At a Crossroad...to Med or not to med?

[RabinarthTagore]

Hi! Let me begin by telling you my life story. I came to University a fresh student, determined to learn. Ended first year with a 3.78 GPA, ended second year with a 3.72 GPA, and then things began to turn sour.

I'm part of a Early Acceptance Medical Program (one of those 8 year BS/MD deals). The catch is I have to get a 26 on my MCAT. 3rd year of college, I fell in love with a person, focused all my time on them, and got C+'s in both Organic Chemistries, and a C in anatomy, ended it with a 3.63 GPA. Broke it off with said person, because she was seeing other people, my heart was broken, and I was super depressed. I lost my best friend, school didn't seem as important anymore.

So, during this time, I sat for the MCAT and I got a 25. So, I've effectively been kicked out of the program. Right now, I'm getting straight A's, and have applied for a Fulbright, NSF, and Teach for America, so I have options for my gap year.

Also, my undergraduate degree is in Elementary Education, and I'm licensed to teach in the schools.

So here's my question. I'll be a 22-year old college graduate with an Education degree, 3.7-3.72 cGPA, and a very bitter experience with almost making it into my dream school. I'll be faced with taking the new MCAT. In my homestate of Louisiana, becoming a teacher puts you on track to become vice-principal and principal within 5 years. I'm now in a new, much more stable relationship with a beautiful, motivated person. We're getting married!

If this was YOU, would you take the new MCAT and reapply? Or would you become a teacher, and settle down? I equally love both Education and Medicine.


I am totally confused about what I should do.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[C.S. Peirce]

I vote that you should become a teacher. It's a noble, engaging job and something that you seem pretty passionate about. Get married, work for a while and save up some money, and enjoy your new life.

I know it seems like you have to decide the course of your life right now, but you're only 22, and medicine isn't going anywhere. If you work as a teacher for a few years and aren't satisfied/filled with regret, take the MCAT and apply then. By then your 25 MCAT will be in the distant past, you'll have actual life experience, and you'll hopefully have some money squirreled away and a wife who can pay your way through med school!

 

[mik30102]

If you can see your self being happy in something other then medicine I would not pursue it and stay with your teacher track. Best of luck to you.

 

[Goro]

Medicine is a calling, like being a priest or a fireman, or a teacher. What does your heart tell you? if you can't decide, start shadowing doctors and volunteering in clinics, hospitals etc to see if patients draw you.

Hi! Let me begin by telling you my life story. I came to University a fresh student, determined to learn. Ended first year with a 3.78 GPA, ended second year with a 3.72 GPA, and then things began to turn sour.

I'm part of a Early Acceptance Medical Program (one of those 8 year BS/MD deals). The catch is I have to get a 26 on my MCAT. 3rd year of college, I fell in love with a person, focused all my time on them, and got C+'s in both Organic Chemistries, and a C in anatomy, ended it with a 3.63 GPA. Broke it off with said person, because she was seeing other people, my heart was broken, and I was super depressed. I lost my best friend, school didn't seem as important anymore.

So, during this time, I sat for the MCAT and I got a 25. So, I've effectively been kicked out of the program. Right now, I'm getting straight A's, and have applied for a Fulbright, NSF, and Teach for America, so I have options for my gap year.

Also, my undergraduate degree is in Elementary Education, and I'm licensed to teach in the schools.

So here's my question. I'll be a 22-year old college graduate with an Education degree, 3.7-3.72 cGPA, and a very bitter experience with almost making it into my dream school. I'll be faced with taking the new MCAT. In my homestate of Louisiana, becoming a teacher puts you on track to become vice-principal and principal within 5 years. I'm now in a new, much more stable relationship with a beautiful, motivated person. We're getting married!

If this was YOU, would you take the new MCAT and reapply? Or would you become a teacher, and settle down? I equally love both Education and Medicine.


I am totally confused about what I should do.

 

[raiderette]

A principal is a great ultimate goal. It is a wonderful calling as well, and you will make a huge difference in people's lives.

 

[Afford]

I'm kind of surprised that they didn't let you retake the MCAT. The new MCAT has more material, but if you want to be a doctor, you will study for it and hopefully ace it. I had a similar dilemma and I had to choose between a stable, well-paying job or trying to get into medical school. I picked the latter b/c I wasn't happy with my job. If you love both of them equally, I would go for education b/c you will have more free time.

 

[da8s0859q]

Medicine is a calling

Would have to disagree on this BUT it's entirely too much to deal with if you love something else equally.

Consider the other, more practical stuff: job security, salary, lifestyle(s) available to you, personal satisfaction. Your fiancée will also have to be supportive of either. Speaking from the other side, if it still comes out in the wash to you, don't bother trying to go to med school. Not worth it.

 

[Hospitalized]

Ultimately if you're happy as a teacher then you should become one. With that being said, if you don't see yourself satisfied with that career -- pursue medicine. It's all about where you see yourself in the future. You will have to make time commitments away from your wife with a decision to pursue a career in medicine. Much like the poster above, consider the practical stuff.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

I vote that you should become a teacher. It's a noble, engaging job and something that you seem pretty passionate about. Get married, work for a while and save up some money, and enjoy your new life.

I know it seems like you have to decide the course of your life right now, but you're only 22, and medicine isn't going anywhere. If you work as a teacher for a few years and aren't satisfied/filled with regret, take the MCAT and apply then. By then your 25 MCAT will be in the distant past, you'll have actual life experience, and you'll hopefully have some money squirreled away and a wife who can pay your way through med school!

+1 to that IMHO.

If you you could only see yourself in medicine, I may have said otherwise, but in your shoes I'm pretty sure I would have gone with teaching and settling down.

Whichever decision you make, I wish you all the best and am glad things are looking up!

 

[RabinarthTagore]

Hey thanks for the advice everyone! I just wrote my MCAT again...if I get a 30+, I'm going to apply this cycle. If not, I'm moving on with my life, and looking forward to a meaningful life.

 

[tmn]

3rd year of college, I fell in love with a person

Nice qualifier.

 

[RabinarthTagore]

Nice qualifier.

Haha what can I say? I hate talking about it, thinking about it, so I've reduced it to nothing more than one person in a line of people in my life. Those who hold significance have a perhaps more vivid description.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

Here's my vote: DO NOT GET MARRIED!!!! at least not yet. Enjoy life. Geesh, you're 22 years old. Is there a rush? What if this beautiful relationship soured too, only you're married?

 

[moisne]

What do you want to do?

Personally I worked for an oil company - thought that was boring, taught (via teach for America) for 3 years, then went to med school. Couldn't be happier. But then again I wanted to be a scientist, a teacher and a doctor... How many people can say they are doing what they love? How many more people can say they achieved all three dreams? YOLO but you can achieve multiple goals (YOLO was the theme of my personal statement).