Looking for opinions/advice on my path to Med School

[Music_To_Medicine]

Hello all! I've been a lurker for about 9 months but I'm finally ready to throw myself out there. Though I've read a ton here and discussed with loved ones/mentors, I am reaching a point where I would like to hear from others that are further along in their journey.

Here my stats and plan:
URM - First Generation Black Male
cGPA: 2.85, 150 credits
sGPA: I've only taken one intro math class ( Quantitative Reasoning - A,) and one intro science (Science and Tech in Society - A) Don't know if they count towards BCPM or nah

Fall 2018
-Bio I/lab
-Chem I/lab
-elective class (any advice?)
Spring 2019
-Bio II/lab
-Chem II/lab
-elective class (any advice?)
Summer 2019
-Physics I/lab
Fall 2019
- O Chem I/lab
- Physics II/lab
- Elective
Spring 2020
- O Chem II/lab
- Biochem I
Summer 2020
-Study for MCAT
-Continue to work on ECs
Fall 2020
Take MCAT
Spring/Summer 2021
Apply for MD/DO schools


A little bit about myself... I graduated in May 2017 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education (K-12 Licensure). By my 3rd year, I began to feel that teaching music was not what I wanted to do with my life as I was burning out and losing my passion for both music and teaching. I finished the degree due to time already invested, scholarships, and thinking my unhappiness came from my classes. Regardless I began the process of reflecting on why I went into music education, how those values translated into what I wanted from a career, and what I wanted to devote my life to pursuing. While I love working with children, love helping people learn, and mentoring others, I've grown unsatisfied with the modality in which I am practicing. When you have students telling you about horrible conditions at home or the suicide of a student with mental illness it becomes hard to look that student in the face with a smile and say "yeah, all these things are happening around you, but let's play a Bb major scale." A tad bit facetious but you get the point...
When I chose to major in Music Education, I knew I had a passion for mental health and saw myself pursuing a Masters in School Counseling or becoming a Clinical Therapist after a few years of teaching. Near the end of my undergraduate career, I met with and talked to several practicing School Counselors and Clinical Therapists to get a more in-depth view of the profession. God Bless every counselor out there because after those conversations, and some personal research into reported job satisfaction, Counselors are worse off than teachers and just as unhappy!
So I began looking into becoming a psychologist but I knew that I was drawn more towards clinical practice than research, and can already see myself becoming unsatisfied with not being able to provide medication when needed. The more I looked into being a psychologist the more I realized that Psychiatry was actually what I wanted. My entire life I honestly never considered medicine because it was too much money/too long/not for people like me. I had this epiphany moment where I realized becoming a doctor was exactly what I wanted to do, and that it was possible to become one.
I've spent some time volunteering at a free clinic 4 hours a week and plan to shadow soon (family medicine - outpatient, internal medicine - inpatient, pediatrics - outpatient). In addition to this, I work full-time as a Long-term Substitute Music Teacher, maintain a private lesson studio, and have volunteered my time to act as Musical Director for a local high school.

TL;DR: I'm a Music Teacher wanting to pursue medicine but I have a low GPA. By the time I finish my post-bacc, assuming I maintain a 3.75 or higher for 60 credits my cGPA will be a 3.1. I'll devote an entire summer/fall to the MCAT so I'm hoping by then I'll be able to score at least a 505.

Is this a pipe dream? Do I have a chance if I can improve my GPA and score well on the MCAT?

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[Music_To_Medicine]

Thank you for replying!

You hit the nail on the head with the separating business and passionate hobbies. The mixture of both was burning me out in both areas, but as I've begun separating the two I've found my passion for both blossoming again. I truly am enjoying everything I am currently involved in and have grown so much a teacher this last year. The post bacc will be completed at a 4yr state school in Ohio (Where I live), I currently live in a rural area, grew up rural and see myself practicing medicine in a similar environment.

 

[wolfnscale]

Hi there!
I'm in a post-bacc atm and nontrad, so I can't give you much advice you won't hear from the other well experienced members on SDN. However, I wanted to chime in that you might find these useful in the future for the sGPA. Your mathematics classes should count.

What counts as BCPM GPA:
Calculating the BCPM GPA - Pre-Professional Advising

A sGPA calculator (excel sheet):
honors.usf.edu/Documents/AMCASGPA_Calculator.xls

For elective advice: I'm in the same boat now, choosing electives wisely. I've made a list of all the schools I'd like to apply to and if you do the same, you'll likely notice that MD and DO schools tend to have a 6-9 credits required or recommended in upper level sciences courses. Some schools advise taking biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology, genetics, nutrition, anatomy/physiology, and/or histology. With the reconfiguration of the MCAT, it seems that a good handful of schools are requiring social science electives 3-6 credits (anthropology, sociology, psychology). I've also seen a foreign language recommendation (3 credits) in some DO programs.

Bottom line, I know it's early on, but pick a few schools (MD and DO) that you might aspire to apply to and jot down their requirements and recommended courses. You'll see they vary, but you'll be able to create a fluid, but competitive application by choosing your electives with what you've seen in mind.

As a side note, I find your story inspiring. As I read your post, I followed your thinking and I can see why you're making the switch to medicine. Be sure to save this in a nice doc so later when you're writing essays, it's on hand. Good luck!

 

[Lucky Day]

It's probably not a pipe dream, but there are a lot of important variables.

First, you graduated in 2017. Did you follow a traditional time line to get that degree? Are you in your early/mid 20s?

 

[Music_To_Medicine]

It's probably not a pipe dream, but there are a lot of important variables.

First, you graduated in 2017. Did you follow a traditional time line to get that degree? Are you in your early/mid 20s?

I am 24. My timeline was slightly off because I graduated in nine semesters. I took a semester off in-between my last semester of classes and my student teaching semester. The reason for the leave of absence was to work full-time so I could afford that ninth semester. Granted I wouldn't have had to do that had I not failed courses, but I retook them in my eighth semester with far better results (As).

 

[Lucky Day]

I am 24. My timeline was slightly off because I graduated in nine semesters. I took a semester off in-between my last semester of classes and my student teaching semester. The reason for the leave of absence was to work full-time so I could afford that ninth semester. Granted I wouldn't have had to do that had I not failed courses, but I retook them in my eighth semester with far better results (As).

It's not a pipe dream. You've got a fun background. Make sure you really find a lot of clinical experiences you enjoy in order to show there is no doubt that you grasp what the decision to be a physician means. Feel free to be creative. The kink in your story is how you thought music education was your thing and how you found out quickly that you were wrong. Find a positive explanation for the change in career plans, not a negative one.

Also, don't shoehorn yourself into behavioral health. Take the position that you may be interested in behavioral health but you want to shake the profession out in it's entirety. A lot of ad com folk don't like when students are so set on one field of practice because applicants don't usually have a complete grasp of what practicing that field is like. You can imagine when a student who has worked only for one field finds out that field totally sucks, there's going to be major psyche consequences.

Good luck!

 

[Music_To_Medicine]

It's not a pipe dream. You've got a fun background. Make sure you really find a lot of clinical experiences you enjoy in order to show there is no doubt that you grasp what the decision to be a physician means. Feel free to be creative. The kink in your story is how you thought music education was your thing and how you found out quickly that you were wrong. Find a positive explanation for the change in career plans, not a negative one.

Also, don't shoehorn yourself into behavioral health. Take the position that you may be interested in behavioral health but you want to shake the profession out in it's entirety. A lot of ad com folk don't like when students are so set on one field of practice because applicants don't usually have a complete grasp of what practicing that field is like. You can imagine when a student who has worked only for one field finds out that field totally sucks, there's going to be major psyche consequences.

Good luck!

Thank you taking the time to answer. I really appreciate your insight to navigating the admissions process. While Psychiatry was my initial interest my horizons have broadened, I've realized my experiences have also drawn me to Family Medicine or Pediatrics. I'm keeping an open mind because I know I won't truly know until med school.

 

[post-bacc]

This is definitely very possible. In addition to all of your academics, it is equally important to have experientials, whether that includes patient volunteering, physician shadowing, research, etc. This exposure to patients and to healthcare settings will be crucial for: 1) You, making sure this is something you want and 2) Your applications, because this helps to ensure that you've "tested the waters" and can verify to admissions folks that you're ready. Also, doing these experientials is also a great way to supplement your learning in school.

 

[Music_To_Medicine]

This is definitely very possible. In addition to all of your academics, it is equally important to have experientials, whether that includes patient volunteering, physician shadowing, research, etc. This exposure to patients and to healthcare settings will be crucial for: 1) You, making sure this is something you want and 2) Your applications, because this helps to ensure that you've "tested the waters" and can verify to admissions folks that you're ready. Also, doing these experientials is also a great way to supplement your learning in school.

Thank you for your insight. I am definitely trying to gain as much exposure as possible. I've been volunteering at a free clinic these last few months and just this small time frame has confirmed that I am making the right decisions. The level of service these doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are providing freely to this community with little resources is genuinely inspiring and something I unquestionably want to emulate.

 

[post-bacc]

Thank you for your insight. I am definitely trying to gain as much exposure as possible. I've been volunteering at a free clinic these last few months and just this small time frame has confirmed that I am making the right decisions. The level of service these doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are providing freely to this community with little resources is genuinely inspiring and something I unquestionably want to emulate.

That's fantastic to hear! Glad you are on that path and that it is going as you hoped.

 

[Fidelio17]

I am 24. My timeline was slightly off because I graduated in nine semesters. I took a semester off in-between my last semester of classes and my student teaching semester. The reason for the leave of absence was to work full-time so I could afford that ninth semester. Granted I wouldn't have had to do that had I not failed courses, but I retook them in my eighth semester with far better results (As).

The big factors you haven't really addressed are: A) why your GPA is low to begin with & B) what you're going to do to make it higher from now on.

A lot of people with previously low GPA's have the advantage of claiming, "That was a long time ago. I was young & dumb then, & I'm more mature/smarter/wiser now." Given that you've only been out of school for a year, you don't have that luxury.

Full disclosure: I was a Music Ed major and taught for a few years before starting my post-bacc, & I'm about halfway through that & studying for the MCAT in anticipation of applying this summer. So take this with any grains of salt you wish because I'm not that much farther along in this process than you.

However... real science classes (not math & science for education majors classes) are hard. I can promise you that they will be more academically demanding than your undergrad music ed classes. (And I know how hard an undergrad in music ed is. I do not miss those 24 credit semesters: playing and singing in 6 different ensembles on top of 18 credits of "real" classes while trying to get in 2 hours a day in the practice room.) Before you start this, you need to have a feasible plan for giving them the study time you will need to be successful, & you need to have a very good understanding of why you've struggled previously. A semester of A's is great, but that's a semester of A's after sitting through each class for the second time. It's in no way comparable to a semester of A's in new material in a new discipline.

Also, are you planning on continuing to work while following the course schedule outlined above? Full time long term subbing + part time studio + musical barely leaves time to sleep & eat. Even if you drop everything but the full time subbing, I wouldn't recommend taking a full course load on top of it. (I know I couldn't handle it.) I'm currently doing my post-bacc full time, teaching music privately, tutoring & volunteering (each for a few hours a week), & that in addition to MCAT study has me about at capacity. I know it's hard because, well, income of some sort is required to live. I'm living on savings & loans (more the latter than the former) for this year, & while it's less than ideal, I feel it's given me the time to focus on being academically successful & building up the other aspects of my application (volunteering, research, shadowing etc.)

In summary: don't start this before you're ready. Shadowing should be your #1 priority. The clinic is great, but it's only been a few months, so it's still shiny. Give it some more time & see if the luster stays. In that time, assess your readiness for academic success & dip your toes into the hard sciences in low risk (free & no potential impact on gpa) ways like studying on Khan Academy.

 

[Music_To_Medicine]

The big factors you haven't really addressed are: A) why your GPA is low to begin with & B) what you're going to do to make it higher from now on.

A lot of people with previously low GPA's have the advantage of claiming, "That was a long time ago. I was young & dumb then, & I'm more mature/smarter/wiser now." Given that you've only been out of school for a year, you don't have that luxury.

Full disclosure: I was a Music Ed major and taught for a few years before starting my post-bacc, & I'm about halfway through that & studying for the MCAT in anticipation of applying this summer. So take this with any grains of salt you wish because I'm not that much farther along in this process than you.

However... real science classes (not math & science for education majors classes) are hard. I can promise you that they will be more academically demanding than your undergrad music ed classes. (And I know how hard an undergrad in music ed is. I do not miss those 24 credit semesters: playing and singing in 6 different ensembles on top of 18 credits of "real" classes while trying to get in 2 hours a day in the practice room.) Before you start this, you need to have a feasible plan for giving them the study time you will need to be successful, & you need to have a very good understanding of why you've struggled previously. A semester of A's is great, but that's a semester of A's after sitting through each class for the second time. It's in no way comparable to a semester of A's in new material in a new discipline.

Also, are you planning on continuing to work while following the course schedule outlined above? Full time long term subbing + part time studio + musical barely leaves time to sleep & eat. Even if you drop everything but the full time subbing, I wouldn't recommend taking a full course load on top of it. (I know I couldn't handle it.) I'm currently doing my post-bacc full time, teaching music privately, tutoring & volunteering (each for a few hours a week), & that in addition to MCAT study has me about at capacity. I know it's hard because, well, income of some sort is required to live. I'm living on savings & loans (more the latter than the former) for this year, & while it's less than ideal, I feel it's given me the time to focus on being academically successful & building up the other aspects of my application (volunteering, research, shadowing etc.)

In summary: don't start this before you're ready. Shadowing should be your #1 priority. The clinic is great, but it's only been a few months, so it's still shiny. Give it some more time & see if the luster stays. In that time, assess your readiness for academic success & dip your toes into the hard sciences in low risk (free & no potential impact on gpa) ways like studying on Khan Academy.

During my time on these forums, I have never seen someone with such a similar path as the one I'm hoping to take so I want you to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

My GPA was honestly the result of me not making high grades a priority and settling/shooting for passing grades (Bs and C depending on the class/requirements). Coming into a Conservatory with very basic level experiences (I loved playing saxophone, but never knew theory/piano/other instruments) I practiced obsessively to make up for my deficiencies and lack of natural talent in all of my other classes. The cycle of [ perceived inadequacy -> obsessively practice -> low grades -> last minute seeking help -> repeat ] honestly took me four years, some counseling, and some very honest introspection and reflection to break. My last year of college showed me what I am capable of when I study seriously, treat being a student like a job and truly apply myself to my academics.

For my post-bacc I am fortunate to have a fiance who is a full-time teacher and will be able to cover our expenses during my time in school. We have a deal that I have a full year to pursue this plan and be a full-time student. No part-time jobs, only ECs, community band, and a few lessons. My plan is honestly to brute force study at first and find my flow as the semester rolls on.

If I may ask you, at which point during your journey did you realize you wanted to pursue medicine? If you could go back what would you have done differently?

 

[Fidelio17]

For my post-bacc I am fortunate to have a fiance who is a full-time teacher and will be able to cover our expenses during my time in school. We have a deal that I have a full year to pursue this plan and be a full-time student. No part-time jobs, only ECs, community band, and a few lessons. My plan is honestly to brute force study at first and find my flow as the semester rolls on.

If I may ask you, at which point during your journey did you realize you wanted to pursue medicine? If you could go back what would you have done differently?

There are more people who've made a similar transition than you'd think. I've been fortunate enough to meet a few online. It can be done successfully, & the music/teaching background is a neat path to medicine.

I wanted to be a doctor from the age of 12... & then as I was applying to college my senior year of high school, I was warned by a well intentioned but misinformed teacher that if I pursued medicine, I'd "never have time for the arts again." I couldn't imagine walking away from performing for forever, so I chose to pursue music ed. I was young & idealistic (why we let people make major life choices at the age of 17, I'll never understand), & I thought I could find ways to make teaching intellectually satisfying. I didn't realize then that once the challenge wore off & I got good at teaching, I wouldn't find it enjoyable enough to want to do it for the next 30 years. Which is basically what happened. I got to a point where I'd done all of the cool things that i thought would be awesome (music directing a musical, conducting a 300 student choir, etc.), & none of them made me feel like, "Oh, this is so amazing I want to do it again & again & again." Like you, I didn't have a technically strong music background, & I spent a lot of time in college playing catch-up. It was such a whirlwind (& my campus such a well insulated bubble) that I didn't really question my career choice until after I graduated. At that point, I didn't realize that people actually could become doctors after majoring in something completely different. (That may sound crazy, but I grew up below the poverty line in a rural area, &, well, there's a lot I didn't know. I literally wore jeans and a t-shirt to an interview for Yale my senior year of high school. Unsurprisingly rejected.) I taught in various capacities while growing more unsettled with my career, and a few years after graduating from college, I met someone who was just starting residency after having a degree in something unrelated. It was a huge lightbulb moment for me, & less than a year later, I'd decided that I was done with teaching. Deciding to go back to school was terrifying (debt is a 4 letter word when you grow up like I did), but so freeing. I'm much happier now than I've been in a long time, even in this pre-med stage. I get to be curious. Every single day, my job is to learn more about how the world and our bodies work, & that is amazing. Hard? yes. Tiring? yes. But so much better than being the small blonde music teacher who entertains the children in classes of 20 for 40 minutes each once a week in an effort to bring them joy & culture in the midst of the rest of their lives. That certainly wasn't all of what my job entailed (or what good music education should entail). But that is what society thought I did, & that is (largely) what my administrations expected me to do. & me? "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere, I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand to have someone understand I want so much more than they've got planned..."

What would I have done differently? Honestly, I don't know that I'd have changed a thing. It's easy to think, "Oh, if only I'd have gotten a degree in biology and gone straight to med school." But I know what 22 year old me was like, & I like 27 year old me much better. The early 20's is a time of such immense change, & I've grown a lot so far. Teaching taught me so much - about privilege, poverty, teamwork & building relationships. I wouldn't trade that for anything. In the last 5 years, I've learned who I am and what I need to be happy. I was always a good student, but in the time away from the classroom, I definitely matured in my understanding of how I learn best, and what motivates me. I know I'm in a much better place to pursue medical training now than i would have been then. Besides, if I had gone ahead and pursued medicine the first time, I'd have always wondered what it would have been like had I made the other choice. I won't have that "what if?" now. & the skills I've honed and the understanding I gained from teaching and performing won't go away.