Well I am new to the site and it really does seem to be my kind of place. Like all of you I have my own story. I was maybe the poorest student I knew. I graduated high school 1990. I was at the bottom of my class. I had very poor learning skills. I was the first person in my family to ever attend college. I think it is important to be honest so I will just tell you I was kicked out of college three times in between 1991 and 1993. I didn’t understand the value of an education and I didn’t have a real goal for attending college. Surprisingly I did return to college in 1996. At that time I just wanted an education so I could make a better living. I won’t bore you with how many hoops I had to jump to get back into school. I did return with a plan to become a RN as I wanted to be able to help people them rather than hurt them. In my previous life I was a collection agency manger. It was more title than anything else but I was good at getting merchants to let our company collect their past due money and I was good at getting people to pay. I just hated almost every day (of those seven years.) When I went back to the local Community College in 96 I soon found I had extreme problems. You see I didn’t know how to learn. I could not write a paragraph and I lacked any subject that came easy. I limped by and got Cs in Chemistry (5hrs), Microbiology (somehow skipped biology) and Anatomy and Physiology I. I had to take all of the lower noncredit classes for both English and Math so I could learn the basics. I did become an RN after about four years at Community College. This gave me a much improved financial picture. About a year after beginning work a friend came in one day and said it was time I get moving. I really valued this friends’ opinion as she was working to become a ARNP (Nurse practitioner). It was at that point that I started on line distance education classes for a university that was two and ½ hours away. I was working towards my bachelors degree in nursing despite my mediocre grades. To speed this up; I completed my bachelors degree after about another two and ½ years of computer work and driving to the university. All and all I pulled a 3.1 or there about. I fell in love with psychiatric care. In June 2007 I completed my masters degree of Science in Nursing by driving 4 hours ever week for two an one half years to another university. My graduate GPA was 3.82. I am now working as a Psychiatric ARNP in mostly rural areas. I travel to six different locations and love the work. Here is the problem- most people would say I made it but every single day I know I want more! I have come to love science. In my free time I am reading chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology books. I think I would be a good rural health doctor and thus the Doc Hollywood (from that old movie).
My new challenges- I need premed classes but work full time of course and so I can only take one or two classes max each semester. The classes would need to be from the local community college.
Next while I now know how to learn, I still have some problems expressing myself quickly and well in writing and of course this is a primary section of the MCAT. I will have to learn proper grammar and form.
I worry about physics because while I did pull a B in College Algebra but it took so much I remember I walked right by my sons classroom when I was going to pick him up from daycare once due to the stress I felt about it. (Not worried about stress but rather being able to do the work.)
Last but maybe most important I am married and have been for 12 years to a great person. The thing is my wife is a psychologist and recently became the director of our local mental health agency something she had wanted for at least the last ten years. The closest medical school is 7 hours away.
“It is never too late to become what you might have been.â€
I HOPE I DIDNT POST THIS IS THE WRONG PLACE IF I DID PLEASE SOMEONE HELP!!!
I should have posted a question as many people are looking over the post but none are replying
The question is do I have a change at getting into my state school (KU).
Doc,
There have been many rags to riches stories expressed in these forums. Search back and you will find many of them with similar backgrounds to your own. The fact that you were able to do well in your recent coursework is the key to success. You may need to take a few upper level science courses and do well in them in order to convince med schools that you have the science chops to handle med school. Note also that osteopathic schools are a little more forgiving about grades and will substitute new, good grades for old, bad ones, thus raising your total GPA. But all med schools will still scrutinize all your course work; you have to show them all of it, unfortunately. Doing really well on the MCAT will also help your situation.
As for what school you have a chance at–you will need to apply broadly, 10-20 schools is not atypical, and see who likes you. You cannot put all your eggs in one basket unless your numbers are really, really great. You will need to sit down with your wife and talk about this. It sounds like you are still a year or more away from applying, so she can enjoy her current opportunity and perhaps she will be better set up to relocate to a similar position elsewhere.
Best of luck,
thanks for your reply I thought I may have to just go back to lurking.
It sounds as though you have the perseverance to do anything you put your mind to and enough ambition to fuel it.
Each couple needs to figure out what will work for their own family. My wife wants to keep her teaching job and a family home (we have three kids, two in college and one done) so I will be in LA studying a lot for two years and then back to the NW.
Surprise yourself by thinking of a lot of possibilities even if they seem outrageous! It may help something come clear.
Good Luck!
Craig right. Never,Never,Never Give up 