Post-bacc or do I kill myself?

[satsumas]

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Sorry for the inflammatory subject line. I have decided after years of hand wringing that I either need to 1) get into a top business school or b) go the premed route and enter a post bacc program. I am 29 years old and feel quite old for the latter but have felt a calling the past few years, having much health problems, and feel that this is a reasonable option for me.

However, I am scared out of my wits. I don't know if I will be able to handle chem, ochem, and bio. I've got an engineering BS and MS from Stanford, so I know how to study, but I've never been in courses that required so much memorization (e.g. I hacked my way through Stanford engineering because of my raw intelligence, not because of my studying and memorization ability).

I am wondering what my success at a prebacc program will be like and I am very scared that I will spend two years studying science again, after 6 years being away from school, only to fall flat on my face.

Does anyone have any experience with the postbacc programs in california that are top shelf? I'm thinking USC, Mills, or SFSU. Also, what is this i hear about harvard having an extension program, and UPenn having a program?

Any information would be helpful.

I honestly do fear that if i dont' have a plan B for not getting into business school, I will kill myself out of despair which has been brewing for years now. I feel like i have so much intellegence but am wasting it doing what I'm doing now (not much).

Please help me. Anyoen with an engineering background who fit my description of fairly easily handling hard engineering courses because you just "got it" with little studying, please tell me how you're handling a postbacc program or med school.

Help
help
help
help
please help me.

I'm dying here, slowly but surely.
It looks so hard, giving up my 30s to pursue medicine instead of going along my boring career path, and yet, I think its my calling after a few years of dilly dallying.

Help me. Tell me what to do. Where to go. I've nearly aced my GMATs and GREs. Despite that I'll likely not get into business school and thus postbacc programs are my fallback. Help me....


Help me...
Sorry for the disjointed post
-satsumas

 

[thamsenman]

Sorry for the inflammatory subject line. I have decided after years of hand wringing that I either need to 1) get into a top business school or b) go the premed route and enter a post bacc program. I am 29 years old and feel quite old for the latter but have felt a calling the past few years, having much health problems, and feel that this is a reasonable option for me.

However, I am scared out of my wits. I don't know if I will be able to handle chem, ochem, and bio. I've got an engineering BS and MS from Stanford, so I know how to study, but I've never been in courses that required so much memorization (e.g. I hacked my way through Stanford engineering because of my raw intelligence, not because of my studying and memorization ability).

I am wondering what my success at a prebacc program will be like and I am very scared that I will spend two years studying science again, after 6 years being away from school, only to fall flat on my face.

Does anyone have any experience with the postbacc programs in california that are top shelf? I'm thinking USC, Mills, or SFSU. Also, what is this i hear about harvard having an extension program, and UPenn having a program?

Any information would be helpful.

I honestly do fear that if i dont' have a plan B for not getting into business school, I will kill myself out of despair which has been brewing for years now. I feel like i have so much intellegence but am wasting it doing what I'm doing now (not much).

Please help me. Anyoen with an engineering background who fit my description of fairly easily handling hard engineering courses because you just "got it" with little studying, please tell me how you're handling a postbacc program or med school.

Help
help
help
help
please help me.

I'm dying here, slowly but surely.
It looks so hard, giving up my 30s to pursue medicine instead of going along my boring career path, and yet, I think its my calling after a few years of dilly dallying.

Help me. Tell me what to do. Where to go. I've nearly aced my GMATs and GREs. Despite that I'll likely not get into business school and thus postbacc programs are my fallback. Help me....


Help me...
Sorry for the disjointed post
-satsumas

You know I hate to say this, but you may be too smart for medicine. Nearly aced the gmat? BS, MS Engineering from Stanford? You'll do great in anything man. Get a little bit of confidence.

Second, take a deep breadth. 29 is still young. A lot of people never even get to professional school. Just think about the situation rationally. You need to decide what it is YOU want to do. Medicine or business. Because I think you really can't go wrong in either.

I think you really should choose one path or the other though. If you want to work in management, go to business school. You'll surely have more upside there. I think medicine can reward you well, but can also give you a satisfaction very few careers can. And that's why I'm doing it.

By the way, I'm doing an MD/MBA and you can certainly do both, either one at a time or in combination. As an economics major in college, I sort of share the desire to enter management. You ought to keep that door open.

 

[thamsenman]

By the way...why do you feel like you won't get into a top B school? You're acing the GMAT and you went to Stanford.

 

[deleted248403]

You know I hate to say this, but you may be too smart for medicine

That might be the dumbest thing I've ever read on here and there is some dumb stuff. It doesn't even warrant further response.

Anyway, OP - I think your first step is to pick medicine or business and then you should go full force behind it. It's a 10yr committment to medicine to finish all the different schoolings and its no small achievement. You don't want to get half way thru and realize its not for you.

Pick business or medicine (you can always do MD/MBA if you are interested in the more business aspects of medicine) and then go from there.

 

[thamsenman]

That might be the dumbest thing I've ever read on here and there is some dumb stuff. It doesn't even warrant further response.

Anyway, OP - I think your first step is to pick medicine or business and then you should go full force behind it. It's a 10yr committment to medicine to finish all the different schoolings and its no small achievement. You don't want to get half way thru and realize its not for you.

Pick business or medicine (you can always do MD/MBA if you are interested in the more business aspects of medicine) and then go from there.

Oh my, please get your panties out of a bunch. He is abundantly well qualified for much more difficult things.

 

[satsumas]

thanks for the posts. sorry for my rablings, i had a little too much to drink last night too 🙂

the thing that scares me is that my engineering background was a completely different type of studying...and even at stanford i didn't have to put much time into it comparatively, I just "got it" and did well grade-wise. Now having been out of school for 6 years, i'm afraid that my brain just isn't as able to handle intensive studying, most especially the likes of chem, ochem, and bio, and the sheer amount of memorization that is required. thats what freaks me out.

any comments on any of the programs above? or maybe is hould just search the archives.

...and yes, i am extremely indecisive. but i keep getting back to the idea, what if 10 years down the road i'm in some dead-end mid level technology job, and i will always be thinking about and regretting not being a doctor.

but then again, if i fail out of med school or end up going crazy as a resident due to work overload...well then thats not the best outcome either.

i'm scared either way!!!

 

[International8]

Dude, don't kill yourself, it's definitely not worth it. Bad ideas to ask these forums about that -- you might get some interesting answers 😉 You're young, we're all young; Ray Kroc started McDonalds when he was 53 (after selling milkshake mixers) so there's plenty of time to become successful / happy / satisfied.

So I'm writing b/c I'm finishing up my MBA, at a top school (albeit one in Australia, though I did choose it over Chicago and LBS). Also did my undergrad at Penn, lots of my friends are currently at top programs and they are telling me horror stories. Contrary to what the press states, a top B-school does not guarantee a top job; depending on the year, a certain percentage get jobs at McK / Goldman etc (this year it was low, usually it's higher), those who don't get these jobs mostly end up going back into the same industry they came from. In other words, from an engineering background, if you're unable to get a job at the banks / consulting firms, your most likely place is working at an engineering strategy house like SAP, or maybe in the same engineering firm in a different role (i.e. selling / marketing the products you used to design, for instance). Even at google, you'll likely be interviewed / hired for a position in which you have some expertise (i.e. somewhere you've worked before).

My thoughts re: post-bacc is that it seems like most people who stick with the process and get good grades, in any postbac, eventually get in somewhere. A lot of people don't get good grades and have to wash out (read low GPA threads), you mentioned a few of the most noted postbacs above (aamc has a full list on their website). If you're worried about memorization, I would look into picking up memory books by a guy named Harry Lorayne; I'm still getting better at his method but it's made a huge difference to me already. Kenneth Higbee is apparently pretty good too but I've heard the methods are the same.

Bottom line I think your biggest obstacles are internal; choosing is difficult but I think after making the choice, you certainly have the potential to succeed if you put your all behind it... at least, the testing services think so as do many of the posters on this thread. If you're not sure, try going through a few chapters on your own first, if you can't hack it, at least you know.

Happy new year! Hope it brings good news.

 

[Audman]

thanks for the posts. sorry for my rablings, i had a little too much to drink last night too 🙂

the thing that scares me is that my engineering background was a completely different type of studying...and even at stanford i didn't have to put much time into it comparatively, I just "got it" and did well grade-wise. Now having been out of school for 6 years, i'm afraid that my brain just isn't as able to handle intensive studying, most especially the likes of chem, ochem, and bio, and the sheer amount of memorization that is required. thats what freaks me out.

any comments on any of the programs above? or maybe is hould just search the archives.

...and yes, i am extremely indecisive. but i keep getting back to the idea, what if 10 years down the road i'm in some dead-end mid level technology job, and i will always be thinking about and regretting not being a doctor.

but then again, if i fail out of med school or end up going crazy as a resident due to work overload...well then thats not the best outcome either.

i'm scared either way!!!

Everyone is indecisive when it comes to decisions that could potentially be life changing! There are no easy "life-changing" decisions. One would think about all aspects. Like everyone says, you have to pick what YOU want to do... what YOU see yourself doing in 20 years. Obviously, like me, you cam down to two choices in which you have an interest in... business and medicine.

I was between PhD in economics or post-bac/medicine route. I ended up with the medicine route... at Penn doing the program. It is a LOT of work... i really do think a LOT more than undergraduate... not to mention a lot different kinds of work/study- going from economics and philosophy majors to natural science coursework. But i imagine you, coming from engineering, have a good background in science.

I see most career switchers at my program struggle getting "used" to the science courses, science way of studying... etc. But your engineering background will be sufficient, especially from Stanford in addition to what your intelligence.

Anyway, I know you're decision is tough... and both seems appealing to you. But its in part like poker game. lol analyze your odds (cost-benefit to each) and decide because there are pros/cons to both. Which of the two has more cons? which of the two has more of attractive pros?

Regards,

 

[NewmansOwn]

Unfortunately, no one can tell you if you'll be successful in medicine. I can tell you that I found doing the prereqs in a year via a formal program quite manageable and that the majority of my postbac colleagues would agree. Some might say otherwise.

Some things to think about:

-The classes are exactly what you expect and, barring any mitigating circumstances, an intelligent person should do well in them.

-The MCAT is more of a variable. It tests your knowledge in a tricky way and requires a fast type of problem-solving acumen that some people, I believe, do not and never will have. Additionally, it seems to be getting harder and harder each year.

-My personal opinion is that boredom is the worst possible sentence for an intelligent person. At this point in my life, I'd rather be scraping for the rent (which I won't actually have to, btw) doing something I love that living a life of boredom with plenty of money. Perhaps you agree...?

-If you get into one of the top formal postbac programs, you'll be helped, if you need it. They boast 100% medical school acceptance rates and don't want your ass dragging down their numbers -- they'll teach you well and help you make good decisions.

-Business vs medicine vs goat-herding vs anything else is an extremely personal decision. I could tell you that I would rather work as a coal miner in a former Soviet bloc country that go into business, but that and anyone else's opinion are completely irrelevant to what YOU would prefer.

Happy new year and good luck.

 

[FuturaDocta]

Please don't kill yourself...and.... don't don't say you're gonna kill yourself. It makes you sound emo. hehe. Seriously, though, you shouldn't be going nuts because of your age. If you want to be a doctor, you should go for it. You are obviously qualified academically. Don't sweat it.

 

[International8]

-The classes are exactly what you expect and, barring any mitigating circumstances, an intelligent person should do well in them...

As long as they do the work. A lot of people don't do well for whatever reason, my own theory is that they aren't willing to put in the time.

So the question I'd be asking myself in your position is, 'am i willing to work as hard as i possibly can?' Because you will almost certainly have to, for an extended period, sometime in the next ten years. The pre-med requirements are probably the least of all of our worries. After the classes, you have the MCAT, then first and second year, rounds, Step 1,2,3, and Internship / Residency, which I capitalized for a reason. All seem like major hurdles. Obvi I'm not there yet, but the path seems grueling from here.

As you and some of the other posters mentioned earlier, I feel like med school is a different kind of learning, seems more like brute force than abstract thinking / fluid intelligence. Someone correct me as I'm still quite a ways away.

But let me ask you this, can you honestly say that you're motivated enough to do whatever it takes to make this happen? If so, then by all means -- you certainly have the raw intelligence to make this happen. But if you're worried about whether you have the motivation... that has to come from you.

 

[paradiselost]

thanks for the posts. sorry for my rablings, i had a little too much to drink last night too 🙂

the thing that scares me is that my engineering background was a completely different type of studying...and even at stanford i didn't have to put much time into it comparatively, I just "got it" and did well grade-wise. Now having been out of school for 6 years, i'm afraid that my brain just isn't as able to handle intensive studying, most especially the likes of chem, ochem, and bio, and the sheer amount of memorization that is required. thats what freaks me out.

any comments on any of the programs above? or maybe is hould just search the archives.

...and yes, i am extremely indecisive. but i keep getting back to the idea, what if 10 years down the road i'm in some dead-end mid level technology job, and i will always be thinking about and regretting not being a doctor.

but then again, if i fail out of med school or end up going crazy as a resident due to work overload...well then thats not the best outcome either.

i'm scared either way!!!

Don't let fear of med school deter you from medicine. Decide if you actually want to be a doctor - spend time around doctors, see if that's the life you want for yourself. Then go for it or don't. With your intelligence, you'll most likely get through med school absolutely fine - maybe not so happily, but if you really want to be a doctor, what's a little short-term sleep debt in the long run?

 

[Sophie]

That might be the dumbest thing I've ever read on here and there is some dumb stuff. It doesn't even warrant further response.

I second that. Too smart for medicine? 😕

OP: I wasn't an engineering major, but I definitely skated through college (and Honors/AP classes in HS) with pretty much no studying. Things just clicked. When I decided to do a postbac at UCSD (UCSD is great for science classes, but it's not a formal program - you're in the regular classes with premeds. PM me if you're interested in hearing about it), I really didn't question whether I'd be able to handle it, but I guess maybe you're just more cautious than me? It IS a lot of memorization, and it sucked to try to learn how to study while taking 4 hard science courses per quarter, but it was totally doable. I was even working part-time, doing research, volunteering, and taking the science classes all at the same time (I wanted to finish as quickly as possible), and did fine. If you've done well in school up til now and are smart, you'll do fine in a postbac and medical school, so stop worrying about it. The more important issue is to figure out what you most want to be doing with your life. Once you figure that out I am confident that you'll be able to attain your goal.