Hello,
I am new here and seeking advice. I have always wanted to go to medical school. The pathway I have chosen is rather long and way differet than I originally thought it would be but I am not giving up. Here is my story…the short version.
Married my high school sweet heart at 19
Both had big dreams…Me to be a doctor and him a Veterinarian.
Had our first child when we were both 20
Had our second (and last) child at 21
Husband started vet school this past year at age 25
I am school teacher teaching both Anatomy & physiology and a Health Occupations elective.
(waiting for the perfect moment to apply to medical school)
My husband has 3 years of vet school left and our children are 4 and 5 years old now. It just seems like it is taking forever for my turn to go to school but I know I must be patient.
Here are my stats and I am seeking advice on how to beef up my application for when I do get to apply.
I worked 30 hrs a week my entire way though undergrad so my GPA is low. Too much on my plate…
BS Health Education- 2.8 GPA
MS Management- 4.0 GPA
I still have 4 pre reqs to take before I can apply…Organic Chemistrys and Physics.
I Sponsor a student organization called HOSA and keep active in volunteering at the local food bank, shelter, etc. I am hoping this will look good on my application. I am also a member of several professional organizations…most are education related.
I have tried looking into other careers such a PA, NP, Pharmacist, Physical Therapist, etc. None seem to satidfy me because I always lean back to my original dream.
Is there anything I can be doing right now to prepare for the application cycle which is 2 years away for me. I worry that my undergrad GPA is going to be laughed at. I fear telling admissions committees that I have kids will turn them off. (My husband experienced this in Vet school…took him 3 tries to get in…mentioned the kids at first 2 interviews and was declined…did NOT metion the kids at last interview and was accepted…Weird huh?)
Any feedback is appreciated.
- HSTMD2Be Said:
Is there anything I can be doing right now to prepare for the application cycle which is 2 years away for me. I worry that my undergrad GPA is going to be laughed at.
Yes, your undergrad GPA may be an issue. What does your GPA look like in your recent coursework? Have you taken all of your pre-reqs recently? You need to be getting as good of grades as possible in all your current coursework. Take as many upper level science courses as you can and get excellent grades. Devote time to MCAT prep and blow it out of the water. A good MCAT and great recent grades will help get your application looked at. Also be looking at cultivating professors who will write you GREAT LORs. Your volunteer experience is great. The one aspect you seem to be lacking is any healthcare experience or shadowing. Definitely try and get some shadowing in.
- In reply to:
I fear telling admissions committees that I have kids will turn them off. (My husband experienced this in Vet school...took him 3 tries to get in...mentioned the kids at first 2 interviews and was declined....did NOT metion the kids at last interview and was accepted....Weird huh?)
I would hope that the fact your husband had kids was not the reason that he was declined, but it's not entirely outside of the realm of possibility. If you are really worried about it being an issue, then don't bring it up at an interview and try to avoid putting anything in your application that would indicate that you have children. Legally, they can't ask you about your family situation and/or plans unless you bring it up. If you have questions "family friendliness", save those for your interactions with students who eat lunch with you and/or give tours.
Welcome!
“The one aspect you seem to be lacking is any healthcare experience or shadowing. Definitely try and get some shadowing in.”
I worked as a EKG Technician for 18 months and a MEdical Assistant for 2 years. I am a CPR and First Aid Instructor too. I hope this is good enough experience.
My Sciences are a few years old and I want to take a few classes at a local University but it cost $800 a class vs. a local junior college where the cost is $200 a class. My husband is a fulltime vet student so we are living on my teachers salary.
Is is bad to take pre-reqs classes at a junior college?
- HSTMD2Be Said:
I worked as a EKG Technician for 18 months and a MEdical Assistant for 2 years. I am a CPR and First Aid Instructor too. I hope this is good enough experience.
Definitely good experience, but I still encourage you to do a little shadowing if you can. I also had extensive health care experience and didn't feel that I needed to shadow, but I was questioned at every interview about it. I got away with it by saying that I had done some "informal" shadowing by hanging out in the ED during down time talking with physicians about their jobs. The big thing they are looking for is that you have talked to some physicians, spent some time with them and gotten a good feel for what you are getting into. If you can demonstrate this via your previous experience, then shadowing is not as crucial.
- In reply to:
My Sciences are a few years old and I want to take a few classes at a local University but it cost $800 a class vs. a local junior college where the cost is $200 a class. My husband is a fulltime vet student so we are living on my teachers salary.
Is is bad to take pre-reqs classes at a junior college?
Is is bad to take pre-reqs classes at a junior college?
Lots and lots of discussion on here about this subject. If you have a chance, do some searching and see if you can come up with some of the older threads. The general rule is if at all possible, you should take them at a four year institution, you should do so. In your case, you have some serious GPA damage control to do, so it would probably be in your best interests to take as many of your courses as possible at the 4 year institution. At the minimum, you should consider taking some upper level courses at the university level.