I am I currently in my second year of law school and I will graduate next year, at the age of 24. I am in the top 5% of my class. However, I do not want to practice law, because I genuinely hate reading/writing and I derive no satisfaction from the work. (I was young/dumb when I applied and entered law school).
I was a biology major in undergrad, and graduated with a 3.95 gpa. If I take my MCAT right after law school (study for like 4-5 months) and do really well (515+) (I am a good test taker, and I understand science), what are my chances of getting accepted into a medical school without any clinical experience? Also, what are my chances of receiving a merit based scholarship if I do get accepted? Any advice would help, I am currently enduring a lot of stress since I am considering this career change while still in law school.
As I’m sure you’ve heard, but maybe not, GPA/MCAT gets you in the door for an interview. It’s everything else that gets you into medical school. That means volunteering both clinically and non-clinically, maybe getting research/publications if you want to pursue MD/PhD or research heavy institutions, shadowing many physicians across specialties, attaining meaningful leadership experience, doing fun things over the weekends to talk to panels about (don’t be a robot), securing glowing letters of recommendation, a genuine reason behind, “why I want to be a physician” beyond, “I like science and helping people”, and more.
Great grades. A good MCAT will secure your first step, should you choose to take it. I am just afraid that without any clinical experience, no shadowing hours, [maybe] no research, and no continuous volunteering, that the panel might see you as a highly gifted and hardworking individual who has no idea what medicine is about. If you really want it, you’ll get it. Not many can push through law, and still contemplate going back to medicine.
FINALLY! I find a fellow law student who wants to pursue medicine lol. I graduated law school Dec 2019 and realized during 2L that I did not want to practice law but I also did not want to quit school. Med school was always my #1 choice and I know it is a profession I was meant to be in, but life happens and things always go a different way. During 3L I started looking into post-baccs because I was not a science major. I am currently working in Compliance/Risk which is more of a back up plan if this med stuff doesn’t work out since I don’t want to be a lawyer but at the same time compliance with a JD is favorable to employers. You have a great GPA and I’m sure you will have no problems getting a high MCAT score, but I believe clinical experience is almost just as important. It is hard right now due to COVID but start looking for volunteer opportunities. I agree with Coffee, admissions may think you have no idea what medicine is about if you don’t have any hours.
Side question, have you considered also taking the bar? Even though you don’t want to practice I think having a license is beneficial no matter what career path you choose. If you are a good test taker I am sure you can pass the first time and get it out the way. I haven’t taken it yet but I am considering it next year. I understand the stress you are in because I too started planning this out during law school but at least you are thinking about it now rather than wasting time after graduation to plan everything. I seriously wish I knew about JD/MD programs, would have made life easier on both of us lol.
Hey, thank you for sharing your story. I am going through a tough time right now, trying to wrap my mind around all of this. I might take the bar. Please keep me updated on your journey! I
Hey! How have things been going? Did you continue to try to pursue medicine after graduation? I started a post bacc program during summer 2021 and will be done Fall 2022. So far everything has been ok with this process aside from not being able to find shadowing, volunteer, or additional clinical hours. I’ve been caregiving for a year now and recently got a job as a medical assistant but quit after 3ish months. My employer was horrible and as a law school grad I couldn’t continue seeing all their unethical practices like not being compliant with HIPPA. I hope all is well with you and your journey toward medicine.