Hey everyone! I’m back! I missed all you guys and your help! Well, I’m in the middle of two gen-ed classes at my community college and I’ve done well so far. I could only manage a B in my 16th century lit class (it was a REALLY condensed summer course), but my GPA is still a 3.70.
Anyway, I’m back for some more advice! My wife and I had several lengthy discussions about medical school. Eventually, we came to a consensus: we’ve decided to BOTH go to school at the same time. She is going to wrap up her accounting degree, while I wrap up a computer science degree. I’m almost done with the gen ed requirements for my degree, and then it’s on to the meat.
After that, I’m going to get a job as a programmer…somewhere. However, I will continue to take classes on a part time basis for my med school requirements. Once I’ve wrapped those up, which will take me a few years, I’ll apply for medical school. In that time, I’ll at least be putting money away while I’m studying.
In a nutshell, that is our biggest problem: money. We wouldn’t be able to survive if I went to med school and she worked on her own - not initially. So, I’ll make some money on the side while I wrap up the prereqs. Also, my employer won’t give me any tuition reimbursement for a biology degree (which is what I REALLY wanted to do).
Well, that’s the plan. I’m going to be taking a few science courses at the community college. I know that’s taboo, but it’s an expense issue. What does everybody think? Does it sound like a good plan? Or, should I reevaluate?
Hi Saurus,
A reasonable plan, but what kind of degree are you pursuing–bachelors? Masters? Can you not squeeze in a couple of prerequisites on your own dime–student loans, or private loans if need be? Not to discount your financial priorities, but if it’s medicine that you truly want, you should be pursuing medicine and not just some specialty that your employer wants you to pursue. Just a thought, and sorry if this is off base.
Nope. You’re absolutely on the nose. I would like to pursue some of the prerequisites while working toward my B.S… More than likely, I’ll do a Bio minor, instead of my original plan for a Math minor. This will give me a chance to take some extra courses in the heavy sciences.
Again, I really wanted to take a biology track. That may still be the case. However, if I do, I need to make a damn strong case to myself and my wife that it will be worth the expense. My employer won’t pay for anything beyond the General Education requirements, so I’ve got to make sure that I’ll get some descent returns on the other end (in terms of employment). There’s a fair of sorts coming through my community college in Novemeber. The flagship university of my state will be coming through, and the Assistant Deans of each college will be opening themselves up for questioning, so to speak. I’m going to take that opportunity to speak with both the Computer Science and Statistics AD, and the Life Sciences AD. That’s where I’ll make my final determination. But, so far it looks like Computer Science with some pre-reqs.
Thanks for the feedback! 
Hey medeirosaurus,
I’m new to the board and have not even applied to med school yet, however this post caught my eye because many universities and colleges have CompSci degrees with a specialty in bio-informatics. At my Undergrad university the Bio-informatics degree was a CompSci degree that fulfilled all the premed requirements.
I just wanted to make an addendum to this post:
After much hard thought, and many hours of consideration, my wife and I decided that it would be better for me to pursue a Biology degree. This is what I originally planned on doing, but she kind of talked me out of it. She didn’t think it was very practical, and I’ve come to rely on my wife’s instincts. She thought that, based on the time we’ve been together, computers has been the most common thread in my life so I should pursue those.
Fortunately, my gut reaction to this change was negative, and I followed my instincts (it took awhile, though). So, I sat down with her and told her that I didn’t want to pursue a computer science degree, and that I wanted to do what made me happy.
I’ve felt such a strong pull to Life Sciences my whole life that I just can’t resist the opportunity to pursue them in an academic setting. I think that I’ll be the most successful if I’m doing something that I can get up everyday and look forward to, and I’m sure everyone can agree with me on that point.
Anyway, I hate to look like a flake here, because I feel like one, jumping back and forth all the time. It’s been a tough decision for my family. I don’t want to put anyone out, and my wife will already have her career established by the time I’m ready to enter into medical school. I don’t want to force them to move somewhere else if I’m not absolutely sure this is where I want to be. I guess I just needed to flesh out my options a little bit.
I’m definitly ready to take the leap now. 