What do you think?

[nonya]

Hello all,

Im a 32 year old male in the U.S. Military. I am working on my AA in IT. Currently I do not have any of the pre-reqs needed for medical school. I did not do well in high school out of boredom. What Id like to do is to get the pre-reqs done and get into a Texas medical school, perferably Texas A&M. My current release (ETS) date from the Army is 20110424. What Id like is a break down of the entire process, grad under grad program and then MCATs or?? Is this possible or am I dreaming?

Thank You!

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[Krisss17]

Hello all,

Im a 32 year old male in the U.S. Military. I am working on my AA in IT. Currently I do not have any of the pre-reqs needed for medical school. I did not do well in high school out of boredom. What Id like to do is to get the pre-reqs done and get into a Texas medical school, perferably Texas A&M. My current release (ETS) date from the Army is 20110424. What Id like is a break down of the entire process, grad under grad program and then MCATs or?? Is this possible or am I dreaming?

Thank You!

The suggestion I would make is to make sure that you don't start your prereqs until you know that you can give you most towards these classes. Since you haven't taken any sciences, you are actually in a better place than if you had but done poorly.

I would suggest that you use this time to finish your AA in IT...do the best you can, finishing with a good GPA. Are you taking this degree online or on campus? I know with the military you might move around more so an online degree might work better. For your prereqs, you really want to make sure that you can take them on campus, also, try to take the sequence (Chem 1 and Chem 2, for example) at the same school...that's more to make it easier for you.

Not living in Texas (although I have enjoyed my visits to the many great ciities there), I can't really comment although they do seem to be very resident friendly.

As for high school....I wouldn't worry about that. Unless you took college credits at the same time, they don't even look at your high school grades.

Best of luck and thanks for your service!

 

[NTF]

Kudos to you for continuing to push your ambitions.

Absolutely, doable. But you're looking at minimum 2-4 years of full-time coursework towards a bachelor's.

My suggestions:
1) Start slow. Nothing derails the med school pursuit more than having to dig yourself out of a hole. Start with one or two classes - maybe Bio I and a Freshman Comp. Ease yourself into academic life. Don't let your age become a burden or added pressure. This is a marathon not a sprint. You're commiting to a 20-30+ year career. Even if it took you until you're 40 to do this you'd still have a good shot at 18+ years as an attending physician.
2) Right now, repeat this mantra. "I must get A's, I must get A's" The reality is that much (not all) of the med school application process is a numbers game. Shoot for the highest GPA possible. Clear your mind. Clear your life of anything that will hinder your academic success. While screwing up isn't fatal to med school prospects (I'm living proof), each screw-up diminishes your prospects, delays your application, and reduces your margin for error. Make the commitment now. You will get A's in every class. (average GPA for allopathic med school matriculants is >3.6 and climbing)
3) Start shadowing as many doctors as you can. Acquaint yourself with the daily life of a physician in as many fields as you can. You'd be surprised how many people end up in medical school and have no clue what being a doctor means on a daily basis and realize (after $100,000+ grand in loans) they should have done something else. You'd do well to dispel some of the fantasies about the profession.
4) Start building your ECs. Volunteer. Get patient contact experience.
5) Start acquainting yourself with what a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) is. DOs are the equivalent of MDs in every regard that matters. They are physicians exactly the same as MDs. Don't let yourself get snowed by the BS preconceptions and vanities of other premeds. Applying to DO schools will broaden your options.

Good luck! I'll be rooting for you. Keep us posted