Hi all, I posted here quite a long time ago. I am in the Boston ara and I have been a police officer for 12 years. I went back to school to earn my Bachleor’s Degree. What happened was a whole new world opened up. I joke to my family that I poked my head outside the blue wall and found a whole new life. One of these things was a rising interest in pre-med courses and the possiblity of medical school. At first it was just a pipe dream, the old,“if I had to do it over again” type thinking. Then I started getting serious in my thinking. I would think hard a bout it then say, nah this cannot happen. I ended up putting it on the back burner for a while thinking maybe finish getting at least an AS degree and go from there. I just got my AS and the strong deisre to check out pre-med courses is still strong. I cannot go past anyone of the med schools or the hospitals in the area without getting that twang to go for it. I know that may sound a little over the top, but it happens. I know I want to do this. There are a few obstacles. One is myfriend wants to move back to North Carolina. This is not a problem in that I want to move too, but it puts things on hold. Another is that I will have a couple of w’s and f’s to explain in my transcripts. With the move and going back and fourth to NC for job interviews has eaten up a lot of school time and grades suffer as a result. I did get my AS and when I get to NC, I plan to get my BS and start w/ my pre-med courses. I should be a lot more focused without the prospect of a move to worry about. I am so looking forward to this venture and now I can truly say I am ready and raring to go. Oh BTW, I am starting all this at at age 35, I will be 36 in Sept. Not old, but more mature. Also I have had considerable time to think about this and This Is what I want. I also have support on the homefront too. It will be a bit before I can start all this, but I do draw so much inspiation from this forum and I hope I will be able to read and maybe post what I can before I get started.
Hi there,
Poor grades in a earlier life can be overcome with hard work. Just look to our wonderful resident anesthesiologist Dr. David Kelley who eloquently states that he majored in “partying” and minored in “frat life” during his first higher-educational experience. Look back through some of the posts to see how he “grew up”, set his sights on a goal, and worked very hard to achieve it. At this point, he sits three months from completing his internship in surgery and three months from starting his anesthesia residency.
The key is having a goal, keeping it firmly in sight, and doing even a small thing that will get you closer to it. Don’t let the “age thing” get to you because in my case, I received acceptances to 6 medical schools at the age of 45 and started medical school at age 46. I had a classmate who started medical school at the age of 53 who will finish his Family Practice residency next year. 
Welcome to the group! Post from time to time. We will provide some emotional support when those “little voices” tell you that you are crazy to pursue your dreams.
Natalie 
Welcome! With drive and focus you will get to where you want to be. Many of us have the same problems. I was accepted for a
6yr medical program at age 40! Go for it and good luck!
Bill 
Welcome! Yes, it does appear that you have been bitten by the medical bug.
Is it do-able w/ crappy old grades, families, children & any of an infinity of additional complicating factors? Yes. Will it be easy? No - not even for the youngins who appear to have none/few of the additional life-elements to say grace over. To succeed, it is imperitive that you realize & commit to making the sacrifices, putting in the time & doing the work that is mandatory to get from point ‘A’ - the pre-med - to point ‘B’ - the physician. There are no shortcuts.
However, if you ask most anyone here…would they do it again? Their answer will invariably be “Yes”. But, let me append one thing to that - this will be a long & difficult journey…and it is a journey & NOT a sprint. This will be one of the most challenging & most rewarding tasks you even undertake. I encourage you to take it, but only if you want it badly enough. If it is the right thing for you - it will be wonderful. If you have chosen incorrectly - you will be miserable. It is not for everyone.
Yes, at time I did major in party & minor in fraternity & was a complete waste-oid. But, that wealth of life experience makes me a better physician now. I am not even slightly ashamed of my past & discuss it openly in hopes that others will learn from my mistakes in lieu of their own. Never apologize for your past. Afterall, that is what makes you uniquely you.
This will make your approach to clinical decision making, physician/patient interaction & diagnostic work uniquely yours…and that is a strength.
Congrats & welcome to our world!!!
Welcome back! This crazy OPM dream does have a way of creeping back just when you were feeling comfortable with the idea that your time had passed. I can’t tell you much about what an adcom will accept and look past and what they won’t. I’m very much in the beginning of this all and nowhere near predicting and second-guessing adcom decisions.
I’ll tell you this, from limited my non-medical experience, people will believe in you in you give them a good reason - proof not promises. Throughout high school and undergrad, I was a chronic underacheiver. My grades were not bad…but not great. My motto then: Why strive for an A, when an A- or B+? I was crazy enough to think that I could get into one of the best law schools in the country and applied, and I was lucky enough to get into a few great schools. It was not until I looked aroud my law school class that I realized what an anamoly I was - one of the few without resources, discipline, study skills, and an Ivy League diploma. I’m stil not sure how I got there…And although it turned out that the practice of law was not for me, I’m grateful for the experiences of studying and working at the preeminent legal institutions. Not because I’m an elitist, but it was then that I had to learn to work hard, be diligent, and believe in myself. I know that had I not gone to law school, challenged myself, and in turn, got in touch with myself, I never would have had the courage to admit to myself that law was not for me and would I dare to dream that medicine was something I could accomplish. I know the road I took was nonconventional, longer, and astronimically more expensive, but I firmly believe I couldn’t have gotten here any other way.
I also learned that admission committees’ decision are never a sure bet and can be a very flukey. I’m willing to bet that medical adcom share that similarity. And, most importantly, if you show them something about you to believe in, they may very well will.
Good luck! I hope to see you around OPM and share in this experience with you.