Hello everyone! Im Noshes and yes, Ive waited 15 years to be here. I am encouraged by this forum and no longer feel that I am on an island. It takes courage to do this! Its slightly awkward to talk about yourself, but Ill share a little about me and my situation.
I am a (36 yr old) non-trad entering my last year of undergraduate study in Texas. I started school back in the late 90s and had a rough beginning. Shortly after I started my journey, I was diagnosed with an aggressive b-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I spent the next 7 years working through that and kidding myself that I could continue taking classes at the same time. My grades suffered and I finally withdrew with a 2.0 avg. In fall of 2007 I went into remission for the last time and have had a clean bill of health since. I amassed over 97k dollars in medical debt (without insurance or any other assistance…which is a story Ill save for later) and worked to pay that off over 8 years. I wanted to return to school without any debt. I applied for readmission last summer and have had two 4.0 semesters and this summer I suffered my first B since returning. I will graduate in May.
My situation is well documented in the deans office. Since my coursework is sporadic and unattractive, I am pursuing a non-thesis masters program which I plan to complete in 1 year and apply summer of '18. I know I have to also crush the MCAT which I plan to take next summer although I have started preparing for it. I have a million hours of shadowing. I have also been volunteering through a restorative justice program at a local state prison as well as a through a local hospice group as a companion volunteer. I am also the student director of the cross-sectional research project I am working on, which I enjoy very much. One thing I have cherished most about my return is the relationships I have developed with my professors and professional school counselors. That alone is worth as much as the degree Im pursuing.
I have matured so much throughout my odyssey. I duped a woman into loving me and she is the smartest, most beautiful, most darling woman I have every known. She is the source of an embarrassing amount of support for me and she believes in me and my dreams.
Well if youve made it this far, please forgive the length of my message. I look forward to encouraging you all along your path to medical school and learning from your experience. Are my odds bleak? Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated.