Non traditional with low gpa - need advice on post bacc options

[ayzalie]

Hey everyone! So I just graduated this May with a B.S in Computer Science from a state school. I've felt the calling towards medical school for as long as I can remember, however my parents pushed me to do CS. Right now I was able to land a job with a huge company as a software engineer with good job security but the realization of doing this same crap everyday is really plaguing my mind. I definitely will give it some time to see if I can adjust - the pay is good, the work/life balance is amazing but the work and field literally makes me want to throw myself off a cliff. Even during college I hated it but my family pretty much forced me to push through, which I did, but ended up with the worst GPA of 2.7 because with CS i had the attitude of "I just need to pass" even though I was not passionate about the coursework at all. However, I am SO passionate about life sciences and I'm willing to put in the effort for it all. Now that I have money to pay for classes myself, I've been thinking about my options for a post bacc.

I still want to keep my full time job and through my research, an SMP would be the best option for me with my GPA, however I would not be able to work during it so that's why I'm thinking of a DIY post bacc. I never took any premed reqs or science classes in undergrad so my science gpa is pretty much nothing at this point. The closest college to me is a community college but there is a state school(different from undergrad) about 40 minutes away. Would it look bad for applications to be taking prereqs at a community college even though I've never taken those courses at my state school before? I hope to take the majority of my prereqs at a CC and the more advanced ones at the state university near me. I definitely plan for a couple years spending time taking these courses, volunteering, shadowing, and studying for the MCAT.

If anyone has any advice on how I can pursue my dream of getting an MD and becoming a doctor with my current situation I'd very much appreciate it 🙂

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[Moko]

I've felt the calling towards medical school for as long as I can remember, however my parents pushed me to do CS. Right now I was able to land a job with a huge company as a software engineer with good job security but the realization of doing this same crap everyday is really plaguing my mind. ... ended up with the worst GPA of 2.7 ... through my research, an SMP would be the best option for me with my GPA, however I would not be able to work during it so that's why I'm thinking of a DIY post bacc. ... Would it look bad for applications to be taking prereqs at a community college

Are you certain that the perks of your job do not outweigh the monotony? How you done any volunteering or shadowing? If not, I would start there before signing up for any classes, etc.

The idea of pursuing medicine often seems cool, though the reality is not all sunshine and roses. Much of the work in medicine is exactly as you described it: "same crap everyday". Every specialty will have their bread-and-butter. As an internal medicine doctor, altered mental status +/- syncope work-ups, polysubstance abuse / overdoses, placement disasters, heart attacks, infections, alcohol-related complications, dehydration from nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, and exacerbation from heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, COPD, and/or chronic pain make up 95% of my work. Half of my clinical time is spent documenting and doing administrative BS, which almost every profession has to deal with.

With a 2.7 GPA, you'll realistically need 2 years of full-time coursework to pull it above 3.0. Pursuing a SMP afterwards would probably be your best bet. Time-wise, you won't be a full-fledged attending until at least 11 years from now (4 years to matriculate, 4 years of medical school, and minimum 3 years of residency, even more if you opt to pursue fellowship). Are you okay with the lost income, time, energy, and flexibility? There's more to life than one's profession. Food for thought. So do think carefully about my first two questions before committing. Just my thoughts

Additional thoughts:
- Policies differ, but many schools prefer coursework to be done at 4-year institutions vs community colleges due to perceived differences in academic rigor. Going in with a 2.7 GPA, I would recommend doing your prereqs at a 4-year institution, unless it is prohibitive to do so.

 

[ayzalie]

Are you certain that the perks of your job do not outweigh the monotony? How you done any volunteering or shadowing? If not, I would start there before signing up for any classes, etc.

The idea of pursuing medicine often seems cool, though the reality is not all sunshine and roses. Much of the work in medicine is exactly as you described it: "same crap everyday". Every specialty will have their bread-and-butter. As an internal medicine doctor, altered mental status +/- syncope work-ups, polysubstance abuse / overdoses, placement disasters, heart attacks, infections, alcohol-related complications, dehydration from nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, and exacerbation from heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, COPD, and/or chronic pain make up 95% of my work. Half of my clinical time is spent documenting and doing administrative BS, which almost every profession has to deal with.

With a 2.7 GPA, you'll realistically need 2 years of full-time coursework to pull it above 3.0. Pursuing a SMP afterwards would probably be your best bet. Time-wise, you won't be a full-fledged attending until at least 11 years from now (4 years to matriculate, 4 years of medical school, and minimum 3 years of residency, even more if you opt to pursue fellowship). Are you okay with the lost income, time, energy, and flexibility? There's more to life than one's profession. Food for thought. So do think carefully about my first two questions before committing. Just my thoughts

Additional thoughts:
- Policies differ, but many schools prefer coursework to be done at 4-year institutions vs community colleges due to perceived differences in academic rigor. Going in with a 2.7 GPA, I would recommend doing your prereqs at a 4-year institution, unless it is prohibitive to do so.

Thank you for this response the line "There's more to life than one's profession" really stuck with me. I guess I got to try and make time for hobbies after work. The thing is the idea of 11 additional years of school excites me for some reason like I wouldn't mind studying constantly and doing all the work if it was a field I'm actually interested in. But your response definitely did put things in perspective more. Even your overview of what you do 95% of the time excites me. But I guess I'm new to the corporate world so I'll try to wait another year or so and see if it's something I truly disdain or something I can just deal with.