What should I do to be the strongest possible cadidate?

[NRGStar]

Hey all,

I'm a 25 yo non-traditional student (got a masters and worked for 2 years as an engineer) currently taking prerequisite courses at a state school in the Bay Area. I've completed physics and math, and will be done with general chemistry this summer. In the fall, I'll have finished my year of basic bio. I'm currently taking 2 courses at a time, making As (though at an easy school), working 20 hours/wk as an engineer, and volunteering in the ED and radiology departments of Stanford Hospital. Currently my ugrad GPA is 3.62. By the time I apply, my GPA should be close to 3.7. As far as the MCAT goes, I haven't taken it, but have done practice tests in verbal and physical science, where I was scoring around the 12 level in each. I'm not yet prepared for the bio section.

I plan to apply June 1, 2010. To get there, I'm considering the following paths:

1) Stay at the state school (Cal State East Bay) and take bio electives, organic chemistry, and biochemistry next year while preparing for the MCAT. Continue to work as an engineer and financially support myself. Apply in June 2010.

2) Stay at the state school and take the classes described in (1) but perhaps some additional bio electives, and try to find a research project to get involved in that may link medicine and my previous field. Drop the job and take out loans to support myself.

3) Apply immediately to the Mills or Bryn Mawr postbac programs, start in the fall and take classes while doing research and planning to enter into a linkage. Obviously take out big loans.

4) Stay at the state school and take courses next year, continue to work, but apply in late summer 2009! This will involve taking the MCAT without having taken organic chemistry formally, and will have me applying late in the cycle, but it will save me a full year AND it might not hurt, even if i don't get in this attempt.


My main concerns, you may realize are the following:
1) prestige of state school versus formal postbac and its impact on the strength of my application
2) pros and cons of continuing to work and support myself versus dropping work and starting (presumably unpaid) research in the fall to strengthen the application

Any advice is appreciated!

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[dragonfly99]

I pick #1.
Slow and steady wins the race. You are on track.
volunteering @Stanford should be helpful.

I would not take the MCAT before your year of organic chem...some people have done it, but it can only help to have more organic chem and bio courses under your belt before you take it. It's also not like the SAT or something, where schools just consider your best score...a lot of them look at all your scores, and if you screw it up they will see that. Your GPA is just average so you need a good MCAT score.

 

[gman33]

Unless you want to do linkage, there is little benefit to a formal program. It's not like everyone from the mentioned programs can/will link.
You are doig well at your current school. I'd just keep doing the same. Med schools will not really care where you take the prereqs.
Although some have done it, I wouldn't take the MCAT until you take all the prereqs. Give yourself the time to get this done first. Med school isn't going anywhere. Most schools won't look at your app if you haven't completed the prereqs when you apply. Why should they? They have 10,000 other applications who are already complete.