Greetings All,
Thanks for taking a few moments to read my post. I have decided that I want to try the pre-med route again. I have repeatedly washed up against the rocky shores of general chemistry 1 (which I am told is much easier than organic) and dropped the class. I currently have a great career in occupational therapy that I still enjoy; but I also have a strong motivation to be a medical student and eventually a physician. At this stage in my life, 32, it’s really a toss up whether or not there is any financial benefit to doc over OT, so it really is about my interest in medicine.
I am looking for feedback from those who have been in this place, having tried and failed with pre-reqs or similar challenges and how you came to the conclusion that you did and how you feel about it now. I’m wondering if doing this over and over is simply hurting myself. I have various reasons for thinking that I’ll succeed this time where I didn’t before, but who knows. What I’m asking here is when does one know when to stop trying for med school? I appreciate any constructive feedback, thanks people!
-Jason
If this is something you still want to do, then you should keep trying. Your age is not an issue, so put that behind you. I understand where you’re coming from with the finances as well. I think at the end of the day, it will pretty much be a wash in terms of income for me (at least until the loans are paid off), but as you said, it’s not about that.
That said, I would advise that you sit down and thoroughly review why you’re having a tough time with your coursework. Is it difficulty understanding concepts? Are you getting thrown off with calculations? Are you not devoting enough time to your studies? What have you tried in order to succeed in your courses? Are you studying in the right way? Is there any help available to you (tutors, etc)? Are other distractors getting in the way (personal life, work, etc)?
If you’re going to attempt the coursework again, come up with a plan about what you’re going to do different this time. If you just try the same way over again, you’ll likely get the same results.
That said, Organic chem is a much different course than Gen Chem. Organic is a lot more conceptual, and not as numbers-based as Gen Chem. You might find it easier, depending on where your strengths are, but obviously, you need to get past the Gen Chem hurdle.
@jayce83 wrote:
Greetings All,
Thanks for taking a few moments to read my post. I have decided that I want to try the pre-med route again. I have repeatedly washed up against the rocky shores of general chemistry 1 (which I am told is much easier than organic) and dropped the class. I currently have a great career in occupational therapy that I still enjoy; but I also have a strong motivation to be a medical student and eventually a physician. At this stage in my life, 32, it’s really a toss up whether or not there is any financial benefit to doc over OT, so it really is about my interest in medicine.
I am looking for feedback from those who have been in this place, having tried and failed with pre-reqs or similar challenges and how you came to the conclusion that you did and how you feel about it now. I’m wondering if doing this over and over is simply hurting myself. I have various reasons for thinking that I’ll succeed this time where I didn’t before, but who knows. What I’m asking here is when does one know when to stop trying for med school? I appreciate any constructive feedback, thanks people!
-Jason
Ok, so here is my two cents regarding Gen Chem and OChem:
- Review basic algebra; if you are lacking here, you won’t get far out of the gate with GenChem.
- Get a tutor. There is no shame in it. It took 5 tutors (3 individual and 2 in group) as well as two professors and Khan Academy in order for me to get through Gen Chem and do well. It certainly taught me tenacity, something that Physics and other classes honed. OChem: 1 tutor and the professor, a study pal who was awesome, and Khan Academy. I found OChem to be a lot easier to understand, personally.
- Figure out how you learn and what your learning style is. Are you a visual learner, kinetic, auditory or a combination, and use that information to draw up ways to study more effectively for the class. I know it sounds like a weird approach, but it is really helpful.
- Gen Chem isn’t easier than OChem, it is different than OChem; math-based versus concept. They are two different animals.
- Go back over the classes in your head and try to figure out where you hit the wall. Was it the same professor? Was it the same area of Gen Chem? Was it a study habit? Was it too much on your plate to focus on the class?
There wasn’t a lot of Gen Chem that cropped up in OChem, unfortunately, it is a pre-req. I think, quite frankly, there was more Gen Chem that cropped up sporadically in my Biology classes, BioChem and Nutrition than in OChem.
Your age shouldn’t be a factor, IMO. Several of my friends who are physicians (one a non-trad who graduated at 35) have said that there were more than a couple students in their classes who were in their 40’s (a fact that gives me a fair bit of hope). The thing that can hurt your application process is how many times Gen Chem has bucked you off. I think I am remembering correctly that osteopathic schools used your last grade in a class when calculating your over-all GPA for the application, and allopathic schools calculate with every attempt you have made.
As far as when to give up, that is individual. Can you still see yourself there, in med school and as a physician? Do you still have the drive for it? Then keep going. I made a deal with myself that I would not make the decision to change gears when I was depressed and frustrated about the walls I was hitting. If I could still see myself going forward when I was feeling good about things, then I would keep going. If I couldn’t see it, when I felt good, then it was time to redirect.
Age is not really a factor, obviously certain schools are looking for certain characteristics in their applicants, but don’t think you are “too old” to pursue your dream of medical school if that is truly what you aspire to do.
You need to set yourself up for success as far as the prerequisites go. Do not take a class unless you think you have a good chance of doing well in it, especially if you are retaking. Reach out for help, talk to your professor, get a tutor. Do a ton of practice problems. A TON. Start studying NOW like you would in med school. It’s better to create good habits at the beginning, then have to unlearn bad ones. Bennard is correct, you need to sit down and do some serious self assessment about how you learn and how you deal with difficult situations. People throw around words like ‘grit’ and ‘persistence’ but the people that succeed have these qualities. Good luck to you on your journey!
I agree with Ebisco’s post. I am 33 myslef and was terrified of General Chemistry 1 because I avoided math at all costs while in high school and then went to college for a humanities degree. I had very little science and no math. On top of that I was out of school for 12 years when I decided to go back and try pre-med. I always thought you had to be a genius to do it. I went to tutors constantly, signed up for Chegg.com, used Socratic.org, and watched Kahn academy videos all the time. Yahoo answers helps a lot and is free. Check if your school has an academic success office. A lot of students do not know that my school offers 1500 minutes of online one-to-one tutoring online through SmarThinking.com. That helped me a lot, so there may be free resources your school offers for tutoring you may not be aware of. I studied an insane amount and ended up with an A+ in the Chemistry course. So, it may be that you are like me and just need a lot of outside tutoring and help in addition to taking the course. I am 33 years old myself with a wife, two kids, and one due next month.