The Plunge?

[BEN52]

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Hello, long time reader....first time poster.

Anway, I am 23 year old male, married with a 5 year old son and our second child on the way. I am currently employed in a decent paying fire department as a firefighter / paramedic which allows my family and I to live a modest but fairly nice lifestyle. Growing up I has zero interest in medicine. I took an EMT class because it was a requirment to be a firefighter in my state. Needless to say I fell in love with it. I progressed to the paramedic level which gave me a much greater exposure to health care. From that point forward I have dreamed of becoming a doctor. (although early, I am quite fascinated with EM or surgery)

I have no college credit to my name. My now wife and I had our first child at 17, needless to say that was a hard hitting reality check. Both my wife and I were able to graduate high school which was a daunting feat at the time. Post high school, I earned my EMT, Paramedic, and firefighting certifications while juggling a full time and multiple part time jobs to get by all while helping my now wife get her assosciates degree. I am by no means afraid to work.

Fast forward to now, I have a wife, soon to be two kids, a house, a dog, and the picket fence. I am by no means unhappy personally or professionaly. I could continue status quo and retire at 46 as a happy man. That being said, I have an abolute burning desire to pursue medicine. I came real close to begining undergrad last year but backed out for fear of the impact on my family. My wife is 110% supportive and willing to help me in anyway including working fulltime plus.

So, assuming I decide to forge ahead with this pursuit I have a few questions I hope some of you could answer;

1. Does "prestige" matter when it comes to undergrad? I would like to rack up as little debt as possible for my undergrad...

2. My biggest qualm is the impact upon my family during the entire process both financially and amount of time required by me. To those of you with families, how did you finance your endeavours and how did they impact yur family?

3. Are any of the 6 year BS/MD programs even a remote possibility for me? I have no college, and slacked of in high school...

4. Whatkind of advice do you have to offer?

Thanks,

Ben

 

[Chuck's Right Foot]

Hello, long time reader....first time poster.
1. Does "prestige" matter when it comes to undergrad? I would like to rack up as little debt as possible for my undergrad...

Not enough to jeopardize your family! What is more important is your performance. Community College for 2 years then a bigger university to finish up is perfectly fine, especially if you get some advanced science past the CC.

2. My biggest qualm is the impact upon my family during the entire process both financially and amount of time required by me. To those of you with families, how did you finance your endeavours and how did they impact yur family?

You will have to take out loans for school, living expenses. If your kids are in school and your wife can work and pull in enough money to afford mortgate, bills, etc. to supplement the 15k you can borrow for living expenses, you CAN do it. Not easy but people do it!

3. Are any of the 6 year BS/MD programs even a remote possibility for me? I have no college, and slacked of in high school...

Probably not. Very competitive programs.

4. Whatkind of advice do you have to offer?

Thanks,

Ben

You can do it. It may take awhile, but the first step is getting your B.S. or B.A.

Good luck!

 

[Lil Mick]

It's doable. The school really doesn't matter so much with high grades and a high MCAT score. I did community college for part of my schooling, and it wasn't a big deal at most schools (14 interviews, only 2 disliking that). It was also fairly cheap and easy to work around my schedule (night classes, online classes...). Some community colleges also offer financial aid, especially for someone with a high SAT/ACT score. The BS/MD probably isn't an option, as it is very competitive and also does not leave much time for anything outside of school. (I had looked into that, too, but high school grades and age were a detriment.)