Hello all, I’m pretty new to these forums so I hope this is the proper place to post this. If not I do apologize. I’m just trying to get a grasp on what the road ahead looks like for me. I know this is certainly thinking way further down the line, but doing anything major without a thought out plan is a bit uncomfortable to me honestly. This is probably going to be fairly long-winded, but I’ll try to keep it as short as possible.
I’m an active duty Marine (mos 0311 / Infantry) interested in pursuing the medical route. My EAS date is in approximately 7 months. Currently I’m trying to find any type of volunteering I can participate in during my free time on the weekend. I’ve also started taking the steps to enroll in an online college to try and knock any GenEd classes out of the way (plan on taking some CLEP test as well). I’m refraining from taking anything other than GenEd due to my understanding that taking classes (such as Biology) In a classroom setting WITH lab is crucial for the pre-med track.
With the background painted for the most part, this is my plan thus far.
-Gain any type of volunteering hours I can while still active duty. In addition complete any college courses I can, either traditionally or via CLEP testing.
-Upon transitioning back to the civilian world I intend to enroll in a community college (grades were dissapointing in high school to say the least. Anything other than tests I disregarded. Thought I’d be a Marine for 20 years for sure when I was 16, but people change and grow) and transfer to a traditional university as soon as possible to finish out whatever is left of my degree.
-Once my degree is complete I’m not opposed to taking a gap year to add additional hours shadowing, conducting research, volunteering or doing anything deemed vital to my success as a Med School applicant. I anticipate that I will, in fact, utilize a gap year.
-I will have to work obviously once I EAS. It is my hope to work as an EMT-B or anything I can find medical related. I see mixed opinions everywhere on whether or not this is a waste of energy or not in regards to the experience EMT-B gives you.
My interests in things medicine-related spiked when I began looking for jobs to do inside the military. It was narrowed down to infantry in the Marine Corps or Combat Medic in the Army. There were a couple deciding factors in making my choice. A primary one being, I was extremely overweight towards the middle and end of high school. I had to lose a ton of weight to make it into either branch. The Marine Corps had stricter weight standards and harder PT test, so as a personal challenge to myself that’s what I set out to be. Obviously I did lose the weight needed to enlist and thus could’ve gone to the Army too when it was all said and done. I didn’t because I knew of a few “medical” courses you could take as an infantrymen (recruiter magic lol). I did end up taking one of those courses, Combat Life Saver, which was probably the most interesting and enjoyable thing I’ve done to date as a Marine. In addition I learned the basic medical knowledge all combat MOS’s are given, as well as additional bits of knowledge learned from our FMF ( Navy Corpsman that work as docs for infantry Marine platoons). What really sealed the deal with my intent in pursuing medicine was an incident in the semi recent past of fellow platoon member getting in a car crash outside the barracks and being part of the immediate group to help both people out of their vehicles and provide whatever care we were capable of (I could go into more detail but I’m unsure of the repercussions from my unit if it became too identifying). That whole event, while very unfortunate, was the most exhilarating and fulfilling experience I’ve ever had hands down. From pulling him out to talking him through everything so he remained calm to trying to identify all the problems and doing what we could till more knowledgeable people arrived. Absolutely invigorating experience and in that moment I truly wish I had knew more. Of the three people involved there was a broken hand, a broken leg, and one left relatively unharmed to my knowledge. With the relatively narrow scope of medical knowledge we are taught as Marines, it was still nothing short of a thrill utilizing them in a real world situation, and while I don’t wish those experiences on anyone, I do hope to be of aid to them at a higher level when people are affected by these experiences.
In addition, I hope my high school career does not make me seem unmotivated or incapable. That was the case at the time, not at all anymore. I was young and thought I had life figured out. I was wrong. The mindset I had then is foreign to me now. I have an abundance of reasons for choosing not to reenlist, but I will forever be grateful and in indebted to the Marine Corps for giving me the time to figure out who I really am. It’s served me greatly in building skills like teamwork, leadership, and remaining collected under pressure with rounds flying downrange and dozens of men yelling (I’m NOT a combat vet, these are collective experiences of numerous live fire maneuver ranges infantryman run). It’s upgraded other skills as well that may be less obvious such as time management, responsibility, adaptability, and probably the most valuable to me is confidence in my own abilities and mind. This is all to say I’m not the same kid I was then, and I don’t take such a lackadaisical approach to my future or responsibilities anymore. I felt the need to really clarify this because it seems to be the primary source of doubt for a few close individuals in my life.
This is much longer than intended and I do have a few more questions but I feel I’ve exhausted you all enough. Really what I’m trying to ask is whether or not this is feasible with the route I’ve outlined and for everyone’s input on ways to make it better. I understand it will be arduous and that’s ok, I welcome it. I just want to know it’s possible. I appreciate all of you for making it this far and adding ANY feedback whatsoever. While I’m very new to these forums they have undoubtably been the single most informational resource I’ve had thus far when trying to formulate this road map to success. I wish you all the best.
I’m an active duty Marine (mos 0311 / Infantry) interested in pursuing the medical route. My EAS date is in approximately 7 months. Currently I’m trying to find any type of volunteering I can participate in during my free time on the weekend. I’ve also started taking the steps to enroll in an online college to try and knock any GenEd classes out of the way (plan on taking some CLEP test as well). I’m refraining from taking anything other than GenEd due to my understanding that taking classes (such as Biology) In a classroom setting WITH lab is crucial for the pre-med track.
With the background painted for the most part, this is my plan thus far.
-Gain any type of volunteering hours I can while still active duty. In addition complete any college courses I can, either traditionally or via CLEP testing.
-Upon transitioning back to the civilian world I intend to enroll in a community college (grades were dissapointing in high school to say the least. Anything other than tests I disregarded. Thought I’d be a Marine for 20 years for sure when I was 16, but people change and grow) and transfer to a traditional university as soon as possible to finish out whatever is left of my degree.
-Once my degree is complete I’m not opposed to taking a gap year to add additional hours shadowing, conducting research, volunteering or doing anything deemed vital to my success as a Med School applicant. I anticipate that I will, in fact, utilize a gap year.
-I will have to work obviously once I EAS. It is my hope to work as an EMT-B or anything I can find medical related. I see mixed opinions everywhere on whether or not this is a waste of energy or not in regards to the experience EMT-B gives you.
My interests in things medicine-related spiked when I began looking for jobs to do inside the military. It was narrowed down to infantry in the Marine Corps or Combat Medic in the Army. There were a couple deciding factors in making my choice. A primary one being, I was extremely overweight towards the middle and end of high school. I had to lose a ton of weight to make it into either branch. The Marine Corps had stricter weight standards and harder PT test, so as a personal challenge to myself that’s what I set out to be. Obviously I did lose the weight needed to enlist and thus could’ve gone to the Army too when it was all said and done. I didn’t because I knew of a few “medical” courses you could take as an infantrymen (recruiter magic lol). I did end up taking one of those courses, Combat Life Saver, which was probably the most interesting and enjoyable thing I’ve done to date as a Marine. In addition I learned the basic medical knowledge all combat MOS’s are given, as well as additional bits of knowledge learned from our FMF ( Navy Corpsman that work as docs for infantry Marine platoons). What really sealed the deal with my intent in pursuing medicine was an incident in the semi recent past of fellow platoon member getting in a car crash outside the barracks and being part of the immediate group to help both people out of their vehicles and provide whatever care we were capable of (I could go into more detail but I’m unsure of the repercussions from my unit if it became too identifying). That whole event, while very unfortunate, was the most exhilarating and fulfilling experience I’ve ever had hands down. From pulling him out to talking him through everything so he remained calm to trying to identify all the problems and doing what we could till more knowledgeable people arrived. Absolutely invigorating experience and in that moment I truly wish I had knew more. Of the three people involved there was a broken hand, a broken leg, and one left relatively unharmed to my knowledge. With the relatively narrow scope of medical knowledge we are taught as Marines, it was still nothing short of a thrill utilizing them in a real world situation, and while I don’t wish those experiences on anyone, I do hope to be of aid to them at a higher level when people are affected by these experiences.
In addition, I hope my high school career does not make me seem unmotivated or incapable. That was the case at the time, not at all anymore. I was young and thought I had life figured out. I was wrong. The mindset I had then is foreign to me now. I have an abundance of reasons for choosing not to reenlist, but I will forever be grateful and in indebted to the Marine Corps for giving me the time to figure out who I really am. It’s served me greatly in building skills like teamwork, leadership, and remaining collected under pressure with rounds flying downrange and dozens of men yelling (I’m NOT a combat vet, these are collective experiences of numerous live fire maneuver ranges infantryman run). It’s upgraded other skills as well that may be less obvious such as time management, responsibility, adaptability, and probably the most valuable to me is confidence in my own abilities and mind. This is all to say I’m not the same kid I was then, and I don’t take such a lackadaisical approach to my future or responsibilities anymore. I felt the need to really clarify this because it seems to be the primary source of doubt for a few close individuals in my life.
This is much longer than intended and I do have a few more questions but I feel I’ve exhausted you all enough. Really what I’m trying to ask is whether or not this is feasible with the route I’ve outlined and for everyone’s input on ways to make it better. I understand it will be arduous and that’s ok, I welcome it. I just want to know it’s possible. I appreciate all of you for making it this far and adding ANY feedback whatsoever. While I’m very new to these forums they have undoubtably been the single most informational resource I’ve had thus far when trying to formulate this road map to success. I wish you all the best.
