<p>Hello, this is my first time posting here. I have found a lot of very helpful information but I haven't found too much that really helps me with my situation.</p>
<p>I have been wrestling with what I really want to do after I get my undergraduate degree for a while. Medical school is something I have been tossing around for a while, but I never really thought I was good enough to actually get admitted. Now, I have finished my fourth year of college and I have realized it is something I really want to try for as I definitely won't get admitted if I never apply. The problem is I feel like it may be too late now.</p>
<p>I have finished the course work for my undergraduate degree in Mathematics; I haven't graduated yet because I am going to be spending a year studying language and culture in Japan. This is where problems arise. I am not a junior in college anymore, when people generally begin applying for med school, and I have not completed all of the chemistry and biology courses necessary for med school admittance. </p>
<p>This would mean my year abroad will be my fifth year of college, and then I would need to attend school for a sixth year in addition to finish all my coursework to even be eligible to apply. I feel as though being a six year undergraduate alone would reflect negatively enough, but I also would have to begin applying while I am in Japan before I even have the necessary courses.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any advice or know of any options that may be available for me? I would greatly appreciate any assistance that you may be able to provide.</p>
<p>Continue on with your path. Not all med students are 21 year olds fresh out of undergrad. The average age for a MS1 is hovering around 26; the median age is around 24.6.</p>
<p>My D1 is a non-trad (math & physics degree) who decided halfway thru her senior year of college she wanted medical school. She graduated, worked, took her pre-reqs part time, gained substantial medical experience thru volunteering, scored well the MCAT and applied last year. She’s a first year med student now at age 25. She reports that a significant portion of her cohort (~15%) is older–30-somethings–and the majority of her cohort is 24-26. </p>
<p>If you look at the data from many med schools, even Top 10 schools, you’ll see that many of them have a significant number of older non-traditional students.</p>
<p>I think the year in Japan, living in a foreign culture will be tremendous broadening experience. Go. Enjoy. Come back to the US and begin your pre med classes. You can enroll in a formal post-bac program for career changers.</p>
<p>(AAMC has a helpful search function for these:</p>
<p>Choose career-changers as the type and input any other criteria you may have.)</p>
<p>Or you can do it yourself by taking the required coursework at a local college (where you can meet with the pre-med advisors) and volunteering at medical sites.</p>