Hello All,
This is my first post, and I was hoping to get some feedback on my current situation and my plan to get back on track for med-school.
In 2001 I joined the Navy for 6 1/2 years in an electronics specialty. I separated in 2009 and went on to finish my BS in Biological Sciences, including all of my pre-med prereqs, in the Spring of 2012. Due to some situations in my personal life, plus a lack of money, I chose to go back to work in the tech field (temporarily). Now that I have a stronger foundation and support system, I am trying to get back to the business of getting into med-school.
My current situation:
I am 32 years old, working full-time, and have a wife and 3-month old daughter. My application doesn’t currently stand out much. I took the MCAT last year scoring a fairly balanced 504, and I intend to retake on July 8th. My overall GPA calculated out to 3.55 with a science GPA of around 3.65. I have a small amount of shadowing, and the only volunteer experience I have over the last year is at a non-profit veterinary clinic. I have sought out volunteer positions with local hospitals and clinics, but their interviews and required information sessions have all conflicted with my current work schedule. My letters are likely very generic. It’s been nearly 7 years since I had a course with the only professor that responded to my LOR request, and the Doctors that wrote letters for me don’t know me that well either.
My plan:
As I already stated, I plan to retake the MCAT and hope to land closer to the 510 range this time. Once the MCAT is done, I intend to look more thoroughly for relevant clinical experiences. I have been accepted to a second bachelors program. It is specifically a Health Sciences Pre-Professional program. I’ll be able to take Biochemistry and Human A&P in the Spring, while I’m still working, and hopefully acquire a more recent and more personal LOR. I will apply in the 2017 cycle and will also be leaving my current job to go back to school full-time in that Fall. I haven’t ruled out switching to a Masters program, but the Pre-Professional program offers a number of resources specifically geared towards helping students build their application for med-school.
I think I have a good idea on what boxes I need to check to make myself competitive (I’m mostly planning to apply to DO schools). I am primarily wondering if anyone has some alternate/better ideas on how to do that, or if I left something out, please feel free to let me know.
Thank you!
Sounds like you have really concidered the best approach for you. Volunteering and/or shadowing in a clinical environment is pretty important, schools like to think that you have exposure and at least have an idea of what you’re getting yourself into. If you can get more clinical experience through either shadowing or volunteering that would really help round your application out. If you have any DO specific questions there are many on this site (myself included) that can help answer them. Keep us updated! Good luck to you on your journey.