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- Dec 20, 2010
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Hello fellow non-trads! I have been out of college for 4 years now with an initial ~0.75 years continuing my undergrad research/volunteering and then ~3.25 years doing debt and equity investment analysis. I made the mistake of applying in September and having most of my secondaries complete in early October. So, in case I become a reapplicant for MD and DO, I am trying to generate the most impact for next cycle while still balancing opportunity cost with risk. I am looking for some recommendations on the safest route for me to show academic growth.
I have come up with a few options after receiving some excellent advice and resources from an earlier post where I was considering the Carribean. In addition, I've included some information about my GPA trends and MCAT for reference.
Route 1 - DIY Post-Bacc --> Boost Undergraduate GPA
#1 California State University Northridge (CSUN)
Pros: 1 semester of growth before app (~$352/unit); ~10 minute drive; can possibly continue to work part-time
Cons: Not sure if this is enough
#2 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Pros: 2 quarters of growth before app; course difficulty more likely to be equivalent to my alma mater (UCSD); ~30 min to 2 hour drive with traffic; can possibly continue to work part-time
Cons: Not sure if this is enough
Route 2 - Masters Programs that start in Spring --> Show Graduate-level Competence
#1 USC Master of Science in Global Medicine
Pros: I am interested in global medicine; close to home; assistance with next cycle; option to replace my old 2013-2014 academic letters of recommendation
Cons: High cost; no linkages or medical school matriculation data; might require me to leave my job
#2 UPenn Specialized Studies Program
Pros: Linkage to Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Cons: High cost; may not be able to qualify for 3 letters of recommendation by November 1st (don't know why they refuse to accept medical school letters); requires me to leave my job
Route 3 - Programs that start in Fall w/ Formal Linkage
#1 Temple Advanced Core in Medical Sciences Program (ACMS)
Pros: Guaranteed admission to Temple
Cons: Very competitive
#2 Drexel Pathway to Medical School
Pros: Guaranteed admission to Drexel
Cons: May or may not qualify as a disadvantaged (single mother, $25-40k childhood income for 3, immigrant from disadvantaged rural region)
#3 Creighton Pre-Medical Post-Bacc
Pros: I think guaranteed admission to Creighton
Cons: May or may not qualify as a disadvantaged (single mother, $25-40k childhood income for 3, immigrant from disadvantaged rural region)
Route 4 - Special Masters Programs that start in Fall w/ Informal Linkage
#1 Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS)
Pros: 100% of class is interviewed with ~50% of class accepted to EVMS
Cons: High cost; may not provide me with any benefit for the upcoming cycle; requires me to leave my job
#2 Georgetown, Tufts, Tulane, BU, Rosalind Franklin, University of Cincinnati, etc.
Pros: Ability to prove my competence in medical school coursework
Cons: High cost; only opens the door for an interview; high risk for no guarantee; may not provide me with any benefit for upcoming cycle; requires me to leave my job
Route 5 - Master of Accounting / Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Pros: Ability to prove my competence in graduate-level coursework related to mathematics; potentially unique for medical school; my employer will likely pay; serves as a backup plan
Cons: Unrelated to medicine and might give the wrong impression
MCAT / GPA Trends
*Redacted to minimize the huge wall of text. I'll just explain if requested.*
I have come up with a few options after receiving some excellent advice and resources from an earlier post where I was considering the Carribean. In addition, I've included some information about my GPA trends and MCAT for reference.
Route 1 - DIY Post-Bacc --> Boost Undergraduate GPA
#1 California State University Northridge (CSUN)
Pros: 1 semester of growth before app (~$352/unit); ~10 minute drive; can possibly continue to work part-time
Cons: Not sure if this is enough
#2 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Pros: 2 quarters of growth before app; course difficulty more likely to be equivalent to my alma mater (UCSD); ~30 min to 2 hour drive with traffic; can possibly continue to work part-time
Cons: Not sure if this is enough
Route 2 - Masters Programs that start in Spring --> Show Graduate-level Competence
#1 USC Master of Science in Global Medicine
Pros: I am interested in global medicine; close to home; assistance with next cycle; option to replace my old 2013-2014 academic letters of recommendation
Cons: High cost; no linkages or medical school matriculation data; might require me to leave my job
#2 UPenn Specialized Studies Program
Pros: Linkage to Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Cons: High cost; may not be able to qualify for 3 letters of recommendation by November 1st (don't know why they refuse to accept medical school letters); requires me to leave my job
Route 3 - Programs that start in Fall w/ Formal Linkage
#1 Temple Advanced Core in Medical Sciences Program (ACMS)
Pros: Guaranteed admission to Temple
Cons: Very competitive
#2 Drexel Pathway to Medical School
Pros: Guaranteed admission to Drexel
Cons: May or may not qualify as a disadvantaged (single mother, $25-40k childhood income for 3, immigrant from disadvantaged rural region)
#3 Creighton Pre-Medical Post-Bacc
Pros: I think guaranteed admission to Creighton
Cons: May or may not qualify as a disadvantaged (single mother, $25-40k childhood income for 3, immigrant from disadvantaged rural region)
Route 4 - Special Masters Programs that start in Fall w/ Informal Linkage
#1 Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS)
Pros: 100% of class is interviewed with ~50% of class accepted to EVMS
Cons: High cost; may not provide me with any benefit for the upcoming cycle; requires me to leave my job
#2 Georgetown, Tufts, Tulane, BU, Rosalind Franklin, University of Cincinnati, etc.
Pros: Ability to prove my competence in medical school coursework
Cons: High cost; only opens the door for an interview; high risk for no guarantee; may not provide me with any benefit for upcoming cycle; requires me to leave my job
Route 5 - Master of Accounting / Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Pros: Ability to prove my competence in graduate-level coursework related to mathematics; potentially unique for medical school; my employer will likely pay; serves as a backup plan
Cons: Unrelated to medicine and might give the wrong impression
MCAT / GPA Trends
*Redacted to minimize the huge wall of text. I'll just explain if requested.*
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