Is it too late for me to think about a career in medicine?

Pre-Med & Medical School Careers in Medicine
1

<p>When I began high-school, I had pictured myself being on the way to a career in medicine. I wanted to be a doctor, though I could just as easily have seen myself practicing law. I guess either field interests me, but I have a definite desire to get in to healthcare whereas the legal profession has been more of a fleeting thought. I just feel like I wouldn't have the same passion for it as being an MD. Anyway, without being conceited, I had always been a sort of gifted student -- I don't know that I'm exceptionally bright so much as just have an excellent memory. Just listening in class or reading through once had always been enough for me to retain the information. </p>

<p>Unfortuanetly, and I regret it everyday, I lost sight of my goals. I got my priorities all messed up and got involved with the wrong sort of crowd. Pretty soon, school took second place to partying, and I eventually got mixed up pretty deep in drugs. I guess I stopped caring about anything, and started missing class. When I did go to school, I usually slept through it. Though I still did well on tests, I had gotten so behind on homework and attendence points that my grades slipped to nothing, and I dropped out. </p>

<p>After a lot of soul searching, I woke up and realized how stupid I had been and that I was ****ing away my future hanging out with a bunch of losers. I wasn't doing anybody any good, least of all myself by taking the fast-lane to life as a town rat. I took the GED, and although it isn't exactly an achievement of prestige, I missed just two questions on the entire test and got the highest score in the region. I was awarded a full-ride scholarship to a local community college. Yeah-- I know -- fantastic. I scored a 28 on the ACT, though I feel like I could have done much better (I felt terrible on test day, I was sick and just felt groggy/tired)</p>

<p>I guess I just wonder how much weight is put on high-school performance in med-school admission. I get depressed thinking about how I may have had a chance at the IVY leagues, but wasted it away being an idiot and doing what felt good at the time. What gets me more depressed is that I wonder if I'll be able to get accepted in to any sort of respectable med-school -- Ivy leagues aside. </p>

<p>I'm doing well in community college, I've got a 3.8 GPA and am studying engineering in a 2+2 transfer program to SIUC. I've got a real knack for math and physics, but I'm weird and find them interesting. Everybody tells me that it's never to late to pursue your dreams, but at 21 I just feel like I've dug myself in too big of a hole. I mean, if I was in charge of admissions and was looking at a 24 year old (I'll be 24 by the time I get my B.S.) the GED is going to be a major turn-off regardless of GPA and ACT/SAT scores.</p>

2

<p>No one will care about the GED. It’s high school and med schools ONLY care about what you’ve done in post secondary education. As long as you don’t have run-ins with the law from you’re partying days, shouldn’t be an issue.</p>

<p>Nationally, the average age of a first year medical student is 25. So you absolutely should not allow you age to be an issue. There are LOTS of people who get into med school at 27,28,30,32 and so on. As a now second year resident and 27 years old, it’s very common for me to be working with 3rd year medical students who are 3-5 years older than me. Whether it was multiple application cycles, going into another career first or simply not figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives until later, the reasons why so many people start med school in their late 20’s are endless. I know people who celebrated their 50th birthdays while in their second year of med school. I know several couples in which one spouse started through med school only to have the other spouse realize that they wanted to do the same thing and the 2nd spouse started school in the fall after the first one graduated in the spring.</p>

<p>And seriously, with the age thing, medical education is so long as it is, you have to be thinking long term. I’m one of those people who has gone straight through without any delays, and by the time I’m really on my own and pulling that 6 figure income, I’ll have done 10 years of training after college (4 years med school, 3 years residency, 3 years fellowship). </p>

<p>Lastly, there are only 125 allopathic medical (MD) schools in the US, and about 20 osteopathic (DO) schools in the country. All of the allopathic schools are good, and all are difficult to get accepted at. Don’t worry about name, because your patients never will. So focus on getting in ANYWHERE, besides what really makes you a good doctor is the training you receive in residency, and I can promise you, the best training generally is not at places that have the biggest name.</p>

3

<p>In five years you are going to be five years older anyway. Might as well use the time to what you want to do for the rest of your life. Watch the amount of debt…</p>

4

<p>You really should think about it, what I heard that if you have any record in drug related charge, the chance to get into medical school will be extremely low. I do know most of medical schools check your records.</p>