Hey! So, much like you... I decided to switch to medicine a little "late."
I graduated with a B.A. in General Business. After doing a WHOLE lot of research and talking to other people..I decided to take the post-bacc route. Honestly, I think that was best because most post-bacc programs offer helpful things like access to pre-med advising, research opportunities, shadowing opportunities, etc. I mean doing it on your own is a great way to save money, don't get me wrong...but through these programs I feel a little bit more secure about my chances. Also, med schools ask that you submit a committee letter..which is generally something you would receive as part of a post-bacc program..I imagine it would be a little bit more difficult if you were to do it all on your own.
I do think that most med school admissions take post-bacc seriously! I have read a TON of good things about them and the acceptance rates. But ultimately it depends on how well you do in your pre-reqs..which brings me to your other question. I, personally, think it's a bad idea to try to take all your classes now. If I were you..I would finish up the career path you are on now (but try to add in some volunteer, shadow, and clinical experience in your free time). Bring up your GPA with those classes..and then focus on your pre-reqs in a post-bacc. But that's just my opinion!
I actually am about to start a post-bacc program that I was accepted into this fall. ( in two weeks!). I'm keeping a blog about this entire experience..from moving over here..to the classes, how to get shadowing, etc. Mainly because when I was trying to find out what would be my best option...I wished I could have read other people's experiences..so I'm trying to do that for people like you and me..who would like to see what other's have gone through and what worked...and didn't work! The blog is SUPER new (only like 2 posts)...but feel free to check it out, subscribe, and see if you can take anything away from my experiences that I have and will write about!
www.scrubsandvodka.com
-C.R.
