Hello SDN'ers,
A bit of background information about me to lay a foundation for my query (sorry for TLDR): I am currently an undergraduate in an Electrical Engineering program. I already have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, with a fairly average GPA of 2.95. I decided to pursue EE for a 2nd Bachelor's partly because I was uncomfortable with only understanding "half" of most modern engineering information, and partly to raise my GPA. I chose engineering all those years ago not out of any significant interest, but as a sort of "safe bet" because there wasn't anything that matched the criteria of being somewhat intellectually stimulating but also not requiring too much of a time commitment. Naturally, I white-knuckled my way through the program, doing only enough to learn the material to a level I thought sufficient and basically only getting A's in classes I found somewhat interesting or that were exceptionally easy.
Fast forward to now, I've recently been employed in my first engineering internship, and I am realizing I strongly dislike most aspects of real-world engineering. So, I've come to the realization that if I'm going to have to do a bunch of BS as a professional, it might as well be for the purpose of directly helping people, alleviating suffering, understanding the human body and how to change disease into ease, instead of memorizing the 20 different types of cranks and widgets and fidgets in some manufacturer's catalog.
Since I still have about 2 years left of my EE degree, I was thinking to basically mix in the medical school pre-requisites, some of which I already have completed, do some clinical volunteering/shadowing/maybe research if opportunities present themselves and apply in 2 years (3 years max). My overall undergrad GPA, however, would probably not go past 3.5 due to the GPA math, though I think I could maintain a 3.7-4.0 during the rest of my undergrad schooling. Based on SAT scores and other academic evaluations I've done I think I can also score 510-520, at least, on the MCAT.
Here are some more details: my original UG transcript is a total mess. I have around a dozen withdrawals, 3 F's that I retook and replaced with A's, and just no consistency of any sort really. I received an A+ in a condensed 6 credit Thermodynamics+Advanced Thermodynamics course I took in 5 weeks over a summer with no curve because I found it interesting (rest of the class, unfortunately, failed), but a C in Poetry because I didn't hand in a couple assignments. I was basically mentally wandering through the whole thing. I've always had an interest in biology/biochemistry, specifically in genetics, and even took an AP Biology course in high school in which I did so well that the teacher pulled me aside and said I should go into a medical profession. It would of never happened at that point though, I was far too immature/unaware with my studies as a whole. My cumulative undergraduate GPA by AMCAS standards will be around a 3.2 (3.4-3.5 sGPA) by the time I finish this second degree or "post-bacc" or whatever you wish to call it.
I'm still not even 100% sure that I want to become a doctor especially considering the sacrifices it entails, however, I would like some opinions/advice on whether the road is even open at this point.
Any advice/insight/information/whatever else will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Edit: Forgot to add, based on my current understanding the only field of medicine I'm interested in is internal medicine. I like systems and their interactions.
A bit of background information about me to lay a foundation for my query (sorry for TLDR): I am currently an undergraduate in an Electrical Engineering program. I already have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, with a fairly average GPA of 2.95. I decided to pursue EE for a 2nd Bachelor's partly because I was uncomfortable with only understanding "half" of most modern engineering information, and partly to raise my GPA. I chose engineering all those years ago not out of any significant interest, but as a sort of "safe bet" because there wasn't anything that matched the criteria of being somewhat intellectually stimulating but also not requiring too much of a time commitment. Naturally, I white-knuckled my way through the program, doing only enough to learn the material to a level I thought sufficient and basically only getting A's in classes I found somewhat interesting or that were exceptionally easy.
Fast forward to now, I've recently been employed in my first engineering internship, and I am realizing I strongly dislike most aspects of real-world engineering. So, I've come to the realization that if I'm going to have to do a bunch of BS as a professional, it might as well be for the purpose of directly helping people, alleviating suffering, understanding the human body and how to change disease into ease, instead of memorizing the 20 different types of cranks and widgets and fidgets in some manufacturer's catalog.
Since I still have about 2 years left of my EE degree, I was thinking to basically mix in the medical school pre-requisites, some of which I already have completed, do some clinical volunteering/shadowing/maybe research if opportunities present themselves and apply in 2 years (3 years max). My overall undergrad GPA, however, would probably not go past 3.5 due to the GPA math, though I think I could maintain a 3.7-4.0 during the rest of my undergrad schooling. Based on SAT scores and other academic evaluations I've done I think I can also score 510-520, at least, on the MCAT.
Here are some more details: my original UG transcript is a total mess. I have around a dozen withdrawals, 3 F's that I retook and replaced with A's, and just no consistency of any sort really. I received an A+ in a condensed 6 credit Thermodynamics+Advanced Thermodynamics course I took in 5 weeks over a summer with no curve because I found it interesting (rest of the class, unfortunately, failed), but a C in Poetry because I didn't hand in a couple assignments. I was basically mentally wandering through the whole thing. I've always had an interest in biology/biochemistry, specifically in genetics, and even took an AP Biology course in high school in which I did so well that the teacher pulled me aside and said I should go into a medical profession. It would of never happened at that point though, I was far too immature/unaware with my studies as a whole. My cumulative undergraduate GPA by AMCAS standards will be around a 3.2 (3.4-3.5 sGPA) by the time I finish this second degree or "post-bacc" or whatever you wish to call it.
I'm still not even 100% sure that I want to become a doctor especially considering the sacrifices it entails, however, I would like some opinions/advice on whether the road is even open at this point.
Any advice/insight/information/whatever else will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Edit: Forgot to add, based on my current understanding the only field of medicine I'm interested in is internal medicine. I like systems and their interactions.
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