Non-Trad D.O./M.D. Admissions Advice

[CJW]

Hello Everyone!
I am new to SDN and I am seeking some advice. I am 33 y/o and I have decided to change my career and pursue my life long dream to become a physician. My early undergraduate days parallel the Animal House movie and my academic performance reflects such activities. I have spent the last several years completing graduate degrees to improve my academic record. Here are my stats:

B.S. Psychology, Missouri State University, GPA 2.49 (Major GPA 2.89)
M.B.A. Business Administration, Maryville University, GPA 3.48
M.I.M. Information Management, Washington University in St. Louis, GPA 3.5
Post-Baccalaureate Premed Program, Washington University in St. Louis, (Accepted - Start in the summer of 2007)

Cumulative Student Loan Debt: 80,000

My father, uncle, and cousin attended KCOM

Questions:

If I perform well in the Wash U post-bac program, will I be competitive to apply at D.O. schools? M.D. schools?

Am I a competitive candidate for admission to a post-bac linkage program?

Given the current amount of my student loan debt, will I be able to get enough additional federal loans to cover the cost of medical school on top of what I already have?

Am I heading down the right path to pursue medical studies given my current plan?

Any advice is appreciated!

CJW

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[Skialta]

What prereqs have you taken for med school (i.e. organic, bio)? Depending on how many classes you have completed you may not even need the post bac. Depending on you science grades you should be competative for DO, and maybe on the edge for Allopathic.

 

[CJW]

The only prereq I have is General Biology I from 1993. I got a C. So, I plan on taking all prereqs in the post-bac program. I have read about some post-pac programs that have a linkage program, however I fear they may be too competitive.

 

[musashi]

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[musashi]

Given the current amount of my student loan debt, will I be able to get enough additional federal loans to cover the cost of medical school on top of what I already have?

I'm curious to the answer as well. I will be in similar circumstances when I hopefully begin medical school. Anyone??

 

[helpfuldoc2b]

I'm curious to the answer as well. I will be in similar circumstances when I hopefully begin medical school. Anyone??

Curious, what careers did you guys have before deciding to switch and why now?

 

[ForbiddenComma]

CJW:

If you get over a 3.5 with your postbacc program at WashU, you will be in a great position to apply to most MD schools. Your previous GPA will not help you. But if you show an "upward trend" by studying hard and kicking tail in your pre-med sciences, especially from such a prestigous school, there is no reason why MU (assuming you have MO residency) at the minimum should not seriously consider you. Also, DO schools are traditionally more non-trad-friendly, and I'm sure KCOM will weigh your legacy in your favor as well.

Of course, as always the MCAT is the kicker. How did you do on the GMAT and the GRE? These will be good predictors as to how well you can expect to do on the MCAT, especially on the verbal. As an added bonus, if you did really well on a non-MCAT grad-level entrance exam, you can list it on your AMCAS app as long as it was taken within 5 years. (little known fact)

As far as financial aid goes... no idea, but if you can't get a federal loan there is always the option of private banks. The interest rates are higher but well, if you really cared about debt then you wouldn't be thinking about med school in the first place

Good luck with the process, and keep us posted.

 

[ShyRem]

There is the new GradPlus loan with a locked in rate of about 8.6% (I think...). It covers above the amount of Stafford loans, but off hand I'm not sure what the upper limit is. You *can* get loans. If it wasn't for loans, I certainly wouldn't be going to med school. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. I had about $25K in student loans from undergrad, and I'm borrowing about $65K/yr now.

As for your position, anything's possible. Smoke the MCAT. AACOMAS allows you to replace old grades, AMCAS averages them. So generally you'll look better on paper for DO schools. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

 

[NonTradMed]

Your undergrad GPA is going to be a uphill battle. However, assuming that this was a long, long time ago, if you do well on your post-bacc program, and do well on the MCAT, there's no reason why some MD schools won't accept you. If you show an upward trend in your grades, med school will see that. Loans can't be helped. You could try to do your post-bacc at a cheaper school if money is a big issue. You will come out with a lot of debt since you want to do med school on top of the $80k debt, but plenty of people make it through med school with $200k debt nowadays so you won't be alone.

I suggest aiming for a 3.5 as a post-bacc. A sciGPA of 3.5 from WashU will look very nice. Also aim for a 30 on the MCAT. I think you will have a shot at many MD schools with that given how many years ago you went through with your crappy undergrad GPA. I will say that some med schools will automatically filter sub-3.0 GPA so try to get your undergrad GPA above a 3.0. Take a few fluff courses if need be but that would improve your chances of having your app looked at. Good luck.

 

[CJW]

Thank you for all the input! I really appreciate it. When re-taking undergraduate courses to enhance overall GPA on AMCAS & AACOMAS applications, must I retake the exact course at the same university as the original couse to replace a grade or am I able to take the same course at a different university?

 

[NonTradMed]

Thank you for all the input! I really appreciate it. When re-taking undergraduate courses to enhance overall GPA on AMCAS & AACOMAS applications, must I retake the exact course at the same university as the original couse to replace a grade or am I able to take the same course at a different university?

You can retake at any accredited four year university. FYI, community college is typically not recommended for pre-reqs if it can be avoided because med schools tend to 'look down' on them and a few won't take them at all.