Prospective Student Seeking Insight

[ImSkyKid]

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Hello. Before I shoot off a bunch of questions I'll talk a little about my situation.

I'm currently serving in the US Air Force and I'm set to separate this December. I have no qualms with the military as it has been a stepping stone to where I want to be. With my military service I have 36 months of 100% paid tuition along with an additional 150 credits since I'm a resident of Texas (as long as I go to school in Texas). I have two children, a five year old and a two month old, along with a loving and supportive wife.

I'm not one to take for granted the educational opportunities I've been afforded and want to make the most of it. Psychology has always been an interest of mine and helping others is something that comes naturally. But, before I embark down this path I want to do my due diligence and leave no stone unturned.

Q1: Have any of you gone through or known someone who has gone through med school with a family? What are some of the pros and cons? Was it too much of a financial burden and/or did it take you longer to become a psychiatrist than others?

Q2: I have my associate's degree in public affairs, as that is my specialty in the military... should I stay with that while finishing my undergrad along with completing all the pre-med quals or should I switch my major to psychology even though it may take a little longer to finish?

Q3: I'm not afraid to work hard and, having to provide for my family at such a young age, I know what it takes to put food on the table. But, would the 6 years I "took off" from formal education to serve the military hinder my chances of getting into medical school? Will my GPA and MCAT scores be enough to justify the gap in school?

Q4: How important is it to get into a "good" or "prestigious" med school? With my education being limited to (public) schools in Texas, would having to "settle" for a lesser school hurt my career?

Q5: What are some of the most common reasons people fall off the path to psychiatry, or any medical degree for that matter? What are some pitfalls I should be aware of and strive to avoid?

I want to make sure that whatever I do is something that I love and will provide for my family. Any advice that you could lend would be much appreciated.

 

[loveoforganic]

Q1: Have any of you gone through or known someone who has gone through med school with a family? What are some of the pros and cons? Was it too much of a financial burden and/or did it take you longer to become a psychiatrist than others?

There's a nontrad forum here (more toward the top of the page on the subforum list) that would be great for you. This question has been addressed a lot. The length of training is pretty much a set amount of time though.

Q2: I have my associate's degree in public affairs, as that is my specialty in the military... should I stay with that while finishing my undergrad along with completing all the pre-med quals or should I switch my major to psychology even though it may take a little longer to finish?

If you want to be a psychiatrist your major does not matter. You keep saying psychology though, which is a very different track (clinical psychology).

Q3: I'm not afraid to work hard and, having to provide for my family at such a young age, I know what it takes to put food on the table. But, would the 6 years I "took off" from formal education to serve the military hinder my chances of getting into medical school? Will my GPA and MCAT scores be enough to justify the gap in school?

From the people I've talked to, med schools love, love, love ex-military and it will be seen as a huge positive, not a negative.

Q4: How important is it to get into a "good" or "prestigious" med school? With my education being limited to (public) schools in Texas, would having to "settle" for a lesser school hurt my career?

From what I've been told, if you want to be strictly a clinician, it really doesn't matter much. If you're going into academics, it matters a little more so.

 

[ImSkyKid]

Thanks, I'll be sure to check out that forum.

I apologize if my post was a bit unclear... I want to be a psychiatrist but was curious if majoring in psychology as an undergrad would be beneficial. That does bring up another question, though:

If one does not get into med school, is it feasible to think one could easily go the route of clinical psychology as a back up plan?

 

[ImSkyKid]

There's a nontrad forum here (more toward the top of the page on the subforum list) that would be great for you. This question has been addressed a lot.

For the sake of not double-posting, could a mod please move this thread to the nontraditional forum? (or if there's a way I can, could someone please enlighten me?) Thank you.

 

[loveoforganic]

My personal biased opinion is that psychology is a great major that will give you a good different perspective regardless of what you go into, but I'm a fellow premed and can't weigh in with real perspective. As far as med school admissions though, it doesn't really matter.

Reputable clinical psychology programs are essentially equally competitive to medical school, so I'm not sure viewing them as a backup plan is a great idea. Theoretically though, you can set yourself up to be a good applicant to both programs by being a psych major, doing plenty of psychology research, getting mental health related clinical experience, etc. You'd also have to take the GRE in addition to the MCAT.

 

[ImSkyKid]

Reputable clinical psychology programs are essentially equally competitive to medical school, so I'm not sure viewing them as a backup plan is a great idea. Theoretically though, you can set yourself up to be a good applicant to both programs by being a psych major, doing plenty of psychology research, getting mental health related clinical experience, etc. You'd also have to take the GRE in addition to the MCAT.

Interesting... I guess I figured it would be more difficult path to become a psychiatrist since they can prescribe meds and their salaries typically tend to be higher than those with a PhD or PsyD. Shows how much I know. 😕

Some other posts I've read recommend getting your undergrad in something you're sure you'll make good grades in. Wouldn't some med schools be able to see through that and think you're taking the easy way out, like doing volunteer work just to have it on your application?

 

[swil21]

Hi there! I'm just wrapping up my first year at UTSW, I'm also interested in psych and I have a similar educational background (also, my dad was in the AF for many years and I very nearly accepted an HPSP scholarship...which doesn't have a whole lot to do with your military experience, but I can see where you're coming from). I think I have some helpful insight to offer you, but I'd much rather talk about it in real-time; I started to answer your questions here, but I was getting pretty long-winded...LOL. If you'd like to chat, please PM me. I'm happy to help.

 

[loveoforganic]

Some other posts I've read recommend getting your undergrad in something you're sure you'll make good grades in. Wouldn't some med schools be able to see through that and think you're taking the easy way out, like doing volunteer work just to have it on your application?

I'd expand on that and say that you should major in whatever fills the best combo of

1) interest/passion
2) job prospects, should medicine not work out or no longer hold your interest
3) ability to excel

How you weight them is up to you. As far as their ability to see through your reasons for major choice, volunteering, etc., I don't think it's that easy (unfortunately).

 

[gunito]

Thanks, I'll be sure to check out that forum.

I apologize if my post was a bit unclear... I want to be a psychiatrist but was curious if majoring in psychology as an undergrad would be beneficial. That does bring up another question, though:

If one does not get into med school, is it feasible to think one could easily go the route of clinical psychology as a back up plan?

You could always double major in bio and psych. I was a psych major but wish i would have doubled with bio. Depending on your school, you can get a BS in psych and you would have to probably take 1 year of chem and bio. Either way, both majors will be beneficial for psychiatry or clinical psych.

 

[st2205]

Q1: Have any of you gone through or known someone who has gone through med school with a family? What are some of the pros and cons? Was it too much of a financial burden and/or did it take you longer to become a psychiatrist than others?

Just finishing up first year, so I can't comment on the whole process start-to-finish, but the financial burden will be addressed with future salary. In the meantime we're having to max out on student loans (looking at about 300k). Depending on what school you go to, you can still have a family life. I go to a small school in a rural area where I live close to school and rarely, if ever, go to lecture. Unless there's a test or a lab I am at home studying. You may have to look around for these schools, however, because some of the other schools I interviewed at had required attendance or something else that wouldn't be as conducive to family life.

Q2: I have my associate's degree in public affairs, as that is my specialty in the military... should I stay with that while finishing my undergrad along with completing all the pre-med quals or should I switch my major to psychology even though it may take a little longer to finish?

Do whatever you will enjoy, but if I were in your shoes with the choice to make I'd choosing whichever was quickest. Just take the psych classes you find interesting along the way.

Q3: I'm not afraid to work hard and, having to provide for my family at such a young age, I know what it takes to put food on the table. But, would the 6 years I "took off" from formal education to serve the military hinder my chances of getting into medical school? Will my GPA and MCAT scores be enough to justify the gap in school?

If you're back in school completing the prerequisites this is a non-issue.

Q4: How important is it to get into a "good" or "prestigious" med school? With my education being limited to (public) schools in Texas, would having to "settle" for a lesser school hurt my career?

What are your future goals? By-and-large, if you're wanting to be a psychiatrist, it's not going to matter all that much. I'd place a conducive family life (see #1) over prestige, which I gather is what your ultimate goal is. Would you rather go to a more prestigious school at the expense of family (this is not to say that prestige necessarily has anything to do with family life, just a hypothetical)? I think that's the more direct question.

Q5: What are some of the most common reasons people fall off the path to psychiatry, or any medical degree for that matter? What are some pitfalls I should be aware of and strive to avoid?

The reason people fall off is they feel it's not for them (whether that means actually being a physician, the path to getting there, or some other factor). It's hard to know whether or not it's for you unless you start the process (whether it's taking classes, shadowing, or getting some kind of clinical experience).