Well-Meaning Advice Requested

[StaceLynn7]

Hi, this is my first time posting. I just recently decided to hell with all my reasons that I "shouldn't" become a doctor. Nevermind this is what I've always wanted. Trust me, my reasons were stupid. I'm non traditional, but I decided to post this on the "traditional" thread to see what people suggested.

I'm planning to take the MCAT spring 2009, and apply in the summer to start 2010. I was wondering if ya'll (yes I'm from TX) would look at my current situation and suggest things that would make me look more favorable to admissions committees.

Quick rundown of me:

• BS Speech Communication, Magna Cum Laude (3.89)
• MBA student, graduating 2010
• Bare minimum science, taking PHYSI fall 2008, PHYSII & ChemII spring 2009, BiolII summer 2009, OrgI & Physiology fall 2009, and Org2 & Biochem spring 2010 (in addition to MBA requirements)
• 9 years full time (yes during school, 40+ hours per week) as a Certified Pharmacy Technician; working ~25 hours/week the next 2 years
• Alpha Chi National Council member, president of University chapter of Alpha Chi 2008-2010

Yeah, so I think that might be it. Obviously my time is a little limited, but I would really appreciate advice. Oh yeah, I'm aiming for pathology.

Thanks in advance!

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[DrBrizzle]

Everything sounds pretty good, with whats there; heres what you should add (in my opinion)- you need some volunteer/clinical experience- the pharm tech is great, but schools want to see that you know what your getting into, especially as a non-trad. Check your school or local hospital, or/and try to shadow some docs. Your GPA is great, but make sure that you do well in your basic sciences, and beef that up with some more advanced stuff. I think that research might be a bit of a time crunch for you, so I wouldnt put that at a priority. Think about who will write your LOR, as this will be big, esp. for a non trad. get to know your science profs, do well in their classes, go to office hours,, etc. Other than that, just try to do as well on the mcat as you possibly can, and you should be in pretty good shape!

 

[pianola]

Hi, this is my first time posting. I just recently decided to hell with all my reasons that I "shouldn't" become a doctor. Nevermind this is what I've always wanted. Trust me, my reasons were stupid. I'm non traditional, but I decided to post this on the "traditional" thread to see what people suggested.

I'm planning to take the MCAT spring 2009, and apply in the summer to start 2010. I was wondering if ya'll (yes I'm from TX) would look at my current situation and suggest things that would make me look more favorable to admissions committees.

Quick rundown of me:

• BS Speech Communication, Magna Cum Laude (3.89)
• MBA student, graduating 2010
• Bare minimum science, taking PHYSI fall 2008, PHYSII & ChemII spring 2009, BiolII summer 2009, OrgI & Physiology fall 2009, and Org2 & Biochem spring 2010 (in addition to MBA requirements)
• 9 years full time (yes during school, 40+ hours per week) as a Certified Pharmacy Technician; working ~25 hours/week the next 2 years
• Alpha Chi National Council member, president of University chapter of Alpha Chi 2008-2010

Yeah, so I think that might be it. Obviously my time is a little limited, but I would really appreciate advice. Oh yeah, I'm aiming for pathology.

Thanks in advance!

Enviable background regardless of WHAT you choose to apply to. Assuming you passed out of Chem I, make sure there's some record of the AP/IB credit on your transcript and/or that you have taken uper division classes with labs.

Two things I would suggest would be research experience and clinical experience w/direct patient contact. If you can find a way to fit those activities in this year, I suspect it will help. Again, I'm not entirely sure what the duties of a pharmacy tech include so perhaps you already have extensive patient contact and/or research, I don't know.

Good luck! Looks good.

 

[Mobius1985]

I agree with the advice given above.

As a pharmacy tech, you are getting "clinical experience", but you need to broaden the experience that you list on your application to include exposure to sick people if you are not in a hospital setting already. After waiting all these years, don't be in a rush to apply before your application is the best it can be. You might consider deccelerating your course load or work hours to accomodate the essential acquisition of direct (sick) patient contact and physician shadowing, and the less-needed (but likely to give your application more serious consideration, if included) research of some type.

 

[MilkmanAl]

You might consider taking the January MCAT so you have ample time to schedule a retake if necessary and aren't left scrambling for a July spot.

 

[flip26]

You might consider taking the January MCAT so you have ample time to schedule a retake if necessary and aren't left scrambling for a July spot.

This is excellent advice (in fact, it is what I plan to do).

 

[nogolfinsnow]

Hi, this is my first time posting. I just recently decided to hell with all my reasons that I "shouldn't" become a doctor. Nevermind this is what I've always wanted. Trust me, my reasons were stupid. I'm non traditional, but I decided to post this on the "traditional" thread to see what people suggested.

I'm planning to take the MCAT spring 2009, and apply in the summer to start 2010. I was wondering if ya'll (yes I'm from TX) would look at my current situation and suggest things that would make me look more favorable to admissions committees.

Quick rundown of me:

• BS Speech Communication, Magna Cum Laude (3.89)
• MBA student, graduating 2010
• Bare minimum science, taking PHYSI fall 2008, PHYSII & ChemII spring 2009, BiolII summer 2009, OrgI & Physiology fall 2009, and Org2 & Biochem spring 2010 (in addition to MBA requirements)
• 9 years full time (yes during school, 40+ hours per week) as a Certified Pharmacy Technician; working ~25 hours/week the next 2 years
• Alpha Chi National Council member, president of University chapter of Alpha Chi 2008-2010

Yeah, so I think that might be it. Obviously my time is a little limited, but I would really appreciate advice. Oh yeah, I'm aiming for pathology.

Thanks in advance!

The hangup I see in your app is that when you send off your primary application (Summer 2009) you will have grades very few science courses ("bare minimum science" + 2 physics and 1 chem class assuming you apply in June). I worry a little that an adcom might prefer to see grades from all or at least more of your science pre-reqs before deciding on whether to grant an interview, and by the time you've finished your pre-reqs it will be spring 2010. As well, since you will have so few science classes compared to a more traditional applicant, it is imperative that you do well in them because just one bad grade could have a larger effect on your BCPM GPA than one bad grade might for a biology major who took lots and lots of science courses and thus had more of a buffer for a bad class.

The rest of your app is very interesting and if I were screening applicants I'd be interested. I could be wrong about the science classes, just something I'd think about if I were you.

 

[StaceLynn7]

Wow. You all have been VERY helpful. A couple addendums to some of the replies:

I actually have some specialized research experience, it's just not medically related. I worked as a research assistant for one of my professors last summer when he was writing a book. It was recently published and my name is printed in the acknowledgments for work contributed. I don't know if admissions would think that's very impressive, but it is true.

As far as clinical/shadowing, I definitely don't have the ability to cut back hours...I'm trying to pay off car note, etc so that I'm safe to quit working for 4 years during med school. However, I will only be working 3 days during the fall, so I'm planning to contact some dr's and ask about shadowing during the next few months.

nogolf - Your concern is the one thing I'm worried about more than anything. I won't have all the pre-reqs, and that ever important science gpa. I know I can make good grades in all but the physics, to be honest the thought makes me slighly ill, and I think i'm more afraid of that that anything I might encounter in med school.

And, I just noticed that I have to take one more science class...apparently the biol I had as an undergrad was non-majors. So, the only science I have that will count is chem1 (which was a C, ouch), plus the Calc (ap-3) and stat(a).

Anyone know how they view multiple semesters of complete withdraws? I was very irresponsible when I was younger, but I think I've made up for that in the last 2 years.

Thanks again all!!!

Edit - I will take the Jan MCAT, thanks for that piece of information. What do they do if you take it more than once? Average? And being a pharmacy tech means that I'm used to dealing with sick people wanting their medication NOW, and I should be able to sleep through most of pharmacology.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Anyone know how they view multiple semesters of complete withdraws? I was very irresponsible when I was younger, but I think I've made up for that in the last 2 years.

You'll have some 'splainin' to do, but you should be all right. Tell them what you just told us. Make no apologies and accept that you were a screw-up years back.

What do they do if you take it more than once?

It seems like most schools look at all your MCAT examinations to evaluate score trends but tend to mostly take the most recent one into account. GW and Utah take the highest individual section scores from multiple MCATs. For example, if you got a 10 VR, 9 BS, and 11 PS on your first exam and a 9 VR, 11 BS, and 10 PS on your second exam, they'd act like you had a 10 VR, 11 BS, 11 PS on one exam.

edit:

I should be able to sleep through most of pharmacology

Yes, you should. I was looking through the First Aid book for Step 1, and I already know half of the stuff in the pharmacology section. That was encouraging.

 

[Diksha]

I'm pretty sure taking some semesters off as an undergrad will be overshadowed by your years of responsible adulthood. Not having all of your pre-requisites completed by the time you apply might hurt you in some schools. As for AP Calc, if it is on your transcript, schools will accept it. They won't see your AP score, so it won't make any difference.

 

[pianola]

My 2 cents. I'd really really really recommend taking the MCAT only once. You'll know when you're ready to take it. Lots of test prep companies offer you more tests than you'll know what to do with. No need to blow $250 taking the MCAT a first time only to be disappointed with the score. I'd go with a late May MCAT myself. Ended up being 100% ideal in terms of study time, etc. Don't waste any more money on this exam than you have to and don't go in being unsure of yourself -- a bad score will stay on your record forever.

 

[RSAgator]

I think that the most important thing you can do is ace those science classes. If you don't, your schedule doesn't give you time after to prove yourself in the sciences, and judging by your major I'm going to assume that your science GPA will depend a lot on those courses. Also I'd be weary about the advice to take the test in January. Though there isn't THAT much orgo 2 on the MCAT you are putting yourself at a bit of a disadvantage taking the MCAT without having completed the orgo 2, especially since you don't know how your orgo 1 class will go. I think it'd be better to take the MCAT in april, which will give you time to sign up for a may exam (if you really know you bombed), a june exam, or even a july one and you'll still be in good shape. Can you push some of those MBA classes to the summer perhaps?