I'm looking to get some honest feedback regarding my chances (in the forum's collective view) of getting into a decent MD program given my particular situation. Suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I have my undergrad degree in Finance and graduated 3 years ago. I've been working full-time since Sophomore year, bought a house, and also started and juggled two successful construction businesses in order to provide for my family. I was unable to go the Premed route due to time constraints and the concern that I would be unable to get decent grades in the sciences with this heavy of a workload, and would likely never be able to dedicate a healthy amount of time to the MCAT and the application. Rather than risk getting relatively poor pre-req grades while being overworked with life, I chose Finance as as a way to give myself a leg up when it comes to money - with the hope that I could put myself in a financially-favorable situation and return to complete my pre-reqs one day and dedicate myself fully. At the very least, I would have my experience and degree as a Plan B should the MD path be inaccessible, and can then go the MBA route instead if need be.
Thankfully, the hard work has paid off and I am now in a position to dedicate myself once again to complete what I originally wanted to do without concern for distractions. I recently began taking my pre-req classes in order to apply to an MD program in 2018 (for 2019 admission). I have several out of the way already, but need to knock out one semester of Bio/Phys and both semesters of O-Chem.
Due to overcrowding in the SF Bay Area and not having priority enrollment anywhere, I have been taking my Pre-reqs "a-la-carte" wherever I was able to find an open seat (CSU/Private/CC mix). My overall undergrad GPA was about 3.4. My GPA for the sciences is sitting at about 3.5, but I am looking to get it to at least 3.7 by the time all courses are done. I'm not too worried about the MCAT itself, but I am aiming for at least a 512, if not higher.
Given that my background (Finance and Construction) is totally unrelated to the medical field, and that I am 3 years removed from graduation (currently 24), would this affect me negatively in the admissions process for an MD program in California? Does it matter that the classes haven't been taken in a single institution (infeasible in my situation)? I have been shadowing orthopedic surgeons and doing minor volunteering at 2 local hospitals, so hopefully this is a plus.
I appreciate all feedback. Thank you for reading.
I have my undergrad degree in Finance and graduated 3 years ago. I've been working full-time since Sophomore year, bought a house, and also started and juggled two successful construction businesses in order to provide for my family. I was unable to go the Premed route due to time constraints and the concern that I would be unable to get decent grades in the sciences with this heavy of a workload, and would likely never be able to dedicate a healthy amount of time to the MCAT and the application. Rather than risk getting relatively poor pre-req grades while being overworked with life, I chose Finance as as a way to give myself a leg up when it comes to money - with the hope that I could put myself in a financially-favorable situation and return to complete my pre-reqs one day and dedicate myself fully. At the very least, I would have my experience and degree as a Plan B should the MD path be inaccessible, and can then go the MBA route instead if need be.
Thankfully, the hard work has paid off and I am now in a position to dedicate myself once again to complete what I originally wanted to do without concern for distractions. I recently began taking my pre-req classes in order to apply to an MD program in 2018 (for 2019 admission). I have several out of the way already, but need to knock out one semester of Bio/Phys and both semesters of O-Chem.
Due to overcrowding in the SF Bay Area and not having priority enrollment anywhere, I have been taking my Pre-reqs "a-la-carte" wherever I was able to find an open seat (CSU/Private/CC mix). My overall undergrad GPA was about 3.4. My GPA for the sciences is sitting at about 3.5, but I am looking to get it to at least 3.7 by the time all courses are done. I'm not too worried about the MCAT itself, but I am aiming for at least a 512, if not higher.
Given that my background (Finance and Construction) is totally unrelated to the medical field, and that I am 3 years removed from graduation (currently 24), would this affect me negatively in the admissions process for an MD program in California? Does it matter that the classes haven't been taken in a single institution (infeasible in my situation)? I have been shadowing orthopedic surgeons and doing minor volunteering at 2 local hospitals, so hopefully this is a plus.
I appreciate all feedback. Thank you for reading.
