pseudo-nontrad needs some advice

[NonTradMed]

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Hello everyone,

I have been lurking on this thread for a while but this is my first post. I recently decided to take the plunge and apply to med school this fall so I need some advice.

I attended a "top 10" undergrad with the intention of doing medicine. I took comp sci as my major b/c I thought it was fun, and if medicine didn't work out, I could still do something I liked.

I was burnt out by junior year and decided not to do premed but continued with my comp sci major degree b/c i still had to graduate.

When it was time to graduate I wasn't sure about finding a job versus going onto grad school for comp sci. Believe it or not, the easy way was to apply to the masters program at my school for comp sci (was relatively easy to get in compared to finding a job!), it was a year long since i attended undergrad there and I thought it would be a good chance to see if i wanted to do research in comp sci. I hated it and was so burned out from school that I didn't care about my grades my last semester.

I was suppose to graduate in 2001, I had a 3.41 cum GPA. But my masters program (it was a combo with my BS) pulled it down to 3.33 b/c my last semester was a 2.40 (not b/c I was dumb, more b/c I was lazy about school).

I 'graduated' with my BS in 2001 but 'officially' graduated with a BS/MS in 2002.

After graduation, I went to work at a IT company and having been there ever since. I came upon my decision to go to med school for a number of reasons but I won't elaborate in this post....but I'm afraid my gpa has drastically reduced my chance of getting into med school. I have all my premed classes already, and I'm reviewing for the MCAT.

I have done volunteer work and worked in a hospital for three years while as a undergrad. And I have plans to go back to volunteering again. But I am working full time so I can't shoulder anything too heavy.

What do you guys think I need to get on the MCAT in order to have a good shot at med school? And what can I do to make up for my poor GPA? Do you think I should leave out my masters (is that possible?) and just show my undergrad GPA?

I would appreciate any advice. I am almost 25 now, so I guess I am a 'nontrad' candidate (even though I've only been out of school for a year) so I would especially like to hear from med students who were nontrad like me. Thanks!

🙂

 

[HawkeyeBFP]

You can't leave out the master's. When you apply you have to tell them every single course and degree you've ever taken at any accredited institution.

There's no real answer about the MCAT. Who knows? You should do as well as you possibly can, that's all. There's no guaranteed number. Average for matriculants is about 30; you'd like to be above that, obviously.

I think the biggest question you need to be ready to address is the one you don't elaborate on: why med school? Why now? THAT is the big thing they're going to want to know.

3.33 GPA is not so bad, though you may be asked about the late drop-off; 3 years volunteering is fine; you'll try to kick ass on the MCAT, all well and good. But they're STILL going to want to know why you want to be a doctor. You need a good, convincing answer for them. (Not for me! You don't have to elaborate here if you don't want. 🙂 )

Believe me. I'm a non-trad and I know. 😀 It's been the first question from everyone I've talked to and everyone I've interviewed with.

 

[ixitixl]

If you attended at top 10 undergrad, have decent ECs and a GPA above 3.0 and a 32+ MCAT score, I don't think you'll have much trouble getting in. You just need to be realistic about the med schools you apply to. Applying to 15-20 schools with a good mix of public and private schools as well as schools that tend to interview lots of people should do the trick.

Can you PM me which undergrad you went to?

 

[TexasRose]

Your UGrad and Grad GPA's will be separated for you by AMCAS, the application service.

Have a brief and honest explanation for what happened to your grad GPA if you get asked during interviews. Don't bother pointing it out in your personal statement. (just brings attention to it)

And yes, you will be asked "why now?"

Do your best on the MCAT. A good score goes a long way to getting your "foot in the door" when you have a lower GPA.

good luck!

 

[Amy B]

As long as you get a decent MCAT score, your GPA shouldn't hinder your chances. Having a BS/MS is a good thing. AMCAS breaks all your grades down by the year you took the classes, so it should show your higher GPA for the undergrad work and then it will show your less than steller GPA as your grad work. SO it will be a source for discussion if you get an interview.

Study hard for the MCAT and you should have a good chance. Good luck.

 

[surfsup]

whats your BCPM gpa like? If its good and you get a good score on the MCAT, I think you'll be competitive.

 

[Amy B]

Originally posted by TheresaW
Don't bother pointing it out in your personal statement. (just brings attention to it)

I disagree. When I was working with a dean of admissions, she said if they have something out of the ordinary on someone's application, they immediatly turn to the person's essay and see if it was briefly mentioned in that essay. If it is not, she said, they questions why it was addressed in the essay and left for them to guess about.

I would suggest putting it in but be very brief and unwhinning about it.

 

[NonTradMed]

Thanks for everyone's advice!

My reasons for going into med school now versus back when I was an undergrad was b/c I was going into it for the wrong reasons then---i.e external pressures and the prestige etc of it. I also liked science and bio but the workload (CS and premed) made me hate my premed classes. The incessent need to get good grades for med school made me very stressed.

I realized now it was more the burn-out factor then anything else that prevented from applying back then.

But back to why NOW.....

My reasons I think is similar to alot of other people on these boards. I am in a job which doesn't 'directly help people. I produce a product which adds value to the company, and I have spent up to 60 hours and have seen people spend up to 80-100 hrs/week working to complete a project. All for that bonus/promotion and add to someone's bottom line.

I feel that if i have to make such a large sacrifice of my time, then I want to make a bigger impact on people's lives. I dont' mind working hard but it feels empty when you come home exhausted from trying to complete a project which may or may not be used by the higher ups, which, if successful, meant a bigger bonus and/or promotion, seems such a empty existence......

I didn't realize this altruist streak in me until I started working and became unsatisfied with it. I was exploring other options and I started to realize that I wanted to "do good and do well'---i.e I liked being financially secure (which I am right now) but I also want to do more and make a bigger impact.

Medicine has always been at the back of my mind ever since I decided against the premed route. But I kept telling myself i wouldn't like it b/c I got sick of the science. I started leafing through MCAT and USMLE tests recently b/c I was at wit's end as to what to do with my life...and found I no longer abhor these subjects, in fact I actually enjoyed the bio stuff.

I think after not studying for a year, I feel more rejuvenated, so even though I am approaching 25, I feel I am now ready to go into medicine for the "right" reasons. I feel medicine offers me everythign I want: an impact on people's lives, financial security, intellectual stimulation......

Ok, that sounds like a med school essay, doesn't it? 😀

Someone asked me about my BCPM score....what is that?

Also what is a 'decent' MCAT score? I keep hearing 30......if I got a 30, will I have a competitive application? I have also done volunteer work during my undergrad years....tutoring and some hospital volunteering, and worked at a hospital helping a doctor do medical imaging (more computer work then medical work but I got a feel for a 'medical environment').

I guess my only 'excuse' for my poor GPA in grad school was lack of motivation....I didn't feel motivated anymore.......is there a way to show them I DO feel motivated now to go to med school? Should I retake/take classes? Is me working going to work for or against my application?

Keep the advice coming! Thanks all! 😀

 

[jlee9531]

your ECs seem pretty good...

BCPM GPA - Bio Chem Physics Math Gpa...

so your gpa of all the 4 types of classes listed above.
you still have a relatively low gpa.

i have a 3.4 and 31 and have applied to 43 schools. A lot of the schools will reject you based on numbers so be prepared for that. Numbers wise I am not that competitive...I know it is my other things on the application and my secondary responses that are helping me get the small number of invites i have. depending on what state you are from will influence you in how many schools to apply to. do well on the mcats. focus on that 🙂

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

Do graduate level biology/chemistry/physics/math classes get factored into your overall BCPM GPA? In other words...if I do a master's in biology...will those graduate courses in biology get factored into my BCPM GPA?

 

[ixitixl]

Originally posted by BerkeleyPremed
Do graduate level biology/chemistry/physics/math classes get factored into your overall BCPM GPA? In other words...if I do a master's in biology...will those graduate courses in biology get factored into my BCPM GPA?

I took graduate courses as an undergrad and those were factored into my BCPM GPA.

 

[HollyJ]

If you take graduate classes as an undergrad, they are counted as part of your undergrad GPA. If you do grad classes as a grad student, they are not, BCPM or otherwise.