Yet another career switcher

[CTexile]

Hi all,

I'm strongly considering reapplying to medical school, 6+ years after being declined following my undergrad years and pursuing other options in the interim. A bit of background:

I'm 28, married, no kids. I have an MBA with a finance concentration (chaired the healthcare club while there, 3.6ish GPA) and was a general biology major (3.55 GPA, no undergrad research experience). I took the MCAT in August of 1999 (yes, I know I'll need to retake) and, if memory serves me, got a 29 overall- 10V, 10P, 9B. I app'd HMS, Tufts, Jefferson, UMass and BU but did a poor job on my applications since at that time I wasn't fully committed (which really showed in retrospect). I was interviewed at UMass, but was rejected by all 5 schools in the end. In the years since college (my BS was in 2000) I've worked in 2 neuroscience labs as a technician and in finance for a pharma-oriented market research firm, a financial services firm, a small biotech, and am currently with a major pharmaceutical company. I'm making fairly good money but don't have much in the way of savings, so finances will likely be a friction point.

There are a few weak points in my background that I worry will hurt me- a lack of career focus, leaving lab life twice (the lab positions were not consecutive), non-ideal GPAs (they're not bad, but they're not top-notch).

What I'm most interested in hearing about is a good strategy for studying for the MCAT given the length of time passed since I've taken these courses. I've generally been an excellent test taker on aptitude tests (top-5 percentiles on the SAT and GMAT), but can't rely on that for the MCAT. It's been 6 years since I've taken a biology course, 7 years since I've taken o-chem, and 8 years since taking inorganic chem and physics, so I'm going to be terribly rusty. Is self-study even an option or should I try to audit some classes? I'm of the mind that I'll need to do very well on the MCAT in order to prove myself to AdComs- I'm figuring 35ish is a good show of potential, I think getting much less, coupled with my weaker points mentioned above, would make things very hard on myself.

Overall I'm very excited about this possibility, but nervous about leaving a fairly lucrative career as well. Thanks in advance for any advice.

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[MaiPenRai]

My advice: I took the Kaplan course and really "bought into" it all. The "green dot" they tell you to focus on, the test taking strategies (which I didn't end up using because strategy was ALL I had going for me when I went into it...but at least I gave them a test run), etc. I went to every course, did every problem assigned, and spent a lot of time with it. In the pre-test I got a 27 (14V, 6P, 7B) which shows you that my sciences definitely weren't up to par.

I took an entire summer to study, starting the course in May (but working until the end of June when the school year ended) and studying until the August exam. After looking at the curriculum, I realized I didn't have the physiology background necessary to do a lot of the problems, so I read my sister's nursing physiology textbook. Cover to cover. Literally.

Though I considered MCAT prep my summer job, I (and most people) couldn't do it for 15 hours a day for months...I went to the center daily so that I would actually DO the work, and met people there to motivate me to study. I also took some breaks and went out most nights, but tried to minimize distractions. Starting in June I was taking all of the full-length tests given by Kaplan, and tried to do a few on my own each week.

In the end I scored a 37R (13V, 11P, 13B), which was about what I had been scoring in the practice tests given out by AMCAS (I was scoring a bit lower in the Kaplan version). My verbal score actually went down as I tried to use the Kaplan answer methods, so I switched back to my own and scored 13/14 on all practice tests after that.

I know Q's score was better, but (from her posts) I have the feeling that she did very well in the sciences in undergrad. I tried hard (and I know I am smart) but I was generally about average at my ivy school. So, I guess this is what an "average" to slightly above student did to get a pretty respectable score.

My best advice is to take a course and really BUY INTO IT. The whole thing. Give it the time it requires, the patience it requires, and listen to the person teaching you. Find your weaknesses, and supplement with other books. I recommend a physiology book or review book. Go to the test center to minimize distractions, and make friends there who you will be obligated to meet (therefore you actually go). I am no expert, but that is my advice.

PS: I took the August mcat only because I knew I would be applying the FOLLOWING year. Apply early!

 

[CTexile]

Thanks MaiPenRai and kudos to you on making such a huge improvement to your science scores- well done!

I'm going to look into some hospital volunteer work in the near term, as that's something I didn't have going for me on my original application. I have some volunteer work in recent years, but nothing healthcare related.

Overall I'm looking at slowing down and getting this done right this time. Rather than rush to relearn material I haven't touched in years in time for a spring exam, I'm going to make sure I'm as ready as I can be, even if that means another year or two. If I could find a post-bacc program with night classes I might even consider retaking some or all of the prereqs- I can't begin to describe how rusty I am on this stuff after so long!

 

[notdeadyet]

CTexile- There are lots of career changers on this board, so I wouldn't feel lonely. The fact that you're coming in with a decent GPA (as opposed to an awful one that many folks strive to overcome) puts you ahead of the game.

If you don't have clinical volunteering, I'd recommend doing that. Personally, though ER volunteering is the norm (I've done it for over two years now), I'd recommend free clinic volunteering, if it's available. More patient interaction.

For the MCAT, MaiPenRai has some great advice, though I'd personally recommend The Princeton Review over Kaplan. Kaplan is a great course, but I've had several recommendations for TPR specifically for folks in you shoes. Many folks find TPR offputting because there is so much classtime. I found it overbearing, because they seem to teach the material all over again. Bad for someone who just finished a postbac but ideal for someone in your shoes.

Do a hunt on TPR or Kaplan in the MCAT forum and you'll see lots of pros and cons.

You have the right idea about not rushing. It seems to be the biggest fatal flaw folks have. I've been prepping for this application cycle for about 4 years. I'd rather be prepared at 34 than winging it at 33. Best of luck to you...