Thoughts on my plan?

[steviey]

Hi all,

I am currently trying to transition from my current career in software to medicine. At times this feels like an impossible task.

Here are my details:

Undergraduate degree in Math from University of Waterloo with a 3.78 gpa.

I have been taking some biology and chemistry courses over the past two years via distance education from Waterloo to get prepared to write the mcats (it's been a little while since I have done first year biology and chem). All of my biology and chemistry marks are in the 90s, some of my harder math courses are keeping my average down.

I have spent the past 7 years working in software doing math and development. I am currently working as a software architect. I have done research projects and have had students work for me during this time.

For the past two years I have volunteered each week at a hospital. I spend the rest of my free time running and training for marathons and taking care of my new born son. I have some older ECs, such as valedictorian of my high school, scholarships, etc, but they are at least 7-10 years old.

I have kept working, since it allows me to save a lot of money to support my family if I make it into med school. Also I know how hard it is to get in, so having a job reduces the stress of trying to get in. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve my application while still working?

Also, my letters of reference will probably have to be from people I have worked with or volunteered with, since I do not think any of my university professors would remember me. Is this okay?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[CD90.2]

Out of curiosity, why did you decide to change career path?

I know a lot of people in software and the jobs/pay seems pretty good without another decade of schooling.

And getting a 3.78 in math at Waterloo, that's impressive.

[rmorelan]

Ahhhh, this is very strange :) Steviey you could be my "clone" in a sense.

I also am attempting the same transition, going to the same school, taking or took the same courses you are via distance education. I have worked roughly the same amount of time in the software industry, supervise students, and do research projects (IRAP and industrial NSERC), similar volunteer work, references from industry people more than school, run marathons, kept working full time and going to school similarly.........

I had a daughter as well, but alas that is no longer the case.

Got a bunch of interviews this time around using industrial references mostly, so that is possible. Will let you know how it all turns out!

When are you doing the MCAT? Looks like you close to being able to apply to queens and western - along I am worried about how they will consider your new courses (5th year? New Degree?)

Hi all,

I am currently trying to transition from my current career in software to medicine. At times this feels like an impossible task.

Here are my details:

Undergraduate degree in Math from University of Waterloo with a 3.78 gpa.

I have been taking some biology and chemistry courses over the past two years via distance education from Waterloo to get prepared to write the mcats (it's been a little while since I have done first year biology and chem). All of my biology and chemistry marks are in the 90s, some of my harder math courses are keeping my average down.

I have spent the past 7 years working in software doing math and development. I am currently working as a software architect. I have done research projects and have had students work for me during this time.

For the past two years I have volunteered each week at a hospital. I spend the rest of my free time running and training for marathons and taking care of my new born son. I have some older ECs, such as valedictorian of my high school, scholarships, etc, but they are at least 7-10 years old.

I have kept working, since it allows me to save a lot of money to support my family if I make it into med school. Also I know how hard it is to get in, so having a job reduces the stress of trying to get in. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve my application while still working?

Also, my letters of reference will probably have to be from people I have worked with or volunteered with, since I do not think any of my university professors would remember me. Is this okay?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[ceilingcat]

This is interested. I've been mainly doing software development for the past 6 years, althought i have had different roles. I'm currently enrolled in a part-time Engineering program at UoT, but I have come to the conclusion that I don't really find a M-Eng very satisfying anymore.

Im actaully trying to find out what the best way to get my med pre-requisites is on a part-time basis. Someone recommended Ryerson, but I'm not sure that is a good way to go about this. I can't really quit my job at this point because of other stuff.

How has the waterloo distance program worked for you? Is this a specific pre-med program or have you been signing up for classes you think you will need for admissions?

Thanks

[Halcyon]

UW or Athabasca seem to be good choices for DE courses. :)

[Kathryn]

+1 for Waterloo. Their DE program is great, and I think their courses are cheaper than Athabasca. I'd be doing everything with them if they had the program I want, but alas I'm stuck with Laurentian. Still gonna hit up UW as much as needed tho.

CVU has tons of courses too and there's no fees or drama to get a Letter of Permission. It's a good option if you think you might want/need to bounce around a bit between schools.

[ceilingcat]

Thanks Kathryn and Halcyon for the suggestions. I had no idea these even options existed :). I still wish I had the option to attend an actual physical class.

Im not sure what a letter of permission is. Sounds important.

steveiy - I'm sorry I hijacked your thread.

[Kathryn]

The LoP is just your home uni giving you permission to take credit courses from another uni while yoy're registered with them.

I like CVU because I can shop around for courses and have them applied to my home program because Laurentian is affiliated with them. I try to check out the course prices to make sure I'm getting a good deal.

ETA: I have to exclusively do the distance thing because I live, literally, in the woods. Hours and hours from the nearest university campus. CVU is a godsend for course selection. Trust me.

[steviey]

Out of curiosity, why did you decide to change career path?

I know a lot of people in software and the jobs/pay seems pretty good without another decade of schooling.

And getting a 3.78 in math at Waterloo, that's impressive.

I decided to change my career since I do not find it that fulfilling. It is challenging and the pay is good, but I find myself wanting to interact and help people more. I find that I get more satisfaction out of volunteering then I do out of producing another version of software and making another million dollars for my company. This is just me, I work with a lot of people who absolutely love working in software.

How we end up in a career can sometimes be pretty random. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do out of high school. I liked math and science. I considered trying to get into med school, but I was worried about not getting in so I decided to do a degree in math and see what happened. I graduated, got offered a job, took it, and then time started to pass by.

[steviey]

Ahhhh, this is very strange :) Steviey you could be my "clone" in a sense.

I also am attempting the same transition, going to the same school, taking or took the same courses you are via distance education. I have worked roughly the same amount of time in the software industry, supervise students, and do research projects (IRAP and industrial NSERC), similar volunteer work, references from industry people more than school, run marathons, kept working full time and going to school similarly.........

I had a daughter as well, but alas that is no longer the case.

Got a bunch of interviews this time around using industrial references mostly, so that is possible. Will let you know how it all turns out!

When are you doing the MCAT? Looks like you close to being able to apply to queens and western - along I am worried about how they will consider your new courses (5th year? New Degree?)

I am planning on doing the mcat in just over a year from now. My wife is currently off on mat leave this year. I am going to delay my application until I have a good chance to do very well on the mcats and have a lot of volunteering (3-4 years). Also the money is a big factor. I live and own a house in Toronto and my wife works here. So I am going to apply to McMaster and UofT to start and see how that goes.

I am doing the courses as a post degree student so they are added to my original Waterloo transcript. I have taken so many courses during my undergrad that the marks really do not matter. An additional 4.0 in a course really doesn't change your average that much, so if they don't consider them I do not think it is the end of the world.

That is great that you have had some interviews! I have been unsure of how things will go since my marks are at the low end based on the admittance data from u of t and mac.

Best of luck

[steviey]

This is interested. I've been mainly doing software development for the past 6 years, althought i have had different roles. I'm currently enrolled in a part-time Engineering program at UoT, but I have come to the conclusion that I don't really find a M-Eng very satisfying anymore.

Im actaully trying to find out what the best way to get my med pre-requisites is on a part-time basis. Someone recommended Ryerson, but I'm not sure that is a good way to go about this. I can't really quit my job at this point because of other stuff.

How has the waterloo distance program worked for you? Is this a specific pre-med program or have you been signing up for classes you think you will need for admissions?

Thanks

I have been taking courses as a post degree student. I looked at the material on the mcats and figured out what courses I would need to take. The courses are actually really good. Small assignments worth typically 25% and a large final 75%, which can be challenging.

I have taken courses in cell biology, genetics, and human physiology. I am planning on taking organic chemistry and maybe some physics.

Most of the courses require you to watch lecture via slides and audio off the web. It can be challenging to keep motivated, but is actually easier than attending lecture since you can always pause and rewind. Courses cost around 550 each, which is cheaper than some schools.

[ceilingcat]

I have been taking courses as a post degree student. I looked at the material on the mcats and figured out what courses I would need to take. The courses are actually really good. Small assignments worth typically 25% and a large final 75%, which can be challenging.

I have taken courses in cell biology, genetics, and human physiology. I am planning on taking organic chemistry and maybe some physics.

Most of the courses require you to watch lecture via slides and audio off the web. It can be challenging to keep motivated, but is actually easier than attending lecture since you can always pause and rewind. Courses cost around 550 each, which is cheaper than some schools.

I was actually asking around UoT today whether it would be possible for me to sign up as a non-degree student and looks like I can. I agree that the distance learning option is probably better since I won't have to take any time off from work. The UoT option of actually going to class might become a problem if I decide to take a bunch of classes together.

Did you feel like you should have taken organic chemistry while taking the bio courses? Someone has recommended (somewhere, I cant remember now) that it's a good idea to take organic chem before the bio courses.

Thanks again steviey

[steviey]

I was actually asking around UoT today whether it would be possible for me to sign up as a non-degree student and looks like I can. I agree that the distance learning option is probably better since I won't have to take any time off from work. The UoT option of actually going to class might become a problem if I decide to take a bunch of classes together.

Did you feel like you should have taken organic chemistry while taking the bio courses? Someone has recommended (somewhere, I cant remember now) that it's a good idea to take organic chem before the bio courses.

Thanks again steviey

Make sure you meet the deadline to sign up as a non-degree student at UofT. I was thinking of doing that, but missed the deadline by a week. You have to sign up in the winter for the fall. Waterloo is a little more forgiving, you can sign up pretty much for any term.

I didn't find that I needed organic chemistry to do any of the bio courses I mentioned. Most of the chemistry used was explained in the lectures.

Best of luck

[steviey]

Ahhhh, this is very strange :) Steviey you could be my "clone" in a sense.

I also am attempting the same transition, going to the same school, taking or took the same courses you are via distance education. I have worked roughly the same amount of time in the software industry, supervise students, and do research projects (IRAP and industrial NSERC), similar volunteer work, references from industry people more than school, run marathons, kept working full time and going to school similarly.........

I had a daughter as well, but alas that is no longer the case.

Got a bunch of interviews this time around using industrial references mostly, so that is possible. Will let you know how it all turns out!

When are you doing the MCAT? Looks like you close to being able to apply to queens and western - along I am worried about how they will consider your new courses (5th year? New Degree?)

Hi rmorelan,

Since we have similiar backgrounds, I am wondering which schools you are interviewing with?

Also, do you have any tips on how to improve my EC's while working? I can't do anything more during the day, I already volunteer one morning and show up to work late that day.

Thanks in advance

[rmorelan]

Hi rmorelan,

Since we have similiar backgrounds, I am wondering which schools you are interviewing with?

Also, do you have any tips on how to improve my EC's while working? I can't do anything more during the day, I already volunteer one morning and show up to work late that day.

Thanks in advance

Its a problem, no doubt about it - however remember your work IS a EC, probably your biggest one. We get to draw reference to really stressful situations, leadership positions, working on teams, communication. I really think my work experience is a big strength to my application. I sought out valuable projects/responsibilities at work to strengthen my application (among other reasons).

This year I applied to 5 schools, and got interviews at four of them. I had interviews at U of S, Ottawa, Queens, and Western.

I didn't apply to toronto, mac or NOSM. I could have, I likely would have been competitive there, but prefer the other schools. Might bite in the ass, in which case I was/am prepared to apply again. One benefit of already having a job is we have a preset fall back position :)