Up until the 1st quarter of my junior year I was studying chemical engineering. I realized as soon as began taking my first engineering course that I did not want to continue with ChemE. I always considered the possibility of going to med school, but it wasn't until I shadowed a doctor during the winter break that I decided that was what I wanted to do. I've browsed through a lot of the forums on this website and have talked to the premed advisor at my university but I would like to hear your thoughts on my situation. I know I'm far from the ideal candidate, but I really do want to go to med school. I would appreciate it if you could be blunt when offering advice. I know I might have to go through more obstacles than the typical premed student, but I don't really care the path I take as long as it gets me where I want to be.
In winter quarter of 3rd year (junior) chem major
haven't taken mcat (just in case it wasn't clear)
cgpa 2.727 sgpa 2.752
no ecs, 56 hrs of shadowing 1 family practice doc, president of an art club if that counts for anything, private tutor
finished gen chem, need 2 more o chem courses, 1 more physics, and all of bio.
failed a calc class but retook F to B. Went through a lot during the quarter this happened
failed engineering course (F) should I retake? in this same quarter I got an A in OChem. How can I explain that in future interviews? Honestly, I kinda gave up on that class as the quarter ended and focused my attention on OChem but i don't think that's the response interviewers will want to hear.
I'm not entirely sure on what I should do from here. I switched to chem but the major wants me to finish in 4 years which has me taking 18 units a quarter including 8-12 in both summers that follow. There's no way I'll be able to increase my GPA as much as I can if I'm taking too many courses. If I continue with the chem major I have to take a bunch of other chem courses (p chem, inorganic, chem labs) which I don't mind (switched to chem cause i like it and cause it seemed practical) but if I switched to bio, which the adviser said I could do, I could be granted a fifth year. I think this might be the best choice since it'll allow me to spread the classes more. In order to switch I just need to take 2 gen bio course in the summer.
Aside from what I have to do there, I also want to know if I should consider post baccs or smps. One thing I wanted to know was if I could just finish chem in 4 years w/o taking any more premed and just do an smp or post baccs after graduating. From the ones that I have read about, they require the premed requirements and sometimes even an mcat score, but maybe I missed an alternative that some of you may know. If I will need to do some kind of post bacc or smp, will trying to get the best grades possible (like aiming for a 3.3-4ish) be necessary. Would it be fine if I just aim for a 3.1? Or should I continue to do the best I can.
Btw I want to attend an allopathic school. Not really aiming for DO or foreign schools, so please offer advice as if the goal was for me to attend an allopathic school of medicine. That's why I'm asking about the post baccs and smps.
If you could help me make the best choice for me I would appreciate it. If you have any questions about stuff you think is important that I may have left out please ask me. Any advice on anything I mentioned or didn't mention is welcome. Thanks SDN!
P.S. I did not pay too much attention to grammar
In winter quarter of 3rd year (junior) chem major
haven't taken mcat (just in case it wasn't clear)
cgpa 2.727 sgpa 2.752
no ecs, 56 hrs of shadowing 1 family practice doc, president of an art club if that counts for anything, private tutor
finished gen chem, need 2 more o chem courses, 1 more physics, and all of bio.
failed a calc class but retook F to B. Went through a lot during the quarter this happened
failed engineering course (F) should I retake? in this same quarter I got an A in OChem. How can I explain that in future interviews? Honestly, I kinda gave up on that class as the quarter ended and focused my attention on OChem but i don't think that's the response interviewers will want to hear.
I'm not entirely sure on what I should do from here. I switched to chem but the major wants me to finish in 4 years which has me taking 18 units a quarter including 8-12 in both summers that follow. There's no way I'll be able to increase my GPA as much as I can if I'm taking too many courses. If I continue with the chem major I have to take a bunch of other chem courses (p chem, inorganic, chem labs) which I don't mind (switched to chem cause i like it and cause it seemed practical) but if I switched to bio, which the adviser said I could do, I could be granted a fifth year. I think this might be the best choice since it'll allow me to spread the classes more. In order to switch I just need to take 2 gen bio course in the summer.
Aside from what I have to do there, I also want to know if I should consider post baccs or smps. One thing I wanted to know was if I could just finish chem in 4 years w/o taking any more premed and just do an smp or post baccs after graduating. From the ones that I have read about, they require the premed requirements and sometimes even an mcat score, but maybe I missed an alternative that some of you may know. If I will need to do some kind of post bacc or smp, will trying to get the best grades possible (like aiming for a 3.3-4ish) be necessary. Would it be fine if I just aim for a 3.1? Or should I continue to do the best I can.
Btw I want to attend an allopathic school. Not really aiming for DO or foreign schools, so please offer advice as if the goal was for me to attend an allopathic school of medicine. That's why I'm asking about the post baccs and smps.
If you could help me make the best choice for me I would appreciate it. If you have any questions about stuff you think is important that I may have left out please ask me. Any advice on anything I mentioned or didn't mention is welcome. Thanks SDN!
P.S. I did not pay too much attention to grammar
