Hello Confidential Consult,
First, thank you so much for what you do here - it's truly a gift for us hopeful doctors.
For a bit of background, I am a Cornell graduate with my Bachelor of Science in Biological engineering and Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering. I was able to finish my Master's in 1 semester (normally a 1 year program) by loading up on coursework during my undergrad.
Unfortunately, my decision to apply for med school is fairly recent, and my grades from college are quite poor. My uGPA is a 2.97 (sGPA 2.91) and my master's GPA is a 3.42.
Currently, I work as a postbac researcher at a hospital in NY in an immunology lab. At my current role, it's more of an employee position rather than a traditional coursework-based program. I am hoping to publish some of my work here, but it is a collaboration and may take some time (collab with a somewhat famous immunologist). In addition, my role here is set to end this summer.
I am approaching 150 volunteering hours in a pediatric ED of a nearby large hospital, and I am planning to spend some of my time volunteering at a free clinic, where I will be working with more under-served communities. Also, while at Cornell, I was active with Habitat for Humanity, where I also served as Treasurer.
My other previous experience is in engineering and engineering undergrad/grad research.
I have taken some practice MCATs, scoring 505-509 in my first full-lengths, but stopped when realizing I need to take substantial additional coursework.
To actually get to my question: I am considering applying within HSS to a research engineer role (if not, clinical research roles) where I could potentially apply my engineering background in healthcare, while completing some required coursework (I have to retake gen chem, in which I got a C-) and supplementary coursework in the form of a DIY postbac to improve my GPA. Alternatively, I have also been considering a more formal postbac program, where I would likely need 1-2 years. Do you have any advice between the two? I would likely have to take out loans for a formal postbac, whereas I would be able to pay for my part-time coursework if I were working full-time. With that said, a formal postbac would probably be quicker.
Thanks again. Let me know if any clarification is needed.
