What a fantastic forum; I‘ve really enjoyed reading.
Wanted to share my personal situation for a sanity check and advice. I’m 36 w/ a BS from Vandy and another BS and MS in Secondary Ed from K-State. I was a Army wife, thus the additional teaching degrees, and I’ve moved quite a bit and enjoyed a couple of careers already. High GPA’s 3.9 undergrad, 3.7 grad. Taught 11 and 12th grade English for a spell, owned my own store which just couldn’t make it with this economy and now teaching English again while working on either pre-req’s or moving forward in a PhD program in marriage and family therapy.
Med school has always been that goal that I couldn’t even verbalize b/c I’ve always been about work life balance and supporting the family and hubby’s career. Hubby is now an ex-hubby and my son is now 6 and in school and much more manageable. The way I see it, med school is like a very demanding, non-paying full time job. I worked 70 hours/week when I taught high school (not now teaching middle school) and certainly worked long hours (with no pay….a familiar theme in my work experience) when owning the store.
Med school plan would be to take sciences I’m lacking and apply for fall 2012 matriculation. The work suits me; I’m a life-long learner type; always choose and enjoy professions where I make a difference and work with people but like autonomy too (teaching and sm. biz ownership both offer).
Do I stand a chance at admission? I tend to make good grades and probably would score above average but not super star on MCAT. Am I crazy to consider this…feels like it’s now or never to start such a pursuit, and I’m still very interested in the PhD in therapy program. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi
well like all of us, you are insane and that’s a beautiful thing to be.
Your numbers look good and your background is unique. If you can maintain that GPA in your pre-reqs, pull off an acceptable MCAT, I don’t see why your application wouldn’t be strong.
Aside from the GPA - which is very good in your case - the issue for non-trad like us with kids, job, etc… is more the extra-curricular activities, like shadowing, volunteering and other leadership roles. If you can (and having kids myself I know that I can’t volunteer, but I am trying to shadow), it would be nice to at least shadow or get in the clinic one way or another, just to say that you have an idea of what it’s like. My few interviews with adcoms folks so far seem to favor shadowing over volunteering when you have a job, kids, household etc… But that’s only my own opinion after discussions with adcoms at two schools I am targeting.
Now, I am not sure I understood but you want to go PhD? I think it’s something you have to sort out soon to know which path to take. Both will be demanding so you may as well take your time before making a clean decision you can live with (no matter what that might be).
Sounds like a great plan, I say go for it if you know this is what you want to do. I am married w 2 kids and executed a similar plan. I started a postbacc program in summer of 08 and will matriculate this fall at either Michigan or U of Washington, haven’t decided yet. Definitely figure out a way to do some shadowing and volunteering. There are a lot of volunteer programs out there that require only 4 hrs a wk, and you can squeeze in shadowing any time. Give yourself a month of full-time prep for the MCAT and from your GPA it seems like you will do well. Good luck!
I say go after your dream!