Law Student in Medical IP, now seriously considering med school

[TX_1990Ferg]

Hi there,

I'm currently a 3L law student that is considering applying for medical school (TX Resident) once I completed my last year of law school. My whole life I've always loved medicine and planned on going into medical school. However, during my sophomore year of undergrad I shifted my path towards law. This was due to terrible grades resulting from trying to double major in Computer Science and Biology(basically trying to still knock out my med school prereqs) starting my sophomore year. My uGPA breakdown is this:
Freshmen Year: 3.32 as just Bio major
Sophomore Year: 1.62, compsci & bio, yeah terrible grades from my CS classes
Junior: 3.22 year I switched to polisci
Senior : 3.53

As you can tell, my second year destroyed my overall gpa. However, one bright spot is that my science gpa can be salvageable. Specifically, i only took three biology classes (bio 1 & 2, and Genetics). Therefore I have a chance to redeem my science gpa by completing the med school pre reqs once I'm done with my law school. I did the math and it can reach to about 3.65, but my cumulative gpa is still low.

Currently, this fall I will be working at UTMB's in-house legal office that develops patents and IP rights for the medical research performed by the doctors, fellows, and medical students at UTMB. I might do the same in the spring for UT Houston. These internships are part of a hospital law program at my law school. I was hoping these internships will look positive and unique on my med school application. Plus I enjoy patent and IP law anyway.

Basically, my main question is do I have shot at med school even though I completely bombed my second year by failing my Computer Science classes?
Thanks for taking the time to read my long post.

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[esob]

You should look at the data for UGPA for Texas MD schools. Its pretty stiff. I think UTSW is ~ 3.9, so even as a Tx resident you are in bad shape with that GPA. I'm not sure what your finances are like but you also need to consider how much debt you might be in IF you do actually get in and what the impact might be on financial aid (whether or not you have exhausted available aid). Honestly, it also doesn't look good if you got to law school and then try to get into medical school right after graduating. So honestly there is a lot going against you but it would be a disservice to a fellow Texan to tell you anything less. Nothing's impossible but honestly you should try working as a lawyer for a couple years while finishing prereqs and doing some clinical and shadowing.

 

[Law2Doc]

You can probably get there eventually but not as quick as you'd like. First, as mentioned, you'll need the prereqs and a certain amount of grade rehabilitation to get your GPA up to snuff. Your law grades basically don't factor in. Second, while IP work is a nice EC, it won't substitute for hospital volunteering and shadowing. So you will need to spend a lot of time doing that as well - to show you've seen up close what you are getting yourself into. Basically doing your due diligence. Third, being a lawyer has many transferable skills to being a doctor. Law student, not so much. So your odds will be much greater if you actually work first and then change careers rather than try to go straight from law school to post bac. It also doesn't look so good to Adcoms if you went through law school but never gave the career a chance -- smacks of being a "degree collector" and they'd have to worry you'll do the same with your MD. Finally you need a bit of a better back story of "why medicine?" Premeds get to say "it's always what I wanted to do" but people a few more years out are expected to have more of a draw, be more thought out. Had you worked for a while as a lawyer and then had some cool premed ECs that sucked you in the essay would write itself. But just jumping from law school to post bac and applying to med school won't be as convincing. You need a draw to medicine, not away from law. Med schools don't want other fields' washouts. Applying right after law school smacks of being yet another jaded law student who just couldn't find a job and wants to hide out longer in school rather than someone with a palpable desire or calling. Hope that helps. There have been many law to medicine threads on here so it might be helpful to search for some - your post is hardly rare. With the law market hard hit med schools are seeing a lot more law applicants than in years past so the hurdles are a bit higher.

 

[TX_1990Ferg]

Thanks for the responses!
Yeah I totally understand giving off the vibe to an Adcom that I'm just a "career student" if I immediately apply after I graduate. I know I need to have a stellar reason why I'm choosing med school now after law school. I do have some legal employment opportunities once I graduate so I'm not one those law students who want to go to med school since they can't find a job. However, as you guys said, I need to show the Adcoms that and not just say it. When I graduate next spring I will be working at family law firm(maybe UTMB) while I'm taking my prereqs, so I'll be able to actually practice law for a while.
Also, you are right about the medical IP work as only a cool EC. Luckily my sister is one the HR coordinators that's in charge of linking applicants for shadowing doctors at UTMB. This winter I'll be shadowing an orthopedic who happens to be a DO (would make a good LOR for TCOM since she went there for med school). Then I'll be shadowing her husband who's in cardiology next spring. Then of course I'll need to put in more volunteering hours.
Again, thanks for the input! Will seriously take this to heart.

 

[789627]

Moral/TL;DR: Some guy I know with a similar background as you is now a med student, and you can be, too. But, I'd look into postbac options as a grade booster.

I am an attorney who is currently finishing up a post-bac premed program. I plan to apply next cycle. I'll briefly touch on the whole deal about how medicine and law are not for people who just want the prestige. To be happy and successful in either, you need to be passionate. Blah blah blah. Hopefully, you have already done the work at assessing your passion for medicine for yourself, because the decision to switch from law to med isn't one to be taken lightly. It really is so much work and you could just relax into a nice, well paying law job and sail off into the sunset.

Now onto the good stuff: I think you have a decent shot, but not based on my experience, since you and I are different sorts of applicants. My undergrad grades were strong (3.9). I took basically no STEM classes in undergrad. I also worked for a few years in a good law job before applying to a postbac program. I am a true career changer. That doesn't make me a better applicant, it just makes me a different kind of applicant.

You, on the other hand, have some undergrad grades to overcome, and you plan to transition straight from law to medicine without giving law a shot. But, I actually know someone who did just that and was quite successful. Here is his story:

He graduated from my law school a few years behind me. (Top 20 law school.) His law school grades were probably around the mean or lower (which is totally fine, as you know). He entered a postbac program at a strong undergraduate institution. He used the postbac program not to fulfill his basic STEM requirements, but to boost his STEM GPA. His undergrad STEM GPA/overall GPA was mediocre (mid to low 3's). Therefore, he took mostly advanced bio classes, and maybe retook a few other courses he did particularly poorly in during undergrad. (I think AMCAS averages the two grades). He got straight As in the postbac program. He also rocked the MCAT by studying like a beast. He did biomed research and volunteered at in a crisis zone (intentionally being vague here to protect his identity...) His application cycle went very well. He got into med school (at an ivy league school). He was wait listed at some of the very top medical schools on US News. That said, he worked really hard and is obviously a smart person. His personal statement very clearly explained his motivation for switching fields. All of these factors likely contributed to his success.

Good luck.

 

[Law2Doc]

Bear in mind that everybody "knows a guy" but (a) circumstances are never identical and (b) you rarely know all the circumstances and (c ) some paths are, frankly, not reproducible. A person who has worked in law before deciding on med school IS going to be regarded as a "better" applicant on average than the guy jumping from professional school right to a postbac because there's less of a "degree hopping" concern and because there are transferable skills if you've worked, and because there's less concern that he might change his mind about giving medicine a try as well. Advice should never be anecdotal -- we all "know a guy". I know a guy who won the lottery too but that's still pretty meaningless for everyone who wants to follow in his footsteps...

 

[Goro]

You have three major tasks:

demonstrate that you can handle med school
demonstrate that you're running TO Medicine, not away from Law
demonstrate that you won't bail on med school like you did with law school.

Hi there,

I'm currently a 3L law student that is considering applying for medical school (TX Resident) once I completed my last year of law school. My whole life I've always loved medicine and planned on going into medical school. However, during my sophomore year of undergrad I shifted my path towards law. This was due to terrible grades resulting from trying to double major in Computer Science and Biology(basically trying to still knock out my med school prereqs) starting my sophomore year. My uGPA breakdown is this:
Freshmen Year: 3.32 as just Bio major
Sophomore Year: 1.62, compsci & bio, yeah terrible grades from my CS classes
Junior: 3.22 year I switched to polisci
Senior : 3.53

As you can tell, my second year destroyed my overall gpa. However, one bright spot is that my science gpa can be salvageable. Specifically, i only took three biology classes (bio 1 & 2, and Genetics). Therefore I have a chance to redeem my science gpa by completing the med school pre reqs once I'm done with my law school. I did the math and it can reach to about 3.65, but my cumulative gpa is still low.

Currently, this fall I will be working at UTMB's in-house legal office that develops patents and IP rights for the medical research performed by the doctors, fellows, and medical students at UTMB. I might do the same in the spring for UT Houston. These internships are part of a hospital law program at my law school. I was hoping these internships will look positive and unique on my med school application. Plus I enjoy patent and IP law anyway.

Basically, my main question is do I have shot at med school even though I completely bombed my second year by failing my Computer Science classes?
Thanks for taking the time to read my long post.

 

[TX_1990Ferg]

Sorry for the delayed response, in the middle of moving so haven't had time to check on here. Again, thanks for all the feedback. All you guys have a valid point. Like many of you said, I am worried about giving off the impression that I'm running from law and not to medicine. However, the truth is that I really am running to medicine. I'm not going to give you my whole life story on why I love medicine (would be too long), but I am capable of giving a good personal statement, strong EC's (currently working at a medical school with the IP law team), etc. to address my many reasons on why I'm switching to medicine. However, like what law2doc pointed out, an applicant who practiced law for a few years would look better on paper. Should I really stick it out and practice law for a couple years then apply?
I want to reiterate that I'm not leaving law due to the job market being terrible. I worked hard enough to open doors for some solid jobs working as an attorney, so I will be working once I graduate. In today's legal job market I know there's an increasing number of graduating law students who end up with terrible job options so they decide to try the med route. I guess what I'm trying to ask, is there any way I can overcome this stigma that I'm just a "degree collector" or "career student" if I go start some post-bacc courses immediately after I graduate from law school?

 

[Law2Doc]

...strong EC's (currently working at a medical school with the IP law team), etc. to address my many reasons on why I'm switching to medicine...

Let's not exaggerate how "good" working in medical IP as a student is as an EC. It's interesting but in terms of showing you know what medicine is about or as a draw to the medical field it's just not the amazing EC you make it out to be. It does help your story in terms of saying you "always" we're interested in and gravitated toward medicine, even while in law school but it's simply not the "hook" that's going to get you into med school. Your experiences shadowing and volunteering with doctors will simply be more valuable. So let's dial the notion that you have an amazing EC back a bit. It makes you interesting but doesn't get you quite as far home as you seem to think.

 

[Law2Doc]

Sorry for the delayed response, in the middle of moving so haven't had time to check on here. Again, thanks for all the feedback. All you guys have a valid point. Like many of you said, I am worried about giving off the impression that I'm running from law and not to medicine. However, the truth is that I really am running to medicine. I'm not going to give you my whole life story on why I love medicine (would be too long), but I am capable of giving a good personal statement, strong EC's (currently working at a medical school with the IP law team), etc. to address my many reasons on why I'm switching to medicine. However, like what law2doc pointed out, an applicant who practiced law for a few years would look better on paper. Should I really stick it out and practice law for a couple years then apply?
I want to reiterate that I'm not leaving law due to the job market being terrible. I worked hard enough to open doors for some solid jobs working as an attorney, so I will be working once I graduate. In today's legal job market I know there's an increasing number of graduating law students who end up with terrible job options so they decide to try the med route. I guess what I'm trying to ask, is there any way I can overcome this stigma that I'm just a "degree collector" or "career student" if I go start some post-bacc courses immediately after I graduate from law school?

As for your latter question, if you jump right from law school to postbac without trying law first, yeah it's going to look to some like you are degree hopping or a career student. If you burned a year or two giving law a try while doing some hospital volunteering and shadowing in your spare time and saving up for med school and only then jumped into postbac courses it would look much much better. Doesn't mean you can't find schools that would overlook this, but your reception with others would be different if the time line was: law school, lawyer, scratch your itch by testing the waters with health volunteering/ shadowing and only thereafter, after you've done the due diligence and looked before you leaped take the plunge into a Postbac. That's the ideal career changer path. Again doesn't mean you can't get there otherwise -- some have -- but its lower yield, and will make some places have degree collecting concerns. (And those that have been successful taking the abbreviated route unfortunately have no idea what other opportunities they lost out on trying to save a year.)

 

[TX_1990Ferg]

Thanks for the advice again. I'm probably most likely going to be practicing law for a year or two before I hit the post-bacc courses. Like you mentioned, will most certainly give me a better chance for acceptance since I'll be an actual career changer. What's your opinion if I just knock out my Chem courses once I graduate and not go into full post-bacc mode until a couple of years later? That way once I go into post-bacc I will be able to take many upper division bio courses to boost my gpa. Will that still look like career student?
Also, I wasn't implying that my IP work will be an amazing EC that would get me accepted into medical. I just keep bringing that up because I was hoping it would be a valuable EC to help convince a med school that I've always had a great interest in medicine.

 

[rabbott1971]

Thanks for the advice again. I'm probably most likely going to be practicing law for a year or two before I hit the post-bacc courses. Like you mentioned, will most certainly give me a better chance for acceptance since I'll be an actual career changer. What's your opinion if I just knock out my Chem courses once I graduate and not go into full post-bacc mode until a couple of years later? That way once I go into post-bacc I will be able to take many upper division bio courses to boost my gpa. Will that still look like career student?
Also, I wasn't implying that my IP work will be an amazing EC that would get me accepted into medical. I just keep bringing that up because I was hoping it would be a valuable EC to help convince a med school that I've always had a great interest in medicine.

Well, as an 18 year lawyer switching into medicine in my forties, I say go for it. From what I've read, I don't think adcoms hold it against you to take prereqs one or two at a time while working. Personally I don't see the harm in trying to be admitted sooner rather than later, and I disagree with having a "pretend" temporary law career to avoid the appearance of "degree-hopping." If not admitted, you try again the next cycle. You risk getting into a law job, getting bogged down with responsibilities, and you look up and many years have gone by. Plus why waste years in law when you don't want that expertise, instead of giving yourself more time to rack up experience in medicine? Whether you can get admitted, I leave to the experts, but until you have an MCAT score, it's a little speculative. Make a strong push to get in, sooner rather than later, because you'll get sucked into law, and comfortable routines can be hard to escape. Good luck, friend.

 

[Law2Doc]

... If not admitted, you try again the next cycle...

Horrible advice. You need to try to only do this once because odds actually are worse as a reapplicant, because you now have to show "substantial improvements" from the last cycle just to get the same consideration. Not to mention the incremental cost of doing this twice. Get your ducks in a row and only then pull the trigger. Never look at it as something you can always try again next cycle. The reapplicants board is full of people who wished they didn't listen to this kind of advice.

 

[TX_1990Ferg]

Say I do practice law and then go into my post-bacc courses. I did the math, with about 45 credit hours(basically the pre reqs with some upper level bio courses) I can get my gpa to around 3.2 and science around 3.6. I'm hoping that will keep my applcation from being automatically screened during the intitial process. I'm assuming some TX schools screen? During my summer break I studied my friends Kaplan MCAT bio/biochem and CARS guides a little bit and been getting around 80% of the Bio questions right and around 90% of the CARS( thanks law school). Not even going to bother taking Chem or Physics questions yet. Not sure how that equates to an actual MCAT score.

 

[rabbott1971]

Horrible advice. You need to try to only do this once because odds actually are worse as a reapplicant, because you now have to show "substantial improvements" from the last cycle just to get the same consideration. Not to mention the incremental cost of doing this twice. Get your ducks in a row and only then pull the trigger. Never look at it as something you can always try again next cycle. The reapplicants board is full of people who wished they didn't listen to this kind of advice.

I think this issue --whether reapplication status acts as a detriment-- depends on location and probably the tier of school you're looking to attend. I've spoken with three pre-health advisors, and none has a negative opinion of reapplicant status for the med schools in my state. In fact one mentioned the state dental school matriculating class consists of 1/3 reapplicants. I have a family member who got in on the second try. A common interview question is what will you do if you are not admitted. Would your answer be, well, probably just quit because reapplicants are doomed, or would you say you'll continue to work on your application profile and reapply? So, while I should have said check with your advisors, still the forceful rebuke characterizing reapplication so negatively was overblown. I don't really want to get into a huge deal about this, but at the same time, "horrible advice" was uncalled for. Have a nice day.

 

[Law2Doc]

I think this issue --whether reapplication status acts as a detriment-- depends on location and probably the tier of school you're looking to attend. I've spoken with three pre-health advisors, and none has a negative opinion of reapplicant status for the med schools in my state. In fact one mentioned the state dental school matriculating class consists of 1/3 reapplicants. I have a family member who got in on the second try. A common interview question is what will you do if you are not admitted. Would your answer be, well, probably just quit because reapplicants are doomed, or would you say you'll continue to work on your application profile and reapply? So, while I should have said check with your advisors, still the forceful rebuke characterizing reapplication so negatively was overblown. I don't really want to get into a huge deal about this, but at the same time, "horrible advice" was uncalled for. Have a nice day.

Meh, I have given this advice for quite a few years now and while many people protest it at first, often based on their own personal application adventures, hands down it's the advice that results most in follow up PMs to me saying " I really wish I listened to you".

So I stand by my "horrible advice" comment. The threshold is simply different for reapplicants, whether explicitly or subconsciously. You can't just throw the same application at schools the next year, it has to be somehow substantially improved from the prior, and thus that raises the bar, makes it harder to get the same consideration. Feel free to do what you like yourself but the notion "give it a shot, you can always try again next year" just isn't something that should be offered up on an advising board.

As for checking with advisors, some are better than others. Few have personally been through the application process, many know little more than you can glean from SDN. If some advisors are telling you, "give it a shot, you can always try again next year" without recourse, I would personally find different advisors.

And finally ( and most importantly) I am not sure why you are referencing advice advisors provided regarding your state DENTAL school. The rules are very different for different professional schools and the OP was explicit that he was inquiring about MEDICAL school. I defer to you on dental school advice but that really belongs in a different thread. Have a nice day.

 

[Goro]

Kid, for your own good, you had better develop a thicker skin, because nurses, residency directors and attending will eat you alive with this attitude.

? So, while I should have said check with your advisors, still the forceful rebuke characterizing reapplication so negatively was overblown. I don't really want to get into a huge deal about this, but at the same time, "horrible advice" was uncalled for. Have a nice day.

 

[rabbott1971]

Kid, for your own good, you had better develop a thicker skin, because nurses, residency directors and attending will eat you alive with this attitude.

I wrote a friendly, measured response to a critique, and you blast my attitude and call me kid?

 

[mw18]

Horrible advice. You need to try to only do this once because odds actually are worse as a reapplicant, because you now have to show "substantial improvements" from the last cycle just to get the same consideration.

So, a bit of a tangent but has anyone looked at and analyzed the data to know conclusively that your odds are worse as a reapplicant, due only to your reapplicant status? It's obvious that the pool of reapplicants do worse than first time cohorts, because they are undoubtedly made up of a lot of people who don't have what it takes to get into med school. Has anyone looked at reapplicants with stats that are competitive and if they actually fare worse? I would assume so, if only because Adcoms would scrutinize more heavily because they don't want to miss what the previous year didn't.

 

[Goro]

I rest my case!

I wrote a friendly, measured response to a critique, and you blast my attitude and call me kid?

 

[rabbott1971]

I rest my case!

Well, you failed to establish a prima facie case, so I demur to the evidence.

 

[Law2Doc]

So, a bit of a tangent but has anyone looked at and analyzed the data to know conclusively that your odds are worse as a reapplicant, due only to your reapplicant status? It's obvious that the pool of reapplicants do worse than first time cohorts, because they are undoubtedly made up of a lot of people who don't have what it takes to get into med school. Has anyone looked at reapplicants with stats that are competitive and if they actually fare worse? I would assume so, if only because Adcoms would scrutinize more heavily because they don't want to miss what the previous year didn't.

I am positive no one has done such an analysis, and people tend to only be open about their experiences once they are success stories, so it would be difficult to harvest data. However by virtue of adcoms looking for improvement before reconsidering someone they already passed on, the threshold will be higher.

People should do what they can to only apply once and those that end up reapplicants should expect to need to substantially improve things. Don't apply on a whim and see what sticks, get your ducks in a row.

 

[TX_1990Ferg]

This is a random thing to bring up, but I guess its something i should possibly mention in my application. Another reason why my second year grades were terrible was that I was fighting osteosarcoma located in my ankle during that time. I actually caught in fairly early due to my friend slide tackling me during a soccer game. Got an x-ray to see if ankle was broken, radiologist found a mass instead. Obviously, everything went well with radiation therapy and two surgeries to remove the tumor.
In hindsight, I should have just taken the year off from school since my priority was not school then, but I just wanted to have normal life going to class. Should I even mention this in my application? I don't want to come off as making excuses or throwing myself a pity party. However, being 19 years old and diagnosed with a form of cancer of course was terrifying and took so much energy and time to fight.

 

[gyngyn]

So, a bit of a tangent but has anyone looked at and analyzed the data to know conclusively that your odds are worse as a reapplicant, due only to your reapplicant status? It's obvious that the pool of reapplicants do worse than first time cohorts, because they are undoubtedly made up of a lot of people who don't have what it takes to get into med school. Has anyone looked at reapplicants with stats that are competitive and if they actually fare worse? I would assume so, if only because Adcoms would scrutinize more heavily because they don't want to miss what the previous year didn't.

Yes, the AAMC has data showing that odds of acceptance are highest for first time applicants. I'll need to get to my office to find it...

 

[Nommonnom]

Yes, the AAMC has data showing that odds of acceptance are highest for first time applicants. I'll need to get to my office to find it...

The odds of passing the bar exam in law is highest for first time takers; however the exam isn't harder for retakers.

 

[mw18]

The odds of passing the bar exam in law is highest for first time takers; however the exam isn't harder for retakers.

Which is the logic behind why I was curious. Obviously there is a mechanism for it being harder for re-applicants via scrutiny. But if you match applicants in the gpa/mcat bins and their success rate, it shouldn't be hard to make that comparison. It is still further complicated by the fact that if 60 percent of people get accepted in a certain gpa/mcat bin, then those 40% that don't have something holding them back from being accepted other than just their stats. So they naturally should have a tougher time getting admitted as a reapplicant, but because they are "lesser" applicants not necessarily their status as a reapplicant.

The logic that you should only apply once (logic I tend to agree with) says that your chances are lower the second time even if you take your first cycle to work on your second application. This hinges on the fact that a better second application is still worth less or the same as a decent first application, but definitely worth less than a better first application after a year. Removing the money of applying and interviewing out of the equation.

 

[Sardinia]

@TX_1990Ferg I've skimmed this thread about three times and you have the basic bases covered to do this. I think the osteopathic focus is a smart, measured goal when considering your uGPA. Also, if you genuinely suffered from symptoms brought about by having an osteosarcoma in your second year of undergrad then I would mention it in the PS. However, if you were able to continue your studies which was a sign of you continuing to take courses in the second year, I wouldn't use it as a scapegoat for why you got poor scores. As a physician you will have to draw the line between a patient stating they have a 10/10 radiating chest pain and the reality of them having NAD represented by them playing Pokemon Go in the waiting room.

In a sense the decision you made to continue with your studies showed that you were able to participate in some form, however your failure is a result of having poor acumen which you need to claim responsibility for during that point of time. If you have enough initiative to take on being a lawyer then you should be able enough to structure a time plan and the courses you need to take in order to complete a DIY post-bac. Also as a word of advice, don't sell the intellectual property internship so hard unless it was actually a life changing moment for you. Now if you're able to work in IP from a career standpoint then I find that impressive, considering I mostly have worked with or been around lawyers in mostly a GP setting.

 

[TX_1990Ferg]

@TX_1990Ferg I've skimmed this thread about three times and you have the basic bases covered to do this. I think the osteopathic focus is a smart, measured goal when considering your uGPA. Also, if you genuinely suffered from symptoms brought about by having an osteosarcoma in your second year of undergrad then I would mention it in the PS. However, if you were able to continue your studies which was a sign of you continuing to take courses in the second year, I wouldn't use it as a scapegoat for why you got poor scores. As a physician you will have to draw the line between a patient stating they have a 10/10 radiating chest pain and the reality of them having NAD represented by them playing Pokemon Go in the waiting room.

In a sense the decision you made to continue with your studies showed that you were able to participate in some form, however your failure is a result of having poor acumen which you need to claim responsibility for during that point of time. If you have enough initiative to take on being a lawyer then you should be able enough to structure a time plan and the courses you need to take in order to complete a DIY post-bac. Also as a word of advice, don't sell the intellectual property internship so hard unless it was actually a life changing moment for you. Now if you're able to work in IP from a career standpoint then I find that impressive, considering I mostly have worked with or been around lawyers in mostly a GP setting.

Thanks for your input. Yeah taking the DO route is something I am definitely considering. Especially with my state's DO school being quite respected and having a solid program. Further, you are right about that I shouldn't use the osteosarcoma as a scapegoat for my poor grades my second year. I wasn't physically suffering (except for the surgeries), but it did take out an incredible amount of time to treat by driving back and forth from Austin to Houston. However, in the end I still took classes and did horrible in them, so I will have to own up to my mistake and demonstrate that my second year was a fluke.

 

[Sardinia]

Thanks for your input. Yeah taking the DO route is something I am definitely considering. Especially with my state's DO school being quite respected and having a solid program. Further, you are right about that I shouldn't use the osteosarcoma as a scapegoat for my poor grades my second year. I wasn't physically suffering (except for the surgeries), but it did take out an incredible amount of time to treat by driving back and forth from Austin to Houston. However, in the end I still took classes and did horrible in them, so I will have to own up to my mistake and demonstrate that my second year was a fluke.

Schools understand that no applicant is perfect, regardless of how exceptional they attempt to present themselves to be. You currently have various mediums to show that you are exceptional and the hiccup you had along the way has no bearing on how you operate in the here and now. However, it was a circumstance that occurred which should be noted as it is, as it happened, and perhaps how you learned from it.

 

[Law2Doc]

The odds of passing the bar exam in law is highest for first time takers; however the exam isn't harder for retakers.

It's not the same though. For a test they are looking at a specific passing threshold. Doesn't change test to test. your prior test scores aren't factored in - no "history" factors in. For a reapplicant the point is you need to show improvement. So the threshold has moved, it's no longer just the "70% = pass" a bar exam would be. There's now a history that gets taken into account, not a static application. So you need a good application PLUS address whatever issues there may have been the last round. Which can be more of a hurdle than getting things right the first time.

 

[LawToMed88]

Hi there,

I'm currently a 3L law student that is considering applying for medical school (TX Resident) once I completed my last year of law school. My whole life I've always loved medicine and planned on going into medical school. However, during my sophomore year of undergrad I shifted my path towards law. This was due to terrible grades resulting from trying to double major in Computer Science and Biology(basically trying to still knock out my med school prereqs) starting my sophomore year. My uGPA breakdown is this:
Freshmen Year: 3.32 as just Bio major
Sophomore Year: 1.62, compsci & bio, yeah terrible grades from my CS classes
Junior: 3.22 year I switched to polisci
Senior : 3.53

As you can tell, my second year destroyed my overall gpa. However, one bright spot is that my science gpa can be salvageable. Specifically, i only took three biology classes (bio 1 & 2, and Genetics). Therefore I have a chance to redeem my science gpa by completing the med school pre reqs once I'm done with my law school. I did the math and it can reach to about 3.65, but my cumulative gpa is still low.

Currently, this fall I will be working at UTMB's in-house legal office that develops patents and IP rights for the medical research performed by the doctors, fellows, and medical students at UTMB. I might do the same in the spring for UT Houston. These internships are part of a hospital law program at my law school. I was hoping these internships will look positive and unique on my med school application. Plus I enjoy patent and IP law anyway.

Basically, my main question is do I have shot at med school even though I completely bombed my second year by failing my Computer Science classes?
Thanks for taking the time to read my long post.

I'm in a very similar situation. I'm my fourth year (but final semester because I'm dual JD/MS). As an undergrad, I triple majored in poli sci/philosophy/sociology with a mediocre cGPA of 3.4 (no sGPA). I made the brilliant assumption that law school with the next logical step without taking enough serious consideration. However, the maturity didn't began to sink in until after I started law school. I am fortunate to come from a family of physicians, so the idea of a career in medicine has been "lingering," so to speak, pretty much my entire life.

First semester 1L year - I worked as a pro-bono legal intern at an MLP (medical-legal partnership) in the radiation-oncology unit at a local hospital. The internship involved working directly with low income, terminally-ill patients who could not afford the legal services related to their medical issues. Most of my assignments involved assisting these patients with last wills and testaments, advance directives, POLSTs, etc. Basically, this pro-bono internship led me to seriously consider medicine as my true passion.

2L year - I declared a concentration in health law and enrolled in a dual JD/MS in healthcare policy. Since then, I've worked in several areas of the healthcare field: US Department of Health & Human Services, Office for Civil Rights; research assistant at Penn (involving the Affordable Care Act); general counsel at a major orthopedic practice in Philly; volunteer assisting seniors navigate Medicare, 100+ hours of shadowing with several different specialists

Basically, I used my time in law school to grow intellectually - critical/analytical reasoning and application of law/doctrine to facts. Proficiency in these skills prior to entering medical school/medicine is certainly advantageous, since it involves very similar fundamental analytical thinking/reasoning skills. I also took advantage of several professional opportunities to gain experience in different areas of our complex healthcare system.

Moral of the story - I'm currently applying to a "career changer" post-bacc and I've also had concerns about the adcoms perceiving me as a "degree-hopper." So we'll see how it goes.

Good luck to you. If you're extremely passionate about pursuing a career in medicine, have the drive, and understand the substantial sacrifices (socially, financially, etc.), I believe you'll make it.

 

[atomi]

If you can see yourself being happy in IP law, I would too that. You'll make a lot of money and have a decent lifestyle. At the very least I would give it 1-2 years. Worst case you stash away enough money for med school tuition.

Your explanation for your 2nd year of college is lacking. Trying to double major isn't a good enough explanation for a 1.6 GPA. Something else happened that you're not telling us. At least that's what it's going to look like. It happened so long ago that nobody is going to care, but what they will care about is you trying to hide it.

 

[AnotherLawyer]

Hi there,

I'm currently a 3L law student that is considering applying for medical school (TX Resident) once I completed my last year of law school. My whole life I've always loved medicine and planned on going into medical school. However, during my sophomore year of undergrad I shifted my path towards law. This was due to terrible grades resulting from trying to double major in Computer Science and Biology(basically trying to still knock out my med school prereqs) starting my sophomore year. My uGPA breakdown is this:
Freshmen Year: 3.32 as just Bio major
Sophomore Year: 1.62, compsci & bio, yeah terrible grades from my CS classes
Junior: 3.22 year I switched to polisci
Senior : 3.53

As you can tell, my second year destroyed my overall gpa. However, one bright spot is that my science gpa can be salvageable. Specifically, i only took three biology classes (bio 1 & 2, and Genetics). Therefore I have a chance to redeem my science gpa by completing the med school pre reqs once I'm done with my law school. I did the math and it can reach to about 3.65, but my cumulative gpa is still low.

Currently, this fall I will be working at UTMB's in-house legal office that develops patents and IP rights for the medical research performed by the doctors, fellows, and medical students at UTMB. I might do the same in the spring for UT Houston. These internships are part of a hospital law program at my law school. I was hoping these internships will look positive and unique on my med school application. Plus I enjoy patent and IP law anyway.

Basically, my main question is do I have shot at med school even though I completely bombed my second year by failing my Computer Science classes?
Thanks for taking the time to read my long post.

Of course you have a chance. You could join the military/peace corps for 8 years, do amazing things for the world, do Fresh Start and get a 4.0. But you're probably not willing to do all that. So my more modest recommendation is to work for at least two years to make some money and mitigate the perpetual student stigma that you may face. I would then do a formal post-bacc if I could get into one of the top programs. If not, I would do a DIY at the best in-state tuition school you can get into. I would also seriously assess myself given your GPA. Everyone thinks they can do better, but not everyone can. I'm not saying you can't, but you shouldn't commit time and money to a course of action and walk away from a legal career unless you have a reasonable chance of success.