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[muirite]

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I am new here. I am a bit older early 30s. I have wanted to go to med school for a long time. I am not even sure where to start. I was not able to go pre med in college b/c i had to work to pay for school. My parents would not fill out the paper work to apply for aid so I had to work and pay cash. My grades were pretty good (3.72) but i was Hospitality major and took no hard sciences.

I am enrolled in a local college to take basic bio and chem next semester. I am applied to local post bac waiting.... to see if i got in. I was told by one i could reapply next cycle and that i needed to get involved with healthcare before they would accept me. I will quit my job when i get in to a post bac program but cant quit now. Do you think volunteering would be enough? If not what type job do you think would be better.

I know it will be a long road.

 

[Goro]

You need to do three things:

Shadow a doctor, so you can see what a doctor's day is like, and how different doctors approach the practice of Medicine.

Do some patient contact volunteering. Think hospitals, clinics, hospice, nursing homes, etc. You need to learn what you're getting into and show Adcoms that you really do want to be around sick people for the next 30 years.

Do some non-clinical volunteering to demonstrate your altruism and humanism. Start with your local houses of worship for ideas.

And read this book:
Amazon product ASIN 1607148358
(shill alert: Dr Hartwig is an old professional pal)

I am new here. I am a bit older early 30s. I have wanted to go to med school for a long time. I am not even sure where to start. I was not able to go pre med in college b/c i had to work to pay for school. My parents would not fill out the paper work to apply for aid so I had to work and pay cash. My grades were pretty good (3.72) but i was Hospitality major and took no hard sciences.

I am enrolled in a local college to take basic bio and chem next semester. I am applied to local post bac waiting.... to see if i got in. I was told by one i could reapply next cycle and that i needed to get involved with healthcare before they would accept me. I will quit my job when i get in to a post bac program but cant quit now. Do you think volunteering would be enough? If not what type job do you think would be better.

I know it will be a long road.

 

[muirite]

You need to do three things:

Shadow a doctor, so you can see what a doctor's day is like, and how different doctors approach the practice of Medicine.

Do some patient contact volunteering. Think hospitals, clinics, hospice, nursing homes, etc. You need to learn what you're getting into and show Adcoms that you really do want to be around sick people for the next 30 years.

Do some non-clinical volunteering to demonstrate your altruism and humanism. Start with your local houses of worship for ideas.


(shill alert: Dr Hartwig is an old professional pal)

Thanks I just ordered the book.

How many hours do you think would make me look serious? I was thinking 2hrs week at a community clinic or is the same time at a hospital better? Is longer time less often better?

I do volunteer at my congregation like 6-8 hrs a month as youth group leader is that a good or should i look for more?

 

[Goro]

Do whatever can fit within your schedule. 2x x 50 weeks over two years = 200+ hrs, which is pretty decent. You want at least 100 hrs in each volunteering category.

I strongly recommend service to others less fortunate than yourself, for non-clinicals

Thanks I just ordered the book.

How many hours do you think would make me look serious? I was thinking 2hrs week at a community clinic or is the same time at a hospital better? Is longer time less often better?

I do volunteer at my congregation like 6-8 hrs a month as youth group leader is that a good or should i look for more?

 

[DrMikeP]

I am new here. I am a bit older early 30s. I have wanted to go to med school for a long time. I am not even sure where to start. I was not able to go pre med in college b/c i had to work to pay for school. My parents would not fill out the paper work to apply for aid so I had to work and pay cash. My grades were pretty good (3.72) but i was Hospitality major and took no hard sciences.

I am enrolled in a local college to take basic bio and chem next semester. I am applied to local post bac waiting.... to see if i got in. I was told by one i could reapply next cycle and that i needed to get involved with healthcare before they would accept me. I will quit my job when i get in to a post bac program but cant quit now. Do you think volunteering would be enough? If not what type job do you think would be better.

I know it will be a long road.

Early 30's... you're still young! Being an OPM and having done it all myself.

Read everything possible on programs and admissions requirements and make sure every single check admissions box is checked! If a school recommends it do it, consider 90% of the recs a requirement. Shadow and make sure medicine is your passion before killing yourself to prepare. Check out the AACOM website, as what is posted there is pretty darn reliable. Lots of stuff on SDN to read on for hints, but beware of bad advice and discouragement. IMO if you discourage easily then you don't belong in medicine anyway. Best of Luck!

 

[muirite]

Do undergrad grades expire? I have credits from 14 yrs ago do you all think i will have to retake those classes?

 

[BluMist]

Depends on the school. Some requires more recent (within 5 years) coursework.
However, I would (and did myself) retake especially the science classes anyway to prepare for MCAT.

Do undergrad grades expire? I have credits from 14 yrs ago do you all think i will have to retake those classes?

 

[DrMikeP]

Do undergrad grades expire? I have credits from 14 yrs ago do you all think i will have to retake those classes?

I was advised to have my sciences less than 5 yrs old (especially for the MCAT), so retook them. Other classes like English Comp... mine were ummm well over 20.

 

[Brorthopedic]

Hey OP, @Goro is right. You definitely need at least 100 hours in the hospital as a volunteer and shadowing respectively. However, I don't think you need to worry about that right now. You'll have one year to accomplish those after you've quit your job and started an SMP/post-bac, which is honestly plenty of time. If the post-bac you're interested in is telling you to get some healthcare hours under your belt, do enough just to get in. For now. No need to overwhelm yourself so early in the process.

Your bachelor degree, regardless of major and how long it has been, will work in your favor since you have a high GPA. However, you'll have to retake all the basic sciences (which should be treated as a good thing). My advise to you is to approach these upcoming courses not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity to score higher on the MCAT down the line (which will increase your chances of getting in) and show admins that you've still got what it takes. Learn as much as you can in these courses, do well in the post-bac and MCAT, and you have a solid shot at getting in.

Best of luck my friend.