Extreme Long-Term Planning - Does this seem workable?

[lemonroad32]

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Here's my story.

I'm 30 years old and have spent the past decade in Publishing; I have a BA (Hons) in English/Creative Writing. And I've decided I want to go to medical school to become a pathologist. I've wanted to do this since I was in middle school, believe it or not, but sticker shock was a powerful thing when I was freshly out of HS and wondering how I'd pay for one degree let alone med school, hence English.

The catch is that I'm an American living abroad, so I have to wait until I place permanent residency to apply to the local medical school. That means I have around 3 years. This is my long-term plan. Does it seem workable? Worthwhile?

I still need to pay down debt from my first degree, so while I await PR, I'll work and also beef up my volunteering. In addition I'll home study my maths and sciences to get back up to speed.

When I place PR, I'll apply to do what we call here an "after degree," in biochemistry or cellular, micro and molecular biology. This will get my science prereqs knocked out, hopefully with good marks since I'll have been studying them on my own. It takes two years, full-time, to do just the courses related to the major.

THEN I can finally apply to med school.

So assuming fastest times and acceptances, I'd get PR around the end of 2017 and be accepted to an AD for 2018. I'd be finishing that in Spring 2020, and would have to wait to apply till the following year, so I'd be accepted and looking at a 2022 start to BEGIN med school. The med school here is only 3 years (thus competitive, but I think given how long I have to prep I should be a stellar candidate by then!) so graduating from it in a decade to go on to residency and fellowship. I'm looking at not becoming a pathologist until I'm around 45 or so. Am I crazy to have such a long process?

The non-US aspect complicates matters. If I could afford to apply to do my AD for next year I would, but I can't in good conscience take out more loans to pay international student rates right now, and I'd need to convert my work visa to student before then; I don't know if I can even apply before having the student visa, so at least a one year wait there either way.

Do any of you have such drawn out timelines before you can even apply?

 

[iatros13]

If I get accepted during the first app cycle I apply to, I will be 41 starting med school. I am planning to go rural family medicine so that is 3 year residency. That puts me finishing at 48.
I went back to finish my undergrad degree in 2012 (I had barely a semesters worth of credits at that point). So it will have been a 12 year journey when it's over, if all goes according to plan.

I believe it is worth it. I believe financially I may not be way better off than I would be staying in my current career (though you never can tell!). BUT, I believe it will be good enough to live a comfortable life and pay off the debt it took to get me there. And I will be living a dream and fulfilling a purpose with deep meaning to me! So it's worth it! (It is such a personal thing though, I cannot really say it would be worth it for everyone else...)

 

[lemonroad32]

Thanks for the reply! I think it will be worth it, it's just easy to doubt when it seems like I won't see progress toward my goals for a while.

 

[iatros13]

I understand that! When it started out, I thought I would finish undergrad sooner and be able to avoid a gap year. Didn't work out that way. So it seemed for a while that every time I accomplished one year toward the goal another one was added... It's a long ride. It's really funny that having only 9 years to go (potentially) actually seems like I am getting somewhere.. haha