<p>Pipe dream or not? I am 37 YO, with a <em>gulp</em> 2.82 GPA (1989) and a History degree. I have a graduate degree though in Information Systems with a 3.76 GPA (1996) and a work history over 15 years long. Recently I returned to college to take the many pre-med required classes. My question is simply this: would someone like myself rreeealllyy stand a competitive chance of getting into a US med school with that background, assuming I got Bs and As (but let's say mostly Bs) in my premed classes? I have at least 2 years' worth of them to take before I can even think of applying to med school.</p>
<p>I have heard that med schools like "non-traditional" (ie, >30 years old) applicants with work experience and a technical background, but is that enough to overcome the folly of youth and any other bad karma (such as less than a 4.0 avg. in the many science classes I have yet to take).</p>
<p>I think I would make a great doctor, of course, otherwise why would I be pursuing this idea? But others would too, and they are younger (hey, you can work 'em harder!) and many are just plain better students than me (I am not dumb by any means, but for some topics I am bit slow of a learner and take more time to solve problems than others). Do my graying hairs and time in grade buy me any grace or should I also keep a card or two up my sleeve, or even consider a different kind of second career (I was thinking, maybe selling flowers on the highway median if this doesn't work...), or perhaps better yet, looking at other kinds of jobs in healthcare.</p>
<p>Well, without trying to burst your bubble, I think you have chosen a very difficult course. It's not impossible, but there are a lot of possible bumps in the road that can prevent it from happening. Medical schools do like to take some older non-traditional applicants to round out the class. Frequently these are students in their mid to late 20's in health related fields, such as nursing, allied health, medical research, etc. It is uncommon for someone over 35 to be admitted, and most schools would not admit more than 1 or 2 students like this into their class. Now of course there are a lot fewer applicants in your age bracket, so again, it's not impossible. Some medical schools tend to be more open-minded about it and you might be able to get the demographics of classes to see which schools you might have a better shot at. However, I don't think B's in your premed courses is going to impress an admission committee to accept you, especially with your undergraduate GPA. Remember from their standpoint you are kind of an unknown...how can they assess your current ability besides the premed grades and MCAT scores? Realistically you need at least a 3.5 in your premed courses and good MCAT scores for somebody to look at your application and feel confident that you can survive the intense academics you will face in Medical School. There also has to be something interesting about your application that says... "this applicant has the ability, is extremely motivated to be a physician, and will add something to our entering med school class"</p>
<p>The second thing is... you may want to be a doc, but do you really want to do an internship and residency at age 44 (I'm assuming 2 more years of premed before you go to medical school)? Even if you choose one of the less demanding specialties, you've got to do a rotating or medical internship, and you'll be on call every third or fourth night. I turned 30 during my internship, and I know this might be hard to believe, but I felt older and more tired than the "younger guys" who were 26. Just be prepared for a year where you are thinking about sleep all the time (I know that the schedules are supposedly better now than in the 80's, but from what I hear it's not that different). If you do one of the shorter residencies (internal medicine or family practice) you still won't be finished until age 47 or 48. </p>
<p>So, sorry if its not the most upbeat assessment, but I think it's realistic. Good luck.</p>
<p>Burst bubbles are how reality sets in-- better than reality itself doing the bursting! Seriously, thanks for the honest assessment and feedback. If you were not going to pursue medicine as a dr., what would you do instead with a bleahh GPA and Bs in your pre-req courses? Become a P.A.?</p>
<p>Thanks, Jen. I have posted questions there not unlike this one, among others. I was just wanting to get some more feedback from other sources as well.</p>
<p>In addition to the points noted above, if you are an older applicant, medical schools like to see an interest in medicine. Many people applying to medical school who are in your age group have a solid 10 years of medical experience. For instance i know 30 yr old PA whos applying to medical school this year. But hes been a PA since he got out of college. Also, many paramedics, nurses, and EMT's also choose to continue to medical school. </p>
<p>There is going to be a part on your application asking you to explain what youve done since college. I dont think you will be very strong in that area.</p>
<p>There is also an issue of medical school tuition which is quite costly. Doctors spend years paying that off, and before you will be making any money to live comfortably on, you very well might be ready for retirement.</p>
<p>But dont let all this discourage you, if you really want to be a doctor and you are willing and able to go full steam into it then apply. Whats the worst that could happen, you get rejected?! Not the end of the world. But there is that chance you could be accepted and then you can pursue you dream.</p>
<p>Its just hard for someone your age, but im not sure what your situation is, whether you have children or a spouse, etc. But hey, you know whats best for you...i would still reccommend you give it a shot. You have nothing to lose.</p>