Software Engineer -> Med asking for chances/timeline/activities advice

[associateproducer]

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What better thing to do during quarantine than contemplate getting into that warzone outside. Anyways, I am:

• 26 years old
• Worked as a software engineer after graduation, first on pharma research and recently in finance
• Top 10 school, double major in Bioengineering and Computer Science
• cGPA 3.80, sGPA 3.65 to 3.72 (depending on how many of the Bioengineering classes I can swing as BCPM classes)
  • Mostly B+ to A with a C in Organic Chemistry. Upward trend
• Prereqs done
  • Math - many
  • Biology - 1 class (+many Bioengineering - at least one of which can be classified Biology)
  • Organic Chemistry - 2 classes
  • Biochemistry - 1 class
  • Physics - 1 class (+1-2 classes in Electrical Engineering that maybe swing Physics)
  • English - 1 or 2 (writing seminar, and one of a religion and ethics class maybe)
• Research - did a senior thesis, won an award for it from the college, presented a poster at a conference
• Volunteering - None
• Shadowing - A few hours at most

As the major/classes may suggest, I was originally premed in college but went off course and started working more in computers. After a few years I've found that to be not entirely fulfilling so I am circling back to my childhood goals. To be clear, I'm not 100% set on medicine as a career -- this is still rather exploratory -- so I aim to prioritize clinical experiences and shadowing (which is also a gaping hole in my profile at the moment) when possible. To plan ahead though, I am looking for advice on my chances, the rest of the timeline, and whatever else I need.

My thoughts are that this process will take 2-3 years.

Assorted additional thoughts/questions

• I plan to continue working for 1-2 years at least
• Do I need a postbacc to make up classes or can they be done ad hoc?
• I did a lot of the prereqs as APs in high school. Do those count?

Thank you all in advance (and stay safe out there)!

 

[deleted966837]

Many people, including me, have made this transition. You can totally do it too.

It took me two years to complete prereqs, volunteer, take the MCAT, and apply/get accepted. Everything was substantially more involved than I originally expected. In my experience, getting accepted to med school was harder than getting hired at a FAANG.

Working full time while doing this is not recommended. The process will take longer, you will be miserable, and your application will suffer. I worked while taking the easier classes, then became a full time student/volunteer for eight months.

Doing a postbacc is expensive and generally only recommended if you need GPA repair, but yours is already decent.

Best way to tell about prereq acceptance is to buy the MSAR.

 

[associateproducer]

Many people, including me, have made this transition. You can totally do it too.

It took me two years to complete prereqs, volunteer, take the MCAT, and apply/get accepted. Everything was substantially more involved than I originally expected. In my experience, getting accepted to med school was harder than getting hired at a FAANG.

Working full time while doing this is not recommended. The process will take longer, you will be miserable, and your application will suffer. I worked while taking the easier classes, then became a full time student/volunteer for eight months.

Doing a postbacc is expensive and generally only recommended if you need GPA repair, but yours is already decent.

Best way to tell about prereq acceptance is to buy the MSAR.

Thanks for the help! Will definitely look into the MSAR.

Just checking, for those eights months, were you taking harder classes, the MCAT, and applying (plus continuing to volunteer)?

 

[Goro]

What better thing to do during quarantine than contemplate getting into that warzone outside. Anyways, I am:

• 26 years old
• Worked as a software engineer after graduation, first on pharma research and recently in finance
• Top 10 school, double major in Bioengineering and Computer Science
• cGPA 3.80, sGPA 3.65 to 3.72 (depending on how many of the Bioengineering classes I can swing as BCPM classes)
  • Mostly B+ to A with a C in Organic Chemistry. Upward trend
• Prereqs done
  • Math - many
  • Biology - 1 class (+many Bioengineering - at least one of which can be classified Biology)
  • Organic Chemistry - 2 classes
  • Biochemistry - 1 class
  • Physics - 1 class (+1-2 classes in Electrical Engineering that maybe swing Physics)
  • English - 1 or 2 (writing seminar, and one of a religion and ethics class maybe)
• Research - did a senior thesis, won an award for it from the college, presented a poster at a conference
• Volunteering - None
• Shadowing - A few hours at most

As the major/classes may suggest, I was originally premed in college but went off course and started working more in computers. After a few years I've found that to be not entirely fulfilling so I am circling back to my childhood goals. To be clear, I'm not 100% set on medicine as a career -- this is still rather exploratory -- so I aim to prioritize clinical experiences and shadowing (which is also a gaping hole in my profile at the moment) when possible. To plan ahead though, I am looking for advice on my chances, the rest of the timeline, and whatever else I need.

My thoughts are that this process will take 2-3 years.

Assorted additional thoughts/questions

• I plan to continue working for 1-2 years at least
• Do I need a postbacc to make up classes or can they be done ad hoc?
• I did a lot of the prereqs as APs in high school. Do those count?

Thank you all in advance (and stay safe out there)!

GPA is very good
Don't worry about research
You need to get in ~50 hours of shadowing
150+ hours of clinical volunteering or employment
150+ hours of nonclinical volunteering

Read this:
Med School Rx: Getting In, Getting Through, and Getting On with Doctoring Original Edition by Walter Hartwig
ISBN-13: 978-1607140627

ISBN-10: 1607140624

 

[deleted966837]

Just checking, for those eights months, were you taking harder classes, the MCAT, and applying (plus continuing to volunteer)?

That's correct. Everything took longer, and I ran out of money, so I went back to work while continuing those activities. Trying to work and complete everything delayed my submission until late in the application cycle. Taking loans to give myself a few more months would have been better.

 

[associateproducer]

Thanks everyone! @Goro having some numbers for the volunteering hours is super helpful