No Science Background or Volunteer Work, Chances of Getting into Post Bacc

[emyc]

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Long time reader, first time poster!

My background:
I'm 29. I graduated from NYU in 2009 with a liberal arts degree with a 3.8+ GPA. After graduation, I was working odd jobs for a few years (waitressing, retail, then personal training for 1-2 years). For the past three years, I've working in advertising. So besides the personal training, basically I've had no science-related experience. I have also not done any kind of volunteer work since high school except the odd Thanksgiving soup kitchen shift.

My questions are as follows:
1) Do I stand a chance at getting into a good (or at least a decent) post bacc program? I can already tell from perusing this forum that I won't be able to get into the one-year programs like Goucher or Bryn Mawr.
2) If I begin volunteering now and get into an okay post bacc program, will I be a contender for med schools by the time I finish post bacc? And what are my chances of getting a linkage to skip my glide year?
3) Would it be smarter to wait and do some health-related job in the meantime before applying at all?

Some considerations:
- I have very little money saved up, so I'll have to do most of this on loans, so I'd like to go through this process as quickly as possible while still doing it "right."
- I don't have wild aspirations about going to a top tier medical school. I'd obviously like to go to one that will help me become a good physician, but it doesn't have to be a big name. It does, however, likely need to be in a major metropolitan area preferably on the East or West Coasts.

Any advice at all would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Eccesignum]

"Linkage" at a formal program can mean anything from conditional acceptance into the medical school there to just a conditional interview. You'd have to check each program you're considering to see what they actually offer, as it can vary.

Doing a formal post-bacc will likely cost you much more than registering for a second degree at a local 4-year (you don't have to complete the degree) and doing pre-requisite classes a la carte. Since, as you say, you don't have much money saved up, this might be preferable since you can control your class schedule and likely continue working. Be aware that the application process in and of itself can be extremely pricey between the price tag of the MCAT, travel expenses for interviews, and then moving costs. You'll want to have some kind of financial buffer available to help with that.

Regardless of whether you go formal or informal, your chances at getting into medical school depend on you. On either road, if you perform well in class, get a competitive MCAT score, and put together a strong application then you're a contender. If you don't, you won't be.

Most people applying to medical school don't have healthcare employment on their resume. You don't particularly need it, and I wouldn't suggest jumping careers at this point only to jump again a few years later. The time in training (and lost wages considering most quickly-trained jobs in healthcare pay very little) isn't worth it. And you'll find that the fact that you've had work experience outside of healthcare is actually quite valuable, if you can present it in a way that makes you attractive.

You do need clinical exposure of some sort though, which many people get through healthcare-related volunteering (not just hospital -- outside the box like hospice, camps for sick kids, etc is just fine). Find something you enjoy and can sustain while you do your pre-requisites. You'll also need to get some time shadowing physicians in a few different fields, to show both yourself and adcoms that you've gotten at least a glimpse into what doctors do everyday and determined that it's what you want.

 

[sedgeshaveedges]

Long time reader, first time poster!

My background:
I'm 29. I graduated from NYU in 2009 with a liberal arts degree with a 3.8+ GPA. After graduation, I was working odd jobs for a few years (waitressing, retail, then personal training for 1-2 years). For the past three years, I've working in advertising. So besides the personal training, basically I've had no science-related experience. I have also not done any kind of volunteer work since high school except the odd Thanksgiving soup kitchen shift.

My questions are as follows:
1) Do I stand a chance at getting into a good (or at least a decent) post bacc program? I can already tell from perusing this forum that I won't be able to get into the one-year programs like Goucher or Bryn Mawr.
2) If I begin volunteering now and get into an okay post bacc program, will I be a contender for med schools by the time I finish post bacc? And what are my chances of getting a linkage to skip my glide year?
3) Would it be smarter to wait and do some health-related job in the meantime before applying at all?

Some considerations:
- I have very little money saved up, so I'll have to do most of this on loans, so I'd like to go through this process as quickly as possible while still doing it "right."
- I don't have wild aspirations about going to a top tier medical school. I'd obviously like to go to one that will help me become a good physician, but it doesn't have to be a big name. It does, however, likely need to be in a major metropolitan area preferably on the East or West Coasts.

Any advice at all would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

My background isn't far off from yours and I did a one year post-bac last year. (PM me if you want more info, but I would say that my program is on par in terms of quality with Bryn Mawr and Goucher, but a bit less well-known -- I picked it over Bryn Mawr for various reasons and I've been very happy with that decision). I was 27-28 starting, had very little science background, and did it all on loans, so I had the same desire to complete the process as quickly as possible for both age and financial considerations. I highly recommend beginning some sort of volunteer work in clinical setting soon, not only because it's necessary for medical school applications but because a) this is a long and expensive road and you want to be sure you actually like the healthcare setting and being around sick people and b) you'll need to speak eloquently in post-bac program interviews and personal statements about why you are switching paths and this will be hard to do without demonstrating some degree of exposure and exploration.

As for linkages it's hard to say. Your undergrad GPA is good, so you likely won't be immediately disqualified from applying to any of them (the linkages in my program had a hard overall GPA cutoff) but it's hard to predict how successful any one individual will be, and as the commenter above me said, depends largely on your own success and work ethic. I chose not to pursue a linkage, but in my program everyone who was eligible to pursue one and did so linked successfully.

My advice is to start thinking about your "story" -- as a non-traditional applicant and career changer the onus is really on you to convince post-bac programs that you'll be a successful applicant (they simply don't admit students that they don't think are likely to succeed because it reflects badly on their numbers) and you'll need the narrative of "why medicine, why now, and why *you" for both post-bacs and eventual medical admissions. You're in advertising, so use those skills to your advantage and sell yourself. And start pursuing some sort of clinical volunteering, now. You seem like you're likely smart and capable of performing well in classes and on the MCAT, but perhaps a little aimless (odd jobs, not necessarily a strong career trajectory) -- so if you want this, make it your aim, and do whatever you have to do to lock it down. It worked for me.

 

[bluebeardAT]

Your gpa is awesome. I bet if you begin volunteering a few hours a week and applied early next cycle you'd get into a top postbac program. But without experience to draw on, it will be tough to make a strong claim that this is your life's path. As much as gpa matters, I think for nontrads, volunteering or med work matters just as much or else adcoms might think your shooting in the dark.

 

[emyc]

Thanks so much for the helpful info, everyone!

What type of volunteering opportunities should I be applying to? Any suggestions?

Early this year I was emailing with a woman about volunteering at an E.R., but it's been a very long back and forth and I can't really seem to get a hold of her.

 

[bluebeardAT]

Thanks so much for the helpful info, everyone!

What type of volunteering opportunities should I be applying to? Any suggestions?

Early this year I was emailing with a woman about volunteering at an E.R., but it's been a very long back and forth and I can't really seem to get a hold of her.

Look for hospitals near by on Google. Go to their page, search for volunteer opportunities. People on SDN will say ER is the place to be but that has not been true at all for me. I've found better opportunities for patient interaction on inpatient floors. Try to find somewhere you can do a 4 hour shift a week from here on out. Maybe find a soup kitchen or community org to help out a few hours a week to. If your glued to the formal postbac idea, do this, work as much as you can, and have your apps ready late August for Bryn mawr and goucher. Also would help if you can shadow a bit between now and then.

 

[Eccesignum]

Thanks so much for the helpful info, everyone!

What type of volunteering opportunities should I be applying to? Any suggestions?

Early this year I was emailing with a woman about volunteering at an E.R., but it's been a very long back and forth and I can't really seem to get a hold of her.

As I mentioned in my post, volunteering doesn't have to be done in a hospital (hospitals in large cities aren't hurting for volunteers so that can be tough to break into). Local hospice organizations often look for volunteers though. Retreats for sick children, the VA, assisted-living centers, free clinics, the list goes on and on. Feel free to think outside the box on this one.