MD & DO Nontrad, really need advice.

[glenstorm]

Hello folks,

I'm a nontrad applicant and could really use some advice. I'm going to give you a rough idea of my background; if you need more information, I'm happy to provide details.

-FL resident.
-I graduated undergrad in 2012, with a degree in Microbiology.
-My cGPA was a 3.75 and my sGPA was a 3.60.
-Academic red flags: C+ in Chem 2 first semester of freshman year, C in Orgo 2 first semester of Sophomore year, C in Physics 2 summer semester before Junior year.
-All As in mostly upper-level science (Microbiology) classes after these.
-More than 2 years of undergrad science research and one poster presentation, though no publications.
-I was also severely lacking in patient exposure and volunteering during undergrad.
-My score on the old MCAT was 30N (taken 2012)

I applied to medical school twice; once in 2012 and once in 2014. I ended up withdrawing my 2012 application due to personal issues. In 2014, despite applying broadly (applied MD only), I only interviewed at one school (George Washington), was waitlisted and ultimately rejected.

Since 2012, I have been working full-time as a medical scribe and medical assistant. I started off working in the ER (2.5 years), then worked with a PCP (family medicine, 1.5 years) and am now working with a cardiologist. I have also been racking up hundreds of clinical and non-clinical volunteering hours.

My plan now is to study for the MCAT, take it in January and hopefully score excellently (as close to 520 as possible), and apply next cycle.

My question is, since I've been out of school for more than 5 years now, do I need to do a 1-year post-bacc? And can I still apply to medical school next summer if I start a post-bacc next fall?

Thank you, and please let me know if you need more information.

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[rufflev]

I can't say why you didn't get more interviews in your 2014 application cycle - perhaps it was due to the lack of patient exposure and volunteering, but unless you requested a file review, it's not known. As of now, it seems like your stats are good and assuming that you do well on the MCAT, you have a good chance of getting IIs if you apply broadly.

As for the post-bacc., I don't think you really need to enroll in this because there's no point in trying to raise your GPA, especially since you have so many credit hours in your sGPA. Though it may be good since you've been out of school and want to show that you still have the capability of doing well, I think that a high MCAT score will suffice. If you do start a post-bacc in the fall, it wouldn't be too useful since you wouldn't be able to report your grade to the medical schools until December (assuming the curriculum is semesterly), which will be well into/after the interview cycle, where your application will have most likely already been reviewed.

 

[Faha]

If your MCAT is at least 508 you should receive some interviews from your Florida MD schools (include NOVA MD when it opens). I suggest also applying broadly to DO schools. Post your MCAT score here next year when available.