Hello everyone,
Another intro post… please bear with me and my excitement at having found this forum. This place is literally the answer to my prayers.
I’m 29 and in my second semester of going back to school, doing pre-reqs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Almost everyone else in my classes is 18-22 and I’ve been starting to feel quite geriatric. I just attended the kick-off meeting of the pre-med honor society and was quite disappointed to see no other non-trads in the room (it’s possible that they were there and I missed them, but I was looking real hard). I was beginning to feel very much alone… and now I feel so comforted just having this tangible evidence that I’m not the only mad fool out there.
I don’t want to bore you all with too much background on me, but suffice to say I started out life as an English major, via a long story fell into nursing, got an ADN four years ago, and finally got up the courage, confidence and $$$ to return to school back in January. I’m now taking GenChem II, Bio I, Stats, and American Literature from 1620 to the present (yes, I’m going to wind up with an B.A. in English after all). I hope to take the MCATs in April 2005 and start medical school in 2006 (god, you know, it’s really a relief to be able to say that without fearing the attendant “are you absolutely nucking futs???” stares that usually accompany that sentence).
I’m really looking forward to wandering around the site, reading all the posts and getting to know people – especially any other RN–>MD’s (soooo nice to know you all exist). Thank you all for having created this wonderful forum and resource… you have absolutely made my day, my week, and probably my month as well. 
Marikat
Welcome to OPM, Marikat! 
Welcome, I know exactly how you are feeling. If you need anything, advice, a place to vent, or just because post away
Welcome to OPM Marikat. I know how you feel about this place. I feel the same way.
Welcome! There’s nothing like knowing you aren’t the only “mad fool” in the world!
Marikat -
Welcome.
I'm always interested to know how folks find us — was it another internet site (which one ?), word of mouth (who, where, how), google ? Just curious.
Lisa
Lisa,
IIRC, it was a link on the Student Doctor Network site that got me here.
Marikat
It was an internet search that brought me here. I can't rememebr exactly but i think I was looking for info on medical schools.
Personally I don't like the SDN. For pewople who are suppose to be adults they act very childish there. I don't know I want answers to my questions not a lot of BS and saracasm. I bet most them are probbaly not even gonna make it they are all a bunch of wannabe's.
I do see a few people from here post on there occasinally which is nice. At leats there are a few coherent answers for people who want to know things. I read that board when I want a good laugh. But if its answer I want I come here.
<
L
K I made an avatar finally!!
Welcome! I think you can be certain that the “stares” you’ll get here, so to speak, will be more of the “thank God there’s another one like me!” kind
Kim
Nine years ago–well, about 9 1/2, now…I decided to apply to medical school.
I quit work, signed up for Princeton and Kaplan and took the MCAT in August '94.
A friend of mine, someone I met in the Princeton Review–who was 30 at the time,
asked me why I was applying to medical school at my age (then, 44). Well, I
had a religious experience that kind of side-tracked me. Last spring I started
back to school with the idea of going into nursing (no one would admit a 53 yo
into medical school–would they?)
I have basically been taking the pre-reqs to get into the nursing program, which
requires that I re-take A&P, Microbiology (which I have a degree in), and Nutrition.
After spending 20 years or more in the computer industry and getting laid off,
I decided I really didn’t want to go back into the computer world here in Silicon
Valley–not really where my passion is. To make a long story short, while preparing
for the RN program, I realized that my dream of becoming a physician was not limited
by my age. It is still a possibility (and, in some ways, would actually take less time than
becoming, say, an NP or a PA!)
While others encourage me to apply to the US schools, for a variety of reasons I’ve decided to apply to the Caribbean schools. (I hate the med school application process, and I’d rather not take the MCAT again if I can avoid it (I got 9, 10, 10 in 1994). And I can get into a Carib school within 6 mos of applying, as opposed to the 15 mo. of US schools.)
So, welcome, and good luck. Fortunately, most of the people I’ve talked to haven’t looked at me too strangely when I’ve told them about my desire–but, hey, this is California, where everything is possible----
heart
Welcome to OPM! Sorry I missed your post earlier. I try to roll out the welcome mat as soon as someone new posts.
Love,
Stacy
| QUOTE (heart1st @ Sep 19 2003, 09:58 PM) |
| A friend of mine, someone I met in the Princeton Review--who was 30 at the time, asked me why I was applying to medical school at my age (then, 44). Well, I had a religious experience that kind of side-tracked me. Last spring I started back to school with the idea of going into nursing (no one would admit a 53 yo into medical school--would they?) heart |
Hi there,
The oldest person in my medical class was 53 when we started. He is now happily doing the second year of a Family Practice residency. If you have the grades and the numbers, age is not a barrier to getting into medical school in the United States. Medical schools are looking for people who show evidence by grades and MCAT numbers, that they can handle the medical school curriculum.
I am one of those people who will strongly advise against attending medical school off shore unless you have exhausted all options. It is very difficult to get into good residency programs after attending off-shore schools. Right now, here at the University of Virginia, we are in the process of selecting folks for residency for next year. I can tell you that the offshore grads are at the bottom of the list even though some have done "audition" rotations here. I can also tell you that UVA is not all that special in terms of being competitive place. It is getting more difficult for any graduates of non-US schools to get into residency and this is not likely to change as the numbers of physicians graduating in the United States is growing rapidly.
If you have applied in the United States and you feel that you have no other option, then going offshore will get you an MD. Otherwise, give the schools in the States a shot. You might be pleasantly surprised. I was when I applied seven years ago at age 45.
Natalie