Hi, I’m new to the forum. I’m 27 years old and I want to be a doctor (ob/gyn). I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. during high school I participated in many explorer programs that allowed me to get maximum exposer to medicine. I used to visit Tulane medical school and lsu medical school for thier various programs. Being a doctor is planted in my blood, but somewhere along the line, life jumped in and I had to put my dreams on hold to deal with family crisis’ and to start my own family. I have been taking some core classes, one here and one there, but this quarter I’ve registered for a full course load of prereq’s. I’m signed up for General Chemistry, General Biology, and precalculus. I’m no good in math, and I’m sure that has something to do with a bad experience i had when i was younger. I’m willing to put everything into this quarter come hell or high water. I guess i’m just starting to get nervous. I’ve never took the actual prereqs before, except intro to chem which was a eye opener! I’m nervous that --what if something happens like it always does and I’ll have to go back to work full time. I always have these what ifs and that is what changes my mind every quarter when its time to registar for classes. some people say to have faith. everything is stable in my life, and for once the cards have fallen into place. i have financial aid, i got into all of my classes, i have study time planned out, i have money for a tutor, and NO One is trying to stop me! Its so right that it feels unreal. People keep calling me to come back to work, and out of old habit, I sometimes want to go. but i know that if I don’t give myself at least a chance to get started in school, i won’t ever finish. It’s kinda like jumping off a cliff for me.I’M SCARED! yet i want this so bad! Its so hard to not think about the what ifs, and i had to practically threaten myself to keep me from taking a job that was going to throw a lot of money my way. I only have two weeks before the quarter starts and I’m having thoughts like, what if i don’t do well? my intro to general chem teacher told me i shouldn’t take gen. chem at that school, what if she was right and I don’t pass, what if i don’t make enough time to study, what if my homework is too hard?
this is a huge opprotunity and a huge step for me. I feel like i’ve worked for 9 years just to get to this point.I know its just cold feet, but i’d feel better if I knew that there are others who had cold feet and just jumped in anyway! This site has been a good place to get reassurance and I welcome all comments!
thanks,
Drjay-
You forgot one “what if”…what if you never tried to go to medschool…then what? It’s a what if that would be harder to accept than having tried and then deciding later down the road it’s not for you. Jump in while the gettin is good and don’t look back my friend.
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Hi, I’m new to the forum. I’m 27 years old and I want to be a doctor (ob/gyn). I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. during high school I participated in many explorer programs that allowed me to get maximum exposer to medicine. I used to visit Tulane medical school and lsu medical school for thier various programs. Being a doctor is planted in my blood,
thanks,
Okay this is the important part, I’m 41 and It’s in my “blood” and I’m in school now. Yea I said to myself what if I never tried? I’m there now and doing it.
I think you have to “go for it”.
Good Luck.
First off, don’t give up! You can do this! It may look like a daunting task right now, but all challenges get met one step at a time. You put one foot in front of the other, and keep doing it. Eventually, you look up and realize that you’re succeeding. Beginnings are always scary. It’s best to not think about it and jump in feet first.
You’ve got all the tools lined up that you’ll need for success. Use your tutor, talk to the teacher during office hours, ask questions constantly. For Chemistry, do all the problems at the back of the chapter, that’s the only way to learn chemistry. For Biology, make flashcards and either quiz yourself or have someone else quiz you. When I first started back to school, I still had to work full time and had the misguided idea that I wasn’t very good at science. I even took on too much the first semester, Chem 1, Bio 2 and Physics 1. I ended up dropping one class so that I could succeed in the others. Live and learn. There were times I was so frustrated, I wanted to quit. But I was determined to make it, and I did. Determination is the most important factor in this path. There are a lot of really talented people who don’t make it to med school, but the ones that want it the most, who won’t give up, no matter what, those are the ones who do make it.
So, don’t give up! Be excited about learning. This is the first step on your way to being a doctor. Oh, and another suggestion. Find an OB/GYN to shadow. You watch a baby being born, and think, I’m going to be doing that someday. That’s enough motivation for at least a month! Good luck! Keep us posted on how you’re doing.
Gina
I agree with everybody . There is some chance that you might not be able to make it through the coursework but I tend to think that this will not be the case. I really believe that being older is ultimately a real advantage in terms of the focus and dedication that you’ll need and you sound pretty motivated to me.
As has been mentioned, if you never try, you will never know. That alone would drive me nuts. Give it a go with all you’ve got and keep checking back here when you need a lift or rant. I faded away from OPM for a while, but even then it was helpful to know that there was this website where a bunch of people like me were going through the same stuff and I was not alone. You are not alone either.
Honestly, being older is a superior advantage to any sort of college coursework, especially something as intensive as pre-med. I’m 21, been in the military at one point before I got discharged for stress fractures in infantry basic, and I held several jobs before I started going to college. I’d say that the maturity, discipline, etc. I’ve gotten in the five years since I graduated has been invaluable for going to college. Most kids right out of high school may go to college sure but a lot of them are unsure as to what they want to do, and they’ve never dealt with anything that hard in their life so the older people have the advantage in my opinion. Granted 21 isn’t that old, but I’ve got the experience of someone in their mid 20s compacted into a couple years.
Besides, you just have to believe in yourself, most of the stuff we think is going to be really hard or impossible turns out to be mediocre or cake. I was told biology can be hard if you don’t have a good memory because alot of it is memorization, and I only needed a 60% on my final to get an A I was so far ahead in my general biology class.
Look at it this way…the question isn’t whether you can handle the classes. It’s whether the classes can handle you. 
thanks for all of your motivation and support! I needed it! I guess i was just a little nervous that this is actually going to happen for me. I’m going to take my beloved biology, chemistry, and precalculus. I’m going to take the first and most important step towards living my dream. Its been so long since i’ve done something for myself, i’m starting to get very excited and anxious! I’m no longer worried so much about the what if’s, I’m jumping in come hell or high water! I will keep everyone updated on my progress, and thanks again for your encouragement!
Life isn’t about how many times you fall down; it’s about how many times you get back up, having fallen. Buckminster Fuller said, “I am convinced all of humanity is born with more gifts than we know. Most are born geniuses and just get de-geniused rapidly.” When I was in the Navy, we learned that the human body is capable of 110% more trauma than one might think. The brain is also capable of 110% more output than we might think. You are capable of the work, the question is how much do you really want to do it?
Most persons fail because they quit - if their goals are reasonable. Your goal of becoming a doctor is more than reasonable, so the attainment of your goal rests in your desire. But, no goal is ever worth destroying one’s family for; make sure if you are married that your spouse is on board 100%. Lovingly communicating why this is so important to you will ensure that they will be. 
If you play “what if” games then you will lose. Stop it. You have to create focus within yourself, and playing the what if game is only a detraction from that focus. Change what you can in life, and don’t worry about the rest. Take what is inevitable as it comes and turn it to the best advantage you can. Some times life is difficult but just keep going. Make the decision and go for it for better or for worse, because it will be both.
Don’t make me throw more clichets at you. You made the sacrifice to get this far. dont turn back now.
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Life isn’t about how many times you fall down; it’s about how many times you get back up, having fallen. Buckminster Fuller said, “I am convinced all of humanity is born with more gifts than we know. Most are born geniuses and just get de-geniused rapidly.” When I was in the Navy, we learned that the human body is capable of 110% more trauma than one might think. The brain is also capable of 110% more output than we might think. You are capable of the work, the question is how much do you really want to do it?
Most persons fail because they quit - if their goals are reasonable. Your goal of becoming a doctor is more than reasonable, so the attainment of your goal rests in your desire. But, no goal is ever worth destroying one’s family for; make sure if you are married that your spouse is on board 100%. Lovingly communicating why this is so important to you will ensure that they will be.
Great response. I will have to remember that quote. The scary thing is that I actually know who Buckminster Fuller was.
