Reapplying after 6 years - Need input on plan

[BT-228]

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Hi everyone -

Long time browser of this awesome forum and first time post. I am strongly considering reapplying to med school after my last round 6 years ago and would like some help putting together a game plan.

Here were my previous round stats:
MCAT: 32
BS (GPA: 3.5) and MS (GPA: 3.3) in human physiology
Applied to 30 schools (2 interviews and 2 waitlist) (too many reach schools)

Reason for reapplying: After my last round rejection, I decided to see if there are other health careers that I can see myself doing and I have been working in drug development at a large biotech company, since graduate school. In short, I don't see myself sitting in an office all day not interacting with patients directly (I did the usual hospital volunteering when I was in school and enjoyed the personal interactions). I am particularly interested in becoming a primary care physician with a possible fellowship in sports medicine.

This is my current plan to apply in 2017:
- Leave my current job to focus on:

- Studying for the MCAT
- Shadowing physicians in FM, IM, PM&R, Ortho, Sports Medicine (includes MD and DO) (>40 hr by app time)
- Intern in a Sports Medicine program offered locally (interactions with ATCs, PTs, coaches, physicians, and surgeons) (>100 hr by app time)​

- Work part-time as a medical scribe or other clinically-focused position (>300 hr by app time)

My hope is that I can receive great LORs from my shadowing and internship experiences along with a LOR from my graduate advisor and current manager. Thoughts?

Do you think that I just need to focus on excelling on the MCAT? Or would taking additional coursework be beneficial since I've been out of school for a while (prereqs are "old")?

I have enough financially to complete the above plan yet I am trying to find out if I can keep my full-time job while preparing my med school applications. Saving more money now would really help once I go through the medical school journey. What do you think?

How do you think admission committees will view my above background and plan?

I would really appreciate your input!

 

[QofQuimica]

Are you planning to apply to DO schools too or MD only? If it's the former, you can probably raise your GPA significantly by retaking a few classes and taking advantage of the AACOMAS grade replacement policy. If it's the latter, you should consider doing a year of FT post-bac, either DIY or formal. You've been out of school for quite a while, and some strong recent grades would go far to help reassure adcoms that you have the academic gravitas to handle the med school curriculum.

Regarding ECs, your plan sounds good to me. For LORs, you will need some academic ones (typically 1-2 science letters and one nonscience letter), which is another factor in favor of you doing a post bac year.

Regarding whether you can keep your FT job while preparing your app, it depends on how good you are at managing your time and how flexible your job is. If you're worried, then start by taking one class next semester, and if that goes well, you can add a second class the following semester. Keep adding to your load until you reach the limit where you can still make all As (or as close to it as possible), then back off on piling on any more classes or ECs. When it comes to MCAT time, think of your MCAT prep as being equivalent to taking another class. So for example, if your goal is to take 12 hours per semester, then don't take more than nine hours the semester you take the MCAT.

You might consider seeing if you can get a job working for your local university if they have an employee education program. At my current job, I am able to take up to six free credits per semester (UG or grad) via that program.

 

[BT-228]

Thanks for the feedback!

I plan to apply to both DO and MD. Am I correct that you are recommending I build a postbac plan and apply in the 2018 cycle?

I have a tuition reimbursement plan at my employer but they only reimburse coursework toward a certificate/degree that applies to my current position, so it's difficult to utilize that resource. What do you think about community college courses to showcase my academic gravitas?

 

[QofQuimica]

Thanks for the feedback!

I plan to apply to both DO and MD. Am I correct that you are recommending I build a postbac plan and apply in the 2018 cycle?

I have a tuition reimbursement plan at my employer but they only reimburse coursework toward a certificate/degree that applies to my current position, so it's difficult to utilize that resource. What do you think about community college courses to showcase my academic gravitas?

Yes, applying in 2018 to start in 2019 sounds reasonable if you start taking classes now. CC courses are not accepted by every med school and are generally considered less rigorous than classes at a four year school. If you have no choice, then you do what you have to do. But if you do have a choice, you should take your classes at a four year institution.