Lawyer considering med school

[Creinhold1909]

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I'm a lawyer looking for advice on navigating the med school application process and I have a few questions.

1. I'm hoping to target organized post-bacc programs next summer. Is it really worth paying sticker price for a post-bacc, rather than taking courses as a non-cohort student?
2. I have zero science background. I was hoping to use this year to familiarize myself with the courses, so that I wouldn't be learning the material for the first time during the post-bacc. Is that really prudent, or am I being overcautious here?
3. The bar exam really is a standardized test covering the first year law school subjects. Incidentally, preparing ahead of time for the bar exam is a phenomenal way of preparing for the first year of law school. Would the same be true of the MCAT and the post-bacc? Would it be a viable strategy for me to essentially purchase MCAT prep materials ahead of time and prepare as an organized way to prepare myself for the post-bacc as well?
4. If any other lawyers (or white collar professionals) have made a similar switch, it would be great to hear your perspective.
5. How old is too old? I'm in my early 30s, single male.

 

[Starr_key]

1. Nope. I would just do the prereqs that you need and maybe some extra. Anatomy and Physiology, Immuno, and Pharm are all good ones to have under your belt.

2. Also nope! The intro courses are designed at a basic level and it goes up as it gets more advanced. I was a humanities major and fared fine.

3. The MCAT's equivalent is the LSAT. The bar equivalent is USMLE/STEP. The MCAT is much harder than the LSAT (sorry, but it's true) BUT again, that's why the prerequisites are important. They give you the foundation the MCAT. I would not start preparing for the MCAT until you've taken biochemistry. Which you do after you take Intro to Chemistry and Organic Chem.

The MCAT has four portions-Chem/Phys, CARS, Bio/Biochem, and Psych/Soc. My guess is the CARS section (which is just reading passages and answering questions) will be your best section b/c a lot of it is reading/interpreting. Psych/Soc is kind of the same way but some of it may also require some psych knowledge.

4. Not a lawyer, but my class had a couple people who were in law. You will be a terrific asset. A majority of people in medicine don't know how the law works, so your insights will be very much appreciated and sought after.

5. Honestly? I don't think it'd be too old at all! A lot of medical students are in their 30s/40s.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The advantage structured postbacs may have is the course registration process. Usually, non-degree postbacs are at the lowest priority, so you would have relatively last pick of available lab spots. You could take your lower-division prereqs at a community college as long as the courses are science-rigorous (they can count for a bachelor's degree at a 4-year for a biomedical science).

 

[Starr_key]

I did a non-degree postbacc and I actually got first pick I think but yea, not sure if that's the case all the time!

 

[Goro]

I'm a lawyer looking for advice on navigating the med school application process and I have a few questions.

1. I'm hoping to target organized post-bacc programs next summer. Is it really worth paying sticker price for a post-bacc, rather than taking courses as a non-cohort student?

The benefit of organized programs is that they have structure, advising, preferable MCAT prep, and are known entities for candidate quality if they have a trac record of being a feed program to local med schools.

For DIY pathway, saving money is always a good thing!

2. I have zero science background. I was hoping to use this year to familiarize myself with the courses, so that I wouldn't be learning the material for the first time during the post-bacc. Is that really prudent, or am I being overcautious here?

I think overcautious. You can always try a year of CC coursework and take Intro to Biology and Basic or Inorganic Chemistry to get your feet wet.

3. The bar exam really is a standardized test covering the first year law school subjects. Incidentally, preparing ahead of time for the bar exam is a phenomenal way of preparing for the first year of law school. Would the same be true of the MCAT and the post-bacc?

No, the MCAT covers diverse biology subjects including biochemistry, Chemistry, Physics, reading comprehension and the ability to interpret scientific data, and some sociology/humanities as well. PLUS, reading comprehension!
See this:

Client Challenge

Would it be a viable strategy for me to essentially purchase MCAT prep materials ahead of time and prepare as an organized way to prepare myself for the post-bacc as well?

No; take the coursework first

5. How old is too old? I'm in my early 30s, single male.

That's not old. Some of my school's best students ever were in their 30s and 40s. Our oldest matriculant was ~53. He's still in practice, some 20 years later!

 

[Creinhold1909]

Thank you for the replies.

I have one a follow-up question:

I've got a fairly minimal amount of clinical hours. My experience with medicine is really primarily based on family and close friends in the field. Can I enroll in a post-bacc program this year, take the MCAT, apply, and THEN get the clinical hours I'd need? Or do I need the requisite clinical hours at the time of my application?

 

[Starr_key]

Thank you for the replies.

I have one a follow-up question:

I've got a fairly minimal amount of clinical hours. My experience with medicine is really primarily based on family and close friends in the field. Can I enroll in a post-bacc program this year, take the MCAT, apply, and THEN get the clinical hours I'd need? Or do I need the requisite clinical hours at the time of my application?

I would get the clinical hours after you take your MCAT but make it so that you can put it on your application. Schools will want to know why the switch and are you actually dedicated to the field? They'll also want to make sure you genuinely understand what medicine entails (because it's a whole different ball game from law) so you need to show that ON your application itself.

But getting clinical hours is an easy fix. I'd suggest shadowing and/or volunteering with a free clinic if you can.