Overwhelmed

[sharona1121]

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Hey everyone,

Sure you've heard this before...but any advice would be so appreciated.

Thinking about a career change - from investment banker to doctor. I decided not to go to medical college in England and instead came to the U.S. to do undergrad and decided medicine is going to take too long so I dropped it. Ever since I started my professional career in finance, which has been going great, the regret of not pursuing medicine lurked in the back of my mind but is now so strong...

I've come to the point where it's now or never. It'll take long but when I'm 40 and look back, it would've been worth it.

I'm freaking out though...Don't know where to start.. what to do..
I hear that it'll be two full years from the start of my post bac before I can actually enroll in med school because of this "lag year" or "glide year"... is there any way to avoid this besides doing those post bac programs with "linkage" programs? How important is it to go to top ranked med schools? I noticed that most of the top ranked med schools don't take students from linkage programs (i only noticed UPenn does)... but i'm not even sure what "top ranked" is in the world of medical schools. Aren't med schools like Temple, Tufts, Brown also excellent? Is there a good online source to read about top med schools...

sorry these questions are so basic.. I was told the first thing I should do is join SDN...

 

[Maxprime]

First off - welcome to the club of ex-iBankers, wannabe-MD's - there are a decent number of us lurking around here.

The glide year pertains to the fact that you apply in fall of a year to attend medical school the following year. In other words, people are applying right now to begin school in fall of 2007. For post-bacc students, it usually takes 2 years to take your pre-reqs and take the MCAT - then you apply in fall and have a year before you start - hence a "glide year".

Rankings on med schools are an individual thing - some people want to just be doctors, others want to go to the best schools. A lot of it depends on your undergraduate GPA - if you have good numbers then you have options, otherwise you just want to get in somewhere. Post up a little more about your academic background for suggestions on that.

 

[sharona1121]

thanks for the reply!

hmm in terms of numbers, college gpa was 3.83 major was in economics..major gpa was 3.95 or something like that... went to an ivy league school. i did 4 years of intense public health volunteer work during college.. regret not having just done medicine from the get go!

I see what you are saying about "rankings" but do students from higher ranked/recognized colleges have better chances of getting the residencies they want or is that a completely different story...

with respect to this glide year thing, if I don't do a linkage program that could potentially mean 2 year sof post bac + 1 year of applying = 3 years till matriculation? even without doing a linkage program can't i do post bac in one and half years, take the MCAT in the summer and apply in the fall for the following year?

 

[daeojkim]

Ranking medical school is merely a brag right that is used to impress someone "initially".

In the long run, a physician will be judged by their peers and patients based on their performance as a physician. Not only based on their medical knowledge but as a personal quality and your commitment. I believe this is true in any field. Even if you graduate from a top medical school, if you lack the qualities as a physician, you will not get any respect. I have worked in a top medical school research lab for many years and I have seen cases where I may have been impressed initially because of their degree, but as I got to know them more, they lost my respect due to their competence and quality as a physician. And the reverse has also been true.

About getting into residency, if you do well in USMLE and rank high in your med school class you won't have problem getting into a residency specialty that you desire. Although there may be some positive effect by going to big name school, even if you end up in lower tiers school you can always ameliorate it by many other factors, such as USMLE scores, class rank, doing well in rotations, etc etc...

Your GPA does show that you do have academic potential and I have a feeling you will do well in postbac classes. Most of time an adult with strong commitment tend to do well. If working as a physician is your passion, by all means go for it. It will be a long road but I think it is a unique profession that no other field can match. Even if you start late, you will be working as a physician for decades before you retire.

I am also a non-trad and I knew that if I did not pursue medicine, ten years later I would be regretting heavily. I have many years to go to finish my training but I just see it as a tough journey that I really look forward to.

I hope that this is helpful in anyway and wish you the best of luck.

 

[sharona1121]

thanks so much for your reply.

is there any advice in terms of choosing which post bac i should try to go to? i.e., post bac programs with linkages? do you think these are really effective in getting you past the glide year and into med school within one year?

are you not a competitive applicant at a top med school if you only have the post bac courses i.e., orgo, g chem, bio, physics adn don't have any electives? or does your experience make up for that?

what kind of stats do you need to go to a "top ranked school" <whatever that may be> and what about other schools?

what do people think of the bryn mawr post bac? tufts? harvard extension? columbia? nyu?

 

[Moki]

thanks so much for your reply.

is there any advice in terms of choosing which post bac i should try to go to? i.e., post bac programs with linkages? do you think these are really effective in getting you past the glide year and into med school within one year?

are you not a competitive applicant at a top med school if you only have the post bac courses i.e., orgo, g chem, bio, physics adn don't have any electives? or does your experience make up for that?

what kind of stats do you need to go to a "top ranked school" <whatever that may be> and what about other schools?

what do people think of the bryn mawr post bac? tufts? harvard extension? columbia? nyu?

There are some post bac programs that are more highly regarded then others. The extent to which that helps, I can not tell you. Knowing human nature, an adcom may give letters of recommendation more weight than others depending on the perceived reputation of a program. Same analysis with respect to grades (A is better perceived from HES than a community college. More tenuous with a B from HES and an A from a CC.). The individual applicant still needs to pull their own weight. From your stats and the brief outline of your situation, you appear to be well situated. It may be worth your while to peruse some of the post bac forums and get an idea of the individual program.

Take a look at programs where you currently live. From your examples, I'm guessing that you are in Boston . . . ? If so, the Harvard Extension Program is very well respected, designed to permit you to work and take classes, and very reasonable in cost ($850 a class for the prereqs, $50 semester fee, $100Health Careers Program application fee, and I believe a few hundred dollars for the committee letter in the year that you apply to med school.) You can also begin classes there this fall. On-line enrollment is open and classes begin on September 18th. You can apply to the Health Careers Program even after classes begin. I also found the folks in the HCP office to be helpful and willing to talk.

With respect to your question regarding more advanced courses and adcoms perception, I don't believe that it matters, unless you are a fringe case. You have impressive credentials and I suspect that adcoms will definitely look at you. For your own edification, you may wish to take more advanced courses during your glide year. Some have recommended BioChem and Physio.

As for the glide year, it is my understanding that it is close to impossible to avoid. With that said, every case is unique, so you may wish to speak with a post bac program. With their breadth of experience and your specific information in front of them, they would be able to provide you with much more tailored information.

I have been told that where you go to medical school is less important than where you do your residency. I agree completely with what daeojkim wrote about this subject.

I came across an interesting post on calculating your chances based on tangible data. It was a formula. Might have been on the Pre-Allo forum. If I find it, I'll let you know.

Best of luck with your journey.

 

[emeraldsky]

services.aamc.org
is a good place to start, in case you don't know about it already. you can sort through schools based on the type of curriculum they offer (i.e. career-changer, gpa booster, etc.)

your undergrad gpa was stellar. congrats. and your public health work with definitely be a plus. good luck wherever you go. i think the only thing i would suggest is preparing how you believe your business/finance/banking background will make you a better doctor or how you feel it contributes to your desire to pursue medicine now or something along those lines.

 

[lawnboy313]

thanks so much for your reply.

is there any advice in terms of choosing which post bac i should try to go to? i.e., post bac programs with linkages? do you think these are really effective in getting you past the glide year and into med school within one year?

are you not a competitive applicant at a top med school if you only have the post bac courses i.e., orgo, g chem, bio, physics adn don't have any electives? or does your experience make up for that?

what kind of stats do you need to go to a "top ranked school" <whatever that may be> and what about other schools?

what do people think of the bryn mawr post bac? tufts? harvard extension? columbia? nyu?

The only way to avoid a glide year is to do a program with a linkage. You could do Bryn Mawr, for example, and be starting med school a year from the beginning of your post-bac if you use a linkage. But, linkages at programs like Bryn Mawr are very competitive, so just because you're doing a program with a linkage doesn't mean you automatically get one. And oftentimes linkages are just a spot on the top of the waiting list if your stats turn out satisfactory.

That said, definitely go for programs with linkages. You want all the insurance you can get that you'll end up in a med school after spending the time and money on a post-bac--although, with your stats, I imagine you'll be successful regardless.

Post-bac students can be just as competitive for highly ranked schools as students with more extensive science backgrounds. Your added life experience might even make you more attractive. You shouldn't consider yourself at a disadvantage in applying to highly ranked med schools if you do well in a rigorous post-bac, have a strong undergrad GPA, and have a great MCAT. But don't be stuck on getting into a "top" school--you can be a great physician (and get into top residencies) from any US med school. The old elitist ranking BS might be more important if you want to go into research or academic medicine.

 

[sharona1121]

Thank you guys SO MUCH for your responses.

I know this is a stretch but can I finish my pre med courses in a year and a half (bio chem physics this year orgo in the summer) take the MCATS in august and apply in sept/oct? I know it's a lot but pls tell me if I'm shooting myself in the foot or if its doable just a lot of work and determination.

second question is i know i will at a disadvantage applying in sept/oct because i hear admissions are on a rolling basis but that's whateveryone said for early decision in undergrad as well .. yes 50% gets admitted early but 50% still gets admitted regular. Is this totally not applicable to med school i.e., if i apply in sept/oct i will be slim chances or will they be normal?

 

[lawnboy313]

Thank you guys SO MUCH for your responses.

I know this is a stretch but can I finish my pre med courses in a year and a half (bio chem physics this year orgo in the summer) take the MCATS in august and apply in sept/oct? I know it's a lot but pls tell me if I'm shooting myself in the foot or if its doable just a lot of work and determination.

second question is i know i will at a disadvantage applying in sept/oct because i hear admissions are on a rolling basis but that's whateveryone said for early decision in undergrad as well .. yes 50% gets admitted early but 50% still gets admitted regular. Is this totally not applicable to med school i.e., if i apply in sept/oct i will be slim chances or will they be normal?

Yes, you can finish them in a year and a half (an academic year and a half--it's only really a year)--that's the way many post-bacs are set up, including Bryn Mawr's. During the summer--although it's crazy--you take orgo, study for the August MCATs (although the MCATs are changing in 2007 and the timeline might be different) and work on applications. So, if you work hard, you won't be at a disadvantage--just under lots of stress. It's doable. They'll tell you how it all works in the program anyways--no need to worry about it now!

 

[NY Musicologist]

I disagree with the poster who advised you to go for a linkage program. From what I understand, admission to the linked med school at the end of the postbacc is by no means guaranteed--you still have to compete against everyone else in your postbacc class. More important for me--and I just came to this conclusion last night, actually--is being able to keep my med school options open in the end. For example, if I join a postbacc with a linkage to a med school with a traditional curriculum, and end up earning a seat in the med school class BUT decide that my learning preference is actually for a PBL (problem-based learning) curriculum, then I'm kinda stuck. But that's just me, and if you would feel better knowing that by hook or by crook you could snag one of your postbacc's few linked spots for yourself, more power to you.

Good luck in either case. 🙂

 

[NY Musicologist]

what do people think of the bryn mawr post bac? tufts? harvard extension? columbia? nyu?

Me again... First, where are you living now? Are you happy there, or would you rather make a move? Perhaps more importantly, are you willing to make a stressful and costly move (because it's almost always both) to a place where you may end up staying only for a couple of years?

If you're already in New York, for example, you'll save yourself multiple headaches just by committing to NYU or Columbia. If you're in (comparatively speaking) the middle of nowhere, that's another problem. I'd suggest you start by selecting the schools with the best stats (% admitted to med school at program's end; avg MCAT, etc.) and then narrow that list down based on location, sponsorship/mentoring arrangements (not the same as linkage), size of the program, and so forth. Oh, don't forget COST!!!

Myself, I'm in Boston and am leaning strongly toward Harvard Extension on the basis of economics (about $800/course) and its good reputation.

Looks like you've got the stats and the motivation to make just about anything work for you, so just decide what appeals and go for it.