Hello everyone -
I just found this forum and it is very encouraging. I am a 34 y.o. mom of two girls (6 and 3) with a Bachelor’s in Medical Technology (laboratory science). I have been thinking about going to medical school for years now and am just about ready to make the commitment to try. My main concern is my GPA. I had a lot of personal issues going on while I was in college, which resulted in a 2.8 GPA. I did very well in my clinical courses, but averaged mostly B’s with a couple of C’s in my didactic science courses. I would be willing to retake some of them if necessary if they could somehow be factored in or even replace the old scores. I know I will at least have to take physics and calculus, as I haven’t taken them yet. I am shooting for admission to medical school by the time I am 40. I think that should give me enough time to take whatever courses I need to bump up the GPA. I am also the only breadwinner in our home - my husband stays home with the girls. He is concerned about how we will live while I am in medical school. I know loans may not cover all of our living expenses, but we have a few years to prepare for that.
Any advice on preparing for admission is greatly appreciated.
I am very happy to have found you all and look forward to getting to know you!
Joanne
Hello Joanne,
Welcome to OPM! You do need to take physics but the calculus requirement is variable. If you are interested in Calculus, by all means take it but do realize that some medical schools do not require Calculus and some do.
You will probably need to raise that 2.8 GPA a bit but a couple of As in the classes that you need will do just that. Try to get some Molecular Biology and Human Physiology (not Anatomy & Physiology) into your schedule. It will greatly help you in the long run as you clinical medical technology courses are going to be useful in the long run. Raising that 2.8 is not impossible so take your time and do very well. I got into medical school at age 46 so take your time and get the grades that you need.
Try to get your life as simple as possible. This means paying off all credit card debt. If you have a very expensive mortgage, you may want to think about refinancing now while you are still working. Don’t take on any new debt such as the purchase of a new automobile. This is also a good time to start saving as much as you can even if it is just $50 a week.
Since you are the person, who is working, health insurance is going to be one of your biggest problems when you start medical school. Most medical school plans do not cover families. Try to find a solution to this problem in the next few years as you are taking your coursework. If you live frugally, and you husband is able to work, you may be able to get by on the financial aid otherwise, you are going to have to borrow above the alloted amount (private loans) to cover your family’s needs. In the long run, you will owe more but your family needs have a roof over their heads and food in the refrigerator along with health coverage.
Plenty of folks have managed to get through medical school with families so look for schools that have good support for students with families. Howard, my alma mater, is one of them but located in very expensive Washington, DC.
Good luck and we are glad to have you. Post from time to time and let us know how you are doing.
Natalie 
Welcome! I am a 34 year old mother of 3 girls - almost 9, 10 and 12. I am starting med school in 3 weeks. I went back to school to finish my BA and do my pre-med pre-reqs when my youngest started Kindergarten. I used day care minimally, when my school schedule didn’t quite match theirs (a half hour here and there). Bravo on working it out so that your kids have a stay at home parent. It may not be a popular viewpoint, but I think it’s best for children to have a stay at home parent until they are school age (some children require more). As a dear friend of mine says “I didn’t have kids so someone else could raise them.”
Unless you and your hubby are dead set on homeschooling, your youngest will be in school soon and maybe your husband will be able to find work with medical insurance. That said, there are plenty of homeschooling families who earn incomes with home based businesses at the same time - but I digress. Anyway, perhaps with both kids in school, you can re-arrange your financial logistics.
Do check out the requirements for admission to med schools you would like to go to, and make an appointment with at least one of them to go over your pre-med plans seeking advice to make yourself a tantalizing candidate. They will advise you about what classes you might re-take and those not to waste your time and $$ on. Your med school of choice may not require Calc but require, say, Biochem or Sociology. They probably allow some or all the pre-reqs to be taken at community college (cheap!) So check into it.
Get A’s in your pre-reqs and your GPA will boost up a bit. Just prove you can and will do the work required and the past low grades can be looked over. You won’t need to rack up classes just to raise GPA, just do well in the classes you need to take. Do well on the MCAT.
If possible don’t stretch out your pre-req sciences courses too long because the MCAT is easier if it is all fresh in your mind and very recent. It’s quite a bit more work to review for MCAT Chem if you take the MCAT 3 years after the class. You need to know the material on MCAT day as well as you knew it on Finals day. Honestly, some of that stuff you won’t want to ever think about again, much less study it again. Your class may not cover something that is on the MCAT, so follow along as you go with an MCAT prep book. Another thing to keep in mind is that they want to know if you can handle an extra-full course load and still do well. Doing well taking one science class a semester isn’t impressive. Doing well taking 2 or 3 science classes a semester is.
The whole thing could be more do-able than you thought.
Wmkayak
Magpie,
Welcome to OPM. Natalie has given some great, thorough advice. I wish you the best in your journey.
Kathy
Hi and welcome to OPM!!!
Good luck on your journey!