Well, OPM, as of today I’ve completed all pre-reqs for the majority of M.D./D.O programs I’m considering applying to. Interestingly enough there is no sense of a burden being lifted as the honest truth is that had I did my due diligence earlier I would have passed over this hurdle 2-3 years ago. In an attempt to accelerate this process I made a colossal blunder in the summer/fall semester of 2014 and butchered my otherwise stellar gpa. My current transcripts from the school I completed my pre-reqs at is a 3.7. However I have several “red-flags” to deal with, the most glaring being those botched semesters. I will, obviously, need to factor that into my cumulative and science gpas. (Unfortunately, I don’t have access to all my transcripts at the moment). So, even with my pre-reqs completed I feel as though the greatest obstacle (In the POSITIVE sense of the term) yet remains before me, which is essentially MCAT/Applications.
I’ve come to terms with my less than stellar academic history and I’m investing the majority of my energy into doing well on the MCAT and placing emphasis on my clinical and surgical experience. For the past three years I’ve worked full-time as a certified ophthalmic technician and surgical assistant. This experience has been invaluable, as I have been able to accumulate considerable time in direct patient care as well as having the opportunity to work alongside physicians and resident-physicians. I also spent some time overseas on a medical mission trip to Africa.
I have been pondering what the next step for me ought to be. In a perfect world I’d take the MCAT in June and have my applications submitted with my MCAT score available in enough time to at least put me in consideration as a late applicant. However, the world is not perfect. After listening to episode #71 on the OPM podcast and reading through this information here (http://blog.accepted.com/applying-to-med-school-late-in-the-application-cycle/), I’m coming to the conclusion (not quite there just yet) that applying next cycle would likely mean being a stronger candidate. Contingency plans abound, and I have the opportunity to apply for a position as the clinical director of a neurology practice. Obviously that sort of experience could prove to be very useful when it comes time to interview. Also, I’ve done a cursory search for programs that have Spring starts. The only one that I’ve seen so far is UMKC. I have loose connections to the school, so I’m placing that at the top of my list of schools to apply to, which could mean a Spring 2019 start as opposed to a Fall 2018.
I have a lot of thinking to do, and I need to do it fast. The window is narrow and it will not be open for very long…at least not this time around.
I’m curious. How did this turn out?