Part-Time PreMed Post Bacc Advice Where Do I Even Begin

[Nate_Dawg]

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So I've done a lot of lurking on this site, now it's time to ask this community for their input so here we go. First off 3.3 cGPA in Geography, before anyone jumps on me, yeah I know it's low. Found out after the birth of my child, June 2018 that I wanted to get into the world of medicine but can't change my major because the army gave me 4 years to complete my degree and in 2018 I was already halfway through mine. I definitely have a long road ahead of me with being a non-science major with nearly no pre-reqs completed my GPA has been pretty neutral in regard to its trend. ROTC, being a dad, and not being able to rely on family have made life less than ideal but I keep trucking on. Now I graduate in May 2020 and I plan on getting settled in my full-time job and such before going back to school again to get pre-reqs out of the way. Now, when I do go back I'll have to go part-time, there's no way around this, so please spare your "well you need to make school your 1 and only priority" because I've got bills, rent and a child to support. I will have to work full time in order to support my child and my wife who needs to go back to school (2 years until she graduates). I understand that I'm not in an ideal position but that seems to be the story of my life, ie becoming a dad at 19, but I want to work towards this goal and achieve it, not just for me but for my family. If there is anyone who has gone through this I'd love some advice and how you were able to balance work, family, and pre-reqs. I really do look forward to working towards this goal and once my wife graduates she'll be working as a teacher so I plan on going back full-time when she graduates. Also I will be an officer in the Army National Guard in May 2020 just to give you as much info on my life as possible, you know 1 weekend a month, few weeks in the summer. In the end I understand that taking classes full-time would be most beneficial to my future application but since I cannot do that how should I make my self as competitive as possible given the circumstances I am in.

Thank you!

 

[Ell19]

Hi!

First off, your priorities and family always come first. Medical schools are not going anywhere, therefore whether it takes you 1 year or 5 years to complete your pre-req, it makes no difference!

Where to start:
-if you have not done so already, SHADOW physicians! make sure you know what you are getting into before going on this journey (you might have already done this); additionally explore PA/NP/RN/paramedic- other healthcare providers to be sure you want to be a physician (again you might have already done this, but it is important to anyone starting this journey)

-Do as well as you can in your current classes and hopefully you can have an upward GPA trend

-3.3cGPA is definitely not a bad place to be starting from- the average person who applies to DO school has a 3.46 and average matriculant is 3.56; so you definitely have room to improve, but there are so many people post on SDN who are starting with below a 3.0. So don't sell yourself too short, but your final sGPA, cGPA, and MCAT will really determine whether you apply DO, MD, or both! (for example, I started my undergrad career with a 2.95 cGPA my first semester, and my final cGPA was a 3.55)

-If you can incorporate any pre-reqs with your current bachelor's degree, you should do that. But don't overload yourself (you want to focus on getting the best grades you can); even adding in Bio 1 or gen chem 1 or calc 1 to a semester would be a good start

-you have a unique life story, which you can play to your advantage and military service is always a positive!

-be realistic- if you have a full time job and a child, you may only be able to take 1-2 courses per semester (once you graduate in may 2020), and that's perfectly fine. It would be worse to overload your schedule and do poorly in your classes. You want to show schools that you can handle the rigors of medical school, while still staying sane! If you have a lighter courseload, see if you can fit in some ECs such as volunteering, shadowing, research, or any clinical experience

I do not personally have a family or a child, so I can only offer my experience as a single individual. I graduated in 2016 with a BS, but was missing some pre-reqs for medical school and was not 100% sure if I wanted to pursue medical school. I became a full-time research assistant in pulmonary and critical care medicine at a hospital, where I discovered this really was the path I wanted to pursue. After 1 year, I moved home to finish my 6 remaining courses and become an EMT. I volunteered as an EMT part-time while I took 2 courses per semester (orgo 1, physics 1; then orgo 2, physics 2; biochem over the summer, and then an additional english class). So on SDN that might be viewed as negative or "not showing I can handle the rigors of medical school", since I only volunteered as an EMT max 12 hours per week while taking only 8 credits per semester. But here I am with 4 interviews (3 DO and 1 MD), and 1 acceptance!

Do what is best and most realistic for you, medical schools will always be there!