What did you feel before you start your PostBacc adventure?

[Architect]

I will be starting next monday and i was wondering how everybody felt before starting ( I am 30/31 and have a full job that i am quitting and feel nervous of being able to study again, but medecine was always a dream and things took a different turn)

Nervous?
Excited?
Hesitant?
Scared?
Happy?
Other....

Best,

PM

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[gotmeds?]

All of the above! I was around your age when I quit a job that I loved, moved to a different city, cashed out my 401K, and took out student loans to pay for a post-bacc program. The prospect of having to pay back all those loans without going to med school was a great motivator to do well in my classes. That was about 2 years ago. This fall, I'll be starting med school at my top choice. If this is your dream, you can definitely do it. Good luck!

 

[LifetimeDoc]

Agree with GotMeds?. I started this odyssey 2 years ago, quitting my job, going back to college to "refresh" my GPA, studying for the MCAT, going through the application process. It's a long, frustrating, expensive, and stressful process...but if what you want to do is become a physician, it's a lot of fun and invigorating as well. Just be realistic about whether or not you can make it through this process in terms of finances, family support, time management, and if you are making smart, informed choices about your path. Be sure to talk with the pre-med office at your undergrad and/or the admissions office at a medical school in your state/area. Good luck!

 

[StrengthDoc]

Nervous?
Excited?
Hesitant?
Scared?
Happy?

Yep, that about sums it up. I left full time employment for the world of self employment to be able to go back to school for the "required" and "recommended" courses.

 

[spicedmanna]

I agree: all of the above. It's great adventure, yes, it was. About two years ago, I didn't have much but a dream...

Good luck, OP. Stay strong. Hopefully, soon, you'll be able to look back nostalgically, with a deep sigh of joy, as an MS-0, knowing that all the hard work was worth it.

 

[DrMidlife]

I felt reckless and confident on top of very very worried and pretty sure I was somehow going to get in big big trouble.

I feel exactly the same way when I think about clicking "submit" on AMCAS next month. Gaaaaaaahhhh.

 

[BrokenGlass]

I will be starting next monday and i was wondering how everybody felt before starting ( I am 30/31 and have a full job that i am quitting and feel nervous of being able to study again, but medecine was always a dream and things took a different turn)

Nervous?
Excited?
Hesitant?
Scared?
Happy?
Other....

Best,

PM

I was 32 when I returned to school to take Chem, Bio, and O-Chem. I never quit my full-time job in software development, so I took one daytime class per quarter (8 classes in total) and I was never enrolled in any post-bac program. It took me about one and a half years to get through these classes. I took these classes at UCLA because I was advised against taking them at a community college or extension. I was not nervous, hesitant, or scared...excited probably comes closest. I turned down a top 10 law school acceptance for a shot at med school.

Premed classes are not as hard as many people would have you believe. They are much easier than engineering/computer science...at least that was the case for me.

 

[Engineer2MD]

I'm giving notice tomorrow, quitting my job, moving across the country, and starting my post-bacc at KU Aug. 13. I am scared sh*tless. But at the same time, I am SOOOOOO excited. I'm bouncing off the walls.

btw I'm 27.

 

[Deepa100]

I was an engineer for 14 years when I quit last year. Best thing I had done careerwise. Now, I am just about done w/ pre-reqs, happily pregnant and will take MCAT in April 2008. I have maintained a solid GPA through out my educational career. Just want to spend time with my baby and build up more shadowing, research and volunteering experiences before I apply. What's the rush?

 

[glamqueen]

26, almost 27 here. I'm almost halfway done with my pre-reqs, and I apply next June. It's exciting, but it's also overwhelming. My husband and I moved to one income, bought a fixer-upper, and we can't take any vacations anymore. It's a lot of small, daily sacrifices too - like, with our time. We don't really spend large chunks together anymore, because I study a lot. It'll be worth it in the end when I see that big acceptance envelope (or phone call etc.) We both know this is the right thing, although there are some people who are in my life and think I have lost my mind.

 

[amolamedicina]

You are all a great inspiration! I want to wish you all the best of luck and may your dreams become a reality.

Brenda

 

[budhak0n]

To the Person who used the motivation of "having" to do well due to cashing in your chips etc etc.

Hey you could be me... I waited another 7 years or so.. And now that I'm about to embark on the attempt.... I'm doing it all on my own dime.

It'll be a whole different ball game because I've done everything possible to get myself into a relative position of financial stability....

And given the amount of money I'm going to have to plunge into this on what? the "possibility" I may reach my goal..... Sheesh..

But nevertheless I think I'm going forward.

I need more than well wishers... I need a bit of a Psychologist...

What the heck am I ? A masochist? why would I do such a thing? lol

 

[budhak0n]

26, almost 27 here. I'm almost halfway done with my pre-reqs, and I apply next June. It's exciting, but it's also overwhelming. My husband and I moved to one income, bought a fixer-upper, and we can't take any vacations anymore. It's a lot of small, daily sacrifices too - like, with our time. We don't really spend large chunks together anymore, because I study a lot. It'll be worth it in the end when I see that big acceptance envelope (or phone call etc.) We both know this is the right thing, although there are some people who are in my life and think I have lost my mind.

Oh we most certainly have Lost our collective Minds.... But hopefully it is a case of all's well that ends well.... Somehow I perceive the quest to truly becoming a physician, a true physician hearkening back to Gaelen or Livingston or C Everett Koop .. whatever your fancy may be... will be full of turns and surprises.... I keep picturing this eerie Kiefer Sutherland Face from Flatliners lol....... I think that's all a big part of it.. the way such a thing has been portrayed and frankly obsessed upon in modern media just lends to make it seem such a dark and hidden "art" of sorts ...

 

[BrokenGlass]

Oh we most certainly have Lost our collective Minds.... But hopefully it is a case of all's well that ends well.... Somehow I perceive the quest to truly becoming a physician, a true physician hearkening back to Gaelen or Livingston or C Everett Koop .. whatever your fancy may be... will be full of turns and surprises.... I keep picturing this eerie Kiefer Sutherland Face from Flatliners lol....... I think that's all a big part of it.. the way such a thing has been portrayed and frankly obsessed upon in modern media just lends to make it seem such a dark and hidden "art" of sorts ...

Who is Kiefer Sutherland?

 

[budhak0n]

Who is Kiefer Sutherland?

LOL he's an actor.. he's now in the series "24" on Fox.

If you ever are COMPLETELY bored which I'll doubt if you are embarking on this quest.. but if you need some down time.. Go to your local blockbuster and rent "Flatliners" it's a Hip 80's /90's flick with Sutherland, Julia Roberts, and if I remember right Kevin Bacon and eh I think one of the Baldwin brothers or mabye Judd.. I forget it's been so long where they basically get together "on off hours" from their med school training to ...

Cheat death. They basically place one of their group into intentional cardiac arrest to "test" their ability to revive a human being back from the "Other side" however when they return they bring something else back with them.

It's not the greatest movie ever made but it's got some interesting stuff going on there... Kind of like a St Elmo's fire meets frankenstein lol... Lame old 80's stuff that the Grungers probably get a big kick out of .. Like Mc Hammer lol

 

[budhak0n]

Had my first class today and it was indeed a bit "Odd"..

I'm twice the age of most of my classmates and they are twice as tuned in obviously... I do however have one or two compadres however I don't think there are any "non-trad's" ... One I believe is trying to get a teaching certificate and the other .. who knows..

I did like the intellectual back and forth and I seemed to enjoy my instructor's demeanor. He's a no nonsense kind of guy and you can immediately tell you're not in a Theater Arts for the Living Righteous brothers class.

You could tell that the Prof knew immediately who I was and why I would be there .. and you never know if you're getting a "vibe" of any kind .. but I got the impression that if I wanted an A from this person I was going to have to do quite a bit of work which is good for my first class back..

One thing I noticed immediately is my note taking skills have gone to Heck.

I was writing down things I didn't need and so on... This is a skill that without practice leaves you for a bit.

Overall after having felt a bit odd of course going back at such an age... I began to really enjoy being back in the classroom atmosphere... One thing I did NOT like though but there's no way around it was getting wacked at the college bookstore ... lol .. but hey I hated that in undergrad too but some things never change... I'll be getting my fall texts well ahead of time so I'll have time to play the internet bounce around...

One thing I immediately noticed for you "youngins" out there is this,

" You guys have NO IDEA how great you have it" ... Lol I sound like my dad. But it's true...

Wow this text book with the Accompanying CD-rom is AWESOME. We never had this when I was doing AP Chem in 1985 lol.... --- The accompanying study mats and the online structure... wow I was really impressed when I did my review tonight... --- You guys have much much better material to learn your subjects should you choose to truly learn.
All in all a good day... I'll be going back on Wednesday which is all you can ask.

 

[mshheaddoc]

I felt reckless and confident on top of very very worried and pretty sure I was somehow going to get in big big trouble.

I feel exactly the same way when I think about clicking "submit" on AMCAS next month. Gaaaaaaahhhh.

I hear you on both counts. When I started I wasn't sure. I second guessed myself at least 50 times. I had a nervous breakdown. Literally. You never know what you are supposed to do with my life but I pushed through. Finally, about this time last year things started to fall into place. I became confident that this was my path and honestly haven't looked back since. Ok, maybe once or twice when the going got tough but for me the classes haven't been hard on me. My personal life has which has affected my classes. I think I just like to torture myself with a dynamic environment!

 

[PineappleGirl]

Awesome post!

I am embarking on full-time post-bacc starting on Monday. I'm 27.

I am very scared about the debt and soooo worried about the possibility that I won't do well and end up having to pay back a lot of debt on a $30-40k salary.

On the other hand, I am super excited to be trying something challenging and doing something that I really want to do. And, like someone said above, the debt is a good motivator.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

I was totally excited when I started my post-bacc. I was actually doing something about becoming a physician instead of just thinking about it!

I'm a lot more nervous now that I'm in the application cycle. I guess it's the loss of control that bothers me. In my post-bacc I had complete control of what classes I took, how much I studied, what ECs I was involved in, etc. Now, I'm completely at their mercy and I don't really care for that. The family has been through a lot to get me here and turning our lives over to the "big adcom in the sky," well, makes me nervous.

 

[Heinz57]

I am 34 and started my program this summer (Virginia Commonwealth -premed certificate). My school requires "extra" base courses, but that's alright. So summer Bio has been interesting. These kids are young! And SMART! But this old-timer has focus and consistency in her study habits. So, look out. Seriously, my prof is tough, but I'm hanging in there. I hope to meet others like me in the Fall, but from what I hear, that isn't too likely. We nontrads are few and far between, I guess.

I am excited, nervous, a little lonely, but mostly I'm grateful for the chance to be here. So glad to be on my way! I even ordered two Exam Krackers books today for the MCAT. I'm going to do my best to prepare for this thing so I won't be so nervous on test day. Anyhoo. Cheers to all the nontrads taking life by the horns and going for it. We can do this.

 

[GoSouthernGo]

I started at 28 and needed the pre-reqs so I took them two at a time each semester.

Now I'm applying at 30-31 - we'll see how it goes.

 

[stbxTechie]

Speaking of it... I've got my first in-class exam tonight. Ugh. I'm semi-well prepared, and I think I'll do alright, but so far combining fast-paced summer classes with FT work has been tougher than I thought.

 

[sioux]

I went back to school last fall to finish my undergrad and complete the pre-reqs. I'm 37 so not only are my classmates younger, many of my professors are as well. I have never been so focused or dedicated to anything in my life and I think that gives me an advantage over some of the younger "traditional" students.

I started off tentative, unsure if I would even be able to pass gen chem. The advisors at school didn't seem terribly supportive (I think because of my old, some what blemished undergrad record) but I spoke with a rep from a regional med school admissions office who was very encouraging. After that, and passing chem, I quit my job and have dedicated all of my time to this endeavor. I am excited for the future, anxious to take each new step and overall very happy. The loans are already growing and it's a little scary having such a limited income. I'm working as a scribe in the ED and got my CNA to get patient experience and make extra money through school - neither of which pay very well compared to what I'm used to (10 years in marketing). I make it through each day by focusing on what I can do now to make my dream a reality while keeping an eye on the future, remembering what it's all for. I'll be apply next year!

 

[Rootsman]

I started my post bacc jouney in the summer of 2004. I took one class at a time and continued to work till I was let go. I was very concerned about doing well, so I took things one step at a time. One day at a time, one test at a time, made sure I always stayed ahead of the teacher. I ended up getting all A's in seven of the eight classes I took, the other grade was a B+ (I have never been a great student).

Right now I am studying for the MCAT again because last time I took it, my score was a 19M. Hopefully things will go better for me this time around and a couple thousand dollars more of debt, lol. Just believe in yourself, you can do it. If I could get to this point I know anything is possible for anybody.