Planning ahead

[ConsultantMD]

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So I just accepted a consulting job for a healthcare consulting firm, which I'm totally excited about given this economy. It sort of happened all of a sudden really, I never planned it. I am pre-med and I wanted to attend an SMP-ish type program, but I got side-tracked with this job.

So right now I'm thinking that I can work at my job for a while, make some money to defray the costs of med school, get a great experience in the healthcare field directly, and gain a different perspective.

I am kind of concerned about applying to medical school while working so I was hoping to get some advice about that. I haven't taken the MCAT yet, and my grades are a little sub-par (hence the desire to do an SMP). Would I have to take another year off to do an SMP after my job, or would I be able to go straight to medical school, granted a good MCAT score.

I go to a top ranked undergrad school and am confident that I can pull my stuff together for the MCAT and an SMP if need be. I have a wealth of experiences outside of being pre-med as well, but I'm not sure how relevant these will be after working at my job.

Please let me know what other people have done in a similar situation. Also, what are the top ranked medical schools like in terms of their acceptance rates for nontraditional applicants like in your experience?

Thanks a ton!

 

[ConsultantMD]

I guess to add more to paint the picture:

I have two different independent research projects in a hard science and social science (both hopefully to be published, one has been accepted to be published with revisions).

I have volunteered in many different ways on campus, translating spanish for triage, going on week-long service trips, community organizing on campus, and volunteering at a hospital.

I also have had a steady work-study job during my 4 years, sometimes with two different jobs, right now I tutor for a department and am a research assistant for a professor.

I also have spent a lot of time with my varsity sport, which I'm the 2 year captain.

Lastly, I've pursued several different academic interests with a triple major in a hard science, business, and spanish. I didn't particularly do too well/care about doing too well in my pre-med classes and this definitely will hurt my chances applying. I'm hoping I can study hard enough to get a 36+ on the MCAT or something like that (very ambitious I know).

Another question I have is: will any of this be relevant after working for a couple of years? Will medical schools care that I spent a lot of time doing different things as an undergrad? Or will this be a thing of the past?

Thanks in advance and happy holidays!