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- Jun 13, 2018
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To start, a question I was wondering is if there are any benefits to being very non-traditional (i.e. career changer). If you were to do your walk again, would you choose to be premed in college?
I partly ask to find the silver lining, but also partly because after some soul searching I think I prefer having a life before pursuing medicine. Ironically, it took me this long (6 years from graduation) to fall on this path because I had prior believed that it was too late or not worth it now. But since I am only as far as enrolling in my first year of postbac, this could just be my deluding myself
The benefits I see, personally are:
1. More/Different goals and opportunities achieved. My understanding is for the most part, during and after MD, people are somewhat all in on that for a long time, since there is such a sacrifice to get there. I, on the other hand, have had the benefit of exploring a totally different career path, with all its upsides and downfalls. I've been able to take extended breaks to travel and learn and do random things. I've been able to practice a completely different skillset, which might add diversity to the field. Both personally and professionally, I feel more well rounded.
2. More perspectives. Because of the above, I also know more about myself and what I'm looking for in a job. With the highs of having more freedom and flexibility, I've also experienced the lows of not being motivated by something I believed in. And I think this context is something I can fall back on when times get hard.
3. Financially. This actually doesn't pertain to everyone, but I'm potentially forsaking a very lucrative career to pursue medicine. But as a result, I've had a good few years of savings, so even though switching to medicine will see my total net worth perpetually lower than if I stayed in my last career, I actually think it will be higher than if I pursued medicine from the start. I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but for those that it does, it's a reminder to count your blessings. On the other hand, it might come out to bite me personally because I no longer qualify for financial aid--whereas after graduation given my humble family background I would've qualified almost universally. But hey, I won't know unless I get to that stage, and we can omit the negatives and focus on the positives!
4. Higher chances. This is all speculation and not something I can say concretely (I'll personally know in a few years), but I feel like I stand out more now as a non-traditional and can better communicate my story. It's more time to be unique and impressive. I feel like I have more confidence in my narrative because I have more life experiences to back it up. I also feel like I have developed more of a skill set which will make me a better doctor. Finally, I think this might pay off in the long run because I might qualify more for merit scholarships? Also, even though tuition is rising, I'm hoping my timing is such that the NYU tuition waiver might spread to more colleges
How about you guys? Do you have any regrets not being a traditional student?
I partly ask to find the silver lining, but also partly because after some soul searching I think I prefer having a life before pursuing medicine. Ironically, it took me this long (6 years from graduation) to fall on this path because I had prior believed that it was too late or not worth it now. But since I am only as far as enrolling in my first year of postbac, this could just be my deluding myself
The benefits I see, personally are:
1. More/Different goals and opportunities achieved. My understanding is for the most part, during and after MD, people are somewhat all in on that for a long time, since there is such a sacrifice to get there. I, on the other hand, have had the benefit of exploring a totally different career path, with all its upsides and downfalls. I've been able to take extended breaks to travel and learn and do random things. I've been able to practice a completely different skillset, which might add diversity to the field. Both personally and professionally, I feel more well rounded.
2. More perspectives. Because of the above, I also know more about myself and what I'm looking for in a job. With the highs of having more freedom and flexibility, I've also experienced the lows of not being motivated by something I believed in. And I think this context is something I can fall back on when times get hard.
3. Financially. This actually doesn't pertain to everyone, but I'm potentially forsaking a very lucrative career to pursue medicine. But as a result, I've had a good few years of savings, so even though switching to medicine will see my total net worth perpetually lower than if I stayed in my last career, I actually think it will be higher than if I pursued medicine from the start. I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but for those that it does, it's a reminder to count your blessings. On the other hand, it might come out to bite me personally because I no longer qualify for financial aid--whereas after graduation given my humble family background I would've qualified almost universally. But hey, I won't know unless I get to that stage, and we can omit the negatives and focus on the positives!
4. Higher chances. This is all speculation and not something I can say concretely (I'll personally know in a few years), but I feel like I stand out more now as a non-traditional and can better communicate my story. It's more time to be unique and impressive. I feel like I have more confidence in my narrative because I have more life experiences to back it up. I also feel like I have developed more of a skill set which will make me a better doctor. Finally, I think this might pay off in the long run because I might qualify more for merit scholarships? Also, even though tuition is rising, I'm hoping my timing is such that the NYU tuition waiver might spread to more colleges
How about you guys? Do you have any regrets not being a traditional student?