Medical Should I apply this cycle?

[Goro]

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I am post bacc student currently taking prerequisites to apply to medical school. I finished my undergrad in 2018 with a BA in liberal studies and a cGPA of 3.34 with no science classes taken. I then finished my masters in education in May of 2020, during which I taught high school English and Spanish for two years (2018-2020; it was a blended service and learning program). I have decided to make a career change and now am enrolled as a non-degree seeking student. If I were to apply summer of 2021, I will have completed 24 science credits (I have a 4.0 currently and hope to continue that trend next semester) and hope to take 4-7 more credits over the summer of 2021.

I want to ask: should I apply summer of 2021 or wait until summer 2022?

Other stats that I will have at the time of my application in summer 2021:

BA in Liberal Studies: cGPA 3.43
M.Ed: cGPA 3.73
Postbacc (only taking science classes) : sGPA 3.8-4.0 (projecting based upon current trends)

~1000 hours clinical exp working as a medical scribe in an emergency department
2 yrs of teaching exp in rural Louisiana
Was main organizer of a fundraiser that raised $12k for the school that I taught at.
2 yrs as a volunteer track and field coach
30-50 hours shadowing ER doctor
~4 months (couple hours a week) volunteering at a school in various roles (college counseling, coaching, tutoring)
No science research experience, but I spent a year researching for my undergrad thesis on Buddhist philosophy
D1 varsity athlete in college (track and field)
Other various activities from undergrad

I plan to take the MCAT this coming spring of 2021 so I don't have any MCAT data for you. Although, if you want to speculate about my chances given various MCAT scores that would be much appreciated!

My main concerns are:

1) Will it harm me significantly to only have 24 science credits under my belt by the time I apply assuming I acquire prereqs before matriculation?
2) I only decided I wanted to go to med school summer of 2020; will adcomms frown upon such a quick turn around?

Thank you for your help

I normally recommend 30 hours of reinvention. 24 seems to me to be not enough data points to prove it.

Apply when you have the best possible app. Med schools aren't going anywhere.

2) Sometimes the path to Medicine is revolutionary, not evolutionary

 

[AlteredScale]

1) The low science credits may be a concern as goro mentioned, but The upward gpa into the sciences and into your post bac is nice to see.

2) doubt it. The story is unique to everyone. Just have a good story to tell and why you made that pivot.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Thank you very much. I appreciate the insight.

My main reason for applying so soon is that I feel after this year I will simply be checking off boxes. If I am just checking off boxes (although some may be beneficial, re: getting more credits) that does not seem like a good enough reason to delay an application if I know that this is the path I want to take.

@Goro 's sig mentions no list of schools without an MCAT score... but I think it applies in your case to the question of whether or not to apply as well. If you score above the average for your state school, your app may be fine; if you're just average or (hopefully not) below average, then you're probably better off waiting and continuing to pull up your GPA. That's not "checking off boxes," it's ensuring that you have a more balanced application that will put you on par with everyone else applying.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Agree with everyone above. If this were me, I would just wait another year so you can really put out your best application. Another year of solid coursework paired with a great MCAT will serve you well.

Your story is fine. People have way less meaningful reasons for going into medicine.

 

[AlteredScale]

You need to check off certain boxes to equalize yourself amongst other applicants that have those experiences or ECs. How much you can delegate in terms of time depends on your interest in those areas as well as life in general, if you’re too busy then you’re too busy, especially if you’re non traditional.