- Joined
- Nov 8, 2017
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 1
I’m a practicing lawyer wanting to make the switch to medicine. I’ve worked full-time for over a year and can’t suppress the nagging feeling that I made a mistake. While my job is not horrible, the bulk of my day-to-day work is also unfulfilling. Whether I gain admission to medical school or not, I won’t be able to move past this unless I try.
My Situation
Personal: White, male. (Not sure why adcoms would care but also gay)
State of Residency: North Carolina
uGPA: 3.3 (really low, but upward trend and circumstances that can be explained)
Undergraduate: Top public school
Interest in Rural Practice: Yes
Volunteering
· I volunteer my legal services for various events in NC, such as an event to provide military service members with free wills and other forms of life planning. Roughly 75 hours a year total for 2 years.
· I started volunteering at a medical clinic that provides care to a limited number of recipients free of charge and I perform both clinical and non-clinical tasks.
Shadowing:
· I am set to begin shadowing with both a cardiologist and a neurosurgeon during the start of next year. My schedule is relatively flexible so I managed to make this work.
My Thoughts on the Situation
Obviously, my cGPA is really low for medical school admissions. In terms of sGPA I took only 3 courses for a total of 9 hours and pulled an even 3.0. Also, since I don’t have many required courses I know that a post-bacc will be needed and potentially a SMP on top of that. I have already contacted many of the top post-bacc programs and the majority said that three science classes are fine since I am actually changing careers.
After running my cGPA through an improvement calculator the roughly 30 hours in most post-baccs would bring my GPA between 3.4 and 3.5 but not to a 3.5. With my low GPA I know that I will need to kill the MCAT to have a real chance and have been studying with the bulk of my free time for a few months.
My view of my situation is that I have a slim chance if I manage to do well on the MCAT and develop good relationships during my post-bacc to get strong letters. On top of that, even if I do amazingly on the MCAT, I will need to be realistic and apply to schools where I have a decent chance of admission.
Lingering Questions
1) Is it worth the money to do a formal post-bacc or would I be better with a DIY? I’m leaning towards the formal because I have no letters of rec and need virtually all of the classes.
2) Even if I pull a 4.0 (or close to it) in my post-bacc, will a 3.4-3.5 be enough, or will I likely need to then do a SMP?
3) I’ve been trying to save money for while I’m in post-bacc/ medical school (I have a decent salary and no loans because I got a full ride to both undergrad and law school). Should I keep saving or try to change jobs to be something like a medical scribe or EMT?
4) I have considered the option of DO schools but I had in the back of my mind that I might one day transition into teaching at a university. Would it be impossible to teach at a MD school with a DO?
5) I have no research experience or publications. Since I don’t have a science degree and don’t live near a research university is there some way to gain this experience? How important would it be to do this in my case?
Sorry for the wall of text. Thank you to those who made it this far.
My Situation
Personal: White, male. (Not sure why adcoms would care but also gay)
State of Residency: North Carolina
uGPA: 3.3 (really low, but upward trend and circumstances that can be explained)
Undergraduate: Top public school
Interest in Rural Practice: Yes
Volunteering
· I volunteer my legal services for various events in NC, such as an event to provide military service members with free wills and other forms of life planning. Roughly 75 hours a year total for 2 years.
· I started volunteering at a medical clinic that provides care to a limited number of recipients free of charge and I perform both clinical and non-clinical tasks.
Shadowing:
· I am set to begin shadowing with both a cardiologist and a neurosurgeon during the start of next year. My schedule is relatively flexible so I managed to make this work.
My Thoughts on the Situation
Obviously, my cGPA is really low for medical school admissions. In terms of sGPA I took only 3 courses for a total of 9 hours and pulled an even 3.0. Also, since I don’t have many required courses I know that a post-bacc will be needed and potentially a SMP on top of that. I have already contacted many of the top post-bacc programs and the majority said that three science classes are fine since I am actually changing careers.
After running my cGPA through an improvement calculator the roughly 30 hours in most post-baccs would bring my GPA between 3.4 and 3.5 but not to a 3.5. With my low GPA I know that I will need to kill the MCAT to have a real chance and have been studying with the bulk of my free time for a few months.
My view of my situation is that I have a slim chance if I manage to do well on the MCAT and develop good relationships during my post-bacc to get strong letters. On top of that, even if I do amazingly on the MCAT, I will need to be realistic and apply to schools where I have a decent chance of admission.
Lingering Questions
1) Is it worth the money to do a formal post-bacc or would I be better with a DIY? I’m leaning towards the formal because I have no letters of rec and need virtually all of the classes.
2) Even if I pull a 4.0 (or close to it) in my post-bacc, will a 3.4-3.5 be enough, or will I likely need to then do a SMP?
3) I’ve been trying to save money for while I’m in post-bacc/ medical school (I have a decent salary and no loans because I got a full ride to both undergrad and law school). Should I keep saving or try to change jobs to be something like a medical scribe or EMT?
4) I have considered the option of DO schools but I had in the back of my mind that I might one day transition into teaching at a university. Would it be impossible to teach at a MD school with a DO?
5) I have no research experience or publications. Since I don’t have a science degree and don’t live near a research university is there some way to gain this experience? How important would it be to do this in my case?
Sorry for the wall of text. Thank you to those who made it this far.