u/PoemEffective8389

Of course I wont bank on my lottery ticket, but my glimmer of hope being non-trad, without a support system, and financial concerns is Albert Einstein College of Medicine. I come from adverse circumstances and have basically made it my mission in life to make healthcare accessible to underserved communities but academically in my first semester of college my head wasn't entirely in the game and I ended with a 2.9 GPA for one semester, due to life / financial circumstances I had to leave that school and ended up going through an accelerated LPN program.

I have been an LPN for 5 years and have a range of clinical experience with pediatric trach/vent/anoxic brain injury, special needs, subacute geriatric / adult, community clinic, summer camp nurse, and school nurse. I am due to complete my ASN in a few weeks. I managed to get a 3.65 GPA while working 35 hours a week, I am currently taking 3 classes, two of which I have an A in, and my Critical care nursing class is at a B+. If I manage to nail my final which is 35% of my grade I will be finishing with a 3.7 GPA. I plan to go for a BS in Biology to get my premed sciences done.

Even if I finish with a 4.0, my GPA from 7-8 years ago really drag my stats down.

I don't have research experience yet, but I have been working with my state affiliate for the National School Based Health Alliance and she was very enthusiastic about working with me and even invited me to speak to congress. This is really a passion of mine that I got involved in before I committed to pursuing med school but I realized that it could help my chances.

Really I just want to get some advice on a clear path that would help me be competitive even with my early GPA dragging me down. I know that a high MCAT score is essential, what else do you recommend?

and does anyone have experience going to med school with a shaky financial background?

and dont worry, im not delusional. I'm not banking on Ivy leagues and tuition covered med schools. I've been doing my research and I realized that Texas is a great place to go to med school, they have some of the best hospitals in the USA, and their med school tuitions are at public school rates. I figured plan B I work as an RN in Texas for a year and then apply next cycle in Texas.

For context I live in NJ, so that's why its east coast lottery or Texas, even our public med schools are 300K.

I have a few years to prep and build myself up so any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Hello!! I am currently an LPN since 2020, I am graduating with my ASN in a few weeks, and I am 100% certain I want to be an MD not an NP. I made spreadsheets of all of the schools I plan to apply to and weighed my realistic admits with my lottery ticket reach schools, spoken to several med students and a current fellow. I am committed. I Just need some advice on how to do the absolute best with what I have, and with the few years I have to prep. Here's what I have going on:

I won't give extensive background lore but to make a long story as short as possible I come from an abusive home / low income, no support, no safety net. I pursued nursing because I knew that it was the most stable way to free myself, and also work toward my goal of being a provider. I hadn't considered it within the realm of possibility for me to go to med school until now due to my upbringing and financial situation but I know that if I don't go for it I will deeply regret it. Current stats and situation:

1. 2017-2018 Against my best interest I went to a private U for a year since I got a scholarship, it covered tuition but not room and board, and i was so desperate to leave that I decided on room and board anyway. Couldnt afford it + got into a car accident and had to leave after a year. Head was not in the game: GPA 2.9
2. 2019-2020 completed an accelerated LPN program at a vocational school and began working as an LPN: Trach/vent pediatric experience, acute care, community clinic, camp nursing and school nursing experience over the last I guess 6 years.
3. 2023-2026 ASN Current GPA 3.65, if I manage to get an A in this 8 credit course im currently in it will be 3.7, if not, 3.6.

A few months ago I reached out to the national organization for School based health centers, and they connected me with my state affiliate. We spoke and she was very enthusiastic about me and my work / interest and passion for school based heath (if you don't know what it is, its comprehensive primary care, dental, vision and behavioral health clinics within elementary and high schools). She asked me to coordinate with her for the conference in Washington DC this June and would like for me to speak with congress to advocate for policy that supports standing clinics and their expansion to more districts.

I don't have crazy extra curriculars or research experience like a lot of med school applicants. My plan is to orient in the ICU full time around june/july and hoping to start RN to BSN fall 2027 while working.

My main concern with med school is the cost. My finances arent great right now, and I know I can do a lot of salvaging with my RN salary but I still wont be in the position to drop hundreds of thousands of dollars.

My most realistic reach school is Albert Einstein in the bronx, it is highly competitive so I cant bank on this but they do cover full tuition and I am a big mission match. If my reach schools dont work, I cant afford east coast tuition so theres also an option to move to texas, work as an RN for a year and apply to texas med schools.

Regardless I need to build a really competitive application over the next few years. Please help with realistic advice, I am intimidated by the perfect applicants but I will do whatever it takes to compete. My main limitation is my lack of support system. Financially I cant afford not to work. Let me know what you think!