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Where do we go from here?

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ScienceBrah

insufferable know-it-all
7+ Year Member
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So it's not so much a "what are my chances" but more of "what do I do now?"

Hi.

c 3.38
s 3.3

I'm a current Peace Corps Volunteer (broken record I know) serving as a health volunteer in Africa. I also worked with refugees in low income neighborhoods in America. I was a CNA for a year before Africa. I did some research in undergraduate but it was a bust. The -80 broke and we lost everything so I spent the year regrowing cultures. I doubt the PI I worked under remembers me. I can't even really talk about what we were going to do. I took it as a course and got A- basically because I stayed late to make sure everything was regrown for the next team before I graduated.

So, I don't come back to America until Sept 2016. I'm planning on giving it a shot for the 2016-2017 cycle with just a few schools just to get my feet wet. UNECOM and Howard to give you an idea. I figured, why not? If I have to do a post back and reapply in 2018 that's ok.

My question is, where should I go from here? I plan on taking an MCAT prep class and taking the MCAT in April or May 2017. And taking a statistics course to finish my prereq (6 hrs = 2 semesters, right?) But, do I go back to CNA? Do I get my phlebotomy license to expose myself to more MDs? Do I get a job in a research lab?

Most PCVs recommend coming up with a plan WELL before we close our service, that's why I'm asking now in 2015. And because my projects here are still in the planning stages so I have time.

Also, how early should I ask for letters of recommendation? I'm still very good friends with 2 of my LOR people so that shouldn't be a problem, but I still need to hunt down another science letter. I graduated in 2013.

Thanks for reading!