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Nontraditional Student. Is there hope or am I officially toast?
- Thread starter gfcs88
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It's great that you have dealt with these issues and have rebound. But the fact is that many premeds have gone through stuff like you and worse and still did really well with their grades. Your GPA, to put it bluntly, is not competitive for any medical school.
Now, are you toast? No. Lets look at your questions.
What should I do?
Well, you outlined good options for yourself below. If you want a fast-track I would go for an SMP. The great thing with SMPs is that some help you out with the MCAT. Some give you an outline on applying during your year at the program or when you finish and get your certificate/degree. I really urge you to visit the Post-Bacc forums and read the FAQs. They are very helpful and will give you a comprehensive list of what program is for you and when to apply. Do you need the Georgetown or U Cincinnati SMP? No, not at all. You can find cheap ones for $7k - $12k in your state.
Should I graduate then get a job, then complete my pre-med courses part time, clinicial hours, and the MCAT and then apply to medical school in my later 20s?
This plan is very shady because many others have done premed their first time, as well as work, study the MCAT, and do volunteer work on top of that. Doing part-time premed work isn't a smart idea. If you must take this route, be prepared to make A's and get a ton of volunteer and clinical hours, with an MCAT score above 31 (the national matriculation mean).
Should I take out more loans for a post-bacc or SMP , get all As, complete the MCAT and clinical hours, and then apply in the next 2 years?
This is better. As above, many programs want you to succeed, especially the smaller ones. This route will best show you are ready for medical school in the least amount of time. Like stated above, your in-state public SMP will cost you very little compared to U Cincinnati or Georgetown. I would do the following:
Lastly, are you toast? No. The only way you will be toast is if you give up.
Now, are you toast? No. Lets look at your questions.
What should I do?
Well, you outlined good options for yourself below. If you want a fast-track I would go for an SMP. The great thing with SMPs is that some help you out with the MCAT. Some give you an outline on applying during your year at the program or when you finish and get your certificate/degree. I really urge you to visit the Post-Bacc forums and read the FAQs. They are very helpful and will give you a comprehensive list of what program is for you and when to apply. Do you need the Georgetown or U Cincinnati SMP? No, not at all. You can find cheap ones for $7k - $12k in your state.
Should I graduate then get a job, then complete my pre-med courses part time, clinicial hours, and the MCAT and then apply to medical school in my later 20s?
This plan is very shady because many others have done premed their first time, as well as work, study the MCAT, and do volunteer work on top of that. Doing part-time premed work isn't a smart idea. If you must take this route, be prepared to make A's and get a ton of volunteer and clinical hours, with an MCAT score above 31 (the national matriculation mean).
Should I take out more loans for a post-bacc or SMP , get all As, complete the MCAT and clinical hours, and then apply in the next 2 years?
This is better. As above, many programs want you to succeed, especially the smaller ones. This route will best show you are ready for medical school in the least amount of time. Like stated above, your in-state public SMP will cost you very little compared to U Cincinnati or Georgetown. I would do the following:
- ASAP: Study the MCAT and look into different SMP programs for price, location, what fits your needs, etc.
- January 2015: Take the MCAT and start applying for different SMPs
- June 2015: Decide where you will be going SMP-wise and start applying for Medical School
- August 2015 Attend the SMP of your choice, make A's (nothing less than a 3.7 GPA)
- 2016: Get into medical school!
Lastly, are you toast? No. The only way you will be toast is if you give up.
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i don't see why you can't get a job first to save up money. No one says you have to complete your pre-reqs immediately. You can get a good job in computer related field to save up money and do your premed stuff in the mean time. Being nontrad is not a bad thing or very shady
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It seems that you have lots to do before you are anywhere near ready to apply! So take it slow and decide what is best for you. You really have to improve both of you GPAs. Currently you aren't competitive for any med school . You have to start getting As while taking a full course load for a few semesters. ADCOMs won't be too impressed with part time attendance, especially since you have such a low GPA. You should finish all of your premed requirements before you take the MCAT. You also need to work really hard on your ECs. Anything you did in HS should not be included in your app. You also need to decide what path is most realistic for you! DO offers the great grade replacement option. MD doesn't. And always remember there are lots of medical careers. Maybe you should spend time investigating some of the other options.
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What exactly is wrong with my ECs so far?
Also, do I need to volunteer at a hospital for more recent hours? I did it in high school and I felt as if I learned nothing about the medical field.
All I did was work at the front desk. Wouldn't my time be better served shadowing a doctor and having contact with patients?
All I did was work at the front desk. Wouldn't my time be better served shadowing a doctor and having contact with patients?
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As far as I can tell you have little to no clinical hours . I don't think you have any shadowing either. High school hours really mean nothing unless you carried them on in college . And as you have stated you didn't have any significant patient contact Read some of the other WAMC threads and see what your competition has been doing for ECs. It doesn't have to be in a hospital. You could try free clinics, nursing homes and hospice facilities. You need to do this AND shadowing docs in a range of specialties for many hours. As many have said ADCOMs want to be sure you know what you are getting yourself into when you become a doc .
