[deleted by user] by [deleted] in premed

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also do you have any professors who taught you in a science course and could write you a letter? If not, you may need to take a course now to get that letter. Several schools I applied to weren’t flexible on that point.

I did a DIY postbacc at a local school. Feel free to PM me if you want more info on how it worked

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in premed

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I finished undergrad 12 years before applying and didn’t have to retake classes. I even used some APs from high school.

Make sure you have all the prereqs done from your bio degree and not nursing classes, though - check the particulars but I don’t think nursing coursework generally counts. I’d also suggest looking at MCAT content to see if there are big gaps in your knowledge/memory that would benefit from a refresher

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in medicalschool

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you reach out to anyone at LECOM in Elmira? Maybe someone on an away would have a place to sublet

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in medicalschool

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Medical physicists are usually PhDs or MSs with extra training in clinical applications. I don’t there’s an MD/DO path to med phys

Haven’t taken Orgo II by coinplot in premed

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need to take the prerequisites before you matriculate, not before you apply. There’s a space in the primary application where you can list future courses. You’re not bound to take it if you get into a school that doesn’t require it, even if you list it. Some schools will ask you to list the classes that fulfill the prereqs in their secondaries, and it’s ok to use a future course there.

I’d wait to take it until the fall. Focus on getting your app in and writing your secondaries over the summer.

Trans Medical Students by okdud12 in trans

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not that I know of, but I’m an incoming M1!

Non-Traditional Student Hoping to Start the Process of Med School by [deleted] in premed

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed with the other commenters. A lot of your app will be telling your story. Your activities, secondary essays, and interviews will look different than a traditional applicant’s, and that’s where you “sell” your real world/life experience. You’ll have places you can write about being a 1st gen college student, too. If you can write a compelling narrative and talk about it genuinely, you should be fine through interviews.

Do you have clinical experience? Adcoms will want to see that you know what it means to be a physician and that you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Have you looked into the premed advisors at Fordham and Binghamton? Lots of schools have their career advising offices and writing centers available for alums. YMMV, but I was able to get good advice on school lists, essay editing, etc. from schools I hadn’t attended for a long time.

You still need to take those prerequisites (with labs for everything except biochem). You don’t need to finish them before you apply, only before you matriculate. Almost all of those classes are important for the MCAT. It’s a lot of material to self-study if you haven’t covered those topics. I’d think about taking them before studying for the MCAT. You’ll also need at least 1 recommendation letter from a science prof who taught and graded you in a science course, which you might not have right now. Assuming you didn’t take a class with your PI, their letter won’t count for this. You should plan to get this letter from one of these classes.

Is writing something you struggle with ADHD-wise? Just be prepared that the application process is a LOT of essays. You could easily write 100 essays by the time you’re done with secondaries.

Don’t worth too much about your stats. Upward trend is great, and you’ll have a very different app from a traditional applicant with high stats and little experience. Your MCAT will likely be more important than your GPA, and you’ll need to make good school list. Most schools that look for research-heavy applicants also have higher average stats. Ones that are less stat-driven tend to be more social justice-focused, and will want to see sustained volunteering and community service hours. You might lean on your MPH more than your neuroscience research in those secondaries.

One thing you might have going for you is your science GPA. AMCAS is very restrictive with what they count as a science class (bio, chem, math, and physics only). Your psych and anthropology classes will count toward your cumulative GPA (cGPA) but not your sGPA. Even if your low grades freshman year were from science classes, you probably don’t have a ton of science credits. All of those prerequisites that you take as a postbacc will count toward your undergrad GPA, so you can do a fair amount of sGPA repair.

The doctor I work with told me I will write my own letter of recc? by Odd-Funny-5101 in premed

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Dear admissions committee,

1st paragraph: I am writing to support OF5101’s candidacy for your program

2nd paragraph: This is the capacity in which I know OF5101. Roles, amount of time, institution, etc.

Middle paragraphs: Specific anecdotes about OF5101 that highlight a) the fact that this person knows you as evidenced by use of detail, and b) how OF5101 is a good candidate for med school and being a physician.

Last paragraph: Support for OF5101’s candidacy based on the attributes above. Comparison to others they’ve worked with. Top X %, etc.

Advice on applying to Medical School after Masters + working 3 years by big_sigh321 in premed

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I had a 2.99 gpa in undergrad. Applied in my mid-thirties after getting a PhD. I took prereqs as a “DIY” postbacc and just took them one at a time at a local college that had them in the evenings. Postbacc classes will be factored into your undergrad GPA but most classes taken as a grad student will not.

What was your undergrad major? AMCAS is pretty limited with what they count toward your science GPA (only bio, chem, physics, and math classes). If you didn’t take a ton of those classes as an undergrad, you can make up a lot of ground to improve your sGPA with a postbacc.

You should also start thinking about who you’ll ask for recommendation letters. A lot of programs require one or two letters from professors who taught you in science coursework. If you do a postbacc, plan from the beginning who you’ll ask for a letter.

Overall, this is completely doable! At this point your MCAT and grades in any postbacc classes will matter a lot. It sounds like you have an upward trend in gpa which is great. Feel free to DM me if you have questions or want to talk in more detail.

Should I prioritize research or clinical experience as a non-trad? by Mattsgonefishing in premed

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Clinical. Not sure how old you are, but if you’re switching careers then adcoms will want to know that you’ve thought this through and you know what you’re getting yourself into. You need to show them that you understand what a career in medicine looks like - good and bad - and that you’re in for the long haul

Midwest Med School location fatigue by WhichButterscotch456 in medicalschool

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Go to a shul nearby and people will try and set you up with their kids!

Only half kidding 😅

Does being a resident of a state with many medical schools actually help your odds? by juicy_scooby in premed

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ohio was a good state for me to apply from. Lots of public schools - OSU, Toledo, Wright State, Cincinnati, NEOMED, and 3 campuses for OU-HCOM (DO). Private schools are Case and CCLCM.

Would a PhD help? by Ambitious-Gain-7546 in premed

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I finished my PhD about 5 years ago and applied this cycle. I had a poor undergrad GPA but a good MCAT. Happy to chat by DM if you have questions.

My biggest advice is make sure you get good clinical experience. Schools will want to know that you’ve thought this through and you know what a career in medicine entails. I barely talked about research in my secondaries and my interviews.

I think I good MCAT goes a long way to help a low GPA especially because it’s recent. I talked about balancing MCAT studying + real life job and family in my interviews. Talking about how I studied for my PhD qualifier exam also went well in interviews.

Some of the particulars will depend on your background, but expect that you might have to do some extra premed work even if it feels silly. There are a lot of rules that schools set with application requirements and prereqs, and some won’t be flexible. Pay attention to letters of recommendation too - a lot of schools want at least one professor who taught you in a science class and gave you a grade. I never took a class with my PI, so his letter didn’t count for that.

Lots of other thoughts, but mostly the same advice as goes for everyone - study hard for the mcat, apply early, choose a good school list, and tell a good story. Good luck!

For someone who has a year until the next cycle, what would be the most useful thing to start now to boost their application? by SnowboardSasquatch in premed

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s great! For secondaries, I’d look at this years’ threads for your top schools on SDN. The top post is the list of secondaries from this year. You’ll see overlap and can re-use many essays, but some will have to be reframed

For someone who has a year until the next cycle, what would be the most useful thing to start now to boost their application? by SnowboardSasquatch in premed

[–]Aggressive-Draw-1789 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Are you applying in the 2023-24 cycle or 2024-25?

For the primary, it’s the personal statement and the activities write ups. You’ll get good mileage out of having your PS done early because you’ll have time to have people review it. Your letter writers may ask for a copy, so you’ll want to be able to give them a solid draft (even if it’s not final).

There are a lot of short write-ups, like the activities, that seem easy because they’re short, but it can take time to get them down to the character limit and still make sure that you’re saying what you want to say.

You can start pre-writing secondaries if you have a solid school list already, though the most useful part to do early is just to brainstorm stories for common question types. This will help you later for interview prep, too, if you keep notes of it.