Law School Drop Out

[post-bacc2med]

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I am hoping to get some input on how difficult it will be for me to return to the pre-med path after a long path away from and back to healthcare.

I was pre-med in undergrad. Have a 3.95+ science and cumulative GPA, with the pre-med curriculum complete and some additional upper-level bio courses. However, I dropped my B.S. in Bio degree during my senior year of college to pursue law school instead of medicine. I finished a liberal arts B.A. and minor. I always planned to go into the healthcare field, but at the time, I thought I would be better suited to a policy/regulatory role. However, after beginning law school at a top program this year, I realized that I would be fundamentally unsatisfied with my career unless I was involved in direct patient care and application of science in my daily work as a health professional. I was on a full scholarship so my debt is minimal from making the decision to leave. I'm just at a loss now on how to proceed and get back on the path towards medicine. I'm also open to pharmacy.

I'm mostly worried that my history of withdrawals from my upper level bio coursework and from my first semester of law school will ruin my chances despite what could otherwise have been a pretty strong application. None of my withdrawals are WF; they are all Ws, but there are quite a few now. Also, most of my pre-reqs will have been taken 5+ years ago by time I can apply. I'm also aware that adcomms will view my circuitous route as a red flag and I want to mitigate this effect as much as I can. What can I do? Really, leaving law to return back to medicine involved more sacrifice than hope for any practical benefit. I'm now in my mid-twenties with no real employable skills and I just left the most financially secure career path that would have been possible for me (the law school I was at would have all but guaranteed a career at least as lucrative as medicine--if not more-so--but without the debt) in order to pursue what I realized a little to late is a real calling to the medical profession. In the end though, I know this will be worth it. The debt and the duration of the training don't deter me. Basically, I want to show that this is not a simple "grass is greener" scenario, but I'm not sure how to do it.

Before starting law school, I had about a year of full time work experience in an admin support role in a hospital and 400+ hours of hospital volunteering. I have some research experience in biomedical sciences and social determinants of health as well, though nothing very substantial (just a semester for each). Haven't taken the MCAT yet, but I'm a strong standardized tester (99th percentile LSAT, etc.) and think I should be able to do fairly well if I put the work in. If it matters, I would be EDing my local med school in a rural, sparsely populated state that I have strong ties to. Not really interested in going to med school or working anywhere else, so I'm hoping this commitment might factor in.

Finally, I'm at a point in life where I'll have to be gainfully employed for at least several years before I can afford to start another professional program. I'm hoping to make the most of my time between now and then. Is there anything I can do to help solidify my commitment to medicine and demonstrate that I'm able to handle the academic rigor and mental endurance a career and education in medicine will require? Would a post-bacc be worth it at this point, even though my pre-med coursework is complete?

Thanks for all your advice!

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

I'm now in my mid-twenties with no real employable skills and I just left the most financially secure career path that would have been possible for me (the law school I was at would have all but guaranteed a career at least as lucrative as medicine--if not more-so--but without the debt) in order to pursue what I realized a little to late is a real calling to the medical profession. In the end though, I know this will be worth it. The debt and the duration of the training don't deter me. Basically, I want to show that this is not a simple "grass is greener" scenario, but I'm not sure how to do it.

A career change to medicine in your 'mid-twenties' isn't too late. The average age of matriculation is ~25 years old, and there are many applicants who have applied in their 30s and even 40s.

I'm mostly worried that my history of withdrawals from my upper level bio coursework and from my first semester of law school will ruin my chances despite what could otherwise have been a pretty strong application. None of my withdrawals are WF; they are all Ws, but there are quite a few now. Also, most of my pre-reqs will have been taken 5+ years ago by time I can apply. I'm also aware that adcomms will view my circuitous route as a red flag and I want to mitigate this effect as much as I can. What can I do?

If I were in your shoes, I would re-take the upper level bio coursework and complete it in 1 or 2 semesters. It would show you're committed to the pre-med track again, and prove to adcoms that you can handle a med-school-level course load. It can reduce the possibility of those W's becoming a red flag on your application. That's just my opinion and we would need an adcom officer to weigh in here. @Goro -- opinions?

Would a post-bacc be worth it at this point, even though my pre-med coursework is complete?

I don't think a formal post-bacc is necessary. You already have all the pre-reqs.

The best thing you can do right now is to have formal shadowing experience. All med schools require it anyways. It's a chance to see the hidden aspects of medicine, as well as the positive/negatives of a physician's lifestyle. I recommend shadowing 2 physicians--one primary care and one specialist. A total of 50-100 hours is fine. Try to obtain a letter of recommendation.

If you plan on applying to DO, then a DO letter is highly recommended.

Since you will continue to gain to clinical experience, another way to strengthen your app would be to volunteer in programs that help those who are less fortunate than yourself.

When you're ready, take the MCAT.

• For MD schools - aim for +510 for in-state schools, +513 for out-of-state.
• For DO schools - aim for +505

Remember that the journey to medical school is a marathon--jog, don't sprint. Continue your EC's and clinical work experience, but don't overburden yourself. Take all the time you need to prepare for the MCAT and knock it out of the park in 1 shot.

 

[curbsideconsult]

Can you go back to law school? Or have you officially, irrevocably, withdrawn? If you can go back, I say finish your law degree. You said you need to work a few years anyway so why not get a high-paying job after law school while you're working on building up your med school CV? If you were smart enough to get 99th percentile on the LSAT and get a scholarship to a T14 (I'm assuming "top" = T14) then you'll be able to accomplish all the pre-med work while finishing school and working for a couple of years afterward.

 

[Goro]

I am hoping to get some input on how difficult it will be for me to return to the pre-med path after a long path away from and back to healthcare.

I was pre-med in undergrad. Have a 3.95+ science and cumulative GPA, with the pre-med curriculum complete and some additional upper-level bio courses. However, I dropped my B.S. in Bio degree during my senior year of college to pursue law school instead of medicine. I finished a liberal arts B.A. and minor. I always planned to go into the healthcare field, but at the time, I thought I would be better suited to a policy/regulatory role. However, after beginning law school at a top program this year, I realized that I would be fundamentally unsatisfied with my career unless I was involved in direct patient care and application of science in my daily work as a health professional. I was on a full scholarship so my debt is minimal from making the decision to leave. I'm just at a loss now on how to proceed and get back on the path towards medicine. I'm also open to pharmacy.

I'm mostly worried that my history of withdrawals from my upper level bio coursework and from my first semester of law school will ruin my chances despite what could otherwise have been a pretty strong application. None of my withdrawals are WF; they are all Ws, but there are quite a few now. Also, most of my pre-reqs will have been taken 5+ years ago by time I can apply. I'm also aware that adcomms will view my circuitous route as a red flag and I want to mitigate this effect as much as I can. What can I do? Really, leaving law to return back to medicine involved more sacrifice than hope for any practical benefit. I'm now in my mid-twenties with no real employable skills and I just left the most financially secure career path that would have been possible for me (the law school I was at would have all but guaranteed a career at least as lucrative as medicine--if not more-so--but without the debt) in order to pursue what I realized a little to late is a real calling to the medical profession. In the end though, I know this will be worth it. The debt and the duration of the training don't deter me. Basically, I want to show that this is not a simple "grass is greener" scenario, but I'm not sure how to do it.

Before starting law school, I had about a year of full time work experience in an admin support role in a hospital and 400+ hours of hospital volunteering. I have some research experience in biomedical sciences and social determinants of health as well, though nothing very substantial (just a semester for each). Haven't taken the MCAT yet, but I'm a strong standardized tester (99th percentile LSAT, etc.) and think I should be able to do fairly well if I put the work in. If it matters, I would be EDing my local med school in a rural, sparsely populated state that I have strong ties to. Not really interested in going to med school or working anywhere else, so I'm hoping this commitment might factor in.

Finally, I'm at a point in life where I'll have to be gainfully employed for at least several years before I can afford to start another professional program. I'm hoping to make the most of my time between now and then. Is there anything I can do to help solidify my commitment to medicine and demonstrate that I'm able to handle the academic rigor and mental endurance a career and education in medicine will require? Would a post-bacc be worth it at this point, even though my pre-med coursework is complete?

Thanks for all your advice!

I can't sugar coat this OP, if I heard you explain your career path in this way, I'd have serious concerns about whether you'd bail on med school.

You have made not one but two major impulsive decisions with poor outcomes.

We like signs of commitment from our applicants. Yes, we know that sometimes the path to Medicine is revolutionary, not evolutionary, but you have veered off that path too often for my taste.

I suggest that you get a job, any job, and then engage in a few years of both clinical exposure, shadowing and service to others less fortunate than yourself. At some point you'll have to take the MCAT as well.