Any advice?

[ERMD WBEE]

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Im possibley the youngest "non-traditional student" in existent. Most that Iread are peopel a bit older than me who have led REAL jobs and REAL degrees...anyway on to me:

I graduated highscool in 2003 with a high average (3.98). I applied to college and as I was getting accepted by a few schools in my area (I grew up in NJ) I had a family emergency of sorts..which didn't end well. I decided I was too sad and pathetic to go to college..and instead moved to California with my then boyfriend. (uh.>BIG mistake.)

I eventually moved back home...and have been with my current boyfriend for about 2 years. (we grew up together). He has a job in Illinois and has really helped turn me around. Anyway, Im now 21 years old and going to community college. I've known what I've wanted to do since I was a little kid and it's never something I gave up on. However, liek I said..now Im 21 and pretty much starting anew.

Ive been there almost a year (it'll be a year in Spring) and I've loaded up with classes for the last few semesters..Im on my third now and Im taking 17 hours. I have a 4.0 gpa in EVERYTHING. I've made it through Calculus, Bio, Chem (general), and english, philosophy, psychology, speech, sociology, spanish, all with A's. Im sending my application to the local State UNiversity in on September 1st..Im applying for the Fall '07 semester (so that Ican get as many classes done for cheaper as I can that will apply to my BS).

Anyway, I plan to get my BS in Biology with a minor in Spanish when I transfer and I just want to know....if I do well on the MCATS (which I have faith in myself that I will..) is it practical to still want to apply to Medical School after having about 3 years of no documented ANYTHING. (Between 18 and 21 I never went to school.....)

Im jsut scared it will look bad on my record or something....
Sorry for al lthe rambling..I just peiced it together as I thought about it. I hope no one thinks im a loser- but I'll appreciate your honest opinion. Thanks!!

 

[ERMD WBEE]

PS - I have no pre-med frinds here so it really is just me and internet when I have questions

 

[grapeflavorsoda]

PS - I have no pre-med frinds here so it really is just me and internet when I have questions

don't worry.

everything seems to be going well.

just focus on the studying now and worry about your past later.

IMO, taking 3 years off before starting college does not signify anything particular.

 

[MiesVanDerMom]

you could say you were traveling. you were in CA after all. I really don't think it will hold you back, not at all. Were you working or just sitting around smoking ganja or something? Work is a valid enterprise. I wouldn't worry 👍

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

you could say you were traveling. you were in CA after all. I really don't think it will hold you back, not at all. Were you working or just sitting around smoking ganja or something? Work is a valid enterprise. I wouldn't worry 👍

If you were sitting around smoking ganja, you'll want to at least put a positive spin on it for ad comms...like you were really really passionate about sitting around smoking ganja. 😛 I wouldn't worry too much about taking time off before college. I took a year off after high school too, except I was enrolled in college the whole time. Talk about an upward trend 😀

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Keep up the good work. You were young and foolish and made some mistakes, just like EVERYONE ELSE. Fortunately for you, yours didn't affect your GPA, etc. I'm sure that you'll be asked about your time "off" but be honest about it and what you've learned, and how you are a better person because of it. At the end of the day, lots of schools care mostly about your numbers, and you seem to have them under control.

Be aware that CC credits/classes (especially in the Med. School prerequisite courses) are not accepted by ALL Medical Schools, but most schools don't have a problem with them. My only word of advice would be to take as many of your prerequisite courses at a 4-year college as possible.

Best of luck to you!

J

 

[ERMD WBEE]

Thank you all SO much! that really made my day to coem back and read what you all thought. Everyone ehre seems so sure of the track that they're taking to get where they want to go!
My CC advisor seems to think I should take as many classes as possible at the school before transfering to my 4-year....but now Im wondering if maybe it's bwecause they like $$!

Once I send my application into the 4-year Im going to see if I can talk to someone there to see what classes might not get accepted from the CC

Thank you again so much!!!!!! 😍

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Although it is very early in the process, you might want to think about some of the medical schools that you would be interested in going to, and ask them directly about how they would feel about the CC classes. The CC will tell you that taking as many at the CC as possible is best, and the 4-year will tell you to take as many at the 4-year as possible, so I don't think you'll get a lot of help there.

For non-science/prerequisite courses, I don't know if it makes much of a difference, so long as the 4-year college that you transfer to gives you credit for them, and you take enough coursework at the 4-year college to demonstrat your academic ability in that setting. Best to talk with a pre-med advisor, or someone from a medical school admissions office to make sure.

 

[Nasrudin]

I can remember being extremely anxious, when i first made the decision to pursue pre-med studies. You are bascially in excellent shape. Your decision to not go to school when you were not mentally ready to focus on it was wise beyond your years. Many of us are struggling to overcome previous poor performances in school. Grades stay with your transcripts forever. You are poised for success so just keep it up!

As a side-note that is purely presumptious i just noted one thing in your communication that would make me double-take if i were interviewing you--in mentioning major shifts in the course of your life you mention boyfriends as pivotal....in itself not particularly notable, i note similar changes in my life based on who i was with and so forth but just be aware that how you you eventually communicate your story to adcomms should indicate intensely personal decision, one made with confidence and with ample self-knowledge.
good luck and don't worry, you're doing great!

Edit: Also i agree with jota jota with regards to taking as many pre-reqs as possible at the 4-yr university for debatable optimization of your application and also b/c like he said the occasional school will not except them for CC's.

 

[ERMD WBEE]

Ahh...the all-mighty b/f thing. I don't really have my biography ready to be told to anyone who would be debating whether or not Im cut out for med school..but I definatly don't plan on putting that part in 😉
I moved from NJ to CA and worked for a emdical billing company and coached cheerleading...so I figured I could kind of thread it in as one of those "spreead your wings and fly" kind of situations. I was always a good student so it won't look like I took a hiatus to go smoke drugs or anything..and Im building my Volunteering resume as we speak...I guess I jsut needed that extra little nod of approval to let me know I wasn't totally screwed.

Thanks!!!!! And good luck to everyone who replied!