Advice please? :/

[italian4522]

Ok basically this is where Im at now. Senior In High School, Low income family with 2.7 gpa. (screwed up freshman year). Just turned everything around mid-junior year. I volunteer with Fire Station on ambulance and love it. However I definitely want to become a doctor. I got 100% tuition up to a bachelors on my FAFSA (financial aid application) I was wondering which of the following paths you think I should take.

Either

Go to community college next year and get AS in EMS (with paramedic certification) work as paramedic for a few years, then transfer credits to USF and finish with bachelors.

Or

Go straight to USF and start pre med. the only thing Im worried about this is I wont have enough money for living expenses and what not. Any Ideas?

Thank You In Advance

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[Depakote]

Ok basically this is where Im at now. Senior In High School, Low income family with 2.7 gpa. (screwed up freshman year). Just turned everything around mid-junior year. I volunteer with Fire Station on ambulance and love it. However I definitely want to become a doctor. I got 100% tuition up to a bachelors on my FAFSA (financial aid application) I was wondering which of the following paths you think I should take.

Either

Go to community college next year and get AS in EMS (with paramedic certification) work as paramedic for a few years, then transfer credits to USF and finish with bachelors.

Or

Go straight to USF and start pre med. the only thing Im worried about this is I wont have enough money for living expenses and what not. Any Ideas?

Thank You In Advance

If possible, I would go straight to USF.

Can you talk to USF's financial aid office directly and get more details about what sort of loans (and scholarships?) you are eligible for?

 

[orangeANDgreen]

USF, you can probably find some sort of job on campus/off campus sometime that you go there and if it is absolutely necessary you can take out a loan.

Living expenses are not as much as you may think, i go to school in miami and I have spent about $400 from august till now on food/entertainment/clothes etc.

 

[italian4522]

If possible, I would go straight to USF.

Can you talk to USF's financial aid office directly and get more details about what sort of loans you are eligible for?

yes I plan on doing that this week, I considered getting a loan for those living expenses, But I heard you cannot take out med school loan while still owing money. Is that true?

Thanks

 

[orangeANDgreen]

Is that true?

no not true, plus you may qualify for the subsidized Stafford loans?

 

[italian4522]

USF, you can probably find some sort of job on campus/off campus sometime that you go there and if it is absolutely necessary you can take out a loan.

Living expenses are not as much as you may think, i go to school in miami and I have spent about $400 from august till now on food/entertainment/clothes etc.

wow thats way less than I expected.

 

[italian4522]

no not true, plus you may qualify for the subsidized Stafford loans?

aha thank you. I think I may qualify because when I filled out FAFSA my EFC (expected family contribution) was zero

 

[Depakote]

I have undergrad loans and I took out med school loans. They're just adding up.

It's not ideal, but it's a way to pay for school.

 

[seelee]

Ok basically this is where Im at now. Senior In High School, Low income family with 2.7 gpa. (screwed up freshman year). Just turned everything around mid-junior year. I volunteer with Fire Station on ambulance and love it. However I definitely want to become a doctor. I got 100% tuition up to a bachelors on my FAFSA (financial aid application) I was wondering which of the following paths you think I should take.

Either

Go to community college next year and get AS in EMS (with paramedic certification) work as paramedic for a few years, then transfer credits to USF and finish with bachelors.

Or

Go straight to USF and start pre med. the only thing Im worried about this is I wont have enough money for living expenses and what not. Any Ideas?

Thank You In Advance

Unless you think that you might not want to do medicine, and want to try out paramedic as a possible career, I would not recommend it. I know a lot of people who talk about going into nursing, rad tech, EMT etc as a precursor to going into medical school. Bottom line, if you do that route, you will have some interesting medical experience that will definitely look good to medical schools. However it will also delay you two years or how ever long it takes to finish your training, plus how ever long you work before trying for medical school. So we are talking 5-10 years that your actual career is delayed. Meanwhile, other students who did not go into paramedic, etc. have gotten accepted and started or finished med school.

An important thing to note is that the classes required for paramedic are probably not going to count for medical school prereqs.

Regarding CC, if you are not sure you can handle a major university yet. Go to a CC for a few semesters and then transfer. I did that and got accepted. As long as you don't use CC a crutch by taking all your hard classes there, you shouldn't have a problem.

My advice, enroll in college, start taking your prereqs. Find a tutor, go to office hours, work and study hard. Get A's and then see if you want to keep going.

Good luck.

 

[italian4522]

Unless you think that you might not want to do medicine, and want to try out paramedic as a possible career, I would not recommend it. I know a lot of people who talk about going into nursing, rad tech, EMT etc as a precursor to going into medical school. Bottom line, if you do that route, you will have some interesting medical experience that will definitely look good to medical schools. However it will also delay you two years or how ever long it takes to finish your training, plus how ever long you work before trying for medical school. So we are talking 5-10 years that your actual career is delayed. Meanwhile, other students who did not go into paramedic, etc. have gotten accepted and started or finished med school.

An important thing to note is that the classes required for paramedic are probably not going to count for medical school prereqs.

Regarding CC, if you are not sure you can handle a major university yet. Go to a CC for a few semesters and then transfer. I did that and got accepted. As long as you don't use CC a crutch by taking all your hard classes there, you shouldn't have a problem.

My advice, enroll in college, start taking your prereqs. Find a tutor, go to office hours, work and study hard. Get A's and then see if you want to keep going.

Good luck.

I never really thought of it that way. That really made me reconsider. Thanks

 

[cajunchrisbu]

I would try to start pre-med right away. The road is long enough years wise that it would benefit you to be as young as possible when you start. Also don't loose interest in EMT, if you want it may be possible for you to take a summer EMT program at a community college near your home or university. That is what I did sophomore year of college, I was then able to use my EMT certification to do EMS ride outs (volunteer) and get a job as an ER/EKG tech at a local hospital.

After speaking with the admissions committee at the school I will be attending in the fall, I was told that they really liked seeing the interest in medical training that I had expressed by doing these things.

Everyday in college is full of opportunity, if you want it you can do it.

Also I am in the same shape as far as finances are concerned, my living expenses have been all loans, but I am having no problem securing medical school loans.

best of luck

 

[italian4522]

Thanks everyone. One more question. If I get AS degree is that equivelent to first 2 years of BS if tranferred?

 

[Tigerz_Fan]

Hi,

I definitely agree with the above. Go to USF. I went to a community college because of $$$. Believe me, it will always be an uphill battle if you don't.

As far a credits transferring, that is largely dependent on the university that you attend and if they will transfer your course credits.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Unless you think that you might not want to do medicine, and want to try out paramedic as a possible career, I would not recommend it. I know a lot of people who talk about going into nursing, rad tech, EMT etc as a precursor to going into medical school. Bottom line, if you do that route, you will have some interesting medical experience that will definitely look good to medical schools. However it will also delay you two years or how ever long it takes to finish your training, plus how ever long you work before trying for medical school. So we are talking 5-10 years that your actual career is delayed. Meanwhile, other students who did not go into paramedic, etc. have gotten accepted and started or finished med school.

An important thing to note is that the classes required for paramedic are probably not going to count for medical school prereqs.

Regarding CC, if you are not sure you can handle a major university yet. Go to a CC for a few semesters and then transfer. I did that and got accepted. As long as you don't use CC a crutch by taking all your hard classes there, you shouldn't have a problem.

My advice, enroll in college, start taking your prereqs. Find a tutor, go to office hours, work and study hard. Get A's and then see if you want to keep going.

Good luck.

Love your advice bro .