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Some background: I'm a 31 year old non-trad. Married. 8yo Daughter. Currently a 2nd year DO student at LECOM-Bradenton. Before med school, I was a musician/teacher (guitar lessons mostly). I managed a music store to pay the bills. Hated retail, decided to follow my dream.
Ancient History: I had tried a few Community College classes right after high school. I was a bit immature (to say the least) and stopped going to many of them (mostly English) without withdrawing. A few times. When I went back to school I had about 20 credits complete and a ~1.5 GPA thanks to all those dropped classes.
Advice #1: Do not drop classes ever. If you already did, there's not much that can be done. I hear a couple of states (Texas?) have a certain period of time after which they will erase your transcript and let you start all over. I would have done this if I could have.
You must report ALL classes ever taken on your Med School Applications (AMCAS or AACOMAS). Then they calculate your GPA based on a their own special formula. For AMCAS (MD) if you retake a class, your grades are averaged. For AACOMAS (DO) your new grade will REPLACE your old grade.
Those of you in situations similar to mine, may want to seriously consider DO school for this reason. I wasn't able to retake many of my classes (many were no longer offered), but my overall AACOMAS GPA was still ~0.3 points higher than my AMCAS one (3.3 to 3.6).
Back to School: So, I quit my job. I was only able to do this because my parents gave me a small-ish loan to pay off my outstanding debts (a couple grand in credit cards, mostly). Once I was debt free, it was much easier to live on student loans. I had to get Private loans at first, because my low GPA meant I didn't qualify for federal aid. Beware: these loans may enter repayment BEFORE you're finished with school. I'm currently making a $130/mo payment on my first private loan as a med student.
I would highly recommend quitting your job if at all possible. You need excellent grades and work is a huge distractor. I couldn't do it. If you can, more power to you, but it'll be hard. You'll have to quit eventually anyways.
Have Support: I have a wife. She's awesome. She supports me emotionally, physically (sorry, but this is important), and financially. I can't imagine how someone could do this without having some support. She takes care of the kid, most of the housework (I help out when I can), and makes money.
If your spouse doesn't work, I'd think about getting them a job before you try to go to med school. My wife did Dental Hygiene (she got a 4 year degree, but most places are 2 year programs) and now makes ~50-60k/yr. Wish I had done that...just kidding.
Regardless, student loans are a pittance. Have a real income if possible. Budget well.
Science Classes: I had not taken ANY science classes during my first failed attempt at college. This means that, as long as I got A's, my science GPA would be VERY high. It was. 3.8. That's really good. Mostly people have a 3.8 overall and a 3.3 science. I was backwards. 3.3 overall. 3.8 science. Go figure.
Community College: Community College classes are fine. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I took a year of Bio and a year of Chemistry at Community College. That being said...LEARN THE MATERIAL WELL. If your teacher sucks, too bad. Same goes for 4-year institutions for that matter. CC's aren't the only place with crappy teachers. I got my A.S. and moved on to 4-year for my B.S.
What you should NOT do, is go to a 4 year, then go take Organic Chemistry at the Community College because the teacher there is easier and gives everyone A's. This *can* look bad. It raises questions. "Why didn't you take this class at your University?" You want your application to stand out, but not like this. Taking classes at CC before you go to a 4-year is fine.
Applying to Med School: It's expensive. Lots of schools = lots of $$$. Budget for this. Travel. Interviews. Food, etc. $$, $$, $$. Stressful. I never want to do this again. Dreading residency apps. Apply EARLY and broadly.
Schools: Consider your family: We are sooo much happier here (small town on the Gulf Coast) than we would have been at, say, EVMS (big city on the Mid-Atlantic East Coast). Here, we can live within 2 miles of school, and not have to worry crime, schools, etc. Also, the PBL curriculum of LECOM-B means that I only have to be at school for about 2 hrs a day. The rest of the day is mine to study (or not) as it fits into my schedule.
I like my DO school. I applied to both. Competitiveness being what it is, I didn't get into my state MD schools, so I came here. I love it. We are far happier here than we would have been at any of my MD choices. I will say to watch out for the high tuition of most DO schools. LECOM is one of the lowest, which didn't hurt my decision. It was actually cheaper than 2/3 of my state schools.
You will learn the same material at DO school as MD. There's very little difference in this day and age. Many of my professors are MD's. We have former distinguished faculty from Wake Forest, Ohio State, EVMS, and many others. There's little to no "voodoo" OMM taught at my school. Pretty much everything I've learned in OMM has been more like physical therapy based techniques (although historically that might be backwards)...far more than just cracking necks, etc. My point is, don't overlook the DO schools. We have great match lists year after year, and the old "DO discrimination" is largely gone.
It's a minor issue, but also consider the health insurance plans offered by the school. My plan covers us 100% of everything. We pay a $250 deductible, and $20 office visit copay. That's it. I just had a catheter ablation of an SVT heart arrhythmia (not dangerous, just annoying). Bill = $35,000. With a 20% copay, that would have hurt. I payed NOTHING. No exclusions for pre-existing conditions either.
Relationships: Make sure yours is solid. If you're not in one, I'd suggest waiting until after med school, unless you're sure that he/she is "the one." I have classmates who have dated, and it's stress and drama that they don't need. If you're in a relationship, make SOME time for the other person. Even if it's just a little...
Anyways. It CAN be done. Even if you're not a super genius or a trust fund child. Normal people can do it. Work hard. Read SDN like your Bible/Koran/book of choice. Work really hard.
Feel free to ask any questions you want.
Ancient History: I had tried a few Community College classes right after high school. I was a bit immature (to say the least) and stopped going to many of them (mostly English) without withdrawing. A few times. When I went back to school I had about 20 credits complete and a ~1.5 GPA thanks to all those dropped classes.
Advice #1: Do not drop classes ever. If you already did, there's not much that can be done. I hear a couple of states (Texas?) have a certain period of time after which they will erase your transcript and let you start all over. I would have done this if I could have.
You must report ALL classes ever taken on your Med School Applications (AMCAS or AACOMAS). Then they calculate your GPA based on a their own special formula. For AMCAS (MD) if you retake a class, your grades are averaged. For AACOMAS (DO) your new grade will REPLACE your old grade.
Those of you in situations similar to mine, may want to seriously consider DO school for this reason. I wasn't able to retake many of my classes (many were no longer offered), but my overall AACOMAS GPA was still ~0.3 points higher than my AMCAS one (3.3 to 3.6).
Back to School: So, I quit my job. I was only able to do this because my parents gave me a small-ish loan to pay off my outstanding debts (a couple grand in credit cards, mostly). Once I was debt free, it was much easier to live on student loans. I had to get Private loans at first, because my low GPA meant I didn't qualify for federal aid. Beware: these loans may enter repayment BEFORE you're finished with school. I'm currently making a $130/mo payment on my first private loan as a med student.
I would highly recommend quitting your job if at all possible. You need excellent grades and work is a huge distractor. I couldn't do it. If you can, more power to you, but it'll be hard. You'll have to quit eventually anyways.
Have Support: I have a wife. She's awesome. She supports me emotionally, physically (sorry, but this is important), and financially. I can't imagine how someone could do this without having some support. She takes care of the kid, most of the housework (I help out when I can), and makes money.
If your spouse doesn't work, I'd think about getting them a job before you try to go to med school. My wife did Dental Hygiene (she got a 4 year degree, but most places are 2 year programs) and now makes ~50-60k/yr. Wish I had done that...just kidding.
Regardless, student loans are a pittance. Have a real income if possible. Budget well.
Science Classes: I had not taken ANY science classes during my first failed attempt at college. This means that, as long as I got A's, my science GPA would be VERY high. It was. 3.8. That's really good. Mostly people have a 3.8 overall and a 3.3 science. I was backwards. 3.3 overall. 3.8 science. Go figure.
Community College: Community College classes are fine. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I took a year of Bio and a year of Chemistry at Community College. That being said...LEARN THE MATERIAL WELL. If your teacher sucks, too bad. Same goes for 4-year institutions for that matter. CC's aren't the only place with crappy teachers. I got my A.S. and moved on to 4-year for my B.S.
What you should NOT do, is go to a 4 year, then go take Organic Chemistry at the Community College because the teacher there is easier and gives everyone A's. This *can* look bad. It raises questions. "Why didn't you take this class at your University?" You want your application to stand out, but not like this. Taking classes at CC before you go to a 4-year is fine.
Applying to Med School: It's expensive. Lots of schools = lots of $$$. Budget for this. Travel. Interviews. Food, etc. $$, $$, $$. Stressful. I never want to do this again. Dreading residency apps. Apply EARLY and broadly.
Schools: Consider your family: We are sooo much happier here (small town on the Gulf Coast) than we would have been at, say, EVMS (big city on the Mid-Atlantic East Coast). Here, we can live within 2 miles of school, and not have to worry crime, schools, etc. Also, the PBL curriculum of LECOM-B means that I only have to be at school for about 2 hrs a day. The rest of the day is mine to study (or not) as it fits into my schedule.
I like my DO school. I applied to both. Competitiveness being what it is, I didn't get into my state MD schools, so I came here. I love it. We are far happier here than we would have been at any of my MD choices. I will say to watch out for the high tuition of most DO schools. LECOM is one of the lowest, which didn't hurt my decision. It was actually cheaper than 2/3 of my state schools.
You will learn the same material at DO school as MD. There's very little difference in this day and age. Many of my professors are MD's. We have former distinguished faculty from Wake Forest, Ohio State, EVMS, and many others. There's little to no "voodoo" OMM taught at my school. Pretty much everything I've learned in OMM has been more like physical therapy based techniques (although historically that might be backwards)...far more than just cracking necks, etc. My point is, don't overlook the DO schools. We have great match lists year after year, and the old "DO discrimination" is largely gone.
It's a minor issue, but also consider the health insurance plans offered by the school. My plan covers us 100% of everything. We pay a $250 deductible, and $20 office visit copay. That's it. I just had a catheter ablation of an SVT heart arrhythmia (not dangerous, just annoying). Bill = $35,000. With a 20% copay, that would have hurt. I payed NOTHING. No exclusions for pre-existing conditions either.
Relationships: Make sure yours is solid. If you're not in one, I'd suggest waiting until after med school, unless you're sure that he/she is "the one." I have classmates who have dated, and it's stress and drama that they don't need. If you're in a relationship, make SOME time for the other person. Even if it's just a little...
Anyways. It CAN be done. Even if you're not a super genius or a trust fund child. Normal people can do it. Work hard. Read SDN like your Bible/Koran/book of choice. Work really hard.
Feel free to ask any questions you want.
