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- Oct 17, 2018
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Hi, all
I'm a first year Occupational Therapy student considering medical school and I was looking for some input about the following issues:
1. Should I wait until after graduation to take the plunge or cut my losses and start now in order to save money and time?
2. I had a winding path to get to OT, let alone medical school (BA in psych -> gap year taking chemistry and anatomy/physiology at a community college). Should I try for a postbacc? Would the community college prerequisites work against me since they're chem and anatomy? Would any of my graduate school courses count/look good if I did well (I'm proud of my A in gross anatomy w/ cadaver lab lol; also hoping to get As in neuroanatomy & neurophysiology at the graduate level).
3. I have work/volunteer experience in the following roles: PT aide, OT volunteer (both outpatient), home health aide, social work intern in a hospital, intern at a community mental health center, and I have my mental health fieldwork rotation under my belt. I realize that I need hours shadowing a physician but would any of these experiences help me?
4. I have the following research experience: Research assistant in a psych lab in undergrad, "transcriber" for a study in grad school (a professor told me to use this but I'm still unsure of what that even means so idk how to count it), currently working on designing a research project as part of my grad school coursework (of course I'd lose this if I decided to drop out). Is this relevant? Should I look for more/more relevant research experience as a nontraditional applicant?
5. What general tips would you have for a nontraditional applicant?
I apologize for the voluminous nature of this post, but any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
I'm a first year Occupational Therapy student considering medical school and I was looking for some input about the following issues:
1. Should I wait until after graduation to take the plunge or cut my losses and start now in order to save money and time?
2. I had a winding path to get to OT, let alone medical school (BA in psych -> gap year taking chemistry and anatomy/physiology at a community college). Should I try for a postbacc? Would the community college prerequisites work against me since they're chem and anatomy? Would any of my graduate school courses count/look good if I did well (I'm proud of my A in gross anatomy w/ cadaver lab lol; also hoping to get As in neuroanatomy & neurophysiology at the graduate level).
3. I have work/volunteer experience in the following roles: PT aide, OT volunteer (both outpatient), home health aide, social work intern in a hospital, intern at a community mental health center, and I have my mental health fieldwork rotation under my belt. I realize that I need hours shadowing a physician but would any of these experiences help me?
4. I have the following research experience: Research assistant in a psych lab in undergrad, "transcriber" for a study in grad school (a professor told me to use this but I'm still unsure of what that even means so idk how to count it), currently working on designing a research project as part of my grad school coursework (of course I'd lose this if I decided to drop out). Is this relevant? Should I look for more/more relevant research experience as a nontraditional applicant?
5. What general tips would you have for a nontraditional applicant?
I apologize for the voluminous nature of this post, but any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.