some help for a lost soul

[yumi43]

Hello all!! I am new to this forum... Anyway, some background info on myself: I've always been interested in medicine, but I've chosen a career in classical music; will graduate this May 2004 from The Juilliard School; considering taking a post-bacc program in the city to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor; don't remember chem or bio since I last studied them in high school; took alg II/trig in h.s., no calc... and now, I have so many questions!!

1. If a post-bacc program is 2 years, when does the application process for med school actually begin?

2. Will I need to take some extra courses to refresh my memory in science and math so I won't struggle in my post-bacc classes?

3. When should I start studying for the MCATs?

I think I have more questions, but I seem to have forgotten them all at this point. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

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[Halcyon440]

Congraulations on your upcoming graduation? What do you play?

Typically you'll take all your required courses over a period of two years and there is an additional "lag" year during which you apply. As far as I know, the only way you can skip the lag year is if you do a linkage program.

For example:

2004-2005: Math, Physics +Lab, General Chem +Lab
2005-2006: Bio +Lab, Orgo +Lab. Start studying for MCAT. Test taken April or August of 2006.
2006-2007: "Lag Year": Applications/Interviews, Higher level bio courses optional. Start med school (hopefully) Sept. 2007

You also have to fit your volunteering and any research in there as well.

Some postbacc programs will have you take some pre-requisite courses if you are weak in Math and Science. That could add another year to things or sometimes just makes your first year a little crazier. You can also take those the summer before you start I would think.

Hope this helps! I'm at the Columbia postbacc, fell free to PM me.

 

[DoctorInSpace]

If possible, you can spend one year a Post-bacc. I did, and took bio w/lab, g-chem w/lab and physics w/lab during my first year, w/organic 1 and 2 w/their labs over the summer. I took the August MCAT, so from beginning of post bacc to beginning of med school, was a total of 2 years (1 year in school, 1 year lag time).

As far as not knowing anything since high school, it was around 10 years since I had taken any science classes, and I did fine. They are all intro classes, and for the most part, the professors don't expect you to have seen any of it before.

I started my application the spring of my post-bacc year, sent it out after organic chemistry and then just waited for the reporting of my MCAT score. That automatically gets sent to the various schools that you have chosen. I did take a pre class during the summer I was taking organic chemistry, but basically that entire post-bacc year was like one big prep class.

I hope that helped. I keep posting in the Post-bacc forum because I went through it, finished and got into medical school w/no problem. I know a lot of people who post are somewhere in the middle, and i want to keep the message out there that you can get into medical school.

Best of luck

 

[tahitian3]

So doctorinspace,
I have a few questions
1) Did you consider post-baccs with linkages? If so, why didn't you do that instead of having a lag year?
2) When applying for med school, did you ever get worried/doubtful that you would not get into med school and think that everything was a waste of time?
3) Did you work during your post-bacc? Did you have a long experience of working before applying to a post-bacc? (I ask this because I am so scared that I will either not make it to med school or will get kicked out while in med school or residency. Therefore I'm trying to get into nursing school as a "safety net." My aunts, who are nurses, say that I'm wasting time with nursing school, that if being a doc is what I want then I should shoot for that now! But I still feel that I will be better psychologically in med school if I know that "If I fail this, I can always have a job in nursing!" Do you think I'm stupid for thinking this?)
Thanks for your advice.

 

[DoctorInSpace]

Tahitian,

I was limited geographically, and I thought my chances were better in an organized post-bacc program as opposed to a non-organized one. That was why I chose to go to University of Miami. I quit my job as a stock broker, took out $40,000 in loans, and went to school full time. If I had to do it all over, I would have found a cheaper, non-organized program, at one of the local branches of a state university. I only looked at programs in South Florida and didn't even know about post-baccs w/linkages directly into medical schools. Oh, I didn't work during my post-bacc year, but did work during my lag year. I taught for a test prep company, as well as for a local tutoring center. I also took 2 classes for fun.

I had very few worries about getting accepted to medical school. Part of that had to do w/the fact that I REALLY wanted to go to a DO school. Most of the DO schools traditionally have lower averages in terms of GPAs and MCATs. My numbers were competitive with some of the top MD schools, so I was fairly confident that the DO schools would accept me, no problem. I don't mean that to sound cocky or anything, just the honest truth.

I never doubted my time or the path I was on. I had waited for the right time to apply to medical school, and it just felt so right. I just knew that it was meant to be. I wasn't going to let anything get in my way. I had worked for several years before going back to school, and was miserable. I have no back up plan whatsoever, because I dont' think I will need one. Once you get IN to school, they will do anything and almost everything to keep you there. Don't worry about getting kicked out.

Keep on the path to medical school. Find a post-bacc program that feels right for you, and just keep heading in the same direction. You will get to your destination before you know it.

best of luck

 

[Superflyjsc]

DoctorinSpace,

Did u do any volunteer, research or outreach community work before applying to med school?
What were ur grades and GPA like as well? Sorry if this is too personal..if so, u dont have to answer. =)

 

[DoctorInSpace]

Superflyjsc,

The volunteer work I did was different than most people. I volunteered at the medical examiner's office, helping out with autopsies. And yes, I got my hands very very messy. I had a really good working relationship with the doctors there, and one of them wrote a few letters of recommendation. I didn't have any research experience at a university, but several years ago when I was working for a psychiatric group, I helped in a clinical research study on a medication to tone down the aggressive behavior often found in Alzheimer's patients. I've never been published or anything like that, and never did research with a professor. Community outreach? Nothing to speak of. I never did Big Bro/Big Sis, or Habitat for Humanity, or visiting kids in the hospital.

As for my grades, I will PM you.

I hope that helps, and feel free to keep the questions coming.

 

[Superflyjsc]

DoctoriinSpace,
Just out of curiosity, which medical school are u attending?
From reading your posts and seeing how easily u say u got into medical school seems contrary to what i normally hear from everyone else. Majority of people tells me how rigorous their postbacc studies were and how competative it was to get accepted into medical schools.

 

[DoctorInSpace]

Superflyjsc

I'm currently attending Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine. If you read my earlier post in this thread, I chose to go to a DO school. I didn't want to attend any of the MD schools. I wanted the skills that are taught at only DO schools and I like their philosophy more. DO schools traditionally are easier to get into than MD schools. I got accepted to every DO school I applied to. I don't know what would have happened if I applied to MD schools, but I believe my numbers were competitive. The competitive nature of med school admissions is relative, in terms of what school you want to attend. Harvard would think I was CRAZY to apply to their program, whereas the DO programs were offering me scholarships to move 1500 miles away. If you apply to programs that are within your reach, you will have much better odds than applying to only Ivy Leagues. Does that make sense? But, i need to restate---I WANTED TO GO TO A DO SCHOOL. It wasn't my back up plan.

I'm the kind of person who keeps calm in most situations, so I'm not the best one to judge how grueling something is. I roll with the punches, with not too much complaining. I don't let rigorous work get to me. I personally didn't have to go through any wait lists or apply more than once, but I would have dealt with that if it had come up.

I hope that helped. It is just my own experience, and may not be shared by anyone else. Everyone sees the med school application process differently. It is a bit unnerving, waiting for secondary applications, writing tons of essays, waiting for letters of acceptance, etc., but you just do it.

Ask more questions if you have any. I'm open to telling you anything. But I'm just one person.