Recent Grad, Worked at Google -> Med School

[161803]

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I just graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May with a B.S. in Computer Science.

I started off school interested in medicine and did relatively well my freshmen year (3.9 BCPM and 3.6 overall).

But I finished with a 3.03 BCPM (finished all required pre-med courses), and my overall GPA (with CS) is 2.98.

After freshmen year, I let my GPA drop because I thought I'd head into the tech industry, where GPA is so inconsequential that you're fine not putting it on your resume. My junior year summer, I interned at Google and got a full-time job offer. Instead, I took an offer working in trading at a top name in finance, but unheard of to the layman.

I just turned 23 and making a ton of money now, comparable to what some non-specialized doctors make and headed towards what specialized docs make in the next 5 years, but it's soul-sucking work and it's a grind I'm not passionate for.

What would med schools think of my story? What do I need to do to stand a chance against other applicants?

 

[Siromas]

I just graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May with a B.S. in Computer Science.

I started off school interested in medicine and did relatively well my freshmen year (3.9 BCPM and 3.6 overall).

But I finished with a 3.03 BCPM (finished all required pre-med courses), and my overall GPA (with CS) is 2.98.

After freshmen year, I let my GPA drop because I thought I'd head into the tech industry, where GPA is so inconsequential that you're fine not putting it on your resume. My junior year summer, I interned at Google and got a full-time job offer. Instead, I took an offer working in trading at a top name in finance, but unheard of to the layman.

I just turned 23 and making a ton of money now, comparable to what some non-specialized doctors make and headed towards what specialized docs make in the next 5 years, but it's soul-sucking work and it's a grind I'm not passionate for.

What would med schools think of my story? What do I need to do to stand a chance against other applicants?

Your story isn't unheard of for a number of non-trads- it's actually similar to mine.

If you're to stand a chance at being admitted into medical school, you'll definitely need to show that you of now isn't the you of old.


For starters, you'll need significant GPA repair (remember grade replacement is no longer a thing), longitudinal volunteer experience, and a solid MCAT score.

 

[161803]

How would I do GPA repair? Should I retake the courses at a nearby community college or do a masters program?

I have a solid shot at getting into a decent Computer Science MS program at places that specialize in the type of research I did (Northwestern, Princeton, Illinois to name a few), but clearly that wouldn't affect my BCPM GPA.

 

[Goro]

You need to ace an SMP or postbac, do well on MCAT, shadow doctors, and get some clinical volunteering in.

You also need to demonstrate or articulate why you're running TO Medicine, and not merely running away from Tech

I just graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May with a B.S. in Computer Science.

I started off school interested in medicine and did relatively well my freshmen year (3.9 BCPM and 3.6 overall).

But I finished with a 3.03 BCPM (finished all required pre-med courses), and my overall GPA (with CS) is 2.98.

After freshmen year, I let my GPA drop because I thought I'd head into the tech industry, where GPA is so inconsequential that you're fine not putting it on your resume. My junior year summer, I interned at Google and got a full-time job offer. Instead, I took an offer working in trading at a top name in finance, but unheard of to the layman.

I just turned 23 and making a ton of money now, comparable to what some non-specialized doctors make and headed towards what specialized docs make in the next 5 years, but it's soul-sucking work and it's a grind I'm not passionate for.

What would med schools think of my story? What do I need to do to stand a chance against other applicants?

 

[Siromas]

How would I do GPA repair? Should I retake the courses at a nearby community college or do a masters program?

I have a solid shot at getting into a decent Computer Science MS program at places that specialize in the type of research I did (Northwestern, Princeton, Illinois to name a few), but clearly that wouldn't affect my BCPM GPA.

There are plenty of threads discussing DIY (informal) postbacs versus SMP programs- decide which fits your needs better.

Yeah....CS MS won't do you much good.