Advice needed -- 38 Yr old applicant/how would adcoms view this background

Thanks for reading this post!


Situation:


Currently I am a technical systems developer/programmer with a large healthcare provider. I have been involved in IT for the last ten years, and find working in healthcare very rewarding (Clinical Pharmacy Systems are my specialty), but I believe I could help more people and have a greater impact as a medical doctor. I am trying to figure out if it is a realistic goal to pursue my MD at this point, age 38, and how an admissions board would view my entire record. Ideally I would spend the next 2 years accumulating prereq credits, preparing for the MCAT and applying. The Med School matriculation goal would be for Fall 2010.


Degrees:


University of Wisconsin - Madison BA (History/History of Culture; GPA ~3.74)


University of Wisconsin - Madison Law School JD (GPA ~2.5)


Additional college credits (post BA, not including JD):


University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (18 credits math and compsci, average GPA ~2.2)


University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (30 credits foreign language, economics, mathematics, compsci; average GPA ~3.9)


Also – Misc Community College CompSci credits (18 credits GPA ~3.5)


Discussion:


Yes, it looks like the background of a perpetual student. Yes, I did graduate from law school, and yes I did practice and retire after 1 month of being sworn into the State Bar, but no, the reason was not related to anything like professional sanction or misconduct/ethics violation – the reason was pure distaste for the legal profession (I always seek to finish what I start, so that’s why I did not drop out w/o the degree-- I fought through the distaste – especially from my realization of how frequently unjust, inequitable and absurd outcomes are produced in torts and criminal actions).


My desire then, as a demoralized 25- year old lawyer, was not uncommon in the spirit of the times and so I pursued programming during the dot boom instead, which got me to a relatively successful professional career. Still with it today.


Other factors to consider:


1/ A couple years of average/bad grades. Went through clinical depression during last 2 years of Law School and in the year after while doing post Law compsci work at U of M; received treatment/recovered and have not fallen back into depression since coming out of it, however my grades during this period reflect that period of trouble.


So how do I explain the law school (and not being a lawyer) and 3 years of depression without appearing flaky to the adcom? That was almost ten years ago, right?


2/ Will still need to finish pre-reqs. I still need 2 semesters Inorganic Chem (unless intro non-sci chem w/lab and 1 additional sem. inorg sci chem class @ U of M w/grade C counts?); 2 semesters physics; 2 semesters organic Chem. What is the most efficient way to get these tackled – community college or local university? I will be working full time in the next 2 years and would like to figure out the least job-intrusive manner in which to tackle these requirements.


Will a high MCAT score override the perceived light-weight nature of taking of these classes at a CC or should I drop the CC idea and just buck it up and go to the University?


(This would make it financially more difficult, but I do not want to sabotage this dream, either. I have been thinking about pursuing med school for the last 2 years or so, and really feel I could make a difference and be a damn good compassionate doctor.)


3/ I will have very good letters of recommendation from IT industry co-workers/managers (speaking to maturity/intellect/writin g ability/professionalism) but will also have them from at least 2 MDs as well. The MDs actually suggested that I pursue the medical school idea and planted the bug in my ear.


What sort of weight do recommendations carry in the eyes of the adcom in mitigating the negative factors mentioned above?


Bottom line:


Do I look competitive for admission to a good medical school when the totality of the circumstances above are considered? Please do not hold back, I have quite a thick skin. (Or feel free to add any constructive advice or words of encouragement, even.)


So, there’s the red meat. Please tear in…

You can almost certainly get into med school somewhere eventually. Whether you really want to be a doctor is the real question. I would need to know more about your motivation and goals. You need a compelling story and some experience that tests your idealism.


So how do I explain the law school (and not being a lawyer) and 3 years of depression without appearing flaky to the adcom? That was almost ten years ago, right?


They will still want to have a sense that you are not flaky and you are reliable. You are expected to have a coherent and logical story. You do not need to specify depression; it’s just another medical problem. Their #1 question is, if we admit this person, can they make it through med school? There are no charity cases.


2/ Will still need to finish pre-reqs.


Balance the financial practicality with the ideal situation of taking all prereqs at a true university vs CC. There are many specifics here that need to be dealt with one by one, such as retaking courses with outdated or crappy grades.


A great MCAT is a nice goal, but it is a difficult achievement and you cannot count on it even if you study very very hard.


3/ What sort of weight do recommendations carry in the eyes of the adcom in mitigating the negative factors mentioned above?


You are expected to have uniformly glowing letters saying you will be a fantastic doctor, at a bare minimum. If these are from adcom or faculty members at the particular school, or from a famous doctor, they will help. Otherwise, they will not mitigate anything.


Do I look competitive for admission to a good medical school when the totality of the circumstances above are considered?


We do not have enough information yet to know. You need to complete or retake all prerequisites with excellent grades, and you need an MCAT score. A “good” school is highly subjective, and it also really doesn’t matter. A good school is the one that accepts you and helps you graduate in 4 years at reasonable cost.

dakukulj,


I totally agree with meowmix. And I’d stress again, that I’d definitely try to do all the prerequisites in the 4-year university rather than in a CC. You have lots of doubts about your qualifications, which doesn’t mean that others will have them too (although they might), therefore you want to make up for all the question marks that your application may raise, by taking your prerequisites in the most rigorous academic environment you can afford and make sure you’ll do great! It’s much easier to do well in your classes than to ‘ace’ the MCAT.


I’d also like to address the issue of recommendation letters. While a letter from a doctor known in a particular school might help you, admission committees like seeing letters from your professors. It means that while taking your prerequisites you have to make sure that you get to know at least two of them well enough (and make sure they will get to know you!) that they will be willing to and able to write you a strong letter of recommendation.


And finally. There’s one girl in the M-1 class in my school this year who has a law degree… so it’s definitely not going to put you in a disadvantage.


Good luck,


Kasia.