Is it too late ????

silverspear

Senior member
Mar 13, 2000
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i have full time IT job. But.... i dont know - just dont like it. i always wanted to be a doctor - aced high school BIO etc.

i am thinking of giving my MCATs next april..... but if i'm 24 (25 in OCT) then i will be in my mid 30s when i finally can say i am a real doc. Also - the money.... goddamn tuition is expensive.....

what do you guys think - is it too late ??

edit -> added poll
 

KarenMarie

Elite Member
Sep 20, 2003
14,372
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never too late. I quit school to be a mom... then quit again in my 30's cause I was a single mom ($$$) and now I am 42, kid is grown and gone... and I am still trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up.

Never too late.

:)
 

silverspear

Senior member
Mar 13, 2000
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yup - took thim in HS. i graduated in CIS. i know cash was an issue then and it still is.... but im thinking of giving it a shot. anyone else do a carrer change - or am i just stupid.
 

Kipper

Diamond Member
Feb 18, 2000
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Doooooooo itttttttttttt...

IT is ridiculously boring anyway.

Edit: the tuition is expensive but you will be making enough to cover it after your residency...

Also, look into state medical schools. A bit cheaper and the nice part is, you're on basically even footing with those people from Harvard Med.
 

cchen

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 1999
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Originally posted by: silverspear
yup - took thim in HS. i graduated in CIS. i know cash was an issue then and it still is.... but im thinking of giving it a shot. anyone else do a carrer change - or am i just stupid.


uhm... what are you talking about? you need gen chem, organic chem, chem lab, physics, physics lab, bio, bio lab + a few more
 

Cawchy87

Diamond Member
Mar 8, 2004
5,104
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My dad was a biologist and then went back to school for his current human resorces job. He likes it. No use living the rest of your life in misery.
 

silverspear

Senior member
Mar 13, 2000
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Originally posted by: cchen
Originally posted by: silverspear
yup - took thim in HS. i graduated in CIS. i know cash was an issue then and it still is.... but im thinking of giving it a shot. anyone else do a carrer change - or am i just stupid.


uhm... what are you talking about? you need gen chem, organic chem, chem lab, physics, physics lab, bio, bio lab + a few more


yeah - i did all this including calcuals I, II etc in HS back home. i took the medicine track - last 2 years of HS.

 

cchen

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 1999
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Originally posted by: silverspear
Originally posted by: cchen
Originally posted by: silverspear
yup - took thim in HS. i graduated in CIS. i know cash was an issue then and it still is.... but im thinking of giving it a shot. anyone else do a carrer change - or am i just stupid.


uhm... what are you talking about? you need gen chem, organic chem, chem lab, physics, physics lab, bio, bio lab + a few more


yeah - i did all this including calcuals I, II etc in HS back home. i took the medicine track - last 2 years of HS.


what are you thinking? no medical school is going to accept that.
 

Yossarian

Lifer
Dec 26, 2000
18,010
1
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yes you should do it if you're really passionate about it. but I don't think you have the background. highschool bio 6 years ago is not going to prepare you for the MCAT.
 

silverspear

Senior member
Mar 13, 2000
277
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Originally posted by: Yossarian
yes you should do it if you're really passionate about it. but I don't think you have the background. highschool bio 6 years ago is not going to prepare you for the MCAT.

- True.... but i have almost a year to prepare for the Mcats. going to buy the books tomorrow - i will find out then.
 

ShOcKwAvE827

Senior member
Jul 28, 2001
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yeah you're going to have to go back to college, and take those classes if you haven't already. basically what cchen said but add english to that. Nobody gives a sh!t about what you did in high school. How much volunteering/ shadowing/etc do you have?
Also if you're really serious, money is never an issue. You will get enough loans to cover everything no matter where you go.
 

Blastomyces

Banned
Mar 23, 2004
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Youll probably have to go and do a post-baccalaureate at a local college. That will give you all the pre-reqs and training that you need for MCATs and Med School. The average age in my medschool class when we began was 26 with the oldest person 31 years old. Its not to late, just realize that you're signing up for a long 7-10 years of training with low pay.
 

Siva

Diamond Member
Mar 8, 2001
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Originally posted by: silverspear
Originally posted by: cchen
Originally posted by: silverspear
yup - took thim in HS. i graduated in CIS. i know cash was an issue then and it still is.... but im thinking of giving it a shot. anyone else do a carrer change - or am i just stupid.


uhm... what are you talking about? you need gen chem, organic chem, chem lab, physics, physics lab, bio, bio lab + a few more


yeah - i did all this including calcuals I, II etc in HS back home. i took the medicine track - last 2 years of HS.

Did this high school have some sort of affiliation with a college?

You need college credit for two semesters of gen chem, two of orgo, two of bio, two of physics, a whole crapload of labs, a college english course, and calculus to get into medical school, not even counting how well you will do in the mcats.

I don't care if you get a perfect score on the MCATs, if you don't have credit in those classes no reasonable med school should take you.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,810
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Never too late but it's a tough road. If money is the main motivation, there are other options.
 

SilentZero

Diamond Member
Apr 8, 2003
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Sounds like you have a lot of studying ahead of you...and at least another year or so of taking all your prereq's before even considering the idea.
 

Raiden256

Platinum Member
Feb 11, 2001
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We had a 50yo ex nurse and a 47yo ex dentist and a 45yo ex olympic swimmer in our class. Average age was about 25-26 I think...

Never too late, really. But be prepared for the most signficant stress and change to your social life that you've ever experienced, or could have ever imagined. If you get in, you will discover that you're capable of things, and feats of will, you would never have thought possible.