Need a mentor

[aspiring2b]

I am a pre med student. My dream has always been to become a doctor. I have always wanted to be an ob/gyn. Granted right out of high school, I didn't take college very seriously Then I got married, had three kids, went into the restaurant management life for almost 15 years. I still managed to take a class here and there, receiving bad grades due to no time to study. I then gave up on my dream. Now after 15 years, I decided I am not happy with my career choice and want to go after my dream So I start back to my pre req's and kind of starting over. Which sucks. But I know I can do it, if I put my mind to it. I am just stuck with what to major in. I love chemistry and I love biology. Any advice? Thanks to all

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[Avant]

Be realistic: If things go poorly with your early pre-med classes, re-evaluate whether you have a decent shot at getting accepted before you get in deeper.

Hedge your bet, at least at first: Keep your options open. If you are working, consider working part-time until you have a few of the big pre-reqs completed.

Know what you are getting into: Talk to med students, residents, and practicing docs in different areas (not just OB/Gyn). Ask them for the positives and negatives. Shadow folks in a variety of medical roles; perhaps you will find PA or some other option more attractive. Volunteer in a medical setting. Read articles about MDs' appraisals of the field, such as this depressing nugget in the NY Times: link. There's a lot of unhappy MDs out there. Consider what it would mean to you and your family if you are one of them after such a long training process.

Think long-term: This journey from being a non-trad going back to do prereqs to a practicing physician is an incredibly long one. Think about how many years you will be committing to your training, not just the four years (or more) for med school.

Look at the financials: Figure out if your family can handle the loss of your income and cost of pre-med and med school. That's a big stretch of negative cash flow. If you already have a ton of debt, you might be digging too deep a hole.

As for your major, I don't think that's important. I was a Poli Sci/Comp Lit major and had a law degree. That would not have mattered had I not done well enough on my pre-reqs and MCAT.

Good luck! I hope you find the way to your dream.

 

[Blade28]

I am a pre med student. My dream has always been to become a doctor. I have always wanted to be an ob/gyn. Granted right out of high school, I didn't take college very seriously Then I got married, had three kids, went into the restaurant management life for almost 15 years. I still managed to take a class here and there, receiving bad grades due to no time to study. I then gave up on my dream. Now after 15 years, I decided I am not happy with my career choice and want to go after my dream So I start back to my pre req's and kind of starting over. Which sucks. But I know I can do it, if I put my mind to it. I am just stuck with what to major in. I love chemistry and I love biology. Any advice? Thanks to all

I applaud you for taking the plunge to pursue your dream.

Just an FYI in case you weren't aware, though - all of your previous grades (from college 15 years ago) will still count when you apply to med school. So take this into account as you start this new chapter in your life. Your cumulative GPA will have to include these previous classes that you've already taken.

Best of luck!

 

[Mobius1985]

Welcome to SDN. You will find many mentors here, and the answers to any question you have. Reading previous threads will save you having to ask about everything.

What Blade28 said is very important to understand. Considering that you stated you did poorly in previous coursework, I would total up your previous credit hours and calculate a cumulative GPA from all post-high school courses taken, and see how deep a GPA hole you need to dig yourself out of. Then figure out how many hours of straight As it will take to get your GPA up to at least 3.5 (3.6 being the mean of all acceptees to med school). If this looks like too much work to you, there is an out: if you apply to DO schools instead of MD, they will replace any class you retake with the most recent grade. AMCAS (allopathic) schools will not do this. They include every grade ever received in their GPA calculations, even high school courses taken through a local junior college. Let us know what you come up with.

 

[aspiring2b]

Be realistic: If things go poorly with your early pre-med classes, re-evaluate whether you have a decent shot at getting accepted before you get in deeper.

Hedge your bet, at least at first: Keep your options open. If you are working, consider working part-time until you have a few of the big pre-reqs completed.

Know what you are getting into: Talk to med students, residents, and practicing docs in different areas (not just OB/Gyn). Ask them for the positives and negatives. Shadow folks in a variety of medical roles; perhaps you will find PA or some other option more attractive. Volunteer in a medical setting. Read articles about MDs' appraisals of the field, such as this depressing nugget in the NY Times: link. There's a lot of unhappy MDs out there. Consider what it would mean to you and your family if you are one of them after such a long training process.

Think long-term: This journey from being a non-trad going back to do prereqs to a practicing physician is an incredibly long one. Think about how many years you will be committing to your training, not just the four years (or more) for med school.

Look at the financials: Figure out if your family can handle the loss of your income and cost of pre-med and med school. That's a big stretch of negative cash flow. If you already have a ton of debt, you might be digging too deep a hole.

As for your major, I don't think that's important. I was a Poli Sci/Comp Lit major and had a law degree. That would not have mattered had I not done well enough on my pre-reqs and MCAT.

Good luck! I hope you find the way to your dream.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond. I will have to figure out my GPA, since it takes every course ever taken into consideration that helps out alot. When I transfered from the University of SC to Macon College, they didn't take half of my credits. Makes me mad cause I aced chemistry and 2 of my math classes. Go figure they took my low grades, but not my good grade When I figure them all out I will let you know. I am working on some shadowing work for the end of summer, the financials aren't a biggie. Decided to move in with family in order to remove some of the financial burden. I start back to school in August and I don't have to work, but maybe 3 days a week. So I am going to focus on all A's and nothing less! Again thanks

 

[Blade28]

Best of luck! Good to see a fellow Georgian here!