looking for some guidance

[Cmaj7th]

Hello folks, I wanted to share my plan with some like minded people so I could get some advice/avoid pit falls. I am starting from the ground up. Due to my stupidity as a teenager I am no longer eligible for FAFSA from dropping too many courses. My GPA isn't bad but I have a lot of Ws and hardly any credits. Financial help from my family is not an option (rightfully so). Right now I live with my mom, I'm 21 but I need to move out because my mom doesn't allow freeloaders.

So my plan is to get a fulltime job and move out, while taking an MA course. After that I can get a job as an MA with regular office hours. I then wanted to take three classes a semester at night, and one in the winter and summer. Approaching school as if I had never taken a class, re-take everything and apply DO. I figured this way would take five years.

Is a 9-5 job while taking three courses too much of a load? I know it's going to take some elbow grease, but is this plan within reason or am I setting myself up for failure?

Unfortunately I have pissed away the time in my life where I could have gone to college fulltime without worrying about finances. But I can't stand my mother's silent shame anymore, I have to leave here.

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[hopeful22213]

In a broad sense, if you are willing to fully commit yourself- including identifying and correcting the weaknesses that led to your W's- it can definitely be done. If you search around this site, you'll find many impressive stories of people digging themselves out of some pretty deep holes to achieve their goals.

Logistically though, full time work + 3 classes will be a stretch. For one thing, I'd imagine you will run into problems trying to schedule 3 classes at night. Unless you can piece together enough 1 day a week courses (like a 3 hour lecture 7-10 pm or something) you may be confined to taking 2 classes- one on M/W and the other T/Th

But you are also only 21, which may feel old right to you but makes you something of a youngster 'round these parts. Remember, the goal should just be to get into med school, not to set a speed record doing so. Go about this the right way and things will fall into place. Good luck

 

[Woland]

First I'd like to second what the prevous post says -- do not rush. At a respectable age of 21 you might think you've "pissed away" traditional college going approach, but there is no single prescribed way into a medical school.

Hello folks, I wanted to share my plan with some like minded people so I could get some advice/avoid pit falls. I am starting from the ground up. Due to my stupidity as a teenager I am no longer eligible for FAFSA from dropping too many courses.

You need to go to the financial aid office and work out a path to redemption in the eyes of Uncle Sam. Could this ineligibility for financial aid preclude you from obtaining financial aid in medical school? If so, short of winning the lottery you might have very hard time paying for it.

My GPA isn't bad but I have a lot of Ws and hardly any credits.

If during your upcoming college career you manage not to get any more of those W without an exceedingly obvious excuse, from what I learned so far, quite a few schools will forgive you, although you will need to be very selective to find schools friendly to non-traditional students.

Financial help from my family is not an option (rightfully so). Right now I live with my mom, I'm 21 but I need to move out because my mom doesn't allow freeloaders.

So my plan is to get a fulltime job and move out, while taking an MA course. After that I can get a job as an MA with regular office hours.

Captain obvious statement: You can not move out while you are a free-loader. Unles you have a sugar-daddy/sugar-mama.

MA is a grossly underpaying job and hardly pays a livable wage without a work-hours flexibility afforded by other minimum wage jobs. Also, are you really sure you will be able to land MA job fast? MA job market where I live is overrun by 50+ year olds who recently graduated from DeVry/ITT with 50K debt for a entry-level degree. You have your youth, they go to church with the office manager.

Most obvious problem with regular office hours: night-time courses are apparently looked down upon. I have been asked why I took some at almost every interview so far.

I then wanted to take three classes a semester at night, and one in the winter and summer. Approaching school as if I had never taken a class, re-take everything and apply DO. I figured this way would take five years.

How many credits will that be? I have seen people grilled about taking only 9 credits, especially if one class is non-science. Interviewers were doubting persons' abilities to handle 25+ credit/semester load of medical school if they have never took a full time science load.

Is a 9-5 job while taking three courses too much of a load? I know it's going to take some elbow grease, but is this plan within reason or am I setting myself up for failure?

No. Just plan well. And either (1) get a S.O. on board that will stick with you through all the years, or (2) break up a current future-less relationship. Last thing you are going to need is a heartache of the personal drama.

Unfortunately I have pissed away the time in my life where I could have gone to college fulltime without worrying about finances. But I can't stand my mother's silent shame anymore, I have to leave here.

Lastly, seems like you really need to work out the issues with your mum. You will need all the support you can get. It is not a requirement, but it truly helps.

Best of luck.

 

[Cmaj7th]

I know what I have to do to re-gain eligibility, take a bunch of classes and pass. I could do that at a community college and then transfer, so in regards to regaining eligibility I'm not too concerned.

But I don't see how I can take a full load of courses and work fulltime. I'm bright, and I think with a proper attitude and plan of attack I could get competitive grades. But I have no idea how I could work enough to support myself and take a full load without going insane. I hadn't heard of adcoms looking down on part time students so that's large cause for concern.

 

[Cmaj7th]

If taking courses part time will put me at a disadvantage then I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't live with my mom until I graduate. She's a doc herself, and the hardest worker I ever met; she came from poverty and had no help during college so she is utterly unsympathetic/unwilling to coddle me. I agree with her on that, I'm merely highlighting that my time in her home is limited.

 

[Funke]

Quite a few people are in the job/part time classes category. I'm having to get a full time job too and take night classes to get my pre-reqs. It's very doable, but I know for me 3 classes a semester is too much time-wise. I simply can't schedule those in and keep a full time job, unless I worked full time nights (which I'm avoiding). I'm going to try my hardest to schedule two in a semester, and one in the summer. Unfortunately that does take a couple years (for just the science ones, possibly longer if you need others too).
But I totally understand wanting it to go a lot faster. I cringe at the thought of not getting into my career for 7 more years, but there's nothing else I'd rather do. Good luck!

 

[ChodeNode]

My first couple years I took 11 an 14 credit semesters while working full time. I worked 06:00-15:00. There were times my boss gave me some flexibility those first couple years, but I was usually in the office at those times, Mon-Fri. My advice though is for at least the first year, give yourself the winter break and only take one class in the summer. You will need the time to recharge your batteries.

It can be done. You will need stability in your work and personal life though. I agree with the previous poster about resolving things with your mother. If you don't have personal life stability going in, it will be extremely tough to maintain adequate focus on your grades. Even when it is stable, there will be times when you question whether or not you're doing the right thing. Having a solid support structure will help keep you grounded.

 

[Woland]

If taking courses part time will put me at a disadvantage then I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't live with my mom until I graduate. She's a doc herself, and the hardest worker I ever met; she came from poverty and had no help during college so she is utterly unsympathetic/unwilling to coddle me. I agree with her on that, I'm merely highlighting that my time in her home is limited.

Okay. I am not trying to pry into details of your life. I actually work with a doc who has a son like you and she talks about him quite a bit.

That point aside, IMHO the adcoms do not look down on part time couses if a person have taken a full time load at some point. My interaction with adcoms is limited to prep I have received here (several docs are/were adcoms for different MD/DO colleges) and from my own interviews. As a matter of fact I fly tomorrow for an interview at a school whose adcom (retired for a few years) was most vocal about part time courses/full time work and no other mitigating full time instruction (she states 18+ credits but she is at a rather high up school).

I am not an adcom. My evidence is anecdotal or synthesized from what I have read/been taught.

I would not despair. Depending on the state you live in there are a high yield hourly jobs (they do not involve Craigslist postings) that can permit you live while working part time and attend school.

IMHO, take part time classes with a full time job until you redeem yourself for FAFSA. And then work your ass off taking full time classes with part time income.

Oh, and do not forget to volunteer. That will help "the upward trend/reformation of character" theme.