Former Marine/Banker Seeking Advice

Nontraditional Premed Discussion
1

Hello everyone -


I have been lurking for several days and have seen that this is a wonderful community. I just started down this path, and am seeking some general advice. A little bit about me:

  • 2000 Naval Academy grad with a BS in History and a 3.22 GPA. I took Physics and Chemistry, but had mediocre grades: C’s in Physics I and Chem II, B in Chem II, A in Physics II; C’s in Calc… and then a 4.0 senior year when I finally pulled it together

  • 7 years of service in the Marine Corps as a Military Police Officer (loved it and still miss it)

  • 2 years at a top 5 Business school (3.28 GPA)

  • 3 years on Wall Street (did well but hated it)


    Now, I am finally starting back down the path to being a physician. I’m NYC based and applying to Stony Brook’s post-bacc program tomorrow. I just registered for classes (General Chem, Organic Chem, and Biology) at New York City Tech because I jumped in too late and was closed out of the other CUNY’s and not sure Stony Brook will come through last minute. I am also (this week) sending out applications to volunteer programs. If I get good grades this semester, my plan is to take the MCAT in April and apply to schools during the summer of 2013.


    A few questions for the experts out there:

  1. Is this plan too ambitious given my lack of volunteer experience and the fact that I haven’t done anything science or medicine related in 15 years?

  2. Do you think I need to re-take Physics and Chemistry?

  3. Any thoughts on Stony Brook vs New York CIty Tech?

  4. I know that there are many of you on this site that started med school over 35, but is there a compiled list of where everyone went so I can get a better idea of older candidate friendly schools?

  5. What else should I really be thinking about now?


    Thank you!
2

Hey-


Welcome!!


IMO, I think you probably do need to retake GenChem and Physics. You’ll need to know that stuff forwards and backwards for the MCAT.


You’re taking orgo this semester. Now, there isn’t too much overlap with Gen Chem topics (aside from VSEPR and e- sharing), but you’ll want to go into orgo with a solid foundation in chem, IMO. Are you comfortable with it?


Your business school GPA won’t receive too much weight. From what I’ve gathered, your cGPA and sGPA will be the most important, right after your MCAT.


The CC vs 4-year university question is asked often. Generally, I think you’ll find most will say that it is better to take your core classes at a 4-year institution. Some students can’t afford it, and work it out at CC’s. It comes down to what you can afford.


I do think the plan is a bit aggressive, even for an ex-Marine! I’m sure gonnif will post on here shortly, “do you want to get into medical school quickly, or get in period?” (something like that). Either way, that’s my $.02…you’ll get some much better feedback shortly. Good luck!!

3

There is quite a bit going on in this post so let me start by answering your questions.

  • In reply to:
1) Is this plan too ambitious given my lack of volunteer experience and the fact that I haven't done anything science or medicine related in 15 years?



I would say yes for a variety of reasons. First of all, your core science coursework is over a decade old. A substantial amount of medical schools require RECENT coursework. So I would say you are looking a full 1.5-2 years of pre-reqs that you will have to take before you can apply. Taking the MCAT this April is very quick and probably too quick for most.

  • In reply to:
2) Do you think I need to re-take Physics and Chemistry?



I think I covered this above but I'd say you will have to also retake Biology as a decent amount has changing in the field in the dozen or so years since you have taken it.

Retaking these core cases will also help you prepare for the MCAT and raise your GPA which is low for med school applicants. It will also make you more competitive for DO schools which practice grade replacement.

  • In reply to:


3) Any thoughts on Stony Brook vs New York CIty Tech?



Stony is a more prestigious school and will likely more more research opportunities. I don't know a lot about NYC Tech.

  • In reply to:
4) I know that there are many of you on this site that started med school over 35, but is there a compiled list of where everyone went so I can get a better idea of older candidate friendly schools?



I was looking to compile such a list and I believe there might be some floating around. DO school are generally more friendly to older applicants.

  • In reply to:


5) What else should I really be thinking about now?



This is quite a bit actually. As I see it now you have no clinical exposure and/or volunteering experience. I would say you need to get this ASAP not just for applications but to make sure you are making the right decision. I should also say that getting a volunteering gig in NYC can be a pain in the ass and there can be a long (4-8 week) lead time before you can actually start volunteering at hospital.

I am confused about the stony vs. NYC tech situation. Are you taking classes before you head to stony? Regardless you will need to figure out where your letters of recommendation or committee letter are coming from. Typically if you do a certain number of classes at a postbacc program they will write what is known as a committee letter which is sort of a super fancy cover letter. If the absence of this you will need to collect letters of recommendation which should be from science professors, physicians, volunteer coordinators and the like.

I suspect you really want to get this process started and get into medical school but realistically in order to be successful I think you need to take the marathon approach rather than sprint.

As an aside, I am also NYC-based and about your age so PM me if you want.
4

I was in a similar situation. I chose to retake chemistry since I knew I would need it to be strong for organic chemistry. I didn’t retake physics, using the Kaplan MCAT prep course as a refresher for the physics I would need to know. I used the time to take an extra post-bacc course. However, I was 5 years from the academy when I did my post-bacc and physics was a strong area for me, so that played into my decision.


By the way, when you are interviewing for med school, they will want to talk about your military experiences. Never the “why medicine” conversation.

5

OldPreMeds is my forum of choice, but the SDN Nontrad forum has a good thread on med school ages:


Age starting medical school


I took Organic I more than a decade after Gen Chem and started off really well. I stumbled at the end because of some family issues but my lack of Gen Chem knowledge was only a minor set back. I did some prep work before the semester with Organic Chemistry as a Second Language and reviewed some basic Gen Chem topics. It can be done, but as mentioned earlier the Gen Chem knowledge is probably useful for the MCAT.