Greetings to the entire Old pre med community. After discreetly stalking your posts for a while, I’ve decided to step forth from the shadows and introduce myself.
I am a 50 year old caucasian female. I graduated with an A.A.S. in Equine Science and Stable and Farm Management with a 4.0 in 1982. I graduated with a BSW in Social Work with a 3.93 in 1995. I graduated with a Master’s in Social Work from Syracuse University with a 3.86 in 1996 in the Advanced Standing Program. I have been an actively practicing Psychiatric Social Worker with the highest credential they have in New York State for 16 years. I run the Social Work Mental Health Department of a Community Health Center in a small city and carry a caseload of about 70 patients. I routinely put in 50-60 hour weeks. I am a member of the National Health Service Corps and am in the second year of completing my commitment to them. I am thrice divorced, and my 2 children are grown. I single parented an off the boards ADHD child and a severely Bipolar I child duering the years I was going to school and building my career. I have worked in Chemical Dependency, Adolescent Detention, HIV education and case management,Mobile Crisis, County MH Outpatient Clinics, and behind the walls at a Maximum Security Prison. I have a math learning disability and other than Stats and Research Methods, avoided Math for years. I am in the middle of completing Calculus I in preparation for taking Physics and Chem, the only two prerequisites I don’t have. I am real strong in the biological sciences and have had A&P (Equine and Human). I have 20 years of recovery from drug addiction and have been at the receiving end of the paddles for an OD in 1991. I have twenty years of volunteer service toe organizations that support recovery. I am a veteran of 6 abdominal surgeries and two cancer scares. I did 16 months of physical therapy to rehab from a car accident. I have been well and healthy for three years now. I ride horses, do yoga, and swim like a fish. I’ve traveled to all 48 and lived in most of them. I am no stranger to hard work. I am choosing this dream, because of two things - many psychiatrists have said to me “You should be a psychiatrist!” and I have worked with some horrible MD’s that I could run circles around and thought " Dear God, I can do this!" I believe in my current position I work as a healer, and I am ready to bump it up a notch!! The first 5o were a hell of a ride…I am psyched up to see what the second half of my life has to offer!!! By the way, will any med school want an old war horse like me???
Looking forward to the journey…
Vicki
Great story. Welcome 
Thank you for sharing your life story with us . It touched my heart.
- Nina
Thank you for the comment. I just hope that at this point, I am going about this in the right way. I am a field instructor for a local University and earn tuition credits for “pay”. I decided to push past my fears, and started Calc I this spring semester. So far, with my dyscalculia, and a dedicated tutor, I am holding a solid, steady C. I am registered to take Physics in the fall and my Calc prof cites I will have enough of a grasp to handle that. I just wander around on this site, and I wonder, Am I competitive when it comes to admissions? Seems like life experience should count for something…
Thank you Nina, I have a lot of respect for your profession. You guys gave me the use of my right arm back…Appreciate any and all feedback as I embark on this journey.
Hi Vicki,
First of all I am so happy that a physical therapist was able to help you w/ your rehab after car accident. This is exactly why I love patient care so much. The reward you get by helping someone with their health is indescribable .
As for your question on your chances and the path you are taking to med school , I leave it to veterans on this forum to respond to , due to my lack of knowledge. I am very new on this myself and have to take all, I mean all, the pre-reqs over. So actually you are ahead me already:)
All I can say is that, you sound like a strong , committed woman with great life experiences and there is no reason for someone like you not to be able to take it far.
Good Luck !
Vicki -
I should think life experience such as yours will count for much! Most DO schools and some MD schools give good consideration to the rich experience non-trads bring.
One caution would be if there are any criminal convictions involved in the substance abuse history, as this can prevent you from becoming a licensed physician. If so, I’d talk with an admissions director at a med school (one you’re not particularly thinking of applying to) to get counseling on this.
Glad to see another woman in her 50’s ready to take up the challenge!! Keep us posted - it’s anything but dull!!
Kate
Luckily, a few arrests, but NO convictions for anything, ever…Whew!! Thank you for your encouraging words, Kate. Sometimes, (like this afternoon while struggling through some things with my calculus tutor), I wonder if I am cut out for this at all. But I know my clinical and diagnostic skills are excellent and that I “heal” people and change their lives on a daily basis. And when I realize how strong I am in that area, I realize I will just have to STRUGGLE my way through these pre-reqs somehow, someway…I started with the hardest (for me) first. I am hoping my grades in Calc and Physics will be averaged into my grad school cum, and then at least I stand a chance. Do they even take into account that when I was in grad school I was single parenting a 3 year old and a 5 year old and driving 2 hours (one way) to get back and forth to Syracuse? Had I been a “traditional” grad school student living on campus, I would’ve made the 3.9 and over I was accustomed to doing…I just hope my personal statement will allow them to see that I am determined and dedicated. My head spins when I think about all this!!! Thank you for the supportive words!
- VickiV Said:
Vicki -
Med schools see your grades divided up in to several categories. One is science vs non-science (at all levels). They also see a breakdown of your grades (in those categories) for each year of your undergrad, any graduate work, and any post-baccalaureate work. You really need to get good grades in your current work. Your post-bacc work will be counted in your cumulative GPA, but you will also have a line showing your post-bacc GPA. Since this is recent, med schools WILL look heavily at this. Mediocre grades at this stage of the game will only hurt your application.
Unfortunately, graduate GPAs are not really given much weight at all in the application process. I won't say they don't look at it, because if you have a crappy graduate GPA it will probably haunt you, but it doesn't help boost an application very much.
Also - look at this post by Rich which shows how your GPA is presented on the medical school application.