what should i do!?

[DestinyQx]

ok, so i got 2 majors, BS in physiology and BA in philosophy, science gpa 3.2, but core bassic general science gpa is like 3.8, overall gpa is 3.4, im pretty confident i can get a 35 on the mcat, with something like 13BS, 13PS, and 9VS, or something about that, ive volunteered many places, right now at a fire department and 2 hospitals, one's a low key one, and one's a major city emerg depart one, i start and run my own tutoring business, and im hoping to get a job assisting clinical research...

im going in with the strong intention of coming out as a pediatrician, either ped emerg or child psychiatry with doing clinical research as well, it would be easier to do research i think if i went into psychiatry, right?

my question now is... well, i know i can get 4.0's now, so should i get a MS in some biological field at a good college, or just get a post-bacc, i really fell in love with some ivy league schools too so...! it would behoove me to do as best as i can, whats everyone's thoughts?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Scottish Chap]

ok, so i got 2 majors, BS in physiology and BA in philosophy, science gpa 3.2, but core bassic general science gpa is like 3.8, overall gpa is 3.4, im pretty confident i can get a 35 on the mcat, with something like 13BS, 13PS, and 9VS, or something about that, ive volunteered many places, right now at a fire department and 2 hospitals, one's a low key one, and one's a major city emerg depart one, i start and run my own tutoring business, and im hoping to get a job assisting clinical research...

im going in with the strong intention of coming out as a pediatrician, either ped emerg or child psychiatry with doing clinical research as well, it would be easier to do research i think if i went into psychiatry, right?

my question now is... well, i know i can get 4.0's now, so should i get a MS in some biological field at a good college, or just get a post-bacc, i really fell in love with some ivy league schools too so...! it would behoove me to do as best as i can, whats everyone's thoughts?

Your undergraduate GPA is not that bad. If you pull off a high score on the MCAT (32+) and apply to a wide range of schools (including all your state schools), you should get in to an allopathic school or an osteopathic school. This is assuming that you interview well. While confidence is necessary, I wouldn't underestimate the level of preparation you're going to need need for the MCAT because it is not easy to get a high score.

Based on your MCAT score, gauge whether it's worthwhile doing a M.S. If you have a lot of money to burn, go ahead. I would consider a special postbacc. program like the one offered at Drexel or Georgetown before doing a pure science M.S. because the former programs are affiliated with medical schools and you will take medical school classes. With a borderline GPA and a presentable MCAT, this makes more sense to me - based on the information you provided. Since you don't appear to have failed or obtained very low grades in your prerequisiste science courses, there is nothing to be gained by doing more of those. Stay confident, but keep it real. Good luck!

P.S. Why do you think it would be easier to do research if you were a psychiatrist?

 

[DestinyQx]

thank you, i'll look up those programs, i was hoping there would be special post-bacc programs since an ordinary one might be wasting time, i only thought of the MS route because it would be a more serious approach and i may get a PhD afterwards, and an MS coursework may overlap, but taking medical courses would be ideal in a post-bacc...

im not really sure why psychiatry would allow for more time for research other than the fact that i could extract much research from just interviewing children, but perhaps not!

 

[DestinyQx]

thank you, i'll look up those programs, i was hoping there would be special post-bacc programs since an ordinary one might be wasting time, i only thought of the MS route because it would be a more serious approach and i may get a PhD afterwards, and an MS coursework may overlap, but taking medical courses would be ideal in a post-bacc...

im not really sure why psychiatry would allow for more time for research other than the fact that i could extract much research from just interviewing children, but perhaps not!