Is this possible?

[confusedteacher]

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Hi! I have three specific questions, but my story is a little long, so bear with me!

I'm a 23 year old who graduated college last May. During my undergraduate years, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. After I graduated with my teacher's license, I ended up teaching middle school math. I also was the assistant athletic director, coached track, headed up the middle school math department, and volunteered for several hours a month at a shelter in the inner city near my school.

I started toying with the idea of going to medical school my senior year of college (I volunteered in a nursing home twice a month all four years of college), but I never acted on it.

When this school year started, several important people in my life approached me (all separately and on their own) and suggested I look into medical school. I put the idea aside, and focused all my energy on teaching.

The school year is winding up, though, and I've given this idea serious thought throughout the school year. I've decided to pursue it for several different reasons, but I don't really know if it is practical or not.

Questions.

1) Could I get accepted to a formal post-bacc program? More specifically, I've been looking at Bryn Mawr, University of Vermont, Groucher, and Scripps. I was valedictorian of my high school class, I scored a 31 on my ACT, and I graduated college with a 3.8. I've also had extensive volunteering experience, with a lot of it being similar to a clinical experience in a nursing home.Will not having any medical experience this year look bad on my application, or will working a full time job with the responsibilities I've had make up for that?

2) Financially, is this feasible? I make very little money as a teacher, and I still have about $18,000 in student loans. How much would I qualify for in student loans? Would it cover the cost of medical school? My parents make a little over $100,000 combined, but they will be paying for my three younger brothers to go to college at the same time I would be entering medical school.

3) My friend and I are planning to bike across the country this summer. He's going to med school next year, so I'm not sure when we're ever going to get another chance to do something like this. Is this something that I should not do? Will it set me apart in any way on applications, or should I spend the time volunteering?

Thanks for reading!

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

Talk to MtHeaded... He spent a bunch of his life sailing. One of the coolest guys on here.

As for formal post-baccs, I wouldn't do it unless you had no other choice. They're super expensive, and don't really get you anything you can't do yourself. You can probably find a school in your area that offers the same classes for less money, and as long as you get good grades (As) it doesn't matter what school they come from....

 

[DrMidlife]

1) Could I get accepted to a formal post-bacc program?

Probably, but you don't have to do a formal program. One question is whether you've taken any of the prereqs yet, because if you have, that makes formal programs less enthusiastic about you. (The prereqs are a year each, with labs, of bio/genchem/organic chem/physics.)

Look at Harvard Extension, Berkeley Extension and UT Dallas for reputable premed postbacs that offer some flexibility.

2) Financially, is this feasible? I make very little money as a teacher, and I still have about $18,000 in student loans. How much would I qualify for in student loans? Would it cover the cost of medical school? My parents make a little over $100,000 combined, but they will be paying for my three younger brothers to go to college at the same time I would be entering medical school.

Generally you want to avoid private loans entirely, because their terms are very different from federal loans, which is a major issue once residency starts.

Your income and/or your parents' income has no impact on your ability to borrow federal money. Federal student loans for additional undergrad after you have a bachelors are limited to about $12,500 per year. Free money such as Pell grants etc. is very difficult to get for a postbac.

Some people can work while they're doing prereqs. There are roughly a bazillion threads covering this route in this forum.

Cost of attendance for medical school is easily a quarter million, even at public state schools now, so keep things in perspective. Within reason, it makes little sense to nickel and dime your postbac.

3) My friend and I are planning to bike across the country this summer. He's going to med school next year, so I'm not sure when we're ever going to get another chance to do something like this. Is this something that I should not do? Will it set me apart in any way on applications, or should I spend the time volunteering?

There will be other chances but never one so obviously worth the time. Do it and don't look back. This is way more important in terms of what kind of life you want to live than it is in terms of how it will look on a med school app.

Consider doing it as a fundraiser for a cause of your choice. You'll wish you had, if you don't.

Lastly: definitely look for a clinical volunteering gig that gives you a broader perspective on the current practice of healthcare. Get into a public hospital and do some work with the obese and homeless. This kind of gig should get you access to physician shadowing opportunities, which can help you bring reality to your ambition. I recommend finding a male ob/gyn who is close to retirement; get him to rant freely about how medicine has gone to hell. That's important info.

Best of luck to you.

 

[confusedteacher]

The reason I was looking into a formal post-bacc was because of the linkage opportunities. It could easily take me five years to get into medical school without one. When I look at the numbers, it doesn't make sense to work for five years at a 30,000 dollar job, versus paying 30,000 and starting medical school in two years, especially at the rate tuition is increasing.

How much of the "medicine going to hell" rant is simply because the face of medicine is changing? I realize I might come into it a little idealistic, but I've heard the same thing in education for years. Obviously, the job that people forty years older than me worked is going to be different than the job I work, no matter what the field. Is there any job that isn't going to hell?

Thank you for the realistic and thought out responses. I appreciate that!

 

[DrMidlife]

The reason I was looking into a formal post-bacc was because of the linkage opportunities. It could easily take me five years to get into medical school without one. When I look at the numbers, it doesn't make sense to work for five years at a 30,000 dollar job, versus paying 30,000 and starting medical school in two years, especially at the rate tuition is increasing.

It's not that "either or" - it's not one year vs. five. More like one year vs. two. If you look through this forum, you'll see a lot of stories of folks getting the prereqs done in a variety of reasonable ways. Figure out a way to get enough of the prereqs done so you can kill the MCAT by the end of April, apply, then finish up part time during your app year. For instance.

How much of the "medicine going to hell" rant is simply because the face of medicine is changing? I realize I might come into it a little idealistic, but I've heard the same thing in education for years. Obviously, the job that people forty years older than me worked is going to be different than the job I work, no matter what the field. Is there any job that isn't going to hell?

This is exactly what you should be finding out first hand, by getting into a clinical setting where opinionated veteran health workers can fill you in on what actually matters (as opposed to what gets talked about in commercial media sources). It's also a good idea to start following medical bloggers, and to get your brain around how other countries do healthcare. Read anything (and everything) by Atul Gawande, for starters.

Best of luck to you.