I'm applying to grad school soon and I'm not sure if I want to go to medical school or optometry school. I've been shadowing doctors and optometrists but I'm still not sure. I don't have an awesome GPA (around 3.4) and I haven't taken entrance exams yet. I'm not really in it for the money, I want a job that will be medical-related but still give me time for family and hobbies. I would also like to start a family by my early 30s, which I'm afraid would be difficult to do during a medical residency. Which do you think would be better for me?
MD or OD?
- Thread starter eb520
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OD will be a LOT easier. Your GPA is circling the drain for MD, unless you live in a lucky state.
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If you feel like there are other healthcare careers that you'd enjoy outside of being a physician, I'd strongly consider those. I had several friends who had the grades for med school but chose other medical field jobs for many of the reasons you stated, namely having hobbies and less pressure on family stuff.
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How about you turn that OD around into a DO?
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Unless you have firmly ruled out the other health care professions, I would not recommend medical school. If later you discover that this is the only path for you, you would need to bring up the GPA for MD and/or apply DO.
Optometry is a good career choice but you need to make sure you are actually interested in the subject matter and practice. Seems to me like you are still a little ambivalent.
I echo the above poster re: also looking into other professions, especially PA (physician assistant). Though I don’t know what a competitive GPA for that would be. But it has relatively short training, career flexibility, and you can have a good lifestyle if you choose the right type of field.
Best of luck.
Optometry is a good career choice but you need to make sure you are actually interested in the subject matter and practice. Seems to me like you are still a little ambivalent.
I echo the above poster re: also looking into other professions, especially PA (physician assistant). Though I don’t know what a competitive GPA for that would be. But it has relatively short training, career flexibility, and you can have a good lifestyle if you choose the right type of field.
Best of luck.
