Need constructive criticism...

[FaithNoMore]

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Hello all,

I am nearing towards 29 and have a bachelor and master degree, none which are related to medicine. Initially I wanted to go to medical school but after a year I dropped out because I was unfocused and wanted to do something easier. I graduated in 2015 and I work now at a job where I feel undervalued and unappreciated. Ive been thinking for a year now about going back to school and I feel more mentally prepared now. What options do I have at this point if I did want to become a doctor?

Please just give me constructive criticism. I feel horrible as it is that I haven't accomplished much in my life. I want to restart my college career because the degrees I have obtained have not been fulfilling.

 

[heybubbaa]

Were you in medical school for 1 year before dropping out, or were you pre-med for 1 year before switching majors?

 

[FaithNoMore]

Were you in medical school for 1 year before dropping out, or were you pre-med for 1 year before switching majors?

Sorry should have been more clear...I did a year in premed completing chem I and lab, biology II, and some other prequisites. I ended up switching majors my second year when I turned 20 because I was so unfocused at the time and wanted something easier.

I just want to know what I have to do to prepare for MCAT at this point. I realize I would need to take post bac program for 2 years before even thinking of taking it. There's a lot of life changes I want to make and this may be my last opportunity to get help from my dad if I wanted to go back to school.

If not being a doctor, I want to do something meaningful that I'd enjoy and feel positive about doing.

 

[heybubbaa]

Sorry should have been more clear...I did a year in premed completing chem I and lab, biology II, and some other prequisites. I ended up switching majors my second year when I turned 20 because I was so unfocused at the time and wanted something easier.

I just want to know what I have to do to prepare for MCAT at this point. I realize I would need to take post bac program for 2 years before even thinking of taking it. There's a lot of life changes I want to make and this may be my last opportunity to get help from my dad if I wanted to go back to school.

If not being a doctor, I want to do something meaningful that I'd enjoy and feel positive about doing.

If you have a strong GPA, then you could be competitive for some of the career changer post-bacs. Some of these are great programs that may even have linkages to medical schools, and will have a formal program to help you with the MCAT.

If your GPA from college wasn't so great, then don't be afraid to just enroll in a local state university and take your pre-med prereqs. Advice that others have given regarding this plan is to apply as a degree seeking student, even if you don't intend to get another formal degree - that way you will have priority for selecting classes, etc.

One of my friends in my SMP was in your shoes. He ended taking his pre-reqs at a community college (he got ~3.8+ in those courses), then did an SMP. In his early 30's he received a full-ride scholarship to a top US medical school. That is another approach that you could consider.

If you start now, enroll starting next semester, you could have your pre-med pre-reqs and MCAT done and ready to apply to medical school in 2-3 years. Luckily for you, your science GPA is a blank slate basically, so you could end up with a high MCAT, high science GPA, and if you start volunteering now, some stellar EC's. But come back to us in about a year and a half, after you've taken the premed prereqs. Most students spend 4-8 weeks preparing for the MCAT, so you have some time before you start thinking about that.

Good luck!

 

[ppushpak]

^ditto. don't feel pressured to get another degree