Wall Street to Med?

[Knicks28]

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Hello,

My first time on site/posting, so I apologize if my question is confusing/answered elsewhere. But I appreciate the help

I graduated from a top 25 school in 2011, as an Econ major. Going into college, I was unsure what major/career I was interested in and was (for lack of a better term) pressured towards pre-med from my parents. I didn't strongly oppose at first since med school has always been a dream of mine, but I had never really explored anything else and didn't want to necessarily commit to it from the start. However, it didn't go well. At all. I absolutely bombed my pre-med classes (C's and D's). Between the HS/College teaching style transition, poor teaching (even kids from my school who were able to go college--> med school complained about the bad teaching, so I'm not all spiteful haha), and generally being unsure, it just didnt go well. Eventually, seeing my college career slowly spiraling towards trouble (despite my parents claims that I should keep with it), I eventually stopped taking pre-med classes and moved towards the Econ major. I didn't finish all the pre-reqs, but almost all of them (semester of orgo and bio lab remain).

Academically, however, the overall damage was done. My GPA was shot and despite consistent mid 3.0 GPAs from 2nd semester sophomore year onwards, my final GPA still stands at barely a 3 (I'll be honest, Econ didnt go amazingly either, had some missteps there too, but overall still better than pre-med). Luckily, I did find a job in finance in NYC, where I've been working since graduation. My job is pretty solid, people are nice, work's not too bad and the pay is good ($70K + bonus). However, a part of me feels/knows this isn't what I really wanna do long-term and medicine, a childhood dream, is.

Here's where I need help...what do I do? It seems most NYC-area post-baccs are for those who haven't taken any classes, and the few I've found that might possibly help my grades seem to be during the day. Being realistic, my chances of med school may already be zilch so it seems needlessly risky to quit my job and commit to one of these when it might not matter.

I was just hoping to get some suggestions from people. I feel like I'm not that old yet (recently 24) but old enough that I needa make life decisions, so I'm all sorts of confused.

I really appreciate the help/advice.

 

[hopeful22213]

Welcome. I'd advise you to search the threads for many similar situations. Gpa repair, underdog stories, etc abound. Pay heed to most of the offering from a poster called Dr. midlife who I think offers great advice tempered by a healthy dose of reality-check.

At ~ 3.0 and likely a science gpa that is even lower, you're facing a pretty titanic struggle to get into an American allopathic school. Some might suggest an SMP but that shouldn't enter play until you've addresses lot of other stuff. Are you certain you want this? Shadow a doc. Shadow several. Volunteer in a hospital or clinical setting. It's important stuff for your app but more it will help give you a clearer idea if this is the life for you.

I know you feel like you need to get cooking but don't rush into any of this. Do your homework. Read these boards as a start.

If being a physician really is what you want to pursue, look into D.O. schools. Their grade replacement policies allows for a significant gpa recovery in a case like yours. Got a D in orgo? Retake it, get an A and D.O. schools will use the higher grade in computing your grade point.

If you decide this is what you want- and cant see yourself being happy doing anything else- buckle up. It'll be a long and difficult process. Good luck.

 

[radnguyen]

Welcome. I'd advise you to search the threads for many similar situations. Gpa repair, underdog stories, etc abound. Pay heed to most of the offering from a poster called Dr. midlife who I think offers great advice tempered by a healthy dose of reality-check.

At ~ 3.0 and likely a science gpa that is even lower, you're facing a pretty titanic struggle to get into an American allopathic school. Some might suggest an SMP but that shouldn't enter play until you've addresses lot of other stuff. Are you certain you want this? Shadow a doc. Shadow several. Volunteer in a hospital or clinical setting. It's important stuff for your app but more it will help give you a clearer idea if this is the life for you.

I know you feel like you need to get cooking but don't rush into any of this. Do your homework. Read these boards as a start.

If being a physician really is what you want to pursue, look into D.O. schools. Their grade replacement policies allows for a significant gpa recovery in a case like yours. Got a D in orgo? Retake it, get an A and D.O. schools will use the higher grade in computing your grade point.

If you decide this is what you want- and cant see yourself being happy doing anything else- buckle up. It'll be a long and difficult process. Good luck.

I looked at your profile. It is very impressive (GPA = 3.8 with MCAT >30 ). Why were you rejected by many med schools ? how old are you and what is your major ? do you have any volunteers ?

I live in Virginia. I am worried while looking at your statistics. Do you mind to share some information about yourself ? and what do you think about med schools in Virginia ( from your interviews ) ? Thanks

 

[grt398]

Hopeful's reply above is pretty much all you need to know. I did the same transition as did others I know but we did not have the GPA issues, which could hold you back substantially. Since you're in NYC, I'd highly recommend looking into the academic associate program below:

http://slred.org/aap/

When I participated back in 2009 it was an incredible experience that really solidified my desire to pursue medicine. It was an amazing program at the time and better clinical experience than you'll get almost anywhere else. If you decide to look into it, try to get shifts at St. Luke's - it's definitely the more interesting of the two hospitals.

 

[hopeful22213]

I looked at your profile. It is very impressive (GPA = 3.8 with MCAT >30 ). Why were you rejected by many med schools ? how old are you and what is your major ? do you have any volunteers ?

I live in Virginia. I am worried while looking at your statistics. Do you mind to share some information about yourself ? and what do you think about med schools in Virginia ( from your interviews ) ? Thanks

First off, be careful not to extrapolate too much on the outcomes for one or a few people. My stats- the linked profile has approximations of them- put me just slightly above average for accepted students so in retrospect I probably applied to a few too many schools but I was happy to receive the interview invites I did. My degree was in journalism and I'm in my late 20's.

Something to keep in mind about applications is that because of the number of applicants per seat at schools it's about more than just stats. Take schools like Georgetown and Tulane for instance. If you looked at their average mcat and gpa, my numbers put me more or less in line with most of their matriculants. The problem: that is also true for almost anyone with decent stats and so many people (partly because of their desirable locations) choose to apply. To the tune of 10,000+ applicants for each school with ~150 seats per class.

You want to do the best you can to make yourself a competitive applicant- solid ECs, good grades and MCAT score, nice LOR- but there is still a ton of unpredictability to the process.

Virginia is obviously not as great a place to apply from as someplace like Texas but is still better than many other states. Their state schools divide the spectrum nicely so whether your stats are average/slightly below average (EVM) average or slightly above (VCU) or more competitive (UVA) there is a school that sort of fits those numbers. Plus, though it is not public, I really liked VTC.

 

[radnguyen]

I was just hoping to get some suggestions from people. I feel like I'm not that old yet (recently 24) but old enough that I needa make life decisions, so I'm all sorts of confused.

I really appreciate the help/advice.

You are quite young. If you want to make a decision, then do it now. So you can practice medicine in mid-thirty. Don't procrastinate. Good luck.

 

[Goro]

There are special master's programs all over the place that deliver a medical school-like curriculum. Many are offered by medical schools, and so these are back doors into a medical career, provided you do well.

That said, perhaps you should consider relocating? PCOM, Drexel, Rosy Franklin, USF, LECOM, BU are just a few I can think of. Look for the one year programs. If not next year, then keep on working, save up your money, and then the following year.

Hello,

My first time on site/posting, so I apologize if my question is confusing/answered elsewhere. But I appreciate the help

I graduated from a top 25 school in 2011, as an Econ major. Going into college, I was unsure what major/career I was interested in and was (for lack of a better term) pressured towards pre-med from my parents. I didn't strongly oppose at first since med school has always been a dream of mine, but I had never really explored anything else and didn't want to necessarily commit to it from the start. However, it didn't go well. At all. I absolutely bombed my pre-med classes (C's and D's). Between the HS/College teaching style transition, poor teaching (even kids from my school who were able to go college--> med school complained about the bad teaching, so I'm not all spiteful haha), and generally being unsure, it just didnt go well. Eventually, seeing my college career slowly spiraling towards trouble (despite my parents claims that I should keep with it), I eventually stopped taking pre-med classes and moved towards the Econ major. I didn't finish all the pre-reqs, but almost all of them (semester of orgo and bio lab remain).

Academically, however, the overall damage was done. My GPA was shot and despite consistent mid 3.0 GPAs from 2nd semester sophomore year onwards, my final GPA still stands at barely a 3 (I'll be honest, Econ didnt go amazingly either, had some missteps there too, but overall still better than pre-med). Luckily, I did find a job in finance in NYC, where I've been working since graduation. My job is pretty solid, people are nice, work's not too bad and the pay is good ($70K + bonus). However, a part of me feels/knows this isn't what I really wanna do long-term and medicine, a childhood dream, is.

Here's where I need help...what do I do? It seems most NYC-area post-baccs are for those who haven't taken any classes, and the few I've found that might possibly help my grades seem to be during the day. Being realistic, my chances of med school may already be zilch so it seems needlessly risky to quit my job and commit to one of these when it might not matter.

I was just hoping to get some suggestions from people. I feel like I'm not that old yet (recently 24) but old enough that I needa make life decisions, so I'm all sorts of confused.

I really appreciate the help/advice.

 

[Knicks28]

Thanks for all the help so far everyone, really appreciate it.

Just so I get a better understanding of these SMP's...these are full-time programs, right? AKA its not something I can do at night while working? My hours are pretty steady 9-5 and I rarely have work to do at home after, so night classes is a regular thing for coworkers (obviously not med ones, but in general).

As for relocating, or a full-time program in general, my concern is that I'm basically committing to a program like this but if it doesnt result in med school admission (something hard regardless) it then raises the question as to whether I shouldve quit my job. I know that its a decision I need to make, but its obviously a big one, so something where I could do classes/volunteer at night would be preferred, just in case.

Also, while I definitely think shadowing/volunteering/research is very helpful from an app standpoint, and something I think I'd needa do, I don't think its necessary from a "my interest" standpoint first. Ive done all of that before growing up and have a members of my extended family who are dr's as well so I have a good understanding of the lifestyle/day to day type things and know what it would be like and whether its something I'd enjoy. I've always considered it something I feel like I'd enjoy, but 18 year old me that entered college was hesitant because he knew so little of all other fields, which is what pushed me away at first.

Once again, thanks for the help/input.

 

[rodmichael82]

Thanks for all the help so far everyone, really appreciate it.

Just so I get a better understanding of these SMP's...these are full-time programs, right? AKA its not something I can do at night while working? My hours are pretty steady 9-5 and I rarely have work to do at home after, so night classes is a regular thing for coworkers (obviously not med ones, but in general).

As for relocating, or a full-time program in general, my concern is that I'm basically committing to a program like this but if it doesnt result in med school admission (something hard regardless) it then raises the question as to whether I shouldve quit my job. I know that its a decision I need to make, but its obviously a big one, so something where I could do classes/volunteer at night would be preferred, just in case.

Also, while I definitely think shadowing/volunteering/research is very helpful from an app standpoint, and something I think I'd needa do, I don't think its necessary from a "my interest" standpoint first. Ive done all of that before growing up and have a members of my extended family who are dr's as well so I have a good understanding of the lifestyle/day to day type things and know what it would be like and whether its something I'd enjoy. I've always considered it something I feel like I'd enjoy, but 18 year old me that entered college was hesitant because he knew so little of all other fields, which is what pushed me away at first.

Once again, thanks for the help/input.

SMP programs are full-time with most classes occurring in the morning. Respectable SMP programs are linked to medical schools and you're taking classes side by side with medical students. Therefore, it is not a good idea to be working while going through a SMP program. SMP is a last chance program, meaning that if you bomb or don't do too well medicine will pretty much close it's doors to you so that's why it's important to put in all your effort and avoid working if you can. The last thing you need is any types of distractions.

 

[Goro]

They are. the whole point of them is to not merely rescue your GPA, but to show us AdComs you can handle a medical school currciulum.


Just so I get a better understanding of these SMP's...these are full-time programs, right? AKA its not something I can do at night while working? My hours are pretty steady 9-5 and I rarely have work to do at home after, so night classes is a regular thing for coworkers (obviously not med ones, but in general).



It seems to me that you have some soul-searching to do. Medicine is a calling, like being a priest, a soldier, or a fireman. You have to WANT to do this! If you you quit your job to take a year and spend, say $20K to find out if you can hack medical school, and you can't, then you've saved yourself two-four years and >$100-200K in debt because that's what failure in medical school will lead to.



As for relocating, or a full-time program in general, my concern is that I'm basically committing to a program like this but if it doesnt result in med school admission (something hard regardless) it then raises the question as to whether I shouldve quit my job.

For your original post it seems to me that that merely taking some part-time classes over 2-3 years will not be able to raise your GPA to be competetive for MD schools.

However, DO schools are a lot more forgiving. Grade replacement will do wonders for your GPA. So get the cGPA and sGPA >3.2 and you'll be competetive for pretty much any DO program. NYCOM and TouroCOM-Harlem are close at hand to you.




I know that its a decision I need to make, but its obviously a big one, so something where I could do classes/volunteer at night would be preferred, just in case.

There's a difference between shadowing a doctor and doing patient contact volunteer work. We don't care about what you enjoy...we want to know that you'll be an altruistic and humanistic doctor, who will be perfectly willing and able to take care of sick and injured people for the next 30-50 years.

Maybe something is lost in electronic communication, but your para below sends a very poor message, and if I saw that in an interview, I'd reject you before you left the room. But I'll give you the beefit of the doubt and surmise you're expressing the idea that it's better to get your grades in order before doing the required EC work. Am I correct? I hope so.

Also, while I definitely think shadowing/volunteering/research is very helpful from an app standpoint, and something I think I'd needa do, I don't think its necessary from a "my interest" standpoint first. I've done all of that before growing up and have a members of my extended family who are dr's as well so I have a good understanding of the lifestyle/day to day type things and know what it would be like and whether its something I'd enjoy. I've always considered it something I feel like I'd enjoy, but 18 year old me that entered college was hesitant because he knew so little of all other fields, which is what pushed me away at first.

 

[Knicks28]

Yes, you're right. I probably phrased that poorly. I feel like getting my grades in order should be my first priority right now because they're pretty bad.

I appreciate all the help/information everyone.

 

[sstespri]

Very inspiring to see so many people working towards med school with various backgrounds and experiences. I'd be curious to see what your outcome is in the coming years. Keep posting. I'm coming from a masters degree in speech pathology in my attempt at medical school. Hard sciences will be retaken this year while applying next spring (2014) for a 2015 matriculation.