptance to my top choice US allopathic. If you really want it and are fully committed, anything is possible.

Just out of curiosity, why do you want to pursue an MD after law school?

Sent from my Desire HD using SDN Mobile

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

With all due respect, I would seriously reconsider going to law school with the hopes it will impress MD adcoms (if that is indeed what you are intending). Honestly, I wouldn't go to law school at all in this market (especially 3rd or 4th tier) if you wouldn't be happy practicing only law (and even that is no certainty). Also, I would take Goro's word on this one. He knows what he's talking about.

 

[Gauss44]

Here are the relevant facts/details:
- I am 30
- My undergrad GPA is under 3.0 with sGPA around 3.2
- Biochem undergrad
- LSAT of 165 (92%) and GRE in 92%-95%
- Worked in law x 1.5 years as a paralegal in nursing board law
- Registered to take MCAT this month with first practice test a week ago of 31 (AAMC #2 or 3, the free one)
- Planning on starting law school this semester and completing in 2.5 years
- Law school is 3rd or 4th tier

Any thoughts on chances of getting into MD school with good law school grades? For the sake of argument, let's not discuss a SMP.

Considering that:

1. You are unique in a good way. (Lawyering skills would help doctors negotiate better insurance rates, help them to bend the law in their favor, have better benefits, etc. The more doctors with law degrees, the less doctors get "walked on" legally.)

and

2. You've been out of undergraduate school for a long time and you could get a postbac. (A postbac might be enough to show adcoms that you are a worthy candidate - BUT you will have to get excellent grades in your postbac program.)

You might have a good chance. It might depend on the school though. You need to separate out those who KNOW the answer to your question from the others who ASSUME or guess at an answer.

-Have you considered DO or calculated your GPAs using the DO method? Is it higher?

-Have you asked this question to MD schools that are interested in diversity in more than just a racial/cultural way? The MSAR gives clues to what a school's values are. Some look primarily at numbers, while others take a great interest in other aspects of applicants.

 

[marcdagr8]

First of all I sincerely appreciate all of the responses, especially the ones that obviously took some time to compose.

Hope this was helpful and possibly encouraging

Yes, both actually. Thank you.

Just out of curiosity, why do you want to pursue an MD after law school?

I want an MD because I want to practice medicine. I love the science and I enjoy working with people. I am not driven by a desire to “help” people, but it is a plus.

Considering that:
-Have you considered DO or calculated your GPAs using the DO method? Is it higher?

DO school is a strong consideration; my grades are significantly improved by the different GPA algorithm. I realize that this may be a more likely option, but I am more interested in discussing the possibility of MD school right now.

Considering that:
-Have you asked this question to MD schools that are interested in diversity in more than just

No, but I will now.

Are you taking loans to get through law school?

I will be getting a nearly a 50% tuition scholarship so the loans won’t be too bad. Also, the scholarship will increase if I perform well in school.

What are you even planning to do with your JD anyway? Another thing to consider is are you prepared to soley be an attorney with a 3rd/4th rate degree if med school doesn't pan out?

If I can’t make it into a medical school, I am prepared to work as an attorney. I have no intention/desire to work big law so the poorly regarded JD will not be an issue.

As for law school helping you get into med school...I'm not sure how relevant it would be for your medical school application since the two fields are almost completely unrelated.

I agree that law school has nothing to do with medical school. However, I hope to show that I know my science with my MCAT and I would think that doing well in law school will show that I can be academically successful since the grades are curved, that is you are directly competing with your classmates.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Just thought I'd throw out a few things.

1. Are there any stips on your law school scholarship? Certain schools are known for giving out scholarships with the premise that you stay in the top X% of your class or you lose the money. They then "stack the deck" by putting the scholarship students in the same section. Not saying this is the case, but something to consider.

2. It's good that you aren't looking for biglaw coming out of school. I'd imagine only a handfull of students could land it anyway. Be aware though that some of these schools have legal employment numbers at 50% or even below. That's not just those not landing biglaw jobs, but no legal job at all. In this sense, where you go to school is still an issue regardless of what you are shooting for. I would check out lawschooltransparency to get a better idea of where your law school stands.

Maybe you've already thought of all these things, but as someone who was once interested in going to law school, I just thought I would put in my 2 cents. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[marcdagr8]

Just thought I'd throw out a few things.

1. Are there any stips on your law school scholarship? Certain schools are known for giving out scholarships with the premise that you stay in the top X% of your class or you lose the money. They then "stack the deck" by putting the scholarship students in the same section. Not saying this is the case, but something to consider.

Considered, anticipated, and expected. As I hope to use these grades to convince a MD admission committee that I am competitive, I need to do very well anyway.

2. It's good that you aren't looking for biglaw coming out of school. I'd imagine only a handfull of students could land it anyway. Be aware though that some of these schools have legal employment numbers at 50% or even below. That's not just those not landing biglaw jobs, but no legal job at all. In this sense, where you go to school is still an issue regardless of what you are shooting for. I would check out lawschooltransparency to get a better idea of where your law school stands.

If I practice law, I would set up my own practice. No job to apply for. I already have experience in family law and admin law (specifically health care licensing) and could easily get work/clients in those areas. Therefore, where I get a JD from is irrevelant. The lay person does not care where you graduated from. They only care if you sound like you know what you are doing.

, I just thought I would put in my 2 cents. Good luck with whatever you decide.

$0.02 from someone who I gave nothing to is always appreciated. Thank you!