Going back to school

[hilikus]

I'm 26. i have a career, a good one. But something had been missing. I always wanted to go into medicine but extenuating circumstances and a lack of effort on my part steered my in another direction. After a life changing medical experience and a little bit of luck, I am now enrolled at the junior college here in San Antonio, going back to school, with ultimate goal of getting into medical school.

A little background on me. I am 26, I have a degree in journalism, and I work in local television news here in San Antonio. I was originally planning to go to UT pre-med out of high school but that kind of came to a stand still when my dad got laid off. I decided rather than going into streams of debt I could just go to University of Texas at Arlington, it has a pretty good reputation so I figured what the hell. But I was pretty disenfranchised and decided I didn't want to do medicine for some reason or another. So I thought, "Hey, my dad's a banker. I'll try business." Well I took a year of business classes and just realize it wasn't for me. I was bored off my ass and I hated accounting. I had a friend in the j-school there and I thought it sounded interesting so I gave it a shot. I excelled. I loved it. I got an internship with the Texas Rangers broadcast company, LIN Television, it was awesome. What I loved about it was that everyday was different, you never knew what was going to happen next. I also liked that I didn't have to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day. I made the dean's list my last four semesters and graduated with a liberal arts degree. I moved to Minnesota, married my fiance, and worked my way up at the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis. I worked my butt off. I quickly moved up the ranks to director. This position is in charge of directing actual newscasts and other various broadcasts a station might do, plus be a supervisor. My wife and I moved to San Antonio last spring for my job. I now direct the 6 & 10pm newscasts at an affiliate in San Antonio. One of the reasons we made the move was to be closer to my family but also because I had a brush with serious medical problems. So far, it has been wonderful but its also given me a new perspective and I came to the conclusion I finally want to pursue my dream. Tv news is a fun business, but the service we provide has become a muddles, political mess. I want to do something good, I want to help people. So my goal is to get into medical school and become a doctor.

That's my story so far, sorry if its long-winded. I figure if I keep my grades up and do well on MCAT I have a good shot. My job is similar to medicine in that it requires skill, quick thinking, and leadership. I'm not comparing medicine to news persay, but I think the paces are similar. I am also an eagle scout, whatever that may account for.

I'm not worried about my grades, I have always been good in science and math. i have met with advisor and we have mapped out a 3 year plan for me to complete my required coursework.

I guess what I am wondering is, if there any others out there like myself? If so, what's been your experiences on the path the med school? Do I need to eventually think about transferring to a university? The jc here has a really good rep and my classes so far have been a lot more challenging than I expected. What are some sources I can take advantage of to help me along the way?

Again, sorry this is so long and if you stuck with me this long, thank you. I appreciate any and all advice.

 

[jlee9531]

welcome.

i do think you need to think about transferring to a university and take science courses there as well. regardless of how reputable that JC is I am assuming it can not compare to the reputable universities you have there in texas.

im assuming that you are a texas resident and there are many people on here that know more about the texas application process than i do, but you are in a good place. great schools and instate favortism.

grades and mcat are important. being a non-trad its nice that you have tried out many things and come to the realization that medicine is what you want to do. i still think you need to involve yourself in some volunteering or shadowing experiences to get some patient interaction and to see if you like the hospital environment. plus its an excellent way to get to help people that need it while you are taking classes and working.

congrats on your decision and good luck.

 

[velouria]

Hi!

My story is somewhat similar so I thought I'd throw my comments out. Choosing to leave a successful career for years and years of debt and hard work is truly a big decision! For me, I'm 27, married, 2 kids. I worked in the pharmaceutical industry and although I had fun, like you I decided I wanted to do more. Mainly I wanted practical skills that would help me to help people.
Something to think about: several people pointed out that there are a lot of ways to help people. You don't necessarily have to become a doctor. You can become involved in volunteer work, activism, etc. and still see tangible results of your good work. Just a thought.
If medicine is your chosen path and nothing can dissuade you (because there are indeed a lot of hurdles) I'd say it sounds like you're off to a good start. If it were me, I would transfer to a university but maybe someone else can comment on that.
What are your wife's thoughts on all of this? Your decision will obviously affect her, and she will probably be your biggest source of support over the long road ahead. Plus, you'll probably have to give up some of the luxuries you've become used to, since you'll be living on loan money!
As far as resources, SDN is one of the best!
The MCAT is manageable, just be sure to start studying *early* and *often* Take every practice test you can get your hands on. Take the real practice tests (the copies of the old exams) only after you've studied a lot and start to feel prepared. Then you'll know your weaknesses.
Good luck to you! You have a long road ahead (as do we all) but it sounds like you're off to a great start!!

 

[Superwuwu]

Welcome.

After making such strides and ending up as succesful as you have and still surrendering to the call of medicine, I have no doubt that you will someday make a great doctor.

I would seriously consider transfering to a university.

There are many people in your situation (25+ pre-meders). In fact, I graduated with a 38 year old pre-med major who is currently appling to med school. She never seemed concerned about the age difference at all.

Afterall, from the looks of your second paragraph, you have a great foundation for a strong personal statement.

Good luck in whichever path you choose.

 

[hilikus]

One of the things I plan to do in the next year is look into volunteering at a local hospital. I have read how important that is and it's definately on my list. i also really want to get the feel of helping people without any reward attached. I guess you consider med school the reward but its more than that for me.

My wife has been extremely supportive. I don't know that she realizes how much we may have to sacrifice. We have a nice house, we have nice cars, we have nice things. She's in the financial industry but I don't know how well she'd be able to support us both and still maintain our lifestyle. I'm willing to make the sacrifices, I think she is too. At least I hope so.

I've never been this excited or motivated about anything in my life. I know I can do this.

On the subject of school. The pre-med advisor at San Antonio college (the jc here) sounded pretty confident that classes from there would be weighted just as heavily as classes from a university. Whether I believe that or not is still a question. i basically started there because I am not yet a state resident and they had cheaper out of state tuition. I do find the classes challenging and they do I have a good reputation in the area. I think, ultimately, I will go over to UTSA and continue on from there.

I guess we'll see what happens. i'm hoping my post-college life experience will be a big help when it comes to the fact I won't have a science degree.

 

[Brickhouse]

Originally posted by hilikus


On the subject of school. The pre-med advisor at San Antonio college (the jc here) sounded pretty confident that classes from there would be weighted just as heavily as classes from a university. Whether I believe that or not is still a question.

They will. People always hear jc and think "oh that's not good enough".
I did what you did, post-bac classes at a jc, and I got into med school for next year.
I interviewed at Johns Hopkins even, and I said "Oh I know I only went to jc for my pre-meds, but...." and my interviewer said " Oh trust me, I know that jc and they are good , you don't have to convince me!"
So - for what it's worth, you'll get a thousand different opinions here, so there's one more for ya. But I do have an acceptance to back it up.
Good luck! If this is your path to take, then you will!!

 

[lisa13579]

Don't worry about not having a science degree. I am also 26 and have a degree in fine arts (dance). I took all of my premed prerequisites after I graduated from college and took them at 3 different schools. I would say I took about half of the prereqs at a community college. I just made sure to say in my personal statement that my reason for doing this was that the classes were affordable and offered in the evening, and I was working full time. I think that having had another career and having to go back to take the required courses shows a lot of motivation and maturity. Not that a student who goes straight from college to med school isn't as motivated, but when you have a family or a career and have to juggle all of that while taking prereqs, you better be sure you want it! I think this comes across when you apply. Also, I think having a different background helps you to stand out. Especially if you can find correlations in the 2 fields, which you mentioned above. I really do think my career as a professional dancer made me stand out, and I think your career will help you as well. You do have to have the grades and MCAT to show you can handle the work though. I've gotten 2 acceptances so far (waiting to hear from a few) and have had 6 interviews with 2 more coming up! And I don't have a science degree Go for it and good luck!

 

[hilikus]

Cool...thanks for the advice...


A question I forgot to ask was this:

Other than the required sciences, I was thinking of taking a couple other courses if for no other reason, I'll have the time. Is this something you did or would do?

Right now I am taking bio 1 and calc. I am taking bio 2 this summer then genetics in the fall. I plan on taking biochem also. I was thinking anatomy classes, but I just don't know.

 

[velouria]

I'm going to go on a side note for a sec:

My wife has been extremely supportive. I don't know that she realizes how much we may have to sacrifice. We have a nice house, we have nice cars, we have nice things. She's in the financial industry but I don't know how well she'd be able to support us both and still maintain our lifestyle. I'm willing to make the sacrifices, I think she is too. At least I hope so.

Obviously you have time to tackle these issues, but I would be sure to have a few heart-to-hearts early on. My husband and I are currently in the process of giving up our nice, expensive things (selling our boat, getting rid of our new Jeep, putting our house on the market). I know it sounds insignificant (it should be no problem giving things up to pursue your dream, etc.) but for us this is the first tangible experience of giving up things that we've worked hard to attain. It hasn't been horrible, but it's been weird. More so for him than me, since I'm the one who will be focusing on school while he'll just be missing his toys Better if we'd hashed through this stuff earlier.