hi ! i am a non-trad , about 4 years out of college and i wanted to apply next cycle. my path is a bit different and i wanted to seek some feedback on how i could make my application stronger for MD schools? my stats are **** (i was an absolute burger in college, scatterbrained, overburdened with youth - which is just a fancy way of saying i was just stupid and irresponsible) but after a few years of working and getting grayer i'd like to say i'm different.
i originally started off as pre-med and completed all my pre-reqs before/alongside my switch to computer science. i won't bore anyone with my story or reasons, but i've been working in big tech as a software engineer ever since, but i kept thinking about medicine and how much i did originally like it (i liked working with patients, and in a hospital setting. i was just terrible with the classes) and how if i never gave it a real chance it would be something i'd genuinely regret. however since i work so much, i had a hard time figuring out how to get my app more aligned to apply. i picked clinical volunteering back up and i really love it, but i don't really have anything else on my app? i don't know if it's worth to invest more time in like an EMT or CNA path while still working full time, so just seeking some advice on what my app lacks.
i did take the MCAT this past year and did well. i don't know if that is enough to convince adcoms that i'm reformed, so just seeking some feedback.
stats:
-3.09 sgpa, 3.3 gpa Computer Science at a known engineering school(<3.0 sGPA, 3.1 cGPA before DIY post-bacc; 4.0 DIY post-bacc, just some upper chem classes)
-522 MCAT
-500 hours over 3 years of volunteering with my company, teaching basic coding to kids in after school programs in underserved communities
-500-600 hours of volunteering in hospitals throughout undergrad; recently in past year about 100 hours at hospital
-couple hundred hours of volunteer as a SWE to help with web development, maintenance, and security (helped a few nonprofits with this such as a clinic, etc)
-about 80 hours of shadowing in anesthesiology and primary care. doc was nice, might ask them for rec bc i want to keep following them around
-undergrad TA for a few classes
i have no research (though it seems cool, just not sure how to get involved as an older, non-university affiliated rando) and i know my clinical hours are very short. do you think it's just donating money to schools if i apply this next upcoming cycle? i'd like to keep my job until i get accepted (being financially stable is important to me, as i do not have much support in this area) so i don't know if it limits my options a bit.
i originally started off as pre-med and completed all my pre-reqs before/alongside my switch to computer science. i won't bore anyone with my story or reasons, but i've been working in big tech as a software engineer ever since, but i kept thinking about medicine and how much i did originally like it (i liked working with patients, and in a hospital setting. i was just terrible with the classes) and how if i never gave it a real chance it would be something i'd genuinely regret. however since i work so much, i had a hard time figuring out how to get my app more aligned to apply. i picked clinical volunteering back up and i really love it, but i don't really have anything else on my app? i don't know if it's worth to invest more time in like an EMT or CNA path while still working full time, so just seeking some advice on what my app lacks.
i did take the MCAT this past year and did well. i don't know if that is enough to convince adcoms that i'm reformed, so just seeking some feedback.
stats:
-3.09 sgpa, 3.3 gpa Computer Science at a known engineering school(<3.0 sGPA, 3.1 cGPA before DIY post-bacc; 4.0 DIY post-bacc, just some upper chem classes)
-522 MCAT
-500 hours over 3 years of volunteering with my company, teaching basic coding to kids in after school programs in underserved communities
-500-600 hours of volunteering in hospitals throughout undergrad; recently in past year about 100 hours at hospital
-couple hundred hours of volunteer as a SWE to help with web development, maintenance, and security (helped a few nonprofits with this such as a clinic, etc)
-about 80 hours of shadowing in anesthesiology and primary care. doc was nice, might ask them for rec bc i want to keep following them around
-undergrad TA for a few classes
i have no research (though it seems cool, just not sure how to get involved as an older, non-university affiliated rando) and i know my clinical hours are very short. do you think it's just donating money to schools if i apply this next upcoming cycle? i'd like to keep my job until i get accepted (being financially stable is important to me, as i do not have much support in this area) so i don't know if it limits my options a bit.
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