Hello Everybody! I am thrilled to find this forum as it has been very encouraging! My dream has always been to go to medical school and become a doctor…At 32 I thought it was too late for me but finding this forum has given me new courage to follow my lifelong dream.
Here is my background:
Decided I wanted to become a doctor back in freshman year of high school - became involved in the Health Occupation track and volunteered often in hospitals. After HS when on to a good state school as a pre-med/human nutrition major (interested in preventative/wellness aspect of medicine), did well fresh/soph year and also became an EMT to gain health care experience and became a research assitant in a nutrition study to streghten application. But junior/senior year started having a little “too much fun” with the college experience, became unfocused and grades started to slide. I ended up with a 3.11 overall GPA and some real doozies in prereqs (D in Physics 2 and C in Organic Chem after withdrawing twice 
)I knew I didnt have a strong application for med school so after graduation (2002), not knowing what else to do - I blindly went on the chiropratic school because they basically take everyone with the minimum requirements. I had never been to a chiropractor before but was drawn to the holistic/natural approach and the autonomy that they have. First 1.5 years was great - anatomy and physiology/cadaver dissection and basic health care skills. I was at the top of my class and aced exams… But then as we got into the real chiropractic/adjusting portion I realized this was not the profession for me. It was a very difficult decision but I decided to withdraw (about half way through the program) I just didnt feel comfortable with much of what they were teaching us because it wasn’t based on science. I hope I dont offend any chiros out there because I know they can and do help many people - but I just didnt buy what they were teaching and couldnt go there. So anyhow in 2004 I left chiro school (with 80K of student loan debt from it - ouch!)and joined the workforce - office management and the like - always feeling I had missed out on my true calling in the health care field. Now at 32, I am married and a stay at home mom to a 1 year old. Having my baby has given me new motivation, focus and drive to follow my dreams! (Why couldnt I have this focus at 22??) I am a great test taker and love learning - so I know I can do well in classes and am fairly confident about taking the MCAT (after some SERIOUS studying of course) but I have to ask…
-is this a realistic dream??
-Are the adcoms going to be totally put off that I started the chiro program and quit?? Can it be overcome?
-Do they have to know about it? Ive heard that if you omit any previous school work from an app they will know and this will delay your application.
-What is the best course of action for me??
I am currently studying to become a Certified Nurse Aide to start working and gain experience. I’m thinking about retaking all the pre-reqs from a local state college (due to grades and since they will be over 10 yr’s old)this year while studying for MCAT to take next summer and then applying for 2013. What do you think? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Can’t speak to your specific situation, but you’re certainly not the only one to grow and mature since 22 ;). I’m about the same age as you, and I sure as heck would not have been ready for med school at 22 - that’s why I graduated with a 2.5.
You do have your work set out for you. You will have to dedicate yourself to this. You’ll have to work hard to overcome your old grades. Well, more aptly, you can’t truly overcome them; you can simply make them irrelevant to the right people. Perhaps more importantly, you’ll have to demonstrate your dedication. You’ll have to prove that your previous foray into chriopractic school was, essentially, a youthful indiscretion, and not a reflection of a lack of committment, or a lack of preparation for big decisions, or anything else one’s worried mind might make of it.
I’ve no doubt it is possible, if you are sufficiently motivated to take all the necessary steps. It won’t be easy, but it should be possible. And if that’s what you truly want, go for it!
And welcome to OPM 
Also, I think it’d be dishonest to not share that information on any applications. Your goal is to make it less relevant, to overwhelm them with your positives - not to hide it in a shady fashion, hoping that nobody notices.
Edit: and further advice: TAKE YOUR TIME! This is a marathon, not a sprint. For your application, you’ll need to do a few things: retake several science courses, the more the better, the harder the better. You’ll need to do well on the MCAT, the better the better. And you’ll need to give yourself sufficient time to do this without going nuts. And of course, as a worker and a mother, you’ll need to balance those things as well. I’ve never been a mother, myself, but I imagine that trying to be one, while working full time, taking multiple science classes at once, and studying for the MCAT… yeah, that could be overwhelming. You’re going to have to balance things delicately. Again… .just give yourself time, don’t try to win the race in a year, you know?
Rule #1: Don’t ever omit or lie about anything related to your application. If (more like when) they find out it will be over, no one will take you if you falsify your app.
After that stern waring:
Almost anything except lieing or cheating can be overcome with hard work and a little time.
Thank you very much for your support and encouragment. I certainly do not want to want to come across as dishonest. I strongly believe that honesty is the only way to fully live life. I suppose my question was more of - does the application process ask you to list any and all schools attended… I was imagining they would ask this but was just wondering if anybody new for sure. Either way I will be sure to include this info when I do apply. I do believe that many good things did come from my “experience” and possibly I can shine some light on these positive aspects on my app and to adcoms(in depth A&P including human cadaver dissection, patient contact, insight into pros/cons of “alternative theraphies” etc.). I’ve read that D.O. schools count “chiropractic classes” as science courses for sGPA - has anybody else read this? Thanks again for the help!
Yes, they ask outright for a list of all schools and classes you attended.
I don’t know about D.O. schools counting chiro classes as science classes, but there is a feature on the AACOMAS web site to email questions to the administrators, which I used a lot to figure out how to handle my 9 transcripts.
DO schools do tend to have a holistic focus, although that is true of some MD schools as well. But the core tenets of osteopathic medicine are: the body is a unit, the body is capable of self-healing, structure and function are reciprocally interrelated, and a rational practice of medicine is founded on the first 3 principles.
- FloridaMom Said:
Not only would I not hide this (see previous reasons), I actually think that this could be a good narrative. The reason you left the DC program wasn't because you couldn't cut it- obviously, you could! It was because you came to a point where you couldn't buy in to the approach. I think it's a great starting point for a personal statement. You were drawn to the philosophical approach of chiropractic, but it made you realize you wanted to be a "real" (lack of a better word) doctor. I'd look into DO schools. There are some parallels between the philosophical underpinnings between chiropractic and osteopathy.
I was looking at DC schools too for a while, and even shadowed a local DC for a while. I liked what he did, but there was a point where he lost me without realizing it. He told me that Sherman (the school he came from that I was interested in) had a lot of great opportunities for students to do research. I got really excited, and then he said that there's a major study to give chiropractic treatment to USC (South Carolina) baseball players and see if their statistics improve. It was at that point I questioned how much of chiropractic was actually science.
I’ve had interesting experiences with DCs. My cousin is in the camp of “chiropractic medicine can cure anything”. He’s even suggested my mother quit her cancer treatment course and start seeing a chiropractor instead. He firmly believes that babies can and should get regular adjustments. I’ve basically just learned to stop bringing up the subject the few times a year I see him so I can stop from bashing him about the head for his insanity.
On the flip side, my ex-wife works with one who just as firmly believes that chiropractic medicine makes an excellent adjunct to traditional treatment. He has had occasions where he has refused to treat someone because x-rays and examination showed situations that required more traditional treatment.
Unfortunately, he seems to be the rarer of the type, by a fair margin. Most seem to have drunk a healthy dose of the kool-aid.
I agree with getting those chem and other pre-req grades up. As a chiro for over ten years, it was interesting to have to use that in my personal statement. Actually in your case I think you stopping halfway for philosophical reasons may really help you in an interview situation. You have shown that you could handle the sciences and are looking for more scientific grounding in your education. As far as aacomas, they just used all those classes as graduate level and they will be considered in your overall gpa, but will not be considered in your pre-req undergrad gpa.(if i remember correctly) But they will get looked at by the interviewers and that will be a plus. Good luck, I choose to go to podiatry school after ten years as a chiro and there is another DC that is on the forum who is getting ready to start his second year in DO school. hope this helps and PM me if you need more help. So dabbling in the chiro world isn’t the kiss of death