Need help with time-lining & general advice + good vibes - turning 27 ready to pursue the dream

[momamoma]

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Hi all - I am having a bit of trouble figuring out an application timeline... I turn 27 this summer since everyone is mentioning age! I was recently accepted at a post bacc program nearby (East Bay CSU PHAP) which I intend attend for the next year as a means to enhance my application while studying for the MCAT simultaneously. I also have a remote job I intend to keep to help finance me through this 1 year of post bacc. My question is, if I start my post bacc this fall, when should I be aiming for applications? When is the earliest in theory I can begin applying? When should I aim to take the MCAT?

My stats aren't so hot, I have a 2.84 overall GPA with a 3.3 science GPA with a Biology major (unusual as well since I noticed most people have the stats in reverse). My story is... although I was lucky enough to attend undergrad on a scholarship, I had a really tough time adjusting to college my first two years... growing up financially disadvantaged, parents refugees, parents divorced, eldest of my siblings, first to go to college and first-generation etc... In, 2013 upon graduation I buried the idea of med-school as I thought I would never be able to attend considering the family obligations I had on my shoulders at the time. I tried to rationalize that I would be better off not wasting all those years in school anyway and could slowly feel a sense of envy growing towards my friends/connections who were in medical school pursuing the dream.

The dream resurfaced last month when I visited a friend who is currently in his 1st year of medical school and I actually saw many people older than me, in the flesh, also in their first year of med-school! Some were married, some were ex lawyers, ex military... it's as if all those "its never too late" stories I would read late nights searching for inspiration, came to life right in front of my eyes. These people were making it work with a smile. At the end of the day the time will pass anyway right? Might as well use it to follow a passion and be thankful when I look back a few years that I started today. I am both nervous and excited to pursue this dream. A dream I once buried, one I once thought would not be possible for me.

Along with time-lining, what are some important things I should consider in this year of preparation?

Any advice outside the scope of this question is also welcome!

 

[twospadz]

Im 27. In 3 months will be pgy 2 psych resident. Seriously this path is not rosy as they make it look. Your friends might look happy but some are actually depressed. My best advice is to do physician assistant. PAs do alot of the same things doctors do with less time and still good pay

 

[star.buck]

First, I want to address the previous post... which will be one of many you'll face:

I'm 35 this year, and will be starting the clinical years of med school in the fall... and couldn't be more excited. Sure, as @twospadz said, it can be extremely hard at times, depressing, and soul crushing... the first year was one of the most difficult of my life. However, having made it through that phase and even now as I study for the dreaded Step 1 board exam, I am genuinely happy - it's not a front, and it's not a fake smile. I've found peace in the struggle, and joy in knowing that I'm pursuing a life where I'll be able to help those in need who are struggling and vulnerable and ill. There will most assuredly be those that will tell you not to do this, as you can see from the previous post... but you're right, you will be getting older anyway... it's what you do with the time you have right now that matters... and I can't think of a better way than pursuing a dream, spending every day learning, and being surrounded by curiosity and eventually the sweet and bitter balance of life and death.

Second, for your time line... how long is the post bacc program? I believe most are 2 years? You might want to prep to apply in the last year of your past bacc then, or the year after so you can show off your snazzy grades and improved learning abilities. You may also want to consider adding in some volunteering / shadowing work... to show your interest and involvement in the medical field, as well as your humanity and desire to help your fellow humans.

@Goro has a great post on "reinvention"... maybe he'll bounce on here and post it so you can refer to that as well.

Best of luck to you, well done on realizing and pursuing your dreams. I think the non-traditional applicants are the ones with the life experiences that will not only bring them through the strains of medical school, but will also enable them to be phenomenal physicians.

 

[Goro]

Hi all - I am having a bit of trouble figuring out an application timeline... I turn 27 this summer since everyone is mentioning age! I was recently accepted at a post bacc program nearby (East Bay CSU PHAP) which I intend attend for the next year as a means to enhance my application while studying for the MCAT simultaneously. I also have a remote job I intend to keep to help finance me through this 1 year of post bacc. My question is, if I start my post bacc this fall, when should I be aiming for applications? When is the earliest in theory I can begin applying? When should I aim to take the MCAT?

My stats aren't so hot, I have a 2.84 overall GPA with a 3.3 science GPA with a Biology major (unusual as well since I noticed most people have the stats in reverse). My story is... although I was lucky enough to attend undergrad on a scholarship, I had a really tough time adjusting to college my first two years... growing up financially disadvantaged, parents refugees, parents divorced, eldest of my siblings, first to go to college and first-generation etc... In, 2013 upon graduation I buried the idea of med-school as I thought I would never be able to attend considering the family obligations I had on my shoulders at the time. I tried to rationalize that I would be better off not wasting all those years in school anyway and could slowly feel a sense of envy growing towards my friends/connections who were in medical school pursuing the dream.

The dream resurfaced last month when I visited a friend who is currently in his 1st year of medical school and I actually saw many people older than me, in the flesh, also in their first year of med-school! Some were married, some were ex lawyers, ex military... it's as if all those "its never too late" stories I would read late nights searching for inspiration, came to life right in front of my eyes. These people were making it work with a smile. At the end of the day the time will pass anyway right? Might as well use it to follow a passion and be thankful when I look back a few years that I started today. I am both nervous and excited to pursue this dream. A dream I once buried, one I once thought would not be possible for me.

Along with time-lining, what are some important things I should consider in this year of preparation?

Any advice outside the scope of this question is also welcome!

Some of my all time best students were in their 30s and 40s. One if a PGY3 in Southern CA and is ~53.
Read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention
Start shadowing and engaging in patient volunteering.

 

[star.buck]

Some of my all time best students were in their 30s and 40s. One if a PGY3 in Southern CA and is ~53.
Read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention
Start shadowing and engaging in patient volunteering.

daaaaaannnnngggggg you're fast... like Flash... wait, are you FLASH????

 

[StackOfTurtles]

Hi @momamoma -

I'm mostly writing to express solidarity. I'm 30, ending my second year of self-paced post-bacc coursework, and getting ready for my MCAT June 1. I can't tell you how many times over these past 2 years someone has told me, "Go PA, it will be faster," or "why take on all that debt when you can be an NP?" I find these suggestions helpful, in that they have made me really think about why I want to be a physician rather than anything else.

Medicine is a team sport, and PAs, NPs, RNs are all essential team members as we work together to achieve success in patient care. But don't "settle" for one of those other careers -- think about your motivations, your skills, and your needs, and go that way if that's right for you. Bottom line, this is YOUR journey.

I've found the old premeds podcast from med school HQ to be helpful - they talk about things like timelines for completion of coursework, taking the MCAT, and submitting your application. There is some salesmanship for MCAT prep courses you have to slog (or fast forward) through, and of course no advice is one size fits all, but for me it was good to hear different perspectives on problems nontrads face.

 

[DSM_302.0]

Solidarity post here as well. I did a postbac nights and weekends over 5 years cuz I needed to work full time to pay for it and afford to live in the SF Bay Area too. 32 years old and starting an MD program in the fall.

If you wanna be a doc, you're gonna have to do very well in your postbac classes. I mean, full out dedication to getting A's. Your grades will have to be your primary purpose, especially considering your weak grades from undergrad.

And then you'll have to do great on the MCAT, too. That too will take lots of time and dedication. I studied almost every day for 2 months with 0 other obligations.

If you want it, you can definitely do it! I think your story, told humbly and self-reflectively, can be one that will catch the eyes of adcoms when it comes time to applying. Keep thinking about what you've learned from your unique background and how that'll help you contribute something to your patients and to the field of medicine if you become a doc.

As far as timelines: do not rush. Way better to be older with better grades or a higher MCAT than to be a year or two younger but with weaker stats, especially, again, because you're trying to tell a comeback story. I can't stress this enough!

And make sure you get volunteering and patient & physician interaction under your belt. I think it's safe to consider an application incomplete without it.

Good luck to you!

 

[twospadz]

I give it up to you non-trads. I would have not tried to become a doctor if I was far removed from school. To me it wouldn't be worth it. But Im sure all of you have your reasons.