Hey all!
Just joined the forum as I've been wrestling with something that's been on my mind for a while now. To give you the full story, I graduated from a well respected public university around 5 years ago. While I interned at the NIH the summer after my freshman year, and was definitely interested in the medical field and pursuing Medical School after graduation initially, I ultimately decided (for several reasons) to switch my major from bioengineering to mechanical engineering, and 'officially' decided against medical school as an option by the end of my Freshman year. There were a few reasons for this, from lower than anticipated grades my first year, to pressure from my family to pursue a more 'marketable' form of engineering so that I could get a decent job out of undergrad, but ultimately, I left my dream of entering the medical field by the wayside...
Having studied engineering, and having done relatively well (3.3 GPA), I joined a large technology and management consulting firm directly out of school. While it has been a great experience that I don't regret, I've come to a point in my life where I am able to recognize that this is definitely not my passion, and the decent money that the job provides is no longer able to make it worth my while.
As such, I come to you all for an honest assessment of whether or not I would stand a chance applying to MD/DO schools a few years down the road, once I've had time to take all of the prerequisite courses, do a few internships/volunteering experiences, and take the MCAT (and with any luck, do well!). Here are a few of my stats/experiences thus far to help give a better assessment:
Undergrad School: Top 40 Public University
Undergrad Degree: Mechanical Engineering (Top 15 Ranked Nationally)
Undergrad GPA: 3.3 (Significant upward trend)
Medical Related Internships/Experiences: Interned during the summer after my Freshman year at the NIH in the Viral Biochemistry Section. This was a great experience and something I think could really add to my overall application if I am able to work my way back into that section for another internship or two, however, I'd look to you all in regards to how much this could help.
If I do decide to go down this path, my thinking right now is that I would either go back to school part-time to complete the pre-reqs (a few programs I've research sound great for working career-changers, and they're right in my area), or go back for a full-time post-bac program. Running the numbers, this should allow me to raise my GPA up to ~3.4-3.5 within a couple years, and allow me to take all the required pre-reqs. It would hopefully also allow me time to gain real-world experience in the medical/research field through shadowing and internships.
If I'm crazy for thinking I have a shot, please give me a dose of reality
But in all honesty, I think this is something I really want to try to pursue, even if it costs me a few years of good income and sleepless nights. I'm finally ready to give it a shot.
Just joined the forum as I've been wrestling with something that's been on my mind for a while now. To give you the full story, I graduated from a well respected public university around 5 years ago. While I interned at the NIH the summer after my freshman year, and was definitely interested in the medical field and pursuing Medical School after graduation initially, I ultimately decided (for several reasons) to switch my major from bioengineering to mechanical engineering, and 'officially' decided against medical school as an option by the end of my Freshman year. There were a few reasons for this, from lower than anticipated grades my first year, to pressure from my family to pursue a more 'marketable' form of engineering so that I could get a decent job out of undergrad, but ultimately, I left my dream of entering the medical field by the wayside...
Having studied engineering, and having done relatively well (3.3 GPA), I joined a large technology and management consulting firm directly out of school. While it has been a great experience that I don't regret, I've come to a point in my life where I am able to recognize that this is definitely not my passion, and the decent money that the job provides is no longer able to make it worth my while.
As such, I come to you all for an honest assessment of whether or not I would stand a chance applying to MD/DO schools a few years down the road, once I've had time to take all of the prerequisite courses, do a few internships/volunteering experiences, and take the MCAT (and with any luck, do well!). Here are a few of my stats/experiences thus far to help give a better assessment:
Undergrad School: Top 40 Public University
Undergrad Degree: Mechanical Engineering (Top 15 Ranked Nationally)
Undergrad GPA: 3.3 (Significant upward trend)
Medical Related Internships/Experiences: Interned during the summer after my Freshman year at the NIH in the Viral Biochemistry Section. This was a great experience and something I think could really add to my overall application if I am able to work my way back into that section for another internship or two, however, I'd look to you all in regards to how much this could help.
If I do decide to go down this path, my thinking right now is that I would either go back to school part-time to complete the pre-reqs (a few programs I've research sound great for working career-changers, and they're right in my area), or go back for a full-time post-bac program. Running the numbers, this should allow me to raise my GPA up to ~3.4-3.5 within a couple years, and allow me to take all the required pre-reqs. It would hopefully also allow me time to gain real-world experience in the medical/research field through shadowing and internships.
If I'm crazy for thinking I have a shot, please give me a dose of reality
But in all honesty, I think this is something I really want to try to pursue, even if it costs me a few years of good income and sleepless nights. I'm finally ready to give it a shot.
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