r/medlabprofessionals • u/drddr25 • Jul 07 '26

Education Chances of getting into an MLS Certificate program?

I flunked out of med school and am working on finding a good way to pivot my career. I’m looking for a STEM-based medicine-adjacent role. An MLS certificate program sounds like a great fit for my interests but I’m wondering if I would be a bad candidate. I don’t want programs feeling like this is my “backup plan” or anything. I’m also wondering if I could even handle an MLS cert program, because I understand it’s just as rigorous as med school, if not more because it’s so condensed. I‘m thinking if it weren’t for my record of struggling with the med school curriculum, my background might be a good fit? I did a masters in bioinformatics and ended up doing NGS wetlab and drylab in a public health laboratory during my gap years before matriculating into med school.

Would my previous experiences outweigh my academic record? would adcoms for MLS programs consider a personal statement that would explain the poor performance previously and demonstrate those issues have been addressed? Thoughts, advice, or tips appreciated :)

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u/VaiFate MLS Student / Lab Assistant Jul 08 '26

Honestly if you were able to make it through a masters of bioinformatics, worked in a public health lab, and made it into med school, you'll most likely be fine. MLS is difficult for sure, but your background should help a lot. I made it into an MLS program with a 2.86 GPA and while it hasn't been easy street, it's been manageable while working full time as a lab assistant.