I have lurked on this forum for about a year now, and I just wanted to share my story so far.
I am a 27 year old mom of 3 young boys, ages 5, 2, and 9 months old. I have been married 7 years, and my husband works three weeks on, three weeks off on the north slope in Alaska (we just relocated to Florida a month ago). I have just started my journey through school, but its something I am very excited about. I have been attending college part time for two years now, but plan to go full time next fall, when my youngest son gets a little older and easier to manage. My inspiration to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor is from my mother. She was a CNA for 20+ years and she graduated with a B.S. in Nursing at the young age of 45, after going to school part-time for 15 years. Growing up with her and her fascination with blood and gore (she enjoyed taking her time tending to my many injuries as a child :)) rubbed off on me! I have nothing but love and respect for nurses, but I knew I wanted to be a doctor someday! A lot of people have looked at me funny and have been discouraging me (my in-laws especially) when I mention that I’m attending college, because they think I need to just be a stay at home mom and raise my children and that is my only role. In a way, I thank them for being that way, because they make me want to be able to prove them wrong. My husband supports me 100% and so does my mother, so thats all that matters in my book. I actually had my third son in the middle of last semester and still came out with A’s in all my classes, so I know if I can handle that, then I can do anything I set my mind to. I hope you all continue to pursue your goals and dreams, and never let anyone keep you from succeeding. Thanks for reading!
Thanks for sharing your story. Definitely - prove them wrong and use that motivation to do something special.
I am a long time lurker myself and have been following the journeys of several members here (Re-do, Carriez, and others) for inspiration. I am a 36 yr old father of two girls (4 & 6) and will be starting med school this fall. As a formal juvie/high school dropout (went back and finished) and a college dropout…left school with too many Fs and Ds to remember (GPA 1.2 or so), my story is a testament to what is possible when one’s motivation and capability align in the same direction.
Best of luck to you!
My hats off to you. Being able to push yourself in something you have been inspired to become is something nobody can take from you. I am in the same situation as you where in my case, have no family history of medical professional, getting discouraged by friends and family because of my age, single dad, bad grades in the past. I am only hoping I’d be one of the members here that will finally say “Yes, I got in”. Please keep yourself motivated, anybody that has a pure heart and passion/dedication can become an excellent doctor. We can either stick together and prove to the world that we care more about becoming a doctor than the money.
Awesome! Welcome aboard!
One thing I will warn you is that you will NEVER prove someone wrong. You can only prove your point but that does not mean you will prove them wrong. Continue to do it for yourself and to prove it to yourself that being Dr. SunnyPreMed is who you are supposed to be. The haters will always hate especially at your success. One way to think about it with family is that they are merely trying to have you avoid disappointment. Not great either but it helps when they come at you with all their negativity. I have a family member who heard I apply next year and even then said, “And?!?! You should have been a doctor 20 years ago. Can you imagine how successful you’d be if you would have not been such a coward all these years!” To which I smile, say a prayer under my breath, kiss her on the cheek, and keep it moving.
So all that to say, welcome aboard and the best and worst is yet to come!!
Good to see another mom in this journey! My family (in-laws and parents) think I should also be just a stay at home mom. I have been there, done that, and I have every respect for women who do. It’s just not for me. Like you, I have a husband who supports me 100 percent and three kids who are so excited to help Mommy become a doctor. My eldest (7) has been quizzing me on brain functions. Best of luck to you!
Sunny,
I really love your story about your mom and how it inspired you. I hope you write about that in any personal statements you have to write on this journey. It’s really beautiful.