i took all my prerequesites (other than org II and lab) 15 years ago, during the time when i was earning my bachelor’s from OU. my mom died at age 50 after a 12 year battle with alpha I antitrypsin deficiency, through which i was her cheerleader and her caretaker. i had only begun college at age 30 (was 33 when she died and went through a divorce that same year). i didn’t drop out of my college, moved with my kids to a different house, but did drop the pre-med stuff and didn’t complete the process or the path. instead, i earned a psych degree and have been in sales for 15 years…NOW, i NEVER dreamed that med school was logical, possible or even smart since that point…have always yearned to go back to school and go further with education, was accepted to various law schools, psychology doctoral programs, etc…but something always stopped me from going (either family issues or my own doubts about investing the money and the time). my children are grown now (except for one 15 year old). i think that it’s now or never to explore the possibility of med school. i’m currently enrolled in org I and microbiology for the fall semester…many events in the past few weeks have opened my eyes to the “possibility” that this might work out. i am a fitness instructor, very healthy, active, and have lots of stamina.
all of that being said, if i really sit and dwell on this or analyze it (on its face) it appears to be crazy. i have simply decided to finish what i started 15 years ago. i will finish up the organic II and take biochem in the spring. at that point, if i find compelling reasons to stop the process, i will do so–but for NOW, it’s full speed ahead. i truly think that 100% of this effort consists of two basic skills: the art of putting one foot in front of the other and the commitment to not give up once truly committed.
thanks for letting me share. glad i found your site.
CONGRATS! Welcome to the group. Please keep us posted as to your journey.
I, for one, am not laughing. I applaud you, and your dedication!
Hello Sheila, welcome aboard! Congratulations, you can do it!
very cool story. thanks.
thank you.
thank you. good luck to you, too.
Hi,
You are not crazy…and you are not alone. I am soon to be 51 and this thing (not even sure what to call it) has been inside of me for a long time. When I was in my 20’s I thought it was impossible because I thought you had to be somehow special and set up somehow to accomplish this; when I was in my 30’s I took all the pre-med courses but was very alone at that time with no support and never felt ready to take the MCAT so I gave it up; in my 40’s I just tried to ignore it and thought maybe the unmet dream was somehow supposed to make me stronger and lead me to something else. So here I am, almost 51 and frequently reading this site.
By many standards I am successful but by my own standard I am not. I like what you said about finishing what you started. It has me thinking that I need to do that, complete the preparation, and submit the applications. If I don’t get accepted, then at least they told me ‘no’ and I did not tell myself ‘no’.
Anyway, thanks for your post. I wish you the best.
Rock On! Do your thing for you. I am turning 40 in October and have not gone back to grad school becuase the med school thing has been lingering in the back of my mind forever. I’ve thought about business school, law school, and doing a Phd, but my heart was never in those decisions because they weren’t really what I want to do. And so with a husband and 4 children, ages 6-16, I embark on my new journey. Have to get the synapses firing beyond peanut butter and honey sandwiches, football practice, and all of that, but am ready to do it. I think my kids will get a kick out of it since I will be doing homework right along side them, and I especially think it sets a great example for them to do what is in their hearts not matter what.
I just turned 40 and working on the pre-med science requirements. I firmly believe that dreams should not be limited by age so much as by determination. Good luck to you and everyone starting on the path to Medical school!
wow, mimosa: our stories are so identical!! i’ve been accepted to law schools and doctoral psychology programs and never could bring myself to actually follow through and spend the money to do it, etc.
you’re right. i always thought that it should be a “calling,” something that was so profound (like you hear in the stories of many others), but for some of us, it is just a quiet knowing. i’ve fought it for a long time because of the following:
- fear of failure
- lack of motivation to put in the work
- fear of that level of personal success
- fear that i’m not smart enough, even though my undergraduate work says otherwise.
- laziness
- most importantly (and this is actually a good reason) fear of missing out on my kids’ lives.
in a nutshell, i think i was wise to wait because i truly wasn’t ready back then for all the above reasons. i still struggle with not talking myself out of this…(every reason in the world NOT to do it) but at the end of the road, who do you want to be when you die?
thanks for the feedback, and best wishes to you, too! let’s stay in touch. maybe we can motivate each other.
rg: i’m with you all the way! you will be a great example to your kids! i have a 15 year old at home that wants to be a doctor. i hope i can set an example for him, as well. right now, i’m just looking at what’s right in front of me and trying not to project too far down the road or get caught up in negative thinking.
Keep up the good work, do not give up. I do applaud your efforts.
Luke
- shegigi Said:
all of that being said, if i really sit and dwell on this or analyze it (on its face) it appears to be crazy. i have simply decided to finish what i started 15 years ago. i will finish up the organic II and take biochem in the spring. at that point, if i find compelling reasons to stop the process, i will do so--but for NOW, it's full speed ahead. i truly think that 100% of this effort consists of two basic skills: the art of putting one foot in front of the other and the commitment to not give up once truly committed.
thanks for letting me share. glad i found your site.
Good for you!:
I am new here too. But those of you that we have interacted elsewhere you know what I am to say before I open my mouth.
Med School takes 3.5 years only. There are many trades in college that are not worthy the fight for that also take that long! The rest of the time is about positioning yourself to be better at what you indend to to the rest of your life.
Med Doctors work in both practice and academia even in their late 70s. Therefore, you have more than 20 years ahead of you to make a difference as a Med Doctor, in people that will benefit from your services. Don`t let anything stand in your way! For anything that does, is not intended to benefit society but to set society behind time and counter product to human progress.
Some social engineers love to discourage humanity as a way to put a york on their progress in life. So that they can get "a job" to feed into the matrix for its continuation...social control ideas
that are actually toxic and worse than bogus exploitive actuarial mathematics, It would have to be from the far left, so to speak...
In short, Human progress at any point of one's life, is beneficial to us all. Those who work against such progress are enemies of mankind and a york to us all.
Congratulations! And go for it.
very good feedback from the counselor. i had never thought about med school being 3.5 years, but i guess what you’re saying is that the last half of the final year in spent doing practicums?? that sounds good to me. clarification anyone?
i meant from magenmd! i saw the counselr ad at the bottom of the page and though that was from her. please clarify magenmd about the 3.5 years.
Take a bow Sheila,
I am 33 years old now and have had the itch all my life. Self-doubt from not doing so well in previous courses had kept me before from pursuing medicine. I hope that you continue until you get there. You are inspiration!
well, best wishes to you! i was just told by a female doctor today that my age might keep me from being admitted to the school i want (OU). for a split second, i almost felt discouraged, then felt irritated because i think that may be a misnomer. she told me to think about DO school (which i already have done). i intend to apply to DO and MD, but my first choice would be MD. i think her statement was a little negative, especially when coming from a female in the medical community. she didn’t start med school until she was 34 and pregnant–so why couldn’t i start at 51 or 52 with perfect health and being a fitness instructor?!! keep working, girl.
Med school starts in the fall of one year, ends in the spring 4 years later. You’ll have one two-month summer off and maybe another month between the end of second year and beginning of third year. So while it’s technically correct that med school is 3.5 years, in reality you’re pretty much committed for 4 years, less about two months.
Example:
I started late August 2000
Summer off, June-August 2001
Second year late August 2001 - May 2002
Third year July 2002 - June 2003
Fourth year July 2003 - May 2004 (graduation!)
So between August 20, 2000 and May 16, 2004 (um, those are rough dates, not necessarily accurate after all this time) I was in school all but three months.
Mary