If I were you: 1) I would go work in a computational biology lab, get some papers out, Cancer research is always a step ahead but there a lot of good projects in Neuroscience too (immunology could also work). Go to the best lab you have around, most PIs know that it is hard to find good programmers because they mostly go to the big tech companies or startups. Make sure you don't do wet lab at this step it is going to be a waste of your time since you will not have time to do anything meaningful. 2) With the papers apply to medicine or preferably to MD/PhD program, if you get into MD/PhD program you will have time to learn some real science too. In any case if you are the ambitious type of person when doing step 1 try not to get stuck working as a bioinformatician: lower salaries than tech although better than biologists, you will hit the ladder cap faster, very few transcend to become leaders and command multidisciplinary groups. Good luck!

Medicine was always my goal, so I decided I'd use my undergrad time as an opportunity to try something else I was always interested in and which could provide me with some radically different perspective compared to the biology/chemistry folks. (And would also serve as a backup if I failed to get into medical school...)

My transition was easy. The required prerequisite college courses for admission to med school (two semesters biology, two physical chemistry, two organic chemistry, two physics, one basic calculus) were more than sufficient to get me through my med school courses. I took a few extras too (anatomy/physiology, molecular biology, and genetics) but I feel those were overkill and might not have been necessary. At least they were fun.

I think the biggest part though was that I sought out some experiences in the medical field. This demonstrated to the admissions committees that my career goals weren't a lark and I knew what I was getting into. I did a 6-week summer mini-med-school camp, shadowed physicians in the ER a couple of times, and volunteered in a medical records department for a semester. When I didn't get into med school the first time, I spent the interim year getting my Certified Nursing Assistant license and working in an assisted living facility and a hospital's locked psychiatric ward. Fun times.

Good luck.

You should work hard in your pre-med courses and get good grades, if you have not already taken them. The same is true for MCATs.

I took Physical Chemistry which I am told is looked at by medical admissions offices and something which standard applicants would have a hard time with but those with math/engineering backgrounds should do well in.