Am I crazy?

[The1]

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Hello Everyone-
I am fairly new to this board and this is my first post. I have recently decided to pursue a career in medicine after working as an engineer for the past 2 years. This means I will have to go back to school as a premed student. I've recently being weighing my options...here's my dilemma...I have ONE SHOT. I am married and my husband isn't willing to relocate (because of his job). Now that means, I only have one option for a medical school, for there is only one in my city. Should I reconsider my desire to pursue medicine for this reason? I would hate to go through 1.5 years of premed courses to only come to a roadblock and can't get into the one school. Any advice.

 

[quideam]

Which school? That will matter a lot.... Oh, and smack your husband 🙄

 

[DrMom]

I was in the same boat, with only one school to apply to. It really comes down to whether or not you want to risk the 1 1/2 yrs of classes on one school. Do realize, though, that relocation will be an issue again once you finish school and start residency.

 

[The1]

University of Miami

 

[zinjanthropus]

well, if you would be willing to consider a DO program, you would also have the option of NSUCOM (Nova Southeastern) and that would give you two options in that area. Depending on what type of medicine you are interested in, you might want to keep that option open.

 

[Shinken]

Well, I decided to try medical school after being an engineer for almost 10 years (and married with a young daughter). I started the journey back in 2000, and I'm finally ready to apply. My wife supports the decision and is willing to relocate. I agree with Dr. Mom that even if you get into your local school, you'll most likely have to relocate eventually. Perhaps you can try to convince your husband that you'll make enough money for the both of you and he can spend the rest of his life fishing in his new bass boat? (that would definitely work with me...)

My advice: grab all your documents (transcripts, etc.) and meet with an admissions counselor from your local medical school. They'll be able to guide you and give you a realistic appraisal of what you need to do to be competitive in their school. Also, if you do meet with them, make sure you can answer the question of "why do you want to be a doctor now?"...because they will ask you that. Good luck!

 

[jennie 21]

I agree with Shinken's advice. Contact one of the admissions officers (preferably the dean of admissions) at the University of Miami and try to set up a meeting with one of them. Explain your situation, and tell them you'd like to know what your chances are and what you need to do to make your app competitive at their school. Make it clear how much you want to go to their school and make sure they understand your special circumstances. Hopefully, if you're a face and not just a name, they'll take that into consideration when they look at your application, and as long as your numbers are competitive with theirs I would think you'd have a good shot and they'd be sympathetic to your situation.

And what kind of job does your husband have that he's unwilling to relocate? It's not fair to limit you to one medical school; med school admissions are just too competitive for that. You deserve a shot at your dream. Sorry if I'm giving you unwanted advice, just my opinion.'

 

[nrddct]

I'd say live your dream.

 

[beanbean]

I am 35, an engineer, a mother of two, expecting a surprise baby in Sept and I am starting med school at the only school I applied to this past year.

I also had only one option in terms of schools to apply to. My husband is an general manager with his company and relocation was not an option. He has been with this company for 13 years and changing jobs was not in our best interest. After making the decision to return to school and take my premed reqs, I immediately made an appointment with the Asst. Dean of Admissions at my target school.. His advice was invaluable and I ended up doing half of my post-bacc independently and the other half as part of UCONN's formal post-bacc program.

Talk to the Admissions Director at your school of interest and find out what they recommend you do. Make your application as strong as possible: GPA, MCAT, LOR, ECs, etc. Network as much as you can and ensure that the school admissions staff knows who you are - just don't be a major pest. There are no guarentees, but it is possible. Make sure that you have a valid reason for wanting to attend your school of choice in addition to the location factor. You don't want to give them the impression that the only reason you want to attend there school is the location. There are many reasons UCONN was the place I wanted to attend - location was just part of it.

Good luck

 

[The1]

Thanks for the advice...any other opinions at there??? Anyone familiar with the University of Miami???