Too late to apply to medical school?

Hello,

This is my first visit to this site and my first post. I found several threads very informative, and so I thought you folks might have some advice you could offer me. I am strongly considering applying to medical school, but my circumstances might preclude that.

I have just completed my junior year at the University of Rochester, majoring in chemical engineering. Until recently, my plan was to get my B.S. and then go to graduate school for my PhD. While this is still a good option, I had a slight change of heart about a month ago after speaking with some med students. I have always been interested in a health-related career, but for some reason I didn’t seriously consider it until now.

I realize that I am at a disadvantage given how far into my bachelor’s degree I am. The only reason I am giving it serious consideration – with the hope that it may not be too late – is that I have already fulfilled all but two of the requirements for premed students (as dictated by my school). All chemistry, physics, and math courses are taken care of. Still, I am missing two semesters of biology, which is probably my biggest problem. I could easily take them next year and still complete my degree, but I believe schools need to see that I have completed the courses prior to the application deadline. Is there any recourse? Would they consider me if I took both classes next semester?

Another big consideration is the MCAT. Is it too late to register, and how long in advance do I need to start studying to be adequately prepared (I’m a very good test taker and I can learn material on my own fairly quickly)?

My last question I guess is whether I should bother applying at all, i.e. whether I have the credentials to get in. I have a decent GPA (3.73) and I did pretty well on the GRE (780Q/600V), although I doubt this will be considered. I am currently in a very competitive REU program in the dept. of chemistry at Harvard, and I did an REU last summer as well. I know this is a big leg up for grad school, but what about med school? Will this help me at all, especially in light of my peculiar circumstances? If nothing else, I can get a strong letter of recommendation from the professor I am working with.

So, my question to everyone is: Is it too late, and if not do I have any chance of being admitted? I am open to exploring other avenues as well. Thank you all very much in advance, and sorry this was such a long post!

-Kyle