Nontrad - finance to medicine... looking for advice

[notdocyet123]

Hi SDN - looking for advice on the path to take for medical school (formal vs diy post-bacc). I graduated from a T-20 university last spring with a social sciences degree and a 3.7 GPA. I did not take any pre-med classes in undergrad, but worked as a scribe, then an MA from high school through college.

I now work in finance, but have found myself feeling unfulfilled and wanting to go to med-school. However, I am not sure the best method to go about getting pre-recs, research experience (if possible), and clinical/non-clinical volunteer hours.

My job contract requires me to stay at minimum through March 2025, pushing back my timeline a bit. The following are some ideas I have had thus far:

1. DIY Post-bacc only
   1. Take local community college classes at nights/on weekends while I am working.
   2. Concern: not having enough time to volunteer/shadow outside of school/work.
2. DIY Post-Bacc and SMP
   1. While I am working, I could get my pre-recs and apply for an SMP the following year where I could dedicate time to clinical experience/volunteering/research
   2. Not sure if I should be looking for a
   3. Concern: most SMPs require an MCAT score and volunteer experience. I am not sure it is feasible to work, study, and take the MCAT by Spring 2025 to enter in the Fall 2025 SMP term.
3. Formal Post-Bacc
   1. Dedicate 2024/Spring 2025 to gaining experience and showing my dedication to medicine, while completing my finance job contract.
   2. Enter in the Summer/Fall 2025 term for a 1-2 year Post-Bacc for pre-recs, research, and clinical experience.
   3. Concern: Not being able to show my dedication to medicine due to my current job responsibilities and not getting accepted to a Post-Bacc program, then having to start over with a DIY Post-Bacc one year later then I could have.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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[DocJanItor]

Diy post bacc is your best option. You already have a good GPA. Diy gives you flexibility of time and schedule.

Smp is your worst option. Smp is for people who have otherwise good applications but have bad/unrecoverable GPAs and need to prove themselves. It's also make or break meaning that if you don't do well, your chances of getting into medical school are significantly decreased. Right now, you can get in with diy alone.

Formal post bacc is somewhere in the middle, but it's expensive.

 

[anon2]

Agree with all of the above. You have a good starting GPA, and presumably a blank slate for science GPA. As long as you sweep all prereqs with As, you're good to go. CC is the best option for affordability and flexibility.

Also, don't be bound up in your current contract as pushing your timeline, unless there's strict written penalties for quitting early (like repayment of sign-ons/etc). This is your first job out of school; people switch all the time. I had a succession of ~6 month jobs until landing a spot at the big names, but with +50% pay jumps each move.

 

[jamaica jan sun princess]

I did an SMP and would only recommend programs that allow you to teach in exchange for a tuition waiver and stipend. Otherwise just save the money and do a DIY post-bacc. I did both and the SMP was really just a waste of time and money.

I went from business to medicine. My recommendation is to take your time; don’t rush the process. Plan on taking 3 years from your first post-bacc course to matriculating into medical school.

 

[seltzerfan95]

Hi, I too am working in finance and feel incredibly unfulfilled. I just started taking courses at my local community college during the summer session. I'm just starting with BIO101 and Chem101 to see if I even still like science. Its been about 200 years since I've taken a chemistry class (not really since I'm only 28.) So far I can tell you its been difficult working full time and taking classes but I think it will take a few weeks for me to settle into a rhythm. In regards to volunteer hours, I plan on starting during the fall. I don't think it makes sense to add too many layers at once.

 

[notdocyet123]

Thank you all for the guidance. I decided to start with the DIY post bacc plan. Unfortunately, the only community college near me does not offer night classes for some of the courses I need to take. Will taking 2 labs online dictate my success when applying to med school?

 

[jamaica jan sun princess]

Thank you all for the guidance. I decided to start with the DIY post bacc plan. Unfortunately, the only community college near me does not offer night classes for some of the courses I need to take. Will taking 2 labs online dictate my success when applying to med school?

You’d have to check with the schools you are interested in. I think generally the answer is no, unless the labs were taken during the pandemic.

 

[seltzerfan95]

Thank you all for the guidance. I decided to start with the DIY post bacc plan. Unfortunately, the only community college near me does not offer night classes for some of the courses I need to take. Will taking 2 labs online dictate my success when applying to med school?

Check the MSAR website to see each schools requirements. I purchased a 2 year subscription and its been very helpful. If you don't want to buy a subscription feel free to DM me a few schools and I'll check to see if they accept online courses.

 

[notdocyet123]

Hi, I too am working in finance and feel incredibly unfulfilled. I just started taking courses at my local community college during the summer session. I'm just starting with BIO101 and Chem101 to see if I even still like science. Its been about 200 years since I've taken a chemistry class (not really since I'm only 28.) So far I can tell you its been difficult working full time and taking classes but I think it will take a few weeks for me to settle into a rhythm. In regards to volunteer hours, I plan on starting during the fall. I don't think it makes sense to add too many layers at once.

Good luck on your journey to med school! How are you balancing classes and working? Are you taking them online/in-person and are you working in the office? I just started and it's already daunting trying to balance work and expedited course work.

 

[notdocyet123]

Agree with all of the above. You have a good starting GPA, and presumably a blank slate for science GPA. As long as you sweep all prereqs with As, you're good to go. CC is the best option for affordability and flexibility.

Also, don't be bound up in your current contract as pushing your timeline, unless there's strict written penalties for quitting early (like repayment of sign-ons/etc). This is your first job out of school; people switch all the time. I had a succession of ~6 month jobs until landing a spot at the big names, but with +50% pay jumps each move.

Unfortunately, I would have to pay back my signing/moving bonus if I quit before a year. Thank you for the advice!

 

[seltzerfan95]

Good luck on your journey to med school! How are you balancing classes and working? Are you taking them online/in-person and are you working in the office? I just started and it's already daunting trying to balance work and expedited course work.

I also just started and it's so daunting. I have like no friends/ social life so it's not a big deal for me to stay inside and study. My classes are online and my job is hybrid so that makes it more manageable. I go in the office once a week. In the fall I'll have an in person evening class so I'm interested to see how that goes.