One last look...

[wasvsdal]

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Hi, I have been browsing around this forum forever, as you can probably tell by my start date. I have been out of school for 2 years, and throughout these two years, keep thinking about medical school. I'll tell you why: its a challenging topic, you learn about a topic that you can seriously help people with, and its financially rewarding. Currently, I am an accountant, and it has all of those qualities but on a very diluted level.

I am brought forth with a position, where I have the option of having three months off because I am switching jobs. I can either travel and see the world in this time off, or I can study for MCAT's. Naturally, any normal person would have a hard time grasping these choices, as one is a lot more enjoyable than the other. Anyhow, I am leaning towards preparing for the MCAT's because I need to do well on that exam to have a shot at medical school, especially with my very poor gpa.

I guess I just wanted to engage in a discussion with you, and maybe see if some of you have similar experiences to me, and how you went about them. I have already done a search and have found some beautiful and incredible stories, but I guess I am looking for some normal stories.

Finally, im 24 years old and have an overall GPA of 2.85, and science gpa of 2.25. If I retook Biochem, Physics 2, and Cell Bio and receive an A in them, then with the D.O. grade replacement policy, that overall/science becomes 3.10/2.95. If I took a few more classes (16 credits), with the grade replacement policy for classes aforementioned, im looking at 3.2 overall / 3.22 science. I am going to have to double check these calculations, but I am basically using that AMCAS excel spreadsheet someone posted in a thread. Without the grade replacement, I am looking at 3.05 o and 2.84 science after repeating those classes and 16 credits. Once again, I'll have to double check these calculations because I have been playing around with this spreadsheet a lot, and I want to make sure its still accurate.

Thanks for your response in advance.

 

[katiemaude]

Are you asking whether or not we think you have a shot of getting into medical school? If so, you should ask to have your thread moved to "what are my chances?"

If you know you want to apply to medical school, you will need these three months of undisturbed study time to do well on the MCAT, especially since you will be working full time (I presume) afterwards. Studying for the MCAT while working full-time is possible but it would be hard to turn down an uninterrupted study period like that.

I wish I didn't have to take two classes and work part-time during the six-month period I will be reviewing for the MCAT. I can't help it if I want to apply next cycle.

 

[wasvsdal]

Not asking for my chances, I already know what those are. D.O. or Caribbean with spectacular MCAT scores. Just trying to find people to relate with - you know people with a similar background who also had to make a similar choice, which is to drop a decent career for this, and I guess inquire as to why they made that decision.

 

[katiemaude]

I didn't drop a lucrative career (writing = not so much) but I do find I have way less time for something I've loved to do my whole life. I still dabble in writing but it's not the all-consuming focus it once was. I made a decent living but was by no means rich. I used to love it. I grew to hate the office/corporate culture and freelance was too sporadic in terms of income and lonely as well.

Science and medicine have always been interests of mine. I wanted to be a doctor long before someone discovered I was a good writer and helped push me in that direction (not that I'm ungrateful- I enjoyed it very much). When I was laid off, I had already begun to investigate SMPs but my limited income and the uncertainty about whether I could hack it with a full science courseload led to my decision to take classes at a community college. I wish I had the nerve to jump in and borrow the $50K for an SMP. I might be in medical school now... or I might not.

Using your three months of freedom to study for the MCAT is not a giant risk. It's a lost opportunity for three months of traveling, which you could make up for once your app cycle is done but before med school starts. Think of it this way - if you rock the thing, you could have a good shot at DO. You could start doing grade replacement to shore up your app in case you have to reapply. No need to quit your job until you know you're in.

As for medical school vs accounting, I think if you can love doing anything else you should do that other thing. Medical school is a long hard road. Worth it, from what most people say, but only if you've got the burning desire to be a doctor.

 

[phltz]

If you did lousy in a bunch of your science classes and are already planning on retaking them, I'd recommend doing that before studying for and taking the MCAT. Are you gonna take these classes one or two at a time while working? Are you thinking of going back to school full time for a year or so to bang all this stuff out? You strike me as someone who needs to come up with a firm plan. Your undergraduate performance sounds like it left a lot to be desired. What went wrong? What's going to be different about this time? Better planning, organization, and maturity are going to have to be part of the solution to getting it right this time around.

Don't just dive into studying for the MCAT unless you've got your next few moves figured out, and know how this particular bit of studying fits into the big picture.

 

[DrMidlife]

I agree w/the previous poster. With your science GPA, imho you need more coursework and then most likely more than 3 months of MCAT prep.

Go see the world. Be young & fabulous while you can.

Best of luck to you.