premed2671
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2022
- Messages
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Hi everyone,
I have contemplated becoming a doctor since I was 15 years old! I have tons of clinical experience from high school, but chose to pursue research (pre-PhD) in college. I’m a married woman turning 23 this year, and I still have a pull towards medicine that I can’t seem to shake. At a forum I attended last week, I listened to a women talk about her path to medicine, and a flood of memories came back about why I originally wanted to be a doctor… I was totally taken back with doubt if I made the right career choice. Not sure what to do about this!
Anyway, I am graduating in a couple of months and have a great full-time research job lined up. I originally planned to apply to PhD programs in December.
Some questions for all of you:
My husband is super supportive with whatever career I choose, which I am thankful for. We aren’t planning to have kids for several more years, but being a good (working) mom is also a consideration in my decision.
Thanks in advance for any advice! If you are uncomfortable commenting on this for any reason, send me a DM!
My background:
I have contemplated becoming a doctor since I was 15 years old! I have tons of clinical experience from high school, but chose to pursue research (pre-PhD) in college. I’m a married woman turning 23 this year, and I still have a pull towards medicine that I can’t seem to shake. At a forum I attended last week, I listened to a women talk about her path to medicine, and a flood of memories came back about why I originally wanted to be a doctor… I was totally taken back with doubt if I made the right career choice. Not sure what to do about this!
Anyway, I am graduating in a couple of months and have a great full-time research job lined up. I originally planned to apply to PhD programs in December.
Some questions for all of you:
- What would be the MOST helpful to quickly evaluate which path is right for me (PhD vs MD)? - shadowing or patient experience?
- Considering my background below, what would I need to do to prepare my app besides take the MCAT?
- Premed coursework: I have everything except ochem lab and biology lab. My research counted as lab experience, so I never needed to take them. Will I need to take them or would med schools make an exception?
- Do you think I could realistically apply for the 2023-2024 cycle?
My husband is super supportive with whatever career I choose, which I am thankful for. We aren’t planning to have kids for several more years, but being a good (working) mom is also a consideration in my decision.
Thanks in advance for any advice! If you are uncomfortable commenting on this for any reason, send me a DM!
My background:
- Biomedical sciences major with math minor
- Near perfect GPA & class valedictorian (just found out!)
- Research
- Goldwater scholar
- Lots of work and leadership in 2 labs
- First-author publication and submitting another co-author publication soon
- 9 research presentations (poster/oral) - national, regional, and institutional level
- Recipient of 2 institutional grants to fund research
- I also dabbled in a computational biochemistry lab for 6 months, but didn’t love it and left
- Teaching Assistant (2 years)
- Won an award for being a top TA in the department
- Absolutely loved this job
- Leadership (Clubs)
- I’ve held positions at the women in STEM (2 semesters) and mental health (1 semester) organizations on campus
- Minimal time because I mostly focused on research, but female representation in STEM and mental health awareness are really important to me
- Service
- One summer I tutored an adult woman with a learning disability to help her read/write better
- Minimal hours because I just did this in my free time