Micro_Runner
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- Sep 29, 2018
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Can you help?
I know you probably do not want to read my life story, but I want to give you a little info about me. I appreciate any- and everyone who decides to read and respond.
My story
During the summer before college, I interviewed for and was accepted to a research lab. At the time, I did not know it, but I would go on to spend my entire undergraduate career as part of that research lab (all summers included). It was a highly interdisciplinary experience. Clinical and basic science. I gained professional skills, held top positions in the research lab's undergraduate organization, and went to international conferences. It was transformative for me. I entered college thinking I wanted to be a Doctor and as if that were the only thing I wanted to do. Turns out I ended up creating other opportunities for myself.
Doing research as an undergraduate helped me learn that I loved the discovery aspect of research medicine. I sought advice from my mentor / PI and she gave me lots of valuable info. I decided to temporarily forgo the MD route for PhD. It was an intensely creative, challenging, and unforgettable experience. I helped conduct a clinical trial, saw patients, interacted with various HCP, and also did animal studies. Doing the PhD became a no brainer - I had the opportunity to involve myself in cutting edge research and I did not want to miss that chance.
From that experience I learned many things. I also got burnt out.
Long story short, at the tail-end of my PhD, I decided to take a "break." I started working in real estate and was able to pay for the tail end of my schooling, and ultimately that venture became successful. I have been doing this for about 1.5 years since my graduation. During this break, my partner was able to start a career and start a PhD program. We have also had many personal accomplishments together including getting married. Working for myself has been very interesting and rewarding, but it is not fulfilling in the way that my research and clinical experiences were.
The thrill and enjoyment I get from science and medicine has not left me and I want to bring it back into my life. I have considered other health care professions, but I have landed on pursuing a career as an MD as my objective. I have several questions. I'm not even sure if these are the right questions, but I would appreciate answers/feedback and suggestions for other things to be thinking about.
I know you probably do not want to read my life story, but I want to give you a little info about me. I appreciate any- and everyone who decides to read and respond.
- 28 years old
- B.S. in Microbio in 2012 w/ 3.82 cGPA from top 10 public uni
- Ph.D in Nutrition in 2017 w/ 3.64 GPA from top 10 public uni
- Certificate in Clinical and Translational Sciences in 2017 from top 10 public uni
- Major clinical and basic science research experience
- Interests: translational science, big data, precision medicine
- Spent the last 1.5 years pursuing a non-health related business. It's successful, but not where my heart is.
My story
During the summer before college, I interviewed for and was accepted to a research lab. At the time, I did not know it, but I would go on to spend my entire undergraduate career as part of that research lab (all summers included). It was a highly interdisciplinary experience. Clinical and basic science. I gained professional skills, held top positions in the research lab's undergraduate organization, and went to international conferences. It was transformative for me. I entered college thinking I wanted to be a Doctor and as if that were the only thing I wanted to do. Turns out I ended up creating other opportunities for myself.
Doing research as an undergraduate helped me learn that I loved the discovery aspect of research medicine. I sought advice from my mentor / PI and she gave me lots of valuable info. I decided to temporarily forgo the MD route for PhD. It was an intensely creative, challenging, and unforgettable experience. I helped conduct a clinical trial, saw patients, interacted with various HCP, and also did animal studies. Doing the PhD became a no brainer - I had the opportunity to involve myself in cutting edge research and I did not want to miss that chance.
From that experience I learned many things. I also got burnt out.
Long story short, at the tail-end of my PhD, I decided to take a "break." I started working in real estate and was able to pay for the tail end of my schooling, and ultimately that venture became successful. I have been doing this for about 1.5 years since my graduation. During this break, my partner was able to start a career and start a PhD program. We have also had many personal accomplishments together including getting married. Working for myself has been very interesting and rewarding, but it is not fulfilling in the way that my research and clinical experiences were.
The thrill and enjoyment I get from science and medicine has not left me and I want to bring it back into my life. I have considered other health care professions, but I have landed on pursuing a career as an MD as my objective. I have several questions. I'm not even sure if these are the right questions, but I would appreciate answers/feedback and suggestions for other things to be thinking about.
- Do I reach out to my previous mentor to ask if unfinished manuscripts can be taken on and completed?
- Do I put health care related volunteer experience on my plate right now?
- What timeline should I have?
- Should I try to start studying for the MCAT now, with the objective of applying during the next application cycle? I know that I am going to need to devote a solid amount of time to content and practice.
- I want to carefully plan this process, but I do not want to waste time. If I miss this upcoming application cycle, will the gap between my education and the subsequent cycle be too much?
- I am concerned about LOR (I can ask my mentor/PI, and a peer/colleague who is practicing as a HCP now, who else should I be thinking of?)
- Year in school - not in school; currently self-employed
- Country/state of residence - FL
- Schools - FL schools, NE schools (not totally decided). My family is on the East coast and my partner has 2 years before completing his program. I would need to stay on the East coast in terms of schools.
- Cumulative GPA - 3.82 (undergrad); 3.64 (grad school)
- Science GPA - I would need to calculate....
- MCAT Scores - have not taken yet
- Research – as undergrad (several abstracts; 1 first auth pub); as grad student (over 10+ abstracts, grants, several draft publications). International conferences as undergrad and grad student to present work. I worked/volunteered in a research lab for all 4 years of my undergraduate degree (ultimately that is what led me to pursue a PhD).
- Volunteering (clinical) – My research degree involved being part of a clinical trial, so I have much to offer/discuss here.
- Physician shadowing – I have worked mainly with neurologists, dieticians - not shadowing per se, but my research experience lent itself towards much involvement with physicians. During undergrad I volunteered in the hospital.
- Non-clinical volunteering - In my undergrad, I volunteered with several political organizations
- Extracurricular activities - Running; I started a running group for LGBT+ youth in my hometown three years ago
- Employment history - I partially supported myself through college as a Resident Assistant; I started my own business in 2016, and have worked in that business since starting it
- Immediate family members in medicine? No
- Specialty of interest - neurology, pediatrics, neonatology
- Graduate degrees - Yes; I completed basic science and clinical research; used animal models to understand neonatal development; grew a data science branch of the lab; saw patients in clinic as part of the clinical trial being conducted; wrote patient summaries for physician review; received awards as graduate student, earned grants, wrote abstracts, and have drafted manuscripts
- Interest in rural health (y/n) - possibly, but probably not
