Old Fogie's: Where you from & Where ya going?

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EvoDevo

Forging a Different Path
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Okay!! Let's get this party started.

From: Texas

My story:

So it all started (as all good stories must) on a dark and stormy night many, many moons ago - 1996. I was a freshman in college following a five-year stint in the Marines. I knew that I wanted to be a physician, and in typical gung-ho Marine style I had jumped feet first into pre-med coursework. I did okay my first semester, getting four A's and a B. But there were two big problems: the school's pre-med office and the feeling that I was older, out of step with the young gunners straight out of high school.

My pre-med advisory office told me that medical schools wouldn't take someone with a B on their record. That they didn't like older, non-traditional applicants 😱 , and that I might as well just forget about it. Seriously! They said this! It felt like running into a brick wall....and as for feeling out of place, well, I had a difficult time relating to kids barely old enough to vote.

Anyway, long story short: the next three semesters were relatively bad for various reasons, but I managed to drastically improve by graduation. I scored decently on the MCAT. However, despite this, my applications to various programs produced nothing. Not even interviews. Very depressing. Who likes to fail?

After talking with several Deans of Admission I determined that I'd need to do a lot of postbacc work to get myself into medical school. It was a difficult time, because I really doubted whether I'd ever be able to acheive my dreams. I'd never failed before and this was hard to take.

In any event, I did very well in a post-bacc year. I then decided to face reality: if I never made it into med school, what would I do with myself? I didn't figure that I could just do endless postbacc coursework, and besides: I had taken sooo many undergrad science courses that there just wasn't much left. Which lead to my enrollemnt in a MS program in genetics.

Which has turned out wonderfully. I have really come to love doing research, and more importantly I have learned how to read/absorb/excel with really difficult material. I have learned how to effectively learn large volumes of new, often difficult material. Most of all, though, the experience has given me the confidence that although difficult, medical school is completely possible.

I suppose that this confidence has infused everything I've done in the last few years. I re-took the MCAT this past April. I did well because I believed in myself. I'm due to have two first-author publications in good journals, and I even managed to get accepted off a waitlist for Fall 2005 🙂eek: crazy story!). 🙂

Acceptance in hand, I'm looking to see if any TX or AMCAS schools are going to show me love. It's been a long, hard journey but here I am. It still hasn't really occurred to me that I've already acheived one of my major life goals......yet every so often I look at the doctors around me and think: "Yep, that'll be me in a few short years." 😉
 
Amy B said:
Great story, EvoDevo. An inspiration to us all and those to follow us. 👍


EvoDevo's story is very inspiring. I imagine lots of us fogies (I love calling myself a fogie at 29) have inspiring stories. I didn't realize that mine would be inspiring to anyone until it all happened and i've had lots of friends tell me how much respect and admiration they had for me because of what I've done. I've even had several of them tell me that they were rethinking their lives and what they would like to do because they see that it can be done.

Brief, brief version of my story:
I graduated from Virginia Tech in 1998 with a degree in computer engineering. By 2002 I was done with the engineering world and was ready to go be a doctor, which is something I've really always wanted to do. However, with tremendous financial obligations (house, cars, credit cards, other 'golden handcuffs') it was nearly impossible to quit my job and take the time to get my pre-reqs in for med school, plus volunteer, research, etc.
Somehow a blessing in disguise came my way and I was laid off from my job in October of '02. After a few days of getting over the initial shock I began to wonder if this could be an opportunity for me. As it turned out, based on the decent severance package, the timing of a few other financial things, and the lining up of the schedule at my local university, I had a window of opportunity to get my pre-reqs in and try to apply (basically from January to August of '03). I took classes straight through summer school. One week after the end of summer classes i took the August MCAT and did well enough to be competitive. I started the application process and began to go job hunting now that my financial window was nearly closed. I managed to find a job reasonably quickly. After that it was simply work and apply to schools and try to position myself and family in a financial position to be able to go to med school should i get accepted. In late march I got my acceptance call from UNC and got a reasonable offer on my house, which was my last financial hurdle.
The next chapter starts in about three weeks when classes start.
So, stay tuned...
 
Hi Hokie,

Great story as well. Who would think getting laid off would lead to med school. Divine intervention?

Ok, here's the short version of how I ended up here.

My husband and I got married in 1984 the year I graduated from high school. We will be married 20 years this October. I was a freelance photographer who worked for a number of zoos and who has had her photos put onto greetings cards and calendars. I traveled a lot which was a great way to work and give the kids mini vacations. My husband and I got married in 1984 the year I graduated from high school.

In 1992, I went to school to become a surgical tech, but hated it so I continued with my photography. I was happy and content living the life I enjoyed with my kids and hubby.

However, a huge turning point in my life hit me like a brick wall. My very dear friend and next door neighbor, mother of 3 small boys, was diagnoised with Ovarian Cancer. We were all devestated. She struggled and went into remission and then 6 months later she died. It was awful (it is an awful way to die, nothing like TV where you get cancer and then peacefully die. It is brutal and painful and horrible) and it affected me deeply. It made me angry and I felt the overwhelming need to go to school and become a doctor so I could help patient's and their families get through illnesses like this.

I started undergrad in 1998 and graduated in 2002. I will start medical school on August 23rd at VCOM (Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine) in Blacksburg, VA

It has been a huge struggle to get where I am today. Lots of ups and downs. But I made it and as my signature says..... "NEVER GIVE UP!
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, BUT in rising every time we fall." I fell so many times and at times I thought I would never get up, but I some how found the strengh to rise and try again. That is what we all must to do in order to achieve our goals.

And that is briefly what lead me here.
 
I went to college wanting to be a marine biologist. I'd read of all Jacques Cousteau's books and thought that sounded great. I saved up money from summer jobs and paid for scuba diving lessons. I went to OK State U and started on a biology degree. Well, my gf went to OU. I drove down to visit her every weekend. Her dad was having some heart problems severe enough that they listed him for a heart transplant. I was hanging out with her one night until about midnight. I went to my mom's house and was catching five hours sleep before I had to go back to OSU the next morning. About 3am my phone rang and it was my gf saying they were headed to the hospital for the transplant surgery.

That experience led me to ditch the marine biology plan and pursue medicine. I moved to OU to be with my gf and we got married between my sophomore and Jr. year. I did enough research to know what classes I needed to take and when I needed to take the MCAT, but not enough to know I needed to be nearly a 4.0 student or prep for the MCAT. That sounds really stupid now, so I have a hard time thinking how I'll explain it to adcoms, but it's the truth. I didn't know I needed an incredibly high gpa, so I didn't work for one, I spent more of my time on recreation.

Well, I did well on the MCAT. I taught for TPR for awhile, did some very lazy prep, and did well on the MCAT again. I cut off my long hair and talked to AF ROTC to see if they offered any scholarships to med school. That's how I got involved with them. I applied to USUHS and didn't get in. I applied for a pilot slot and did get it. So I had to decide between a cool job in the hand and a reapplication in the bush. So I went to flight school.

Now, 7 years later, I realize I should have stuck with the job I picked because it was my dream and not one that seemed cool at the time. My wife had heart problems similar to her father's and received a heart transplant while I was in pilot training. That graft failed over the next few years and she had to have a second transplant surgery. She's since done very well, but I've definitely had exposure to the medical field from a patient's perspective. I retook the MCAT this April with hardcore studying and prep, improving my score. I tried to get permission from the AF to apply to med school, but they've denied me this year based on their pilot needs. Next year should be better. So now I'm just hanging around, doing my job, and trying to strengthen my app so when I get the chance to strike I'm prepared.

Long, disjointed, but that's where I come from. I hope to enter USUHS in 2006. I'm very military oriented and USUHS offers benefits which will make the career change possible.
 
EvoDevo story is similar to mine. Well, just the military part. 😉 Wrong branch though. 🙄

My story:
inspirational? maybe 😉

I graduated at the bottom 25% of my class in high school. I never ever studied, and after high school I didn't want to go to college or have a dead end job so I joined the Army at the age of 17. The Army was great, and I got to spend my entire enlistment in Germany. Good times. :meanie: Since there was no drinking age I partied really hard, and got it out of my system.

When I came home I turned 21, and decided to go to college just to get a degree. I had always done well in math, and I loved science so I chose to physics. I spent one year at a community college, and transfered to UH while the GI bill picked up a huge chunk of the tab.

I did very well in college, but I soon realized that I did not want an academic career. I looked into medical and health safety physics. Started volunteering at a hospital so I could see what these physicists did. Well, although they did some interesting work, what really impressed me was what the physicians did. Yadda, Yadda, Yadda, I added pre-med to my degree, applied 2yrs later, and here I am.

I picked up a wife about two years after I got out of the military. No kids yet. 👍 BTW, joining the military in TX before going to med school has turned out to be the best thing. The Hazelwood act pays for all tuition and fees after you have used up the GI bill. I'm raking in the tax dollars. :meanie: Alltogether, my loans for undergrad and med school combined will be less than 80K.
 
I was a musician/music teacher for many years and a homeschooling mom. Was always interested in medicine, but since I was good in music, I figured that was what I was supposed to do. One problem. Most of the time I was bored to tears with music. Decided to go for medical school about 5 years ago, even though the thought of it fascinated me and scared the living daylights out of me at the same time. Then I realized that was a pretty cool feeling, and I've been enjoying myself ever since.
I have a great husband and terrific kids who are really supportive. I'm 40 but I figure I'll have a decently long career, and after only one month of year 3 rotations, it's already been worth all the work it took to get me here. I'm loving it.
 
DSM's story

Once upon a time there was this teenage girl who wanted to become a Doctor. But the times being what they were, she was discouraged and became afraid of failing. So she opted for another career, Horticulture. She opened her own florist and that lasted for 5 years but her heart kept looking toward medicine. Well, she grabbed the undergrad books and perused the fields and determined that she could not afford to go back to school full time so she opted for EMT school which sucked her right into Paramedic school.

Well, one marriage down, she packed her kiddies and moved a little further south and set up camp and worked, and worked, and worked. She became a flight paramedic and LOVED it. Well, some fella talked her into marrying him so she did the deed.....

At that time she cast her eyes toward med school and said why not? she promised herself that when her daughter became old enough to drive that she would go back to school and get her pre req's and go for the Gold. One day it hit her after a particularly bad day at work that her daughter was now driving and her promise still stood.

So she signed herself up and began school and after many adjustments in returning to the academic life...she is pressing forward to her goal.

She recently sent off her Amcas app and her hopefully first secondary.....


Alas.....hopefully, this fairy tale will have a happy ending!
 
Deepy, you are THE BEST. 🙂 🙂 😍

Of everyone applying this year, I'm rooting for YOU the most. :luck:
 
EvoDevo said:
Deepy, you are THE BEST. 🙂 🙂 😍

Of everyone applying this year, I'm rooting for YOU the most. :luck:

You better be glad I am married Frog....... 😍 😍 😍

Thank you so much Evo...I truly appreciate that! 😍 😍 👍
 
Thank you for sharing your stories and good luck everyone 😍
 
DSM said:
You better be glad I am married Frog....... 😍 😍 😍

Thank you so much Evo...I truly appreciate that! 😍 😍 👍
🙂 Goooooo Deeepy!!!!!
 
...there was a young girl who possessed incredible talent. She was told that she was smart and that this would take her far in life. Unfortunately, she never had to work very hard for good grades, so she never learned study habits or learned what hard work was all about.

One day, this young girl without direction found herself seventeen years old and a mother of a newborn son, who was much smaller and weaker than herself, yet so much bigger than anything that she felt the need to be a different person, although she didn't know how, exactly. So she promised two things: that she would get an education and that she would do better and be better. So she worked two jobs while shuffling her son to daycare. She took community college courses here and there and began to accumulate credit hours and a decent GPA.She felt was working toward her goal.

Then, she met a man. They found themselves expecting what would be her second child. Scared to death of being a single mother of two, she accepted his proposal of marriage. After years of being identified only as a wife and a mother, she yearned for an identity of her own. She began to attend classes again. Meanwhile, this loveles marriage of convenience fell apart, and the divorce was imminent. Falling into a depression, the now young woman threw herself into work, climbing a corporate ladder in small steps. She dreamed of running her own business and decided to major in business, until...

She had to take her first pre-req science with lab. The meticulous protocols, the hands-on work, the solitude appealed to her. After a few more sciences, she changed her major to biology. A perceptive professor saw something in her, some spark that impelled her to tell the girl that she should consider med school or research. The young woman thought this was quite a compliment, but was certain she was to old, too far removed from the process.

After a second marriage which resulted in a third child, the woman has decided to go it alone. Her husband was neither understanding nor supportive of her goals or dreams. She felt he was standing in her way, that they had grown apart, that her sole focus would now be school, her three kids, and volunteer work. You see, through everything this girl has been through, she remembers those who offered a kind word of encouragement. She remembers that without public aid, her kids may have not eaten enough, that she would have never been able to attend school. Her civic duty to the community that embraced her, flaws and all, would someday receive the fruits of her labor as her love affair with humanity manifested itself in the service of those in need.

So now she faces the MCAT(again), applications, and her senior year of undergrad with head held high, with the confidence of a woman who has embraced her past to mold her future, who has trekked an arduous journey to arrive here, at this crossroads in her life. Andshe can't wait to see what's next... 😍
 
You guys are awesome! 🙂

Way to push forward and keep forcused, UNT. Those are not easy accomplishments! 😀 👍
 
Yeah, if you can raise kids, med school should be no problem! :luck:
 
Wow, UNTlabrat!!! What a GREAT attitude through everything!!! 👍
Best of luck this year!!
 
Wow..if 29 makes you a fogie...LOL I'll be a fogie forever! I'm celebrating the 3rd anniversary of my 29th b-day this year!

Let's see..where to start? I graduated from college in 1994--B.S. in bio & chemistry and with plans of going to med school. Because I changed my mind a bazillion times, I ended up with a year off. I applied and got accepted at the University of Kentucky for the fall of 1995. Totally freaked out and decided not to go. Ended up going to graduate school instead. Got an M.A. in biology. Got married 10 days later.

I have been teaching biology, microbiology, and some basic math at a community college for close to 5 years. At one point, I decided to go for a compromise--find a better paying job to help out my family and yet something that sounded interesting. So I went to law school part time. In the middle of a summer class during my first year, we got a call to go pick up the girl we were adopting. The school gave me the choice of staying in school or getting my daughter, basically.

Fast forward...I'm in Vietnam, travelling with a woman who is a pediatrician, native of VN, and adopting a little boy. She was absolutely wonderful and just her friendship really gave me the courage to start thinking about medicine again. My goodness, she asked *my* advice on what to feed her child! It was just a persistent thought, but not one that I gave a lot of weight to. We had so much to deal with from our daughter (8 years old at adoption & with her share of attachment problems).

When my daughter came home from school one day and went straight to her room, my whole mindset changed radically. We were using a picture dictionary to try to understand where she hurt (upper & lower right quadrants of abdomen) when I realized that she was burning up. Took her temp and it was over 104. So we rushed to the ER. She spoke very little English and was scared, of course. I had to force her to take Tylenol for her fever. Had the nurse squirt it in her mouth and I held her nose & mouth closed. Three of us held her down while they took blood. She screamed and fought through the whole thing.

After all that, they send over some contrast solution for to drink. I sat on the bed behind her, holding her in a headlock while my mother-in-law put the solution in her mouth. Then I would force her to swallow. Every breath she took was punctuated with "NO MORE! NO MORE!" They finally decided that the IV was the better way to go. Thank god, they left a heparin lock in when they took blood!

While I was sitting there with my little girl in a headlock, it occurred to me that all these years the only thing holding me back was my own fear. But if I could set aside my emotional attachment to my own child and do what had to be done for her, there was no reason why I couldn't do that for any patient. (I still have a hard time with restraining the baby for shots and blood tests, but I deal with it).

So that's it in a nutshell. I had an epiphany--took the MCAT, applied, and got accepted to 2 schools--unfortunately, neither of them were my state school. So in a few weeks, I am starting at OU-COM without the benefit of having my family nearby. Hopefully, my husband will find a job soon and they'll be able to move to Ohio. If not, I am going to have to figure out how to be a med student and a "mom in absentia." But in the long run, we'll all be better off---right?

Willow
 
Right!

Willow, what a touching story! Being an adopted child myself, I admire you tremendously for taking on the challenge of adopting a child! 😍

Good luck!
 
Willow...
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WillowRose said:
So in a few weeks, I am starting at OU-COM without the benefit of having my family nearby. Hopefully, my husband will find a job soon and they'll be able to move to Ohio. If not, I am going to have to figure out how to be a med student and a "mom in absentia." But in the long run, we'll all be better off---right?

Willow


Been there, done that.

The first year of medical school, I lived on the opposite side of the state from my husband and 2 daughters (then 5 and 3). I would go to class during the week then as soon as class was over Friday, drive 5 hours home to spend the weekends with my family. It was rough (!), but in alot of ways it strengthened our marraige and the girls' relationship with their father. I did not spend as much time studying as many of my classmates, and did not honor everything, but I chose to prioritize my girls ahead of grades. I still got into my first choice residency, so I guess it DID work out.

I will spare you all the gory details of the trials and tribulations (and joys!) of being mom-in-absentia, as well as having no family close later, but you can PM me if you want to comisserate.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!
 
jlw2004 said:
Been there, done that.

The first year of medical school, I lived on the opposite side of the state from my husband and 2 daughters (then 5 and 3). I would go to class during the week then as soon as class was over Friday, drive 5 hours home to spend the weekends with my family. It was rough (!), but in alot of ways it strengthened our marraige and the girls' relationship with their father. I did not spend as much time studying as many of my classmates, and did not honor everything, but I chose to prioritize my girls ahead of grades. I still got into my first choice residency, so I guess it DID work out.

I will spare you all the gory details of the trials and tribulations (and joys!) of being mom-in-absentia, as well as having no family close later, but you can PM me if you want to comisserate.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!



I would be Dad living aprt from my family. My wife does NOT want to move with 2 kids (at med school time they will be 5 and 1 1/2) from our hometown where there is family. I cannot blame her though. How does a couple make a marriage work and how do you be a parent? I think we are a strong family, but it sounds very very challenging. Hmmmmm.
 
I am also facing this issue. My husband hasn't found a job here that pays anything close to what he has been getting. So I and the kids have moved into our new house and he is still stuck in Northern VA in a residence inn 5 days a week. He is miserable and quite frankly so are we. It's sad, but the weekend visits seem to be harder than the time apart during the week. It seems strained to get in missed time away when you are together.

This is an issue we non-trads have to deal with and youger folks don't. They can just pack their stuff and move without worrying about spouse's jobs, schools, etc.......

How do we deal with it??????? I think there is no easy answer to that question. One day at a time, I guess. Gosh it is hard being a grown-up sometimes. And it makes med school acceptances a double edged sword. On one hand we are over joyed and then on the other hand we are crushed.
 
Well, one thing that I learned during law school was to utilize as much of my commute as possible. I typically don't learn well from audiotapes, but it's more productive sometimes than spending 5 hours singing Led Zeppelin at the top of your lungs! I found some great review tapes for my law classes and used those closer to finals time. I aced Torts, so it must've worked. And now, I'm in a better position as a future doctor to understand things like malpractice & tort reform! LOL (And I inspired my younger sister to go to law school even with a brand new baby, so I think it was time well spent).

Oh and INT & Amy, thanks for the smilies! I don't think I've ever shared my background and "Why I decided to be a dr" story on this forum before. I've never even told my husband about that moment when it all "clicked" for me. LOL I remember sitting on that table thinking, "If I can do this...I can do *anything.*"

I tell ya what...I knew raising children would be a challenge. I knew that my daughter would have "issues" as an older adoptee. But I don't see how people do it sometimes! She's never been able to grieve for her birthmother, I'm sure. And now, I'm getting ready to leave. She didn't even realize that I was moving until just a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, all the trips to Athens and the talk of "where Mommy would live" just didn't sink in. I ache at the thought of leaving my son. I feel guilty beyond belief about leaving my daughter. My son & I have a *very* secure attachment. I don't really worry about him. My daughter---wow, she's at a point where she could grow up into a wonderful person or she could become a sociopath. (I'm not exaggerating. She has practically no attachment to us at all, especially me).

Sorry for the pity party...I think I'm PMS'ing! I'm so glad this forum is here, though. It helps a lot just to know that there are other people out there who are dealing with the same things and still choosing to pursue medicine. I feel less "selfish" about the choice we made.
 
Howdy all!

I went to college and majored in biology because it was like breathing. I met my husband at Tri-Beta and he got his PhD while I was his "Sugar Mama." 😉 I ended up becoming a cytogenetic technologist for several years; it was fun and I felt like I was doing good, but I wasn't really passionate about it. My son came along after a few years and I began to feel the pull to stay at home for a while.

My husband graduated and got hired to teach biology at a small state school in MO. We moved there and I stayed at home with my son for 6 months before I went crazy and got very depressed. I got the only job I could find that seemed halfway interesting and used my degrees...as a research coordinator at an osteopathic medical school. It was okay, but I didn't like being everyone's Girl Friday.

I was seven months pregnant with our second child when I had a conversation with a wonderful doc who inspired me to think- just for a second- about becoming a DO. Then, reality kicked in and I told myself that no way was I going to do that with my family situation. Two kids? Yeah, right.

About a year later, the wonderful doc who had inspired that dreamy second was tragically killed. In the grieving process, I talked with my coworkers and friends and that old conversation just kept popping into my head. My family and friends encouraged me to go for it. I decided only to apply where I worked...even if it took years to get in. I studied for the MCAT (Kaplan Comprehensive Guide) at night after my kids were asleep. I think my husband knew then how much this meant to me.

And voila! Here I am, about to start as an MSI in 3 weeks! Aiee! 😉 People either tell me I'm crazy or that they think I'm brave. I'm not brave, just finally passionate about a calling (other than my family, that is!).
 
Ok i wrote this really really long post but it got erased the other day ... something happened. Oh well I now have time and I don'twant to write a book again.


I'm 25, currently finishing up my MBA this year, then going for pre-reqs. Hopefully entering med school when I'm 28. My gpa for undergrad stunk, really bad. Hard times for me, personal growth, blah blah blah. Now in MBA program hoping to prove myself by graduating with high honors then acing post-bacc.

I will write more later maybe ... but you are all an inspiration to me. I am a single, unattached woman and I don't know how I'd do it with a family. 😍 to all the non-trads out there!
 
I am a single, unattached woman

I'm kinda looking forward to being one for 5 days a week too!! 🙂
 
I think I've told my story on SDN many moons ago, but here we go again.

I first applied to med school back in 1994. I was a senior at UCSD, and had just switched from Biophys to Biochem so was trying to condense three years of chem into two years so I would get out in four. Anyhoos, I applied to 25 schools, and got no interviews at all.

So, I opted for a continuing Masters program in Chem. I retook the MCAT, improving by 6 points, and applied to 30 schools. Still no dice.

So, I took a year off, and did some volunteer stuff, took some more classes, and applied again to 30 schools. Nothing.

At this point, I was dejected. I decided when I was ten years old that I wanted to be a physician. I was diagnosed with DM1 at 8, and was absolutely fascinated with medicine. So, the only route I knew to take was towards research, hoping I could contribute in some way. So I enrolled in a Ph.D. program at USC.

So I spent the next five years working on identifying a gene involved in melanoma and ovarian cancer. As I approached the end, I was thinking about either a postdoc or going into industry. I then reconsidered applying for med school. I decided that since it was what I always saw myself doing, I'd apply once more. I had to retake the MCAT, and somehow even bumped up two more points though I hadn't seen most of those kinds of problems in years.

I applied to 25 schools (in the year the AMCAS app went pretty much public beta). I got a call from UVM almost right off the bat for an interview. I went out to VT, and got the letter for acceptance on Dec 12, 2001. I was in disbelief. I had some other interviews, yet no one else bit. So I enrolled here at UVM part of the class of 2006.

I recently applied for a third year transfer to USC since I'm getting married in November to my fianc?e, who cannot move out here. They rejected me two days ago. So, just another obstacle to add to the road towards my goal. It's definitely been a long one.
 
Hey everyone. Glad to see so many inspiring stories for the nontrads! 😀 you guys are awesome. I'll give you my story in as brief a form as I can.

Graduated college in '91, BA in Anthropology. Married my husband 6 weeks later. Got a job because I needed to and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was a case worker. That sorta dovetailed into education, which I did until my first child was born. Her open heart surgery and recovery awoke the desire to be a physician. When she was a year old I started prereq's fulltime. Did a summer research project but got derailed by the birth of my twins. Got back on track and then got moved by my husband's job.

All in all, it took me 9 years from the first prereq course to my orientation at Baylor this week. 😀
 
TR, "Supermom" is right on!

Baylor--that's impressive! I'm glad to see there's a "mom population" at one of the best schools in the country!
 
kutastha said:
I recently applied for a third year transfer to USC since I'm getting married in November to my fianc?e, who cannot move out here. They rejected me two days ago. So, just another obstacle to add to the road towards my goal. It's definitely been a long one.

You've come a long way, baby. :luck:
 
My story is similar in many ways to all of your but with a slight twist.....
I graduated from high school in 1987 at 17 and I was one of those kids who just went to school (usually hung over) and listened to lectures and took and did well on tests. I graduated in the top half of my class having never learned to study or work hard. I fought my parents about going to college ..... I had every excuse in the book ....I didn't know what I wanted to do, I didn't want to go to our local university but applied no where else, but what it came down to is I didn't want to go because they wanted me to. So I took job working in the parts department of our local Ford garage and enjoyed it for quite awhile and eventually made it to Manager. By the time I had made it into the managers position 8 years after starting I had married at 20 and had my first child at 22. Now I was pregnant with my second child and having increased health problems some due to the working conditions and some pre-exsisting. When I was preparing to leave on maternity leave I trained a man who I had worked with for 5 years to handle the job while I was gone. After being off 2 weeks I got a call from my boss saying I had to come back right away because the needed me back then when I stated I was off work for 8 weeks according to my doctor I was informed that my replacment was going to be given my job because my husband had a job and I didn't really need to money anyway. Well this was the straw that broke the camels back. Yes I could have sued and made a big scene but it wasn't worth it. So I took some time and found a doctor who could help me with my TMJ problem and while I was getting it fixed at the Mayo clinic one of the residents suggested I try medical school. I had surgrey in July and started my undergrad work in Aug of 99. I went back to school full time after 12 years of being out of school. I had to learn to study and work hard in a real quick manner! As I prepared for the MCAT I waas hospitalized for a septic infection and was released only a few days before the test. I went and took the MCAT in a morphine haze and while I didn't do great I did okay. I applied to 20 schools and received 19 secondaries I got 5 interviews 4 waitlist spots and 1 acceptance so far. I am the same position as Willow now I have to go to med school away from my family but we will surrive until clinical years when they will move to where ever I have to go. I will come home as often as possible and they will visit as often as possible but for them to move now when my family is around to help out is silly. Plus my husband can find comparable pay. I figure I have my biology degree to fall back on but I don't plan on ever looking back! I am hoping for a career in emergency medicine and I know if I work hard and put my mind to it I will succeed.
 
Great stories guys. Very inspiring. Mine sucks. Decided to give it a try out of engineering and was accepted a yr later almost to the day. Not a whole lot of time to really think it through. Start this Thursday. Reading the OP's story ( and the fact he is a Longhorn) reminds me of my first call to UT Austin's premed advisor. She sucked and filled me with much of the BS EvoDevo probably got. Had I listened to her, I wouldn't be starting for another two yrs.
 
I grew up in Alaska. After I graduated from high school, I entered the Air Force for four years. During my tour of duty I lived in Southern California. When I separated from the Air Force, I was offered the opportunity to live in Argentina for two years to participate in a welfare program affiliated with my church.

When I returned to the United States, I moved from Alaska to Washington, DC (Northern Virginia suburbs) to date a girl named Jennifer for a few months. After a few months, Jennifer and I were married. At this time, I was offered a position to be a political aide to Senator Frank H. Murkowski on Capitol Hill. I did this for several years. I have always dreamed of becoming a physician, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.

I then began my undergraduate work at the University of Virginia. I graduated from UVa with a degree in Spanish language and linguistics. The University of Virginia was my stomping grounds for my pre-med work. It was during this time that my wife and I adopted our first child Madeleine. We took her home from the hospital when she was born. Next it was on to Western University in Los Angeles for med school. We spent my basic science years in LA, and my clinical years in Las Vegas. While we were in Las Vegas, we adopted our second child George whom we also took home from the hospital when he was born. I have since graduated medical school and began my anesthesia residency at the University of Mississippi University Medical Center in Jackson, MS. We are alive and well in our new home and excited to be in the same place for four years. We hope to return to Virginia someday to practice interventional pain management.
 
Definately not the inspirational stories of others but here is mine!

Lets see.. once upon a time there was a little girl who loved to tell her daddy what to do. so naturally she was going to be an orthopaedic surgeon, take over his practice and boss him around. Then she grew up some. got involved in theatre. When my grandmother died a slow and painful death from glioblastoma (unlike dr. green on ER) adn then my grandpa died of ARDS six months later, I new there was absolutely NO WAY I was becomning a doc.

So, I went to college and did well, graduating with a degree in filmin 1992. I worked in the 'industry' for several years. I had a major mid life crisis realizing I HATED working in the industry adn had no idea what to do with my life. I took six months, working in a bar, trying to figure it all out. I decided to try medicine. I took some classes which I liked and started volunteering at a pediatric hospital. As I was contemplating taking the MCAT, my baby brother was burned badly in a fire. It was the clincher. I new I wanted to go into medicine.l I took the mcat, did well adn applied to five medical schools in texas. Interviewed at the all and got my first choice.

Loved medical school and I love residency. (how I picked EM is a LOOOONG story as well).

that's it!
 
You all have such inspiring stories, and I give you more kudos for wanting to become a Drs- that's a long arduous process.
I'm becoming a pharmacist, I can't handle the sight of blood- I didn't realize that until I worked for 1 month as a medical assistant when I was 19 years old. I worked for an ENT Dr and he was taking the packing out of a patient's nose, as I stood in the room I really thought my knees were going to give out. I've heard people talking about their knees buckling up and thought it was just a saying, until my knees did - I almost passed out! At the time, I was planning to be a nurse- well that experience told me I needed to do something else. I have my B.S. in Business Management, with a minor in Int'l Business.
16 years later I started working for a pharmaceutical company, I love the company and all the perks, but I'm fed up with the business world and how ungratified I feel about my job. I looked into pharmacy about a year ago (I work with pharmacists) and I thought I was too old and it would take too long to become a pharmacist. At the same time, my Father was very ill and at the final stages of his life, and about 6 months before he passed away, I noticed he took an inordinate amount of medication that his Dr prescribed for him (which we later found out he was over-medicated and switched Drs). I felt completely helpless, I was looking at all these meds and didn't understand what they were or why he needed them, etc??. I wished I knew what all these meds were because maybe I could have helped out somehow?that was the spring board for me into this field. Although I have a couple of years to go before I can apply to pharmacy school, I go through periods where I say: "Why am I doing this? I'm too old, I should be out there enjoying my life, etc.." But I'm glad this board exists and I appreciate knowing that I?m not alone.
 
Another ol' fogey here... 🙂 My story..

During my first go at college (after high school..graduated in 1988), I planned to become a doctor and took most of my prereqs. However, by the time I was a junior, I felt I just didn't have it in me (or that I enjoyed partying more than school!!) and switched majors to Sociology. Graduated with a whopping 2.5 GPA...ick! So, with my new degree, I started work in high tech. Over the next 10 years, I moved my way up the corporate ladder, but something was missing. I really hated what I did.

So, I enrolled in another degree program while working full-time thinking I would get another BA, this time in psychology in order to raise my GPA in preparation for graduate school. About half way into working on that degree, I found myself researching graduate programs and would always end up clicking on the medical school sites thinking to myself how fascinating it would be to be a doctor. Finally, it dawned on me that I'd never given up this dream!! I graduated with the 2nd BA Magna Cum Laude last August. I then started making plans to return to school full-time to re-do my prereqs (since they are 12+ years old!). I started an informal post-bac this January full-time (living off loans and stock options) and plan to take the MCATs in April and apply for entering class Fall 2007.

So, I'm on my way and enjoying every minute! 🙂 I now work part time as a social worker and attend school full-time. What a difference in my life from 1 year ago.

Roselee
 
These are some amazing, amazing stories. While I admired most of you before, I now have the utmost resepct for all of you. I wish you all the best of luck and will share my story should it become relevant (i.e., if I decide to try to get an MD when I'm done with my PhD).
 
All the stories are great and everyone has their own unique way of looking at things.

In 1992 I started college super gung-ho about going to medical school. My freshman schedule was of course bio101, chem101, math, english, etc.

Being in the top of my bio classes in high school I received the biggest punch in the chest the day I receieved my report card and it read "F" for Bio101 and "D" for chemistry. I have never received anything lower than a C in anything let alone in science.

That winter break I decided that I was going to try to do other things. I was having problems with my room-mate and I never really had any good self esteem. I was trudging through classes trying to convince myself that since I did not like school, there was no way I would survive medical school.

I decided to major in landscape architecture and had a good time. When I applied to the program, I did not get in and my advisor basically told me to think about something else. I went back to my apartment where I started to pack and was trying to find a way to tell my folks that I was dropping out of school. My room-mate, who is also my best friend, tried to convince me to think about what I really wanted to do. I have been an EMT since I was 17 so I went to the station and took some calls. It was then that I realized that I really did want to be a doctor.

I set up a meeting with the pre-med dean of my school and he told me what I needed to do. The first thing was to change my graduation year from 1996 to 1997. I then dropped every single class and registered for my freshman classes over again. After that, I never had a single summer off. I was able to replace my Fs and Ds with Bs and majored in Microbiology. Unfortunately, the damage to my GPA was already done and I left college with a 2.59. I tool the MCATs twice and scored a 7PS, 8BS, 9VR, P and then a 6VR, 6PS, 8BS, S. Well, to me that was the end of the story.

I began working after college and tried to get the fact that I will never become a doctor out of my head for good and forget that one dream. I got married and had my first daughter after landing a dream job in cancer research. However, in my mind I was still disappointed that I had failed in what I was trying so hard to achieve. It got to the point where my wife would turn on Trauma on TLC and I would walk out of the room. It was even hard to watch ER.

One of the benefits that my job gives is 100% tuition re-imbursement. I thought, "hey. Let me get a Master's degree. Work will pay for it and I will be able to get more money". That is when everything changed. I discovered why I did so poorly in undergrad, I did not know how I needed to stud. I tried a different approach.

I bought a tape of a Thunder Storm and listened to it as I studied on my commute to work. I retained so much more than I ever did. That is when the grades started rolling in. A, B, A, A, B. My current GPA is a 3.67. At the same time I am working full time and I am raising a family. I spoke with several deans of admissions who told me that while my UG was bad, it was more and more ancient history. The dean of my #1 choice told me that he is sure that I can do the work once I get into medical school but the hard part will be convincing admissions of this. He told me to call him after I take the MCATs this April.

I am 2 semesters away from getting my Master's degree, I have been preparing for the April 2005 exam since January 2004. I am really ramping up the sudy now with the much better Audio Osmosis and taking Kaplan in November. The funny part is, I decided to take the practive test on the MCAT website off the cuff. I have not seen most of the stuff on there since graduation in 1997. I was expecting to have to work VERY hard. But to my surprise, I received a 6PS and a 7BS (note: the bio part of this was through the roof, the orgo needs much work).

The dream is not over. It has just begun. My theme song is "break my stride" by Mathew Wilder "Ain't nothing gonna break my stride".

Good luck to all of us.
 
Great attitude!!!

Heh. I think ADD is more common (and more commonly mis-diagnosed in those who don't have it) than a lot of people realize.

Welcome aboard, EMT2ER-DOC!

(I have that song stuck in my head. Thanks.)
 
WillowRose,

Awesome story. I also go to OUCOM, and like yourself I was forced into geographical separation from my wife for the entire first year of med school. She was still active duty in the Navy stationed in Florida. Having not been accepted to any FL schools I applied to, I really had to choice but to leave. Anyway, it was difficult, but we made it...and I dare say we're a stronger couple for it.

Good luck in Athens. Let me know if there's anything I can ever help you with, relating to OUCOM or otherwise.

Kevin

BTW, I'm an adopted child. If my wife and I ever do decide to have kids, I think we'll adopt at least one....sorta try to return the karmic favor.
 
I'll try to make my story short.

I barely graduated high school, and in fact had to attend summer school in order to graduate after senior year. Common themes prevailed: lack of self-discipline, lack of maturity, conflict with father...the usual. I enrolled in community college with my H.S. girlfriend, who broke up with me 3 days before the semester began. I soon was failing in school, working in K-mart mixing paint, and fighting constantly with my dad.

So, I did what anyone would do. I joined the United States Marine Corps. Boot camp was sort of a wake up call...it definitely did change me forever. My first 4 years of my enlistment I was a combat engineer....basically a grunt with explosives. On my spare time I opened a Martial Arts studio in town, which was very rewarding (working with kids). I also worked as a bouncer at local bars and clubs to make extra money. When I finally got out of the Corps (after 6 years), I became a full-time bouncer for the next 4-5 months. That eventually got old, and I decided to move to Florida with my girlfriend (now wife).

My wife was stationed in Jacksonville Florida as a Navy Corpsman. I looked for a job and finally got hired as an admin assistant for a CFO of a pretty large transportation company. For about a year, I focused on solely on powerlifting (I was nationally ranked) and didn't give much thought to my future. I was making decent money at my job and wasn't too concerned about any career goals.

Eventually, I realized that I wanted to make more money, so I started working towards my degree at the local community college. My initial major was accounting, and thought that I could move up within my company with that degree.

Around the same time, my wife started paramedic school in the Navy and was doing her clinicals at Shands Jacksonville, and was coming home with some amazing stories. At the same time, I was taking anatomy and physiology (to fulfill my science requirement). You can see where this is going....epiphany time? I'm not sure. But something definitely clicked and I decided to pursue a science degree.

Fast forward a few years....I transferred to a 4-year school and was majoring in Biology. I worked part time in the Neurogenetics lab at the Mayo Clinic. I really started feeling that maybe I had a shot at med school. So, I took the MCAT.

Results: 9,9,9,O (I had a 3.6 GPA)

I was devastated. I didn't think I'd get in anywhere. Actually, I was rejected almost everywhere....UF, U Miami, USF....rejected by all. I had applied to one D.O. school in Ohio (where I'm originally from) and was granted an interview there. To my surprise, I was accepted.

Now I'm starting my MS-IV year and pretty much loving every minute of it. I'm on the Navy HPSP scholarship, and will hopefully be entering into a Navy OBGYN internship next summer (fingers crossed).

Now, I'd better get back to studying for Step 2 so I can graduate!
 
Well, lemme see. I graduated high school in 1984 having turned 17 the week before - the proverbial "wunderkind". I was trained in childhood for 12 years as a classical concert pianist (though technically very good, I lacked any true musicality), and 10 years as a ballet dancer. I went to a very prestigious Ivy league college for ALL the wrong reasons. I was so incredibly unready for college, but you couldn't tell me that then.

I went to college for a math major, but only physically went to less than half my classes. Needless to say, my GPA was nothing to write home about (like a 2.58 after 3 semesters). I started so high up in the math class ladder (I was talking Calc III and linear algebra my freshman year), I really didn't know why I was in college at all. I was in school with all these rich kids (I was working for my soap and toothpaste money) with nothing in common and no support structure; in my fourth semester I didn't go to any classes at all and dropped out. (BTW: on my transcript it lists these classes as 0 credits with an F - AMCAS changed it to 4 credits a piece 😡 ),

SO.. got married to the wrong guy (no kids thankfully), but began to take classes for First Responder. Loved it. Got divorced (and loved it!). Started volunteering with my local fire department (a previously all-male combination paid/volunteer department), got certified as a state firefighter, arson investigator, and got my EMTB. Then I got into paramedic school (the first on my department), and absolutely adored medicine. I got married to the right guy and had two children, all while working in three different systems as a paramedic (one metro, one rural, one long-distance rural critical care transports). After ten years of being a paramedic, I broke my ankle. The resulting soft tissue damage has taken a very long time to heal.

When I found out how much damage had actually been done to my ankle, I decided to go back to school and try for med school. I started back two weeks after ankle surgery, and have taken 96 credits in two years (19-21 credits a semester and 12 credits in the summer). I took the MCATs in April, but a bout with mono made my score not quite what I wanted (25Q - I took it again in August). While my grades since going back are really good (3.7 GPA), my previous folly has dragged my total AMCAS GPA down into the mud (they list it as a 2.91). 🙁

All of which brings me to applying this year while I finish my degree requirements. My husband and kids have been fabulously supportive and encourage me every step of the way. Hearing other stories of folks who made it gives me hope and encouragement that my dream will come true. Certainly any advice would be incredibly appreciated!
 
I love this topic! So exciting to see how are plans are put into action.

Well, I finished High School in 1989. I went to our community college and entered the Dental Assisting program there. It was 2 years long and fun. I finished in 1992 and took the boards. I have my RDA lic now and it was time to look for a JOB. During this time I married my wonderful husband and took a job in Sacramento. My husband was going to UC Davis and I was working for a Periodontist.

A few years later we were pregnant with our first. I had to stop working due to hard pregnacy. :scared: So now we were poor, poor did I say poor, but had a new beautiful little girl. Now what should we do, my husband had his teaching degree but not enough MONEY coming in. My husband decided to change his career and we moved our family to Southern Cali and he started the Sheriffs Acad. Now he loves his job and I needed something. So after our second beautiful daughter I went back to school part-time and have been taking classes here and there. Summer of 2004 I decided that full time is the only way I am going to get done. So here I am a fulltime student with 3 children a wonderful and supportive hubby. 😍 I am on my way to become a DOCTOR!!!!!! 😉
 
I love this thread. 😍

I get teary-eyed just reading these stories, but it's nice to re-read them every now and then for inspiration, especially my own. 👍
 
UNTlabrat said:
...there was a young girl who possessed incredible talent. She was told that she was smart and that this would take her far in life. Unfortunately, she never had to work very hard for good grades, so she never learned study habits or learned what hard work was all about.

One day, this young girl without direction found herself seventeen years old and a mother of a newborn son, who was much smaller and weaker than herself, yet so much bigger than anything that she felt the need to be a different person, although she didn't know how, exactly. So she promised two things: that she would get an education and that she would do better and be better. So she worked two jobs while shuffling her son to daycare. She took community college courses here and there and began to accumulate credit hours and a decent GPA.She felt was working toward her goal.

Then, she met a man. They found themselves expecting what would be her second child. Scared to death of being a single mother of two, she accepted his proposal of marriage. After years of being identified only as a wife and a mother, she yearned for an identity of her own. She began to attend classes again. Meanwhile, this loveles marriage of convenience fell apart, and the divorce was imminent. Falling into a depression, the now young woman threw herself into work, climbing a corporate ladder in small steps. She dreamed of running her own business and decided to major in business, until...

She had to take her first pre-req science with lab. The meticulous protocols, the hands-on work, the solitude appealed to her. After a few more sciences, she changed her major to biology. A perceptive professor saw something in her, some spark that impelled her to tell the girl that she should consider med school or research. The young woman thought this was quite a compliment, but was certain she was to old, too far removed from the process.

After a second marriage which resulted in a third child, the woman has decided to go it alone. Her husband was neither understanding nor supportive of her goals or dreams. She felt he was standing in her way, that they had grown apart, that her sole focus would now be school, her three kids, and volunteer work. You see, through everything this girl has been through, she remembers those who offered a kind word of encouragement. She remembers that without public aid, her kids may have not eaten enough, that she would have never been able to attend school. Her civic duty to the community that embraced her, flaws and all, would someday receive the fruits of her labor as her love affair with humanity manifested itself in the service of those in need.

So now she faces the MCAT(again), applications, and her senior year of undergrad with head held high, with the confidence of a woman who has embraced her past to mold her future, who has trekked an arduous journey to arrive here, at this crossroads in her life. And she can't wait to see what's next... 😍
When I read this, I think about how far I've come. I feel like I'm about to turn a corner, and that I've climbed over a huge hill in my personal life. It with anticipation and serene excitement that I await the outcome. This is supposed to be the most stressful time of my life, as my application and MCAT are out of my hands now, but strangely, I'm more calm and very at peace. I think all that I've been through was my lesson, and now I've finally learned how to put those lessons to good use. It's like I'm doing rotations in the graduate school of life! :laugh:

I'm loving the process. I love life. I love my life. 😍 👍
 
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