Hey there Trismegistus,
Your OP (and subsequent posts) really struck a chord with me.
I definitely have some of the same personality traits as you. I am naturally very lazy - not a self-starter. The ONLY way for me to get things done is to 1) be in outirght competition with other people, or 2) to convince myself that there is a goal ahead that I have to acheive. Luckily, I had a goal and it got me through college without major damage to my GPA - I only had one atrocious semester. That goal was to work at NASA, and I did that. However much I hate to admit it, that was a Dilbert-like job for me. Some parts of it were unbelieveably cool, but on a day-to-day basis I was unmotivated and quite the slacker (no competition or goals left!). I became more and more depressed and convinced that I was a total loser.
Finally, I went to the EAP counselor. That was such a HUGE help for me. Well, the first one I saw sucked and wanted to put me on medication - but the second one was awesome. She really opened my eyes about myself and what I should be doing. One thing she told me was that I’m NOT lazy. If I were truly lazy, I would just keep cashing my paycheck and not care. The fact that I was so unhappy was a clue that I was doing the wrong thing. I sat down and though long and hard about what would be the right job for me. Medicine is what floated to the surface (it had actually been in the back of my mind for a long time) and I knew it was the right thing for me. And no, I hadn’t wanted to be a doctor since I was an infant - I decided when I was 28. Here is why it’s right for me: 1) I need to be in a job with extrinsic motivation (i.e. people relying on me, schedule to keep). 2) I need to always be challenged and learning. 3) I need to be respected. 4) I to know that I’m doing something important - that if I don’t do it the world will be a worse place. 5) I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I could go on, but I won’t.
Of course, now all the practical worries come in. How will I manage to take classes? How will this affect my family? And most of all - how will we deal with the financial impacts??? I was married w/o kids (then) and I had a nice discussion with my husband. It started with “no way”, but he eventually came around when he saw how important it was to me. Now, I don’t want to imply that my spouse is putting me through school. From the moment I decided to do this, we saved every extra penny and scaled down unneccessary things like eating out, movies, etc. And, before I started school, we managed to save a very healthy chunck of money. It’s enough to pay my tuition and make up for my not working.
Now, about classes. Most of my classes I took after work. Sometimes it will interfere, but you have to just find a way to do it. Surely there are people you work with who have to leave at 5pm to pick up their kids? Or other similar situations? If you do a good job, they will hopefully be flexible and let you do what you need to do. Save your vacation days and use them when you have conflicts. I really suggest not quitting your job until you absolutely have to. It’s hard to keep working (esp from a motivation standpoint!), but having the money will really take a load off your mind later. Luckily there is a commuter campus of the local 4-yr university very close to me. They offered most of the classes I needed at reasonable times (i.e. 7-10pm). It was ideal.
Now, let me tell you where you will shine. It’s the MCAT. Bust your butt studying and take a prep course if you need the structure. You will do great, and it will help you A LOT on admissions. That, along with your 4.0 GPA from your postbacc classes will go a long way toward getting you in. Have you story straight when you go to interviews. Don’t apologize for your past. As Dave says - “own it” and be proud of everything you have done and how it shaped you. We can talk more about that later.
Get some clinical experience. EMT is great, shadowing is great. Volunteering can be great or it can stink, depending on where you go. If I had been single w/o kids, I would have gone the EMT route. It might add a year onto your path, but it is AWESOME experience and extremely relevant and motivating.
While you are doing this, you will not be able to watch as much TV. You will not get as much sleep. But you will be so much happier as soon as you start. Believe me, I saw instant improvement in my mood and self-confidence as soon as I started that 1st biology class. I’m a MSI now and I am loving it!
This is extremely long, so I’ll quit. Feel free to email me at lupofamily@yahoo.com if you want to chat.
Oh, one more thing - in answer to your original question. There are several people in my class doing it without any outside financial support including a former physicist who worked in computers for 10yrs, two former lawyers (one with a wife and baby at home), and a single mom of a 4-year-old. It certainly can be done.
spacecadet, thanks for your post. It's encouraging to hear that even those of us who are not natural born self-starters can make it happen through hard work. I really identify with your statements about convincing yourself that there's a goal you HAVE to acheive, and needing to be in a job with extrinsic motivation.
Regarding EMTs: don't they only make about $25k per year? How can one live on that and take classes? Where I live, a 1 BR apartment will run you at least $650 per month, and that's the bottom of the barrel. College credits are expensive, too. Throw in food and car insurance, and it's starting to sound unrealistic. How do people take classes while working relatively low-paying jobs? Pay one's living expenses with one's salary, and take out loans to pay for the classes? Med school is so expensive, I'd really like to avoid going into debt just to take pre-reqs if possible.
Trismegistus,
I meant EMT as an “extra-curricular”. You can take the courses at night through local community colleges and get some awesome experience that way. Several OPM’s have done it so if you’re interested it might be worth starting a new thread. Just an idea though - certainly not necessary.
Seriously, I highly recommend not quitting your job unless you have to. I worked full time almost until I matriculated, and although it was hard to go to work sometimes, it’s nice to have that money now to live on!
I know it sounds like a lot to work full-time, take classes, take the MCAT and do volunteer/clinical all at the same time. But, I think it’s the best way to go about it - especially if you’re not 100% sure that medicine is the career you’re looking for. You will be asked time and again “why medicine” and it helps to have that clinical experience to back up your answer. And although I totally understand the rush to get it all done and get into med school ASAP, adding a year or so (by keeping your job) won’t make that much difference in the end.
Pam
| QUOTE (Trismegistus @ Oct 20 2003, 09:08 PM) |
| Regarding EMTs: don't they only make about $25k per year? How can one live on that and take classes? Where I live, a 1 BR apartment will run you at least $650 per month, and that's the bottom of the barrel. College credits are expensive, too. Throw in food and car insurance, and it's starting to sound unrealistic. How do people take classes while working relatively low-paying jobs? Pay one's living expenses with one's salary, and take out loans to pay for the classes? Med school is so expensive, I'd really like to avoid going into debt just to take pre-reqs if possible. |
Tris -
I wanted to comment on this part of your post because I can definitely relate to it lol. The most I ever made working was 25k/yr and honestly I'm better off with a minimal salary (ie. 12k or less) than I was with the 25k for making everything work. Unfortunately at 25k all you qualify for schoolwise is loans, but at 12k or less you get tons of grants and minimal in loans so it evens out to the same thing but without quite as much debt. Honestly when I was working I couldn't get by simply because all I did get was loans, but while it's still not easy with the full aid package (grants and loans) it's actually more doable for me now then it was when I was working lol. Also, mileage will vary on the actual amounts to qualify for full aid depending on how much your school of choice is.
As far as rent/expenses etc often people get roommates and split the cost. You can usually find a 2 bdroom apt or even a house for less than $650/person each month. It's hard when you have a family or have been out on your own for awhile to succumb to having a roommate but it definitely helps save on the expenses lol. I'm vascillating on the roomate thing lol. I really should move to a new place and get a roommate but I've lived here for 5 years now lol. Plus our school is building a new apt-style over-21 housing that I want to try and hold out on...I at least want to see how much they'll be. It sure would be nice to not have to worry about food hehe.
On the other hand, if you have a current job that pays enough definitely stick with it as long as you can and save as much as you can. For me, taking only a couple classes at a time while working full time just wasn't worth the money I could be making (of course it was retail so the hours sucked).
If you do decide to do the EMT thing definitely be careful of how much you're actually working cuz if you go above that 12k mark but are below whatever mark you need to be to actually cover everything with no loans you'll end up not making it. EMT is great for EC stuff and a bit of spending money but I don't think it would be easy to work there fulltime and make the ends meet while doing well in the classes.
Good luck!
--Jessica, UCCS
I appreciate the honesty in the posts of those of us who have lingering doubts about maintaining this pace of premed studies and the commitment it takes to gain admission to medical school. When asked why I am taking night classes (as many people know that I have a masters degree), I still do not tell co-workers and others that I am seriously thinking about applying to medical school next year. I take the premed hurdles one quarter at a time. Self-doubt and anxiety come with each test grade I receive. The constant studying for quizzes or exams every week has become stressful. The denial of simple pleasures like watching “must see TV” and attending my daughter’s soccer game are now more common as having time to study becomes very important. The add-on demands of night classes, financial burdens, and lifestyle changes in reshaping one’s life is not easy, particularly for OPMers who have a life already!
All of us have strong motivation to serve others through the practice of medicine as well as a need to make ourselves happy with a positive self image and a meaningful life. I applaud all of you for making the effort. Live long and prosper! Aloha.
Surfergene 
God knows I’m not doing it for the money. By the time I have any appreciable income, and pay down my debts, I’ll be too old to enjoy it anyhow, or dead 
But at least they can’t charge me interest when I’m dead. Or CAN they? 
I still have doubts, even as I continue to pursue this thing. But my only regret would be if I didn’t at least try.
I’d like to offer a suggestion to Trismegistus. Take this test: Quit your job and commit to going back to school for ONE semester as a pre-med. You need to find out if your lethargy is due to slackness or being in the wrong field/job. Being in a job you hate can make many people just go through the motions. You will quickly find out which is true and whether you’re cut out for med school. If not, you’ve only lost a few months and you should get career counseling to find a field you are better suited for.
Advice to all undecideds on this list: It’s much easier to take a small bite.
My background is eerily similar to several of the posters (a engineer techie who hated his job) except I was older when I finally made the plunge. I waited a few years before doing so and that was tremendously costly. Do not wait until you are 30. Despite all the upbeat reports from others on this list, I was heavily discriminated against for being a geezer. Despite having the HIGHEST MCAT at several of the med schools I applied at, I was told, more than once, “Why are you here? You’re taking the place of a 21 year old.” Bless MD’s and their lack of social skills. Admissions Depts are much more politically correct and know the discrimination they practice is illegal. Most schools ignored my 3.91 current work as a Chemistry second batchelor’s to focus on 20-year-old grades (which were still pretty good). AMCAS doesn’t even have a way to segregate post-bac work from undergrad work on the application!
I was turned down by almost everyone. I am now an MS-1 at an un-named (to protect the guilty and the innocent) school that did decide to take a chance on me. 
P.S. to Trismegistus: Way too much navel-gazing and way too little action. You are paralyzing yourself with too many what-ifs. Stop thinking and just do something.
You can do it, maybe. Find out now.
“Given what you’ve said, I’d recommend getting an MBA and pairing that with your IT experience to advance into management. From what you’ve said I think you’ll reach some of the goals that you want to reach in life doing this and you’ll find it to be a much shorter/cheaper/easier path to travel.”
As a 43-year-old recently “defrocked” vice president/computer project manager in a large banking/financial corporate environment, getting MBA may not achieve your goals and going into management may be significantly less satisfying then the long path towards medicine. I have found myself during the past two years setting up sites overseas, sending programming jobs offshore, and outsourcing technical support. No matter how hard you work, and no matter how many hours you put in you could find your job along with 1000 others are moved to different continents in a flash. Even rising stars in my former company have found themselves in the peculiar position of being groomed with corporate sponsored executive MBA programs yet their positions are eliminated. Much of the glorified clerk level work that corporate America has become, irrational, illogical, and above all meaningless. Frankly, if I am going to work that hard about that many hours on another do so for something is me some personal satisfaction.
Rich
I focused on one part of your post, in that you are bright and told that you could do anything. I am another gifted child and adult underachiever. I think the hardest thing to come up with is motivation. I have seen people who are much less “brighter” than me succeed because they worked their butts off when I didn’t. Before you take the ego beating that pre-med courses can be, make sure you are really committed to the amount of study involved. Bright or not, OChem will kick anybody’s butt. Even better, before you jump into classes with the studying, money on tuition, etc, spend some time volunteering and/or shadowing a doc to find out if it really appeals to you. There are many ways to make a difference in life, and they do not always have to be a part of your job. Some people have very active volunteer lives, help with their churches, etc. Search it out and you will know what is best for you. Good luck in your search.
Kathy