I studied music at an accredited 4-year college, that used narrative grading. This school also did not have any core required classes. In other words, I don't have any science or math whatsoever and no GPA. What I do have are written evaluations and a pass/fail notation
In a sense, this is sort of like being a brand new student. You have a blank slate GPAwise. Still, just so you know what you're getting into and don't have surprises later, pick a few medical schools and call them. Say you'd like to apply in the next year or so, explain this weird system, and ask how they'd like you to report grades for those classes. The goal here isn't so much to get an answer to that question as to throw the situation at them and see how they respond. This is a unique circumstance that I've never heard of before, so it would pay to get some first-hand information.
In terms of my outside experience, I have a lot of experience working with the homeless on the streets of NYC. I also am very involved in church and play several instruments. I guess my point is that I'm fairly well-rounded.
This is what you want to be hanging your hat on. Nearly all students who get accepted to medical school have strong MCATs and GPAs. That's not something that gets you an acceptance, it's a base qualification. The extra stuff above is what will set you apart from the pack and make you memorable to a reviewer and distinct from everyone else with strong GPAs/MCATs. Also, lots of volunteer opportunities for musicians- see what you can pick up.
Also, strike the words "fairly rounded" from your vocab. I've heard stories of people giving interviews who react poorly to it- it sounds boring, jack of all trades but master of none. From now on, you're not fairly rounded. You're a highly competent individual with a number of diverse talents. Doesn't that sound better?
1) Do I continue to just take classes at community college?
2) Do I enroll in a post-bacc? Even that will be difficult for me to get in, it seems like because of the nature of my undergrad work.
3) Do I create DIY post-bacc at a 4-year institution?
This is really one question- which direct to go, so I'm going to answer it as one situation. The order of preference of those options would be 2-3-1, most to least, in how helpful they'll be. That said, I'm very big on the fact that sometimes we need to compromise the "best" plan for matters of practicality.
Option 1 sounds like the most practical, though that would depend on how practical Option 3 is. At the very least, I'd be leary of applying with your prerequisites coming from the CC system. You'll need to do something at a four year school as well. ADCOMs are staffed by intelligent people. If they see that you took some good upper division courses at a four year school, the fact you took your prerequisites at a CC will be less of an issue. Still not optimal, but less of an issue all the same.
You need to realize that Option 2 will be more difficult than you think. First off, realize that post-baccs come in two flavors:
1) I was a poetry major and have good qualifications, but I haven't taken my prerequisites.
2) I was a science major and all my prerequisites are done, but I need to boost my qualifications/competitiv eness.
[Technically the second is called an SMP- Special Masters' Program- but I'm explaining it here because a lot of people conflate the terms.]
The type of program you need at the moment is number one. However, most won't touch you unless you have *none* of your prerequisites done. Some will let it slide if you took one or two for gen eds or whatever, but if you've already stacked up a bunch of your prerequisites, most won't touch you. Believe me- I got a lot of "Sorry, we can't help you." e-mails when I was looking into them myself with my prerequisites half done.
The second type is more of an option for you to get into, but you'll need to be significantly more qualified than you are now. Your prerequisites need to be
done, no ifs/ands/buts. These programs are very competitive and hard to get into. They're designed to mimic the first year of medical school- for this reason, they have very high acceptance rates for successful graduates. But you need to go into one with your shit together. Screw up in one and acceptance to an MD/DO program probably won't ever be in your future. You don't want to get to one and realize that a few semesters of science courses weren't adequate preparation.
What might work best is that in some schools which offer both types of programs, you can hybridize the two. In other words, finish your prerequisites, get MCAT prep, and also take a few medical school courses. These program are uncommon though, so you need to be willing to move to where one is if you're not lucky enough to live on top of one. The ones I'm aware of are in the mid-Atlantic.
The great equalizer, as usual, is time and money. If you have the financial wherewithal and the years to devote, my suggestion would be as follows. Make a step ladder. Continue taking courses at your local CC, and in the Fall start taking upper division courses at a large research university. Get into an SMP. Then apply to medical school. However, this is a multi-year plan that's very expensive. I understand it's not an option for a number of people for one reason or another.
If you were to go the really long but strong qualification route, there's such a thing as a 2nd Bachelor's Degree program. Basically, some schools have programs where you can get a second degree taking only the core courses. For example, already have a degree in music but also want a degree in Biology? You can get one by just taking all the Biology degree requirements and skipping your gen ed requirements. However, there aren't too many programs like this out there. You can find some if you spend some time on Google. Honestly, if you nail a program like this, you might even be able to skip the SMP/PB step.
Ultimately, you're your own person with your own circumstances, abilities, and opportunities. The best plan isn't the one that has the best success rate but the one which is most feasible for you to be successful in.
