Thank you in advance for your time
Okay, so the situation: I graduated university last May (2016) with a B.A. in History and a minor in Biology. I spent my entire undergraduate career completely unsure of what I wanted to do, and was torn between pursuing doctoral studies in History or Econ or medicine (but I considered many other fields: creative writing, law, foreign service, etc.). I was "officially" a pre-med, but I honestly had no clue what I wanted to do because I didn't know if I was ready to commit to one field.
I decided not to rush or force myself into anything and found work as a teacher. I am finishing up my first year of teaching and am happy to say that I have really enjoyed the work, and will be teaching social studies next year. I never appreciated how difficult teaching was until now, and I love the feeling that I'm making a positive difference in the lives of our students. It has also been really helpful for me to take the time to clear my head, get into the "real world", get my own place, build credit, and just figure out what I want to do. I intend to teach and live on my own for at least 2 more years.
Over the last few months, and with the help of friends and professors mentoring me, I have slowly but surely arrived back where I started: wanting to do medicine, specifically working with immigrant communities (I am myself an immigrant by origin and also teach a predominantly minority and underprivileged student population). I am also interested in Medical History, and policy. Except I'm a bit worried that it's too late.
I took my pre-reqs and gained exposure during college, and maintained my GPA in order to keep my doors open. As of right now my overall GPA is a 3.95 and my science GPA is a 3.9. I have taken all pre-reqs except for the labs for Orgo 1 &2, and Physics 2 lab. I can realistically take these labs next summer, or else try to do them during a Saturday class while working, but either way have them done before matriculation. Will that be okay? Also, will the fact that I have been out of school for 2 years hurt me? I also need to take the MCAT, which I have not done. The material isn't as fresh as it could be, but I am willing and able to put in all the required hours.
I got about 120 hours of volunteering and 30 hours of shadowing in during college. Do these hours count anymore? I intend to start volunteering again and pick up some more shadowing between now and next May/June. My ECs aren't incredible, but I do have some key ones (theater, writing, officerships in the medical student association, a few others). I have very little research experience (1 semester of genetics research, no publication). I also performed historical research during my capstone seminar in senior year, if that counts for anything. Also graduated with Latin honors and have membership in PBK as well, if that matters.
Can I prepare a competitive application by next May/June? I am perfectly happy to apply to both DO and MD schools. I am a Texas resident, if that helps.
Thank you for reading!
Okay, so the situation: I graduated university last May (2016) with a B.A. in History and a minor in Biology. I spent my entire undergraduate career completely unsure of what I wanted to do, and was torn between pursuing doctoral studies in History or Econ or medicine (but I considered many other fields: creative writing, law, foreign service, etc.). I was "officially" a pre-med, but I honestly had no clue what I wanted to do because I didn't know if I was ready to commit to one field.
I decided not to rush or force myself into anything and found work as a teacher. I am finishing up my first year of teaching and am happy to say that I have really enjoyed the work, and will be teaching social studies next year. I never appreciated how difficult teaching was until now, and I love the feeling that I'm making a positive difference in the lives of our students. It has also been really helpful for me to take the time to clear my head, get into the "real world", get my own place, build credit, and just figure out what I want to do. I intend to teach and live on my own for at least 2 more years.
Over the last few months, and with the help of friends and professors mentoring me, I have slowly but surely arrived back where I started: wanting to do medicine, specifically working with immigrant communities (I am myself an immigrant by origin and also teach a predominantly minority and underprivileged student population). I am also interested in Medical History, and policy. Except I'm a bit worried that it's too late.
I took my pre-reqs and gained exposure during college, and maintained my GPA in order to keep my doors open. As of right now my overall GPA is a 3.95 and my science GPA is a 3.9. I have taken all pre-reqs except for the labs for Orgo 1 &2, and Physics 2 lab. I can realistically take these labs next summer, or else try to do them during a Saturday class while working, but either way have them done before matriculation. Will that be okay? Also, will the fact that I have been out of school for 2 years hurt me? I also need to take the MCAT, which I have not done. The material isn't as fresh as it could be, but I am willing and able to put in all the required hours.
I got about 120 hours of volunteering and 30 hours of shadowing in during college. Do these hours count anymore? I intend to start volunteering again and pick up some more shadowing between now and next May/June. My ECs aren't incredible, but I do have some key ones (theater, writing, officerships in the medical student association, a few others). I have very little research experience (1 semester of genetics research, no publication). I also performed historical research during my capstone seminar in senior year, if that counts for anything. Also graduated with Latin honors and have membership in PBK as well, if that matters.
Can I prepare a competitive application by next May/June? I am perfectly happy to apply to both DO and MD schools. I am a Texas resident, if that helps.
Thank you for reading!
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