nobadwaves
Full Member
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2024
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Hey all! Thanks in advance for reading this and your advice.
After retiring from the business world in 2023, I made the decision to go back to the original dream: becoming a physician. My path initially being in 2001, but in the wake of 9/11 I dropped out of college to join the military. After enlisting, became a corpsman and went on to do some additional training. While in, I served in ICUs, EDs, and with the Marines. I practiced medicine in traditional environments as well as in austere combat conditions. Due to the nature of military medicine, I gain many skills/privileges that are not allowed in civilian medicine for someone without an advanced medical degree. These experience only bolstered my desire to become a physician and although I chased money in the business world, the desire never left.
After getting out of the military (2007), I would keep my feet wet from time to time when the right opportunities (ex. saw saw patients at a refugee/asylee clinic and taught PM residents about endemic challenges seen within our given pt populations) presented themselves while I got my degree in public health with a focus in epigenetics from the top school at the time. Initially, I maintained a 4.0 through community college before being able to transfer to a 4-year. Here is where I was rather derailed... During the next few years, I was in the heavier throws of my PTSD from my experiences in the military, I needed to move back across country to take care of a critically ill family member, and upon returning I was homeless for the remainder of my degree due to a housing crisis in the area. All of these things brought my cherished GPA down to a 3.12 (BCPM GPA is still a 4.0 I believe). No, I don't absolve myself from any academic responsibility but this few years were very difficult and other pressing matters took priority over academics.
When I graduated (2015), I contemplated doing a postbacc, but I really just wanted to be a normal human for a while, work, gain security/stability, and move on from the past few years. Fast forward a bit, I landed some jobs, made good on my end of the bargains, and was rewarded professionally eventually allowing me to effectively retire early. Since deciding to go back to school, I have taken BIO 1 & 2 w/ labs, CHEM 1 & 2 w/ labs, OChem 1 & 2 w/ labs, PHY 1 & 2 w/ labs, and Psych and have maintained a 4.0 in them all. Next semester is A&P 1 w/ lab and Biochemistry plus starting content review for the MCAT in Feb 2026. Currently, I occasionally work in a L1 trauma center as an EDT, volunteer as a bio and chem tutor, and volunteer as a EMTA (currently recertifying for paramedic). The hope is to return back to emergency medicine as a civilian, serve as a reservist in the military, to serve our veteran community, and to likely volunteer with GSMSG or Médecins Sans Frontières.
If you were in my shoes, what would you do to bolster an application to submit May 2026?
After retiring from the business world in 2023, I made the decision to go back to the original dream: becoming a physician. My path initially being in 2001, but in the wake of 9/11 I dropped out of college to join the military. After enlisting, became a corpsman and went on to do some additional training. While in, I served in ICUs, EDs, and with the Marines. I practiced medicine in traditional environments as well as in austere combat conditions. Due to the nature of military medicine, I gain many skills/privileges that are not allowed in civilian medicine for someone without an advanced medical degree. These experience only bolstered my desire to become a physician and although I chased money in the business world, the desire never left.
After getting out of the military (2007), I would keep my feet wet from time to time when the right opportunities (ex. saw saw patients at a refugee/asylee clinic and taught PM residents about endemic challenges seen within our given pt populations) presented themselves while I got my degree in public health with a focus in epigenetics from the top school at the time. Initially, I maintained a 4.0 through community college before being able to transfer to a 4-year. Here is where I was rather derailed... During the next few years, I was in the heavier throws of my PTSD from my experiences in the military, I needed to move back across country to take care of a critically ill family member, and upon returning I was homeless for the remainder of my degree due to a housing crisis in the area. All of these things brought my cherished GPA down to a 3.12 (BCPM GPA is still a 4.0 I believe). No, I don't absolve myself from any academic responsibility but this few years were very difficult and other pressing matters took priority over academics.
When I graduated (2015), I contemplated doing a postbacc, but I really just wanted to be a normal human for a while, work, gain security/stability, and move on from the past few years. Fast forward a bit, I landed some jobs, made good on my end of the bargains, and was rewarded professionally eventually allowing me to effectively retire early. Since deciding to go back to school, I have taken BIO 1 & 2 w/ labs, CHEM 1 & 2 w/ labs, OChem 1 & 2 w/ labs, PHY 1 & 2 w/ labs, and Psych and have maintained a 4.0 in them all. Next semester is A&P 1 w/ lab and Biochemistry plus starting content review for the MCAT in Feb 2026. Currently, I occasionally work in a L1 trauma center as an EDT, volunteer as a bio and chem tutor, and volunteer as a EMTA (currently recertifying for paramedic). The hope is to return back to emergency medicine as a civilian, serve as a reservist in the military, to serve our veteran community, and to likely volunteer with GSMSG or Médecins Sans Frontières.
If you were in my shoes, what would you do to bolster an application to submit May 2026?
