I’m looking for some advice. I’m 23 years old, I have an undergraduate degree in civil engr. and I’m about to finish my masters in mining engr my undergard gpa is a 3.21, started out really low the first couple of years but then learned to study and was eventually inducted into my departments honor society before graduating top third of my class my graduate gpa is 3.85 and my research has been in the area of occupational health and safety, my advisor and boss is a Johns Hopkins grad. I’ve always wanted to go to med school but didn’t think I could get in, now with a pretty successful graduate experience under my belt I’ve decided to take the leap and have registered for the organic chems and biology required to apply, should have the requirements ready to go by next spring. Do I have any chance? Will my low gpa keep me out, or the fact that I’m an engineer and not a chem/bio major? any thoughts or advice would really be appreciated
Hello & welcome.
I am also an engineer (mech), although I have been out of school for a lot longer than you. Lots of engineers transition to medicine, so you won’t be the first. My premed advisor says engineers applying to med school typically have lower GPAs than average, so I’d say your 3.21 is in line with what he told me. He said around 3.0 was common. (He wasn’t trying to console me, either, as a low GPA isn’t one of my problems). I think your masters GPA should show that you are capable of handling the work, but it won’t help raise your BCPM gpa. The prereqs you’re enrolled in will help that though, so try to get A’s in those. Most people here will recommend taking them at a university, too, instead of a community college. Another thing that will help is to take more than the bare minimum prereq requirements. I will be taking genetics, anatomy/physiology, and biochemistry before I matriculate, if accepted. Your biology major med school classmates will have had those classes, so you’ll have a more difficult time if you don’t take them.
As for the engineer-to-medicine explanation, I think you are in a fine position to explain that, since you aren’t eyeballs-deep in an engineerng career yet. It’s easier to find a civil engineering job than a biology job, so why not major in that, and it’s also important to point out that you enjoy civil engineering and were interested learning about it. I will be doing volunteer work at an ER to gain some medical experience and exposure, and you might want to look into that as well. (Even the bio and chem majors do it).
I think you have a good chance. Just keep poking around this site and you will read a lot of good advice.
Best of luck to you!