Hi everyone! It’s my first post - I’m a 30-year old pre-med in the Chicago area. I still need to take at least 1 full years’ worth of pre-med classes, so I’m shooting for a 2018 MCAT/application.
I currently work full time in software (in an area tangentially related to healthcare). I’m taking classes part-time right now, but come summer I’d like to take intensive chemistry classes that would make it impossible to juggle classes with my full-time day job. My job provides a supportive environment, health insurance, etc., and I’m expecting to get a promotion soon, which would show a certain level of leadership skills (which med school admissions appreciate, I hear.) On the other hand, I’d like to get this show on the road so I can meet my goal for attending med school in 2019.
Part of my issue is the fear of leaving my job, then not getting into med school. In general, I’m having a hard time with the decision to say No to my current path in order to say Yes to a path that feels very uncertain. Any advice or perspective would be really helpful, thank you!
I was in the military, so I couldn’t “quit” my job (contractually bound) prior to getting in to med school. I think it was actually a blessing in disguise in that, unlike a vast majority of the rest of the applicants, I didn’t HAVE to get into med school in order to have a future. Worst case scenario was I didn’t get in and I would continue the status quo, progress with my career, and give it another shot.
Granted, it was a major pain trying to take classes while working full time. I did one class at a time when I did take classes, and no one seemed to look down on me for doing so from an application point of view. My academic pacing of my post bacc program (4 classes over 10 years…) never even came up in my interviews. There’s really no reason to rush yourself through the process, especially if it leads to massive life instability and increased anxiety. I guess a lot of the decision for me would be a) how much debt do i have, b) how much money do I have saved up, c) what’re my monthly expenses and can I cut back on them if need be, d) if it doesn’t work out this year, can I find work while I reapply.
Thank you, Kennymac, for your input.
It’s so simple, but you’re right - there’s no real reason to rush through the process. That’s a bit of a wake up call for me, as I’ve been doing nothing BUT rushing myself through the process, thinking that it’s going to be “too late” at some arbitrary point in the future. Which I realize is a total fallacy. Thanks for the reminder!
I feel like doing this as I find it near impossible since I live in Hawaii and the classes are all the four core classes are only available in the day time… SAME HOURS AS MY JOB. I have no savings so I can’t do that. I guess I may need to either take out federal loans completely or just stay at my job and put off another yaer.
Past four 4 years, I have suffered one lay off and one contract job end suddenly, (ironically I resigned from two jobs to only be laid off or contract just ended from the last two jobs I just mentioned), and decided to just move back home with my mom. It was difficult and continually different to get a job that will pay more than $15 an hour (which is barely anything with high cost of living in Hawaii).
Living back in Oahu, the costs of attending the ONLY formal post bacc program will cost me my day job. If you are curious the only formal post bacc program is at Hawaii Pacific University.
But I may just take one class and or two and not redo the rest. I might as well try to study and take the MCAT. I graduated with my BS in Biology, minor in Biochem in 2010 so it’s been about 9-10 years since I took gen bio 1 and 2 with lab, gen chem 1 and 2 with lab and 8 years with physics 1 and 2 with lab and ochem 1 and 2 with lab…
Morganpremed,
I’m in a similar boat, albeit I’m nearing the end of my pre-reqs. I’m 33 yrs old and financial necessity required me to shelf my journey to premed for several years, 3 to be exact. However, that time was well spent as I began working full-time in a clinical setting at an academic institution. I’ve earned several certifications during this time which I believe should bode well when it comes time to apply later this year.
So, there is a trade-off for non-traditional students who work full-time jobs and take courses in bite-sized chunks. What I would suggest is that IF your current employment affords you opportunities to expand your clinical experience, however tangential that might be, you need to maximize that to the fullest. I will say that non-trads employed in non-health sectors should seriously consider the impact that having no clinical experience MIGHT have on their opportunities to get into medical school.
Last, I completely agree with Kennymac. Don’t be in a rush, but at the same time be intentional and methodical. Hindsight is 20/20. It was this felt sense of needing to “hurry up” which got me into a bit of trouble several years ago when I attempted to take two upper division science courses in a summer semester. While it didn’t completely derail me, I have had to deal with the ramifications (i.e., retaking the courses AND having to pay for them). So, pace yourself but be SUPER clear about what it is you want to accomplish.