Monthly What are My Chances? Thread

  • Year in school: Second semester junior. I'm 28 and just returned to school last semester after 7 years.
  • Country/state of residence: Maryland
  • Schools to which you are applying: University of Maryland
  • Cumulative GPA: 3.2 overall, but last semester I got 3.8, and so far this semester I should finish with 4.0, making my GPA since returning 3.9.
  • Science GPA: 3.4 overall, but since returning it's 3.8 soon to be 3.9.
  • MCAT Scores: Planning on taking it in the summer of 2016 after I graduate.
  • ** Research:** I have been volunteering with the professor I had for genetic analysis last semester. I am going to be working with another professor studying perineurial nerve degeneration. My last semester will include student research built into a course supervised by one of these professors.
  • Volunteering (clinical): I have extensive volunteering time in between when I last went to school and now, but I'm not sure how far back would be considered, or really what at all would be considered and how it would be verified.
  • Physician shadowing: I just finished a course at the medical staffing office of my local hospital that you have to take to shadow. I have a number of doctors from different specialties, that are family friends, that I have already contacted to start shadowing. I plan to shadow broadly through the next year, including a few ER PA's and NP's.
  • Non-clinical volunteering: I would say most of my volunteering is non-clinical at this point. Mostly working at homeless shelters and food banks. Also various community beautification and accessibility projects. Again I'm not really sure what to include, and how far back.
  • Extracurricular activities: None, as I just returned to school last semester. I also feel pretty awkward even trying to consider getting involved in extracurricular activities considering I'm 6-8 years older than everyone around me. Classes seem awkward enough. Plus I have to work full-time to support myself.
  • Employment history: I have been working full-time as a sushi chef for that past 8 years. I'm really passionate about it, and have worked hard to excel at it, but I feel like I am capable of doing something more.
  • Please include time span and weekly commitment for volunteering/research/shadowing/extracurriculars: It's not been consistent these past two semesters, because I'm just getting back into school. I've built into my schedule for this summer and the next two semesters to be able to spend about: 10-15 hours a week shadowing, 10-15 hours a week volunteering at a medical clinic, 20-25 hours working as a medical scribe, and about 20 hours a week doing research.
  • Immediate family members in medicine? None
  • Shadowing experience: None, but starting next week about 10 hours a week.
  • Graduate degrees: None
  • Interest in rural health: Yes

I know my stats don't look very good, but I would really like to be a physician. When I first started my undergraduate degree I didn't know what I wanted to do, and I really didn't care at all about my grades which is why I stopped going to school. In the interim I spent my time making sushi working about 70-80 hours a week at a number of different sushi restaurants, some of them fine dining establishments. Among sushi chefs in the tri-state area that know me, I'm pretty well regarded. I've also spent a good deal of time traveling abroad. On my last trip abroad I decided that I don't want to make sushi for the rest of my life, and decided to go back to school to see if I can become a physician, not really knowing how much you really have to do to get into medical school. Since returning to school I've been significantly more committed to my studies than I was before. I'm also trying to catch up to everything else that I need to be doing besides academics. I plan on taking the MCAT the summer after I graduate so that I can focus on getting my GPA as high as possible, and then being able to just focus on preparing and taking the MCAT. I'm thinking about trying to apply to schools summer 2016, but I'm really not sure what I should do. I would like to go to the University of Maryland, just because it's the cheapest option, and the closest to friends and family if I need any support. I will probably apply to some of the DO schools that are within a few hours as well. Do you think I have a chance, or am I just wasting my time? If you think I have a chance, what specifically do I need to be aware of and do to be competitive? I really want to be a doctor, and I realize how long it takes, and how much work is involved. I'm committed to doing whatever I have to do to make it through. Thanks for any advice.

/r/premed Thread