I'm 25, zero science background, thinking about Med School

[lawormed]

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I am at somewhat of a crossroads in my life as I am trying to decide what career path to pursue 3 years after graduating college. I majored in political science and communications in undergrad and I have been considering law school since graduation. I worked for two years at a law firm and my interest in law did not increase all that much (it may have somewhat decreased). Anyway, I quit my job a few months ago to travel and to do some soul searching, and I then reluctantly decided to continue on the law path (perhaps because I had already started that process and it was the easy decision to make).

Well, I took the LSAT's recently and got a mediocre score, which was really discouraging, but even more so was the fact that I still lacked any enthusiasm about law school. I really always dreamed about becoming a doctor, as I get great satisfaction out of helping others and being in a position of high respect (unlike a lawyer). I was always discouraged from following this dream because I had difficulty with math and science during high school. I know I didn't give these subjects my full attention, and if I did I think I could do better. Right now I'm looking into post-bacc programs for students with no science background, but I still have some hesitation.

I was wondering if anyone decided to go on the Med School path without the strongest math and science skills, and nonetheless was able to endure the rigours of Med School. If you have, I'd love to hear your story or any comments you may have.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!

 

[NapeSpikes]

This was me a couple of years ago--well, except for the whole law school thing. I was 25, graduated as an English major, zero science, worked in a field only slightly related to medicine.

I'm still trying to gain an acceptance to med school, so I can't be too encouraging🙂, but I did survive the premed sciences by working my butt off and am going through the app process now.

My advice would be, before you take on the science classes, to explore medicine through volunteering, shadowing, etc., to make sure it is really what you want to do. This process is pretty rough, so unless you're 100% sure you'll follow through to the end or at the very least break your back trying, hold off. If you are sure, believe that it can be done, and give it all you've got. Many people have been in your shoes before and have been successful. Good luck!

 

[Static Line]

I am at somewhat of a crossroads in my life as I am trying to decide what career path to pursue 3 years after graduating college. I majored in political science and communications in undergrad and I have been considering law school since graduation. I worked for two years at a law firm and my interest in law did not increase all that much (it may have somewhat decreased). Anyway, I quit my job a few months ago to travel and to do some soul searching, and I then reluctantly decided to continue on the law path (perhaps because I had already started that process and it was the easy decision to make).

Well, I took the LSAT's recently and got a mediocre score, which was really discouraging, but even more so was the fact that I still lacked any enthusiasm about law school. I really always dreamed about becoming a doctor, as I get great satisfaction out of helping others and being in a position of high respect (unlike a lawyer). I was always discouraged from following this dream because I had difficulty with math and science during high school. I know I didn't give these subjects my full attention, and if I did I think I could do better. Right now I'm looking into post-bacc programs for students with no science background, but I still have some hesitation.

I was wondering if anyone decided to go on the Med School path without the strongest math and science skills, and nonetheless was able to endure the rigours of Med School. If you have, I'd love to hear your story or any comments you may have.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!

Who knows, you may be just a late bloomer. I was. I didn't go back to undergrad until I turned 29. You'll never know unless you get out there and try. Try taking a general biology course or a general chemistry course. Math, well math sucks but you still need some math for some med schools. Math certainly never came normal for me, and my wife had to help (tutor) me plenty of times. As an MS I, I personally don't see a need for it, at least not yet that I know of. So far, from any equations we have needed it has been very basic addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. Nothing complex as in calculus or the such.

 

[MedChic]

Hi,

Similarly, math and hard sciences such as chemistry are not my strong suits. I am in the midst of pursuing the pre-med path after graduation and I'd be lying if I said it was easy.

However, from what I have heard, medical school material is not the same as physics, organic chemistry, or your math based courses. It has much more to do with actual case studies, anatomy/physiology, pathology....no math based or chem based word problems!

For pre-med sciences, if you have never taken them before, the best thing for you to do is not to overwhelm yourself with 3-4 hard sciences at once. Take it one step at a time while you volunteer or work in a medical setting (very part time b/c you need time to study) taking maybe 2 classes at a time. Also, know that these classes all have 2-5 parts to them, including lecture, recitation (where you go over problems), clinics (where you work in groups to solve problems) and labs (ranging from 4-6 hours) as well as lab lectures, so be prepared to spend a lot of time in the classroom, depending on the school where you choose to do your post-bacc.

I agree with NapeSpikes: you have to know what you're getting yourself into, b/c if you're lucky enough to get into med school, and then decide it is not for you, it is very hard to turn that down; although I have known people who have.

The most important thing is to be consistent with your studying, and don't get discouraged as everyone around you will be rooting for that A. Listen to yourself and remind yourself of the ultimate goal and the payoff when you are finally a doctor with a great career!

Most importantly: anyone can do it if they set their mind to this and persist through this tough "hazing" pre-med time! You can do it!! Good luck!

 

[scpod]

I worked for two years at a law firm and my interest in law did not increase all that much (it may have somewhat decreased)....
Well, I took the LSAT's recently and got a mediocre score, which was really discouraging, but even more so was the fact that I still lacked any enthusiasm about law school....I was wondering if anyone decided to go on the Med School path without the strongest math and science skills, and nonetheless was able to endure the rigours of Med School. If you have, I'd love to hear your story or any comments you may have.

I'll have to agree with some of the other posts. Before you spend $20,000.00 to do your medicine pre-reqs, I would spend some time in a medical setting to see if you really like that. You might think that you are running out of time, but I didn't return to school for my medicine prereqs until I was 37.

One of the things that always stopped me from going back to school was that I was scared of Math. I had always done well in everything but math! Before I returned to school, though, I got ahold of some old text books and began teaching myself the basics. After all, I hadn't been in a classroom in quite a few years. Along the way, I discovered the two problems that had always impeded my success in mathematics. First, I never really learned the basic concepts. Math is one of those courses where you really, really need to understand what you are doing this week, before you can start looking at next week's work. Second, I had never spent the time to do the problems. You need to take the problems and do them over and over again. Then, find some similar problems and do them over and over again. That's the only way to realy understand it. Along the way, my brain also started thinking a little differently. I think that I actually started using parts of it that I had never used before. I began to look at math problems as a game, or a challenge that I had to win, and I actually began to enjoy it for the first time.

I spent more than a year studying math on my own before I entered college again because I was sooooooo worried about it. The strangest thing happened, though....because my math courses ended up being the ones that I studied for the very least once I was back in school. Oh....I did the problems alright, and did them more than once. But, I never worried about a single quiz, test or exam because I finally understood it. Maybe it would be good for you to spend a year doing the same thing, and at the same time start volunteering or working in a medical situation. You might save yourself a lot of heartache down the road. Besides, learning to enjoy math will never hurt you 🙂

 

[Doctor Bagel]

honestly, you need to do a little more research before committing to a costly postbacc plan. you said that you always wanted to be a doctor because you wanted to help people and have a high prestige occupation -- this statement is giving me the vibe that you haven't talked with lots of doctors, volunteered in a health care setting or shadowed a lot because it's a very vague statement. make sure you know what you're getting into before you commit to being premed. the last thing you want is to waste $30k or so on a postbacc and decide you hate medicine.

 

[UCLA2000]

I am at somewhat of a crossroads in my life as I am trying to decide what career path to pursue 3 years after graduating college. I majored in political science and communications in undergrad and I have been considering law school since graduation. I worked for two years at a law firm and my interest in law did not increase all that much (it may have somewhat decreased). Anyway, I quit my job a few months ago to travel and to do some soul searching, and I then reluctantly decided to continue on the law path (perhaps because I had already started that process and it was the easy decision to make).

Well, I took the LSAT's recently and got a mediocre score, which was really discouraging, but even more so was the fact that I still lacked any enthusiasm about law school. I really always dreamed about becoming a doctor, as I get great satisfaction out of helping others and being in a position of high respect (unlike a lawyer). I was always discouraged from following this dream because I had difficulty with math and science during high school. I know I didn't give these subjects my full attention, and if I did I think I could do better. Right now I'm looking into post-bacc programs for students with no science background, but I still have some hesitation.

I was wondering if anyone decided to go on the Med School path without the strongest math and science skills, and nonetheless was able to endure the rigours of Med School. If you have, I'd love to hear your story or any comments you may have.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!

As long as you fulfil the pre-reqs for med school, you have a strong enough background to pursue medicine. I would caution you against "going for it" without first shadowing a physician, or volunteering in a hospital, it will give you a glimpse of what you're really getting into.

You may discover that you don't even like medicine.

 

[Gatewayhoward]

Yeah, you gotta get to know the medical field before jumping into it. It can't just be about the idea of becoming a doctor that sounds promising. You have to know you want it. Look at other sectors of the healthcare field too. Something else might click for you or you'll find you still want to be that MD.

 

[medworm]

Hi lawormed, glad you posted. I supposed I followed a similar path...well, maybe not exactly. I was in awe of the US legal system and even sat down for the LSAT several years ago, but couldn't bring myself to apply b/c I couldn't envision myself practicing any type of law. Like you, I've never been good at math and hard-science either, even though I really, really wished that I were. I think had I honed those skills more I would probably have become a scientist, industrial designer, or architect. But anyway, that's the trials and tribulations of career searching. So to figure out whether I was any good at science, I took a Chemistry class after work. Eventually all the premed activities made me completely lose interest in what I had set out to do in college (take over the business world ). For me, the important indicator was that I felt a far greater sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and excitement in my premed studies than in 5+ years of professional experience. I gobbled up every little kernel of science/medicine news byte, even when it wasn't the latest and greatest news. (Cuz it sure was news to me!) And best yet, I felt the rusty gears in my brain cranking again.

Long story short, there are many, many great careers out there and medicine is one of them. For me, medicine feels right. (Even though I could also be in a dozen other careers and be equally content.) In the end, it's a personal decision that should take your entire life (personal goals, energy level, family, finances, timing, etc) into consideration.

Anyway, hope that you find a kernel of usefulness in my ramblings. I don't have an answer for you regarding medicine, but you should keep your options open by trying the science classes a la carte and a little volunteering. And have an attainable back-up plan that you'd be happy with. Plan on 1-2 years for a career transition (no matter what that new career is) / prep for graduate school. However, I do feel that based on your description, law isn't it for you. Best of luck!

 

[allisonbk]

I am at somewhat of a crossroads in my life as I am trying to decide what career path to pursue 3 years after graduating college. I majored in political science and communications in undergrad and I have been considering law school since graduation. I worked for two years at a law firm and my interest in law did not increase all that much (it may have somewhat decreased). Anyway, I quit my job a few months ago to travel and to do some soul searching, and I then reluctantly decided to continue on the law path (perhaps because I had already started that process and it was the easy decision to make).

Well, I took the LSAT's recently and got a mediocre score, which was really discouraging, but even more so was the fact that I still lacked any enthusiasm about law school. I really always dreamed about becoming a doctor, as I get great satisfaction out of helping others and being in a position of high respect (unlike a lawyer). I was always discouraged from following this dream because I had difficulty with math and science during high school. I know I didn't give these subjects my full attention, and if I did I think I could do better. Right now I'm looking into post-bacc programs for students with no science background, but I still have some hesitation.

I was wondering if anyone decided to go on the Med School path without the strongest math and science skills, and nonetheless was able to endure the rigours of Med School. If you have, I'd love to hear your story or any comments you may have.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!

Hey there! I was in a similar situation as well. I graduated college in '02 as a music major. I was never very good in science- I got a D in AP chem senior year of high school and then a C in physics for poets freshman year of college. After graduating, I worked in the music business for 2 years, thinking about busienss school, but after some serious "soul searching" decided to do my pre-med post-bacc at NYU. I ended up doing really well and started the application process last year. So far i have been accepted at 4 med schools and waiting to hear from several more. I am so happy about the choice I made. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
-Allison

 

[ChicaLinda]

lawormed,

I am in somewhat or a similar situation. I am 26 and taking some post-bacc classes, still trying to decide if I really want to do medicine, or follow a shorter career path in counseling or business. What others are recommending is definitely true: get some hands on clinical experience. I would recommend taking an EMT course and perhaps shadowing some EMTs or working as an EMT. It is very good clinical experience and if you work as an EMT that will help you demonstrate your interest in medicine to adcoms. I took an EMT course over the summer and while I generally liked the coursework (learning about human anatomy, different drugs, how to treat things), I was not so into the hands on clinical stuff, which is making me question my interest in medicine a bit more. I was also in your situation having a liberal arts degree and not being very good in math. So far I have taken 4 pre-med courses but have been discouraged that I've only been able to get mostly Bs. My post-bacc pre-med average is around a 3.1, which I find discouraging. Anyways, enough about me. What I'd recommend to you, do some clinical work, try the EMT thing, and instead of enrolling in a formal post-bac program, take a couple science classes at a local university and see how you do. Maybe try anatomy and physiology or intro bio or intro calc and see how goes and how interested you are in each subject.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about EMT or anything.

Take care and good luck! 🙂

 

[Law2Doc]

honestly, you need to do a little more research before committing to a costly postbacc plan. you said that you always wanted to be a doctor because you wanted to help people and have a high prestige occupation -- this statement is giving me the vibe that you haven't talked with lots of doctors, volunteered in a health care setting or shadowed a lot because it's a very vague statement. make sure you know what you're getting into before you commit to being premed. the last thing you want is to waste $30k or so on a postbacc and decide you hate medicine.

I totally agree with this post -- OP, you need to flesh out your nebulous desire to be a doctor a whole lot more before you are ready to make such a transition. Volunteer, shadow, talk to physicians. You don't pick careers based on levels of respect (and frankly, after money, is probably considered (by adcoms and others) to be the worst reason to say why you want to go into medicine). The first thing you will be asked to explain in an interview is why you decided on medicine after spending a few years of employment in another field and some soul searching time. It will help if you have a more concrete sense of what you like about medicine ("helping people" is too cliche -- and you can do that in law and other fields).
As for nonscience folks handling the sciences, it's certainly doable -- and I agree with prior posters that many develop a newfound ability to handle sciences later than undergrad. However you should bear in mind that the postbac and first two years of medicine will for the most part be hardcore science courses, so if you hate these it will be rough.

 

[stillapplying]

Lawormed,

12 months ago I was in a very similar situation also having graduated w/ a bac in Poli Sci. For me med school had never really been a concept it was law school all the way. Now, however, I am going to be studying in a 6 year med school in Eastern Europe starting in the fall. The school is fully recognized in the US w/ Cali approval.

This is definitely NOT the best option for most people. It depends, among other things, on how adventurous you are and how well you can adapt to a very different culture. Again, I have not spent one day in med school so am definitely not in a good position to offer you much insight. But if this at all sounds like something in which you might be interested then I would suggest reading a forum on a site similar to Studentdoctor. http://www.valuemd.com/european-russian-medical-schools/

Doing a little extra research before deciding can only be good, though, as it will likely make you feel more confident in your decision. Good luck with your choice.

P.S. At this time last year no one believed me when I said what I was going to do. I didn't get much encouragement and now I know 100% this is what I want to do. Check out all your options.

 

[LADoc00]

Law or med??

Isnt that like saying Hezbollah or Mossad? They are totally different.

I was counseling a guy grappling with the old elementary school teacher vs. hitman dilemma myself yesterday.

 

[sophiejane]

Go to med school! ANYthing to reduce the number of lawyers in the world is OK by me.

Agree with above, you need to get your feet wet in medicine to make sure it's what you want. Volunteer, work in a hospital, etc. And shadow--definitely shadow a doc in a field that interests you before you go any further.

And remember that prestige ain't all it's cracked up to be, and that docs like any other professionals are not immune to disrespect from the people they serve. If you really want to be esteemed, become a monk, sell all you own and give your life to serving to the poor. 🙂

I started pre-reqs at age 29 with no science background whatsoever (music and fine arts BA and masters), did okay on grades and okay on MCAT but apparently had a great interview, got in, and started my first year at age 33.

I'm now a granny med student on the wards 😉...older than everyone except my attendings...but finding that my life experience is a huge plus in navigating the landmines of interpersonal communication in this field full of people who are often lacking in experience in anything but science.

 

[djquickfingers]

I know exactly what you're going through. I graduated with a B.A. in poly sci and was planning on attending law school. It just wasnt in me to actually go into the law profession so I decided to explore the medical field. I'm now working at a pharmacy, getting a minor taste of the field and working on me pre-requisites. All i can say is that if it doesn't feel right to you, don't do it. If medicine is the right thing for you, you'll feel it right away. There will be no question that this is the path for you. Keep your head up and keep praying.

God Bless

Djquickfingers

 

[JonB]

You are ahead of me. I am 26, have my Associates degree and starting a Biology major at the University of Washington this Fall.I haven't been to college, let alone taking a science course in about 6 years. I started pre-med back in the day, but some things came up and had to find a job. I am leaving behind a career as an air traffic controller to pursue this. Just feels right. Go with your gut feeling once you shadow and volunteer. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

[Anne O'nymous]

I agree with everyone else's suggestion of shadowing a doctor or doing some volunteer work. Make sure that this is the career path you want to take.


I went back to school for pre-med req. when I was 26. I had been terrible at and scared of math and science my whole life. My first degree was in religious studies and psychology. It was hard getting back into the swing of things. I started slowly, taking only 2 classes per semester, started with chemistry and biology. Then started adding the math classes. I did take trigonometry at a community college to prep for pre-calculus and calculus. The trig class eneded up being a HUGE help in physics, I was leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the students.

If this is what you want to do, go for it, but don't take too many classes at once. Baby steps.....I took no more than 2 science classes per semester the first 2 years (with the help of tutors and many many hours of intense studying), then found that I LOVED chemistry, and I'm completing a chemsitry degree while I wait to see if any of the med schools I applied to will accept me.

Good luck!

 

[PineappleGirl]

I discovered the two problems that had always impeded my success in mathematics. First, I never really learned the basic concepts. Math is one of those courses where you really, really need to understand what you are doing this week, before you can start looking at next week's work.

This is so true. There was a great article in the Chronicle of Higher Ed a few weeks ago about math anxiety and how math is taught in high school and college. One professor they interviewed for the article explained that students who have a problem with math are plagued by the issue of what she called "dropped stitches". They never learned the basic concepts a long time ago and since math builds upon itself, they have always had difficulty. I agree with scpod that it's essential to go back and understand the basics. At my school we have very, very introductory math courses. Often it is difficult to get credit for these courses if you've already taken higher level math like calculus, but you could sit in or audit the course just to get familiar with the basics again. A very introductory course should also boost your confidence. I would also recommend taking statistics. Personally, I was always more of a humanities/ social sciences person. Statistics uses lots of examples and ideas that I think are more appealing to humanities/ social sciences types and even though it's using number's, it feels more comfortable. Other tips for boosting your confidence in math: try to do math when you're out and about. Try to add up everything you buy in the store. Try to take the % off in sales. Do tips in your head. Another thing I find that works well is that if something involves strange numbers, round up or down to the numbers you feel comfortable working with and then account for the strange numbers. This is kinda of hard to explain in words, but here's an example: say you want to multiply 1.48 X 2. Instead of trying to figure it out exactly, roud up to 1.50. 1.50x 2 is 3, then subtract the four cents, so you have 2.96.

All in all, the more you can get familiar with math and use it the better you will get.

 

[kimmcauliffe]

Go to med school! ANYthing to reduce the number of lawyers in the world is OK by me.

👍

Agreed!

I'm going to be unoriginal and agree with everyone before me. There's a deeper meaning to medicine than money, prestige, and respect (and I know lots of people who don't respect thier docs), so you will benefit from shadowing and talking to some docs before you jump all in.

That being said, good luck!

 

[Ifellinapothole]

I was wondering if anyone decided to go on the Med School path without the strongest math and science skills, and nonetheless was able to endure the rigours of Med School. If you have, I'd love to hear your story or any comments you may have.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!

Dude,

I was 30 when I decided to go to med school. I am 34 now. I got married during my post bacc and had a baby. I am in 1st year of med school and my wife is due with #2.

25, in my book, you are still a baby. Ignore these losers who go right to med school right from undergrad. Most of them only did so because their parents made them. You have done the right thing in thinking about what you want to do and taking some time off. It's a freaking 10-12 year commitment. Why shouldn't you think about it a little bit???

Your reasons for wanting to go to med school make sense to me. I wanted to b/c I like knowing a lot of **** and not sitting at a desk all day.

Sounds to me like you are ready for a post bacc program or take the credits at a local community college and save a butt load of money if you had a strong undergrad GPA. If not, i would recommend you go to an organized post bacc mill.


Good Luck,

I fell

 

[Blake]

Ignore these losers who go right to med school right from undergrad.

Don't hate...

Look, I know what you mean but calling traditional students losers is a bit too much, don't you think ? It's not any better when traditional students b!tch about non-trad med students, so let's drop the double standards.

 

[abcxyz0123]

Dude,

Ignore these losers who go right to med school right from undergrad.

youre an idiot

 

[Mr. Tee]

Don't hate...

Look, I know what you mean but calling traditional students losers is a bit too much, don't you think ? It's not any better when traditional students b!tch about non-trad med students, so let's drop the double standards.

Now now, let's put some Freudian psychoanalysis principles to good use...clearly he's repressing something

 

[Old_Mil]

I was wondering if anyone decided to go on the Med School path without the strongest math and science skills, and nonetheless was able to endure the rigours of Med School. If you have, I'd love to hear your story or any comments you may have.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!

I'm 36 and in the second semester of my first year with an undergraduate double major in Economics and Computer Science and no science background "back then." It's doable, but it's a lot of work. People in their early-mid 20s who are in medical school after spending 4 years doing a Bio/Preprofessional major have it much easier because they've had prior exposure to a great deal of the first year coursework. For us interlopers, it's all new.

Make sure that this is something you can't live without because it will be the hardest thing you've ever done.

 

[Old_Mil]

You are ahead of me. I am 26, have my Associates degree and starting a Biology major at the University of Washington this Fall.I haven't been to college, let alone taking a science course in about 6 years. I started pre-med back in the day, but some things came up and had to find a job. I am leaving behind a career as an air traffic controller to pursue this. Just feels right. Go with your gut feeling once you shadow and volunteer. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Hey Jon, which facilities did the FAA have you working?

 

[neoncandle]

I am 26 and currently at UTSW. I have always considered myself crappy at math and sciences, but a major life-altering event occurred and I decided to go the medicine route. However, I didn't make the major leap of leaving my job and stuff until I got a 100% on my first general chemistry exam. Coming from a business background and taking the absolute least amount of pre-reqs isn't usually the suggested mode, but it worked for me and saved me at least another year of coursework. However, you have to be good (read - great) at standardized tests if you want to get into and do well in medical school. It worries me about your LSAT score, because the MCAT is not entirely different.

Oh, and I disagree with some of the people here. If you can take Bio 1, Gen chem 2, Ochem 1 and Phys 1 all at the same time, then you can probably handle medical school jsut fine. Because, like others have said above - medical school is way harder than anything most (all) of us have ever done and there are many days when we at least contemplate life without it.

-Tiffany

P.S. If you listen to country, there is one song that kind of applies, "How bad do you want it?" is a line from it.

 

[drpatelplasticsurgery]

based on what i'm reading, you should go into medicine.

don't let a lack of academic background discourage you. actually, having a fresh slate can help you - by contrast, my commitment as a premed fluctuated from college to law school to grad school to working now. it's easier to demonstrate *recent* commitment when you have nothing in your history prior to this related to medicine at all. another guy at my lab did a postbacc after working for 1.5 yrs after college as a mortgage broker. did well, took the mcat, did well on that, and has gotten several interviews.

i went into law school after becoming a discouraged premed, and as with many law students, i had no idea what i was getting into. obviously, you've given a good amount of consideration to law school - since your gut's not giving you the go-ahead, i would listen to it. don't go to law school unless (1) you know what type(s) of law you'd consider practicing and (2) you'd consider yourself professionally and personally satisfied doing it.

if you don't have any science or math background, you will have a challenging time with a post-bacc program. but if you work hard and seek help at the slightest indication of weakness, i don't see why you can't pull off applying to and getting into med schools. you could even enroll in some remedial math/science courses to boost your confidence, THEN apply to and enroll in a formal post-bacc program.

i'm 26, an attorney, and still trying to get into med school knowing virtually everything about the med admissions "game" and what it takes to win. you're 25 and only now considering medicine. i envy you...consider hospital volunteering/physician shadowing/EMT certification/some job with significant patient contact if you want to confirm that medicine would be a good fit for you.

if in the end you think it's a bad call, then i'd advise you to go to law school and become a health lawyer. become a patient or physician advocate - you'll still be a part of the health care industry, and you'll be one of the "good guys." [i may consider doing that decades from now, but it's medicine or bust for sure at this stage in my life.]

I am at somewhat of a crossroads in my life as I am trying to decide what career path to pursue 3 years after graduating college. I majored in political science and communications in undergrad and I have been considering law school since graduation. I worked for two years at a law firm and my interest in law did not increase all that much (it may have somewhat decreased). Anyway, I quit my job a few months ago to travel and to do some soul searching, and I then reluctantly decided to continue on the law path (perhaps because I had already started that process and it was the easy decision to make).

Well, I took the LSAT's recently and got a mediocre score, which was really discouraging, but even more so was the fact that I still lacked any enthusiasm about law school. I really always dreamed about becoming a doctor, as I get great satisfaction out of helping others and being in a position of high respect (unlike a lawyer). I was always discouraged from following this dream because I had difficulty with math and science during high school. I know I didn't give these subjects my full attention, and if I did I think I could do better. Right now I'm looking into post-bacc programs for students with no science background, but I still have some hesitation.

I was wondering if anyone decided to go on the Med School path without the strongest math and science skills, and nonetheless was able to endure the rigours of Med School. If you have, I'd love to hear your story or any comments you may have.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!