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13 years ago, I had an idea that I wanted to try to get into medical school. My wife and I were on vacation in Tampa, Florida and our daughter was almost 2 years old. I was in graduate school and was sporting a 4.0, a far cry from the 2.5 that I had when I completed my undergraduate degree a mere 5 years earlier.
When we returned home, that week I went to the health professions office at my alma mater and was told that there is no reason why I should not apply as my grades are significantly better. From there, I met with a director of admissions at one of the state's medical schools (the school that at the time was my first choice). The director of admissions told me that the grades from UG were becoming more irrelevant since I was in a pure science graduate program and doing well. However, he encouraged my to apply as a PA. Something that I felt was not what I wanted but rather a consolation prize that was unacceptable in my book.
Shortly there-after I found a group of kindred spirits in OldPreMeds and attended my first conference and realized that I was not alone in this difficult journey. I continued in graduate school while working full time and growing our family. As I was nearing the end of graduate school, I needed to start focusing on the MCAT. Realizing that I would have to re-teach myself all of the subjects that I would be tested on but had not had in about 10 years. Taking a live prep course was out of the question since we had a young family and my work schedule was so that I could not leave on time and I did not want anyone to know what I was doing. I took the Kaplan online course, and it took 2 years to prepare for the MCAT and when I finally took it (paper based) I was floored by the score I received. I spent every free time I had preparing for this test and was horrified at my results. I received a 22. It was at that time that I was applying to medical schools spending more money than I had only to not get a single interview. However, I discovered Osteopathic Medicine and realized that this philosophy was exactly the way that I was practicing medicine as an EMT. I realized that this is the type of medical philopsophy that I wanted to practice. I met with the admissions director of what was my new first choice and we discussed my MCAT. What she said struck a nerve. In her opinion, for someone who has not had the material in more than 10 years, a 22 was not that bad but still needed to be improved. I reviewed every aspect of the test day in my head and realized that I guessed on the last 20 questions from each section because I was running out of time from not practicing test taking skills.
I decided to retake the MCAT later that year, still on paper, but this time I put together a strict schedule. Sunday was online lecture day until 1pm (after that was family time), Mon-Wed was quiz time from Sunday's lecture. After each quiz, which was timed, I would review each question to ensure that I answered the quesion correctly for the right reason and that it was not just luck guess. More importantly I reviewed each incorrect answer to see why I chose the wrong answer and what my the right answer the correct one. Thur-Sat was prep for Sunday's lecture. In addition, because I commuted to work with public transportation, I would do alot of my reading on the bus and then listen to ExamKakers while taking the subway and walking to my job. I retook the MCAT and left the test thinking that I did worse.
The second MCAT scores came back, 8 months after my 22, and received a 29. I went from getting 0 interview invites to 4 interview invites and 2 acceptances. By now, our family had grown to 3 girls.
In 2007, I sold my house and submitted my resignation to my job and picked up my family and started medical school taking on a massive amount of debt. We lived on a very strict financial diet. Searching for free activities, using the public library like it was going out of style, buying things from craigslist as long as it wasn't about to fall apart. At the end of my 3rd year of medical school our 4th daughter surprised us.
I graduated from Medical School in 2011 and started a 3 year internal medicine residency and then in 2014 started a critical care fellowship. Now in 2016 with 4 daughter (15, 12, 10, and 6), my marriage intact and stronger than ever, I complete my medical training and start working as a staff intensivist.
I tell this tale because I see a lot of posts both here and at OldPreMeds.com asking if it can be done with a family/baggage from undergradute/etc, and the answer is yes. But it is something that will be hard and one that will not be done overnight or even over the course of a few years. Be patient and persistent because if this is what you want to do, it will be worth it.
From dreading each morning going to job I was not happy with to a career that I love and love what I do, the sacrifice was worth it.
When we returned home, that week I went to the health professions office at my alma mater and was told that there is no reason why I should not apply as my grades are significantly better. From there, I met with a director of admissions at one of the state's medical schools (the school that at the time was my first choice). The director of admissions told me that the grades from UG were becoming more irrelevant since I was in a pure science graduate program and doing well. However, he encouraged my to apply as a PA. Something that I felt was not what I wanted but rather a consolation prize that was unacceptable in my book.
Shortly there-after I found a group of kindred spirits in OldPreMeds and attended my first conference and realized that I was not alone in this difficult journey. I continued in graduate school while working full time and growing our family. As I was nearing the end of graduate school, I needed to start focusing on the MCAT. Realizing that I would have to re-teach myself all of the subjects that I would be tested on but had not had in about 10 years. Taking a live prep course was out of the question since we had a young family and my work schedule was so that I could not leave on time and I did not want anyone to know what I was doing. I took the Kaplan online course, and it took 2 years to prepare for the MCAT and when I finally took it (paper based) I was floored by the score I received. I spent every free time I had preparing for this test and was horrified at my results. I received a 22. It was at that time that I was applying to medical schools spending more money than I had only to not get a single interview. However, I discovered Osteopathic Medicine and realized that this philosophy was exactly the way that I was practicing medicine as an EMT. I realized that this is the type of medical philopsophy that I wanted to practice. I met with the admissions director of what was my new first choice and we discussed my MCAT. What she said struck a nerve. In her opinion, for someone who has not had the material in more than 10 years, a 22 was not that bad but still needed to be improved. I reviewed every aspect of the test day in my head and realized that I guessed on the last 20 questions from each section because I was running out of time from not practicing test taking skills.
I decided to retake the MCAT later that year, still on paper, but this time I put together a strict schedule. Sunday was online lecture day until 1pm (after that was family time), Mon-Wed was quiz time from Sunday's lecture. After each quiz, which was timed, I would review each question to ensure that I answered the quesion correctly for the right reason and that it was not just luck guess. More importantly I reviewed each incorrect answer to see why I chose the wrong answer and what my the right answer the correct one. Thur-Sat was prep for Sunday's lecture. In addition, because I commuted to work with public transportation, I would do alot of my reading on the bus and then listen to ExamKakers while taking the subway and walking to my job. I retook the MCAT and left the test thinking that I did worse.
The second MCAT scores came back, 8 months after my 22, and received a 29. I went from getting 0 interview invites to 4 interview invites and 2 acceptances. By now, our family had grown to 3 girls.
In 2007, I sold my house and submitted my resignation to my job and picked up my family and started medical school taking on a massive amount of debt. We lived on a very strict financial diet. Searching for free activities, using the public library like it was going out of style, buying things from craigslist as long as it wasn't about to fall apart. At the end of my 3rd year of medical school our 4th daughter surprised us.
I graduated from Medical School in 2011 and started a 3 year internal medicine residency and then in 2014 started a critical care fellowship. Now in 2016 with 4 daughter (15, 12, 10, and 6), my marriage intact and stronger than ever, I complete my medical training and start working as a staff intensivist.
I tell this tale because I see a lot of posts both here and at OldPreMeds.com asking if it can be done with a family/baggage from undergradute/etc, and the answer is yes. But it is something that will be hard and one that will not be done overnight or even over the course of a few years. Be patient and persistent because if this is what you want to do, it will be worth it.
From dreading each morning going to job I was not happy with to a career that I love and love what I do, the sacrifice was worth it.
