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too late to get into medicine at the age of 22?

I

imported_vr6

Platinum Member
I am graduating in May with a BS in MIS but i want a new career path.

i want to go into medicine... so i would have to take the the undergrad pre-reqs.

is it too late? by the time i finish medical school. i will be in my late 20s.

which isn't too bad... or is it?

if you read this thread, post your age when u finished schooling and went to work full time.
 
i don't mean SWITCHING major, i am still gonna walk the stage..... but switching as in stay in school, get the pre-reqs, and going into medical school afterwards.
 
what's your current major?

just take the premed requirements which can be finished in two years then take the MCAT
 
i know a few people who have done that. Graduated in some degree (like math), then taken pre med classes and taken the mcats.
 
Originally posted by: ArmenK
Pre-med is not a major.
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yea, but there are requirements.

vr6, you wouldn't believe the amount of people in med school that are english/history majors.
 
Originally posted by: desteffy
i know a few people who have done that. Graduated in some degree (like math), then taken pre med classes and taken the mcats.
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did they go thru with it all or was it a phase they went thru?
 
Originally posted by: vr6
Originally posted by: desteffy
i know a few people who have done that. Graduated in some degree (like math), then taken pre med classes and taken the mcats.
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did they go thru with it all or was it a phase they went thru?
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what's your current major?

edit: didn't see the edit with MIS
 
it's never too late if you are truly determined. think about that first.

and to answer some questions to the best of my knowledge:

1) yes there is a pre-med major, in some school. some school like mine doesn't have it
2) you can major in ANYTHING to get into med school, as long as you score well in MCAT and have a nice interview with the school. as a matter of fact, the director of my medical school (SUNY Stony Brook) has told us that sometimes they actually prefer people with a bit of a variety in their academics... straight science people do not necessary have an advantage.

like i said, make sure that is what you want to do, then consult the department of whatever school you're in for the specifics.
 
no it's not, alot of people are not happy with their undergrad degrees and take completely different directions. I've heard that the average age entering med school is 24 or 25, which gives you enough time to take the prereqs and get in on equal footing as everyone else.
 
It's not too late for ANYTHING at 22, unless of course you are referring to that which is definably so (e.g. it's too late to be 21). The longer you wait you'll realize how young 22 truly is, so do it now!

FWIW, I lived next to a woman who put herself through medical school in her 30s, and she had children and a husband. Granted, she put herself in ~$100k in debt and slept very little, but that's what she wanted to do.

If you're treating it casually then it might be more trouble than it's worth, but if you are truly passionate about medicine (I question that you are, because methinks if you were you'd have chosen to go into med-school already, but let's disregard that notion) you'll be able to push through it.

Good luck.
 
Originally posted by: OS
no it's not, alot of people are not happy with their undergrad degrees and take completely different directions. I've heard that the average age entering med school is 24 or 25, which gives you enough time to take the prereqs and get in on equal footing as everyone else.
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yep what he said, I see some people taking night courses to satisfy those pre reqs. As long as you have a high GPA 3.5 (and higher preferably) and decent MCAT scores, it should allow you to go onto med school.
 
you have plenty of time. there are 40 year olds in my med school class. our average age when we started 4 years ago was around 26.
 
Originally posted by: Descartes
If you're treating it casually then it might be more trouble than it's worth, but if you are truly passionate about medicine (I question that you are, because methinks if you were you'd have chosen to go into med-school already, but let's disregard that notion) you'll be able to push through it.

Good luck.
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That's a good point, you can't be indecisive. If you are waivering then you need to think about whether you want to spend another 1-2 years preparing. You will be in major debt when you come out and have to spend some time doing your residencies (3 years, pay not too great usually) and pass your boards before getting licensed.
 
i have a 3.8gpa. i have an internship doing software development and i hate sitting there coding all day. i been doing it for a year. it pays great, i get full benefits, 401k, my own office, vacation, all as an intern. but i can't stand the work i am doing.

I looked at the previous classes i have taken. the ones that i enjoyed the most...

Roman history.
greek mythology.
Biology.
chemistry.

i have always like life sciences better then tech/engineering... but i wanted to go where the money is while not having to put in alot of time. so now that i am done. i am making good money.. but i don't like the work...
 
I have a friend who started to hate EE and decided to do a dual degree in EE and Bio to get into med school. My only suggestion would be to take a good look at how competitive it is to get in to a med school. I almost went that route too but I backed off cuz I am a slacker 😉
 
Just make sure it's what you want to do. Check out some of the forums here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/index.php
Check out some of the sub-specialty forums also to get a sense of what you have to go through.

My GF went to med school, wound up in internal medicine, now she just wants a "regular" job... like a secretary... or a housewife... LOL... It's a tough life, should do only if you love science/medicine and people, and have to put up w/ a whole lotta crap and hooplas along the way.

The science is fascinating and the things you get to see and do to people is awesome... like surgery, interventional radiology, ob/gyn, anesthesiology, orthopedics, cardiac cath, etc...
Other things (to me) like the bread and butter medicine/outpatient clinics and seeing sick kids with ear aches and cough are more on the "boring" side... my $0.02
 
saw this post on FW earlier today in an employment thread

"I'm a physician.
1) Undergraduate Degree: 4 years
2) Medical school: 4 long years (with nights and weekends) - ~$25-30,000 per year (loans) and trying to support a family (wife worked, barely survived after paying for childcare).
3) Pediatric Residency: 3 years. (60-80 hrs/wk incl nights and weekends). Salary: $32-35,000 per year. Depended greatly on wife's salary, but difficult, as family growing. (5 children by end of residency).
4) Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship: (hours and pay a little better, still nights and weekends). Salary: $45,000 per year. Wife loses job b/c needs to cut hours to try to match children's school schedule. Another child on the way.
5) Starting salary at major academic medical center (after 14 years of training) in this field, working ~ 60 hrs/wk (incl nights/weekend coverage): $65-70,000 per year.

Make your own conclusions. I like my job, but..... "
 
Originally posted by: fritolays
saw this post on FW earlier today in an employment thread

"I'm a physician.
1) Undergraduate Degree: 4 years
2) Medical school: 4 long years (with nights and weekends) - ~$25-30,000 per year (loans) and trying to support a family (wife worked, barely survived after paying for childcare).
3) Pediatric Residency: 3 years. (60-80 hrs/wk incl nights and weekends). Salary: $32-35,000 per year. Depended greatly on wife's salary, but difficult, as family growing. (5 children by end of residency).
4) Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship: (hours and pay a little better, still nights and weekends). Salary: $45,000 per year. Wife loses job b/c needs to cut hours to try to match children's school schedule. Another child on the way.
5) Starting salary at major academic medical center (after 14 years of training) in this field, working ~ 60 hrs/wk (incl nights/weekend coverage): $65-70,000 per year.

Make your own conclusions. I like my job, but..... "
Click to expand...

hmm I wonder where he lives. Like his pay would be decent for rural areas. But mediocre for cities like LA and NYC.
 
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