Guest biff moondog Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Hi All, I'm coming at this from a slightly different perspective. I've completed High School, some University, and have been working for the past 10 years. My ambition has always been to go to med school. That being said, I wonder if anyone here is or has been in the same situation or knows of someone who is or has been in the same situation or similar? If so, what kind of advice can you give? I have been told, by an MD no less, that I do not require that much University training prior to applying for med school. It would seem, after reading some of the posts here, that this is not the case. Can someone clear this up for me? I'm currently seeking advice from academic counselors but wanted to hear what some of the people involved in the process thought about it. Thanks, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scrubbed Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Hi John, As for your first question, I cannot give you a specific answer myself, but many others have done what you have, and if your heart is in it, I'd say go for it. You might want to try searching through some old posts for more information as well. I don't know how much past university that you have, but you need at least three post secondary years in order to be considered by most schools outside of Quebec--Calgary and Alberta or exceptions, though the students they take after second year are quite exceptional candidates. That said, most applicants who do get accepted have at least a degree and perhaps more, upon entering medical school. As for two schools that I can speak specifically about, UBC and U of T have entering ages of a little over 23, so assuming that all students entered univsersity right out of high school, which isn't correct, of course, the average student has 5 years post-secondary. Good luck with your pursuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ilisten Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Hi John, I can't answer your questions, but I can support you in your career change. I too have been working for 10 years plus - I completed an undergrad degree - which you must have to apply to any med school - have you completed yours? And you must have the GPA required - do you? - and I am currently working full time and doing a part time graduate degree in Psychology at UofT. I have been a psychotherapist for the last 6 years and like yourself have always aspired to be an MD but never took the plunge. Finally, I'm doing it - Obviously I'm interested in psychiatry so it's a bit of a career change. I think it speaks volumes that you are honouring yourself by applying to med school. I am applying to MAC for a variety of reasons, one of which is the stats that show they accept a higher percentage of older applicants than many other med schools. In my opinion I think course work and GPA are key for younger applicants just out of university - however, I don't beleive courses are weighed as heavily for older applicants with life experience. That is key - your experience as an older applicant and it's important that you value your experiences and use them to your advantage in your application. Don't underestimate the value of age. Good Luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scrubbed Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Hi ilisten, A quick comment about Mac. As far as I know, Mac doesn't drop any courses taken during post secondary unlike other schools. Their admissions statistics for this year, taken from a post by kaymcee, are the following. My goodness... this grade distribution is quite a departure from classes of years' past: 3.00-3.49: 0 3.50-3.59: 2 3.60-3.69: 3 3.70-3.79: 19 3.80-3.89: 47 3.90-4.00: 77 Mean = 3.88. It seems that McMaster is empasizing GPA a bit more than they did previously. It's something to keep in mind. For U of T and Ottawa, if you have a graduate degree, the GPA requirements are less strict, so that's something to consider as well. Although it may be tough to relocate, Queen's (MCAT requiring and NOMS, have lower GPA requirements. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ploughboy Posted September 8, 2005 Report Share Posted September 8, 2005 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hey biff, While not in your exact situation, maybe I can provide some insight from a non-traditional applicant. I just started Western meds this week at the ripe old age of 32, after working as an engineer for several years. You will need at least three, and more likely four completed years of university in order to apply to medical school. In those years you will have to take pre-req courses, such as organic chemistry and cell biology. You will also need to write the MCAT, and do well on it. Since you're thinking about making a big life-change, you should probably spend some time researching what various medical schools are looking for. This board is a great resource for specific questions. For general information, (assuming you're from Ontario) check out the OMSAS application website. There's a pdf booklet there which outlines the requirements for all of the medical schools in Ontario. As well, pretty much every medical school website I've ever visited explicitly states the application requirements for the school. As for not being an early-20s life-science major - don't worry about it! Your background will help you stand out in the application process, and that can only be a good thing! Just make sure you have a good "commercial" to explain why you're doing what you're doing at this point in your life. The adcom didn't have any problem with my age, and as far as I know neither do my classmates. Heck, last weekend I did a keg-stand while wearing full KISS makeup (I was Paul Stanley). Not bad for the biggest, oldest guy in meds '09, eh? Cheers, pb -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.3 (MingW32) iD8DBQFDH7Ls/HNgbK3bC2wRAl9mAJ9OkpVsSu3X82ALSYvd+ON9sTWQnwCePYN4 4TS0D7+sA/2aamhT6nUn0Xg= =hW+0 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ilisten Posted September 8, 2005 Report Share Posted September 8, 2005 Hi scrubbed I wasn't suggesting that McMaster drops courses or doesn't look at GPA - I was acknowledging the GPA requirements and asking if John had the required 3 year undergrad. As far as I know - no school drops courses... and in terms of a grad or Phd degree the additional GPA is minimal. I also echo Ploughboys advise to research the various schools and their requirements. Although keep in mind that you do not require the pre-req courses for all programs. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest biff moondog Posted September 8, 2005 Report Share Posted September 8, 2005 Thanks for all the great answers and suggestions. I only finished 1.5 years of uni before being lured away by the tech industry. I've had a pretty successful career so far in IT security, but I'm really doing it to pay the bills. I am planning on finishing the degree I started (BSc Bio) and am hoping I can do it in the next couple of years. I'm 29 right now so that would put me right around the same age as pb (btw, thanks for the encouragement!) It's all about having a solid plan and it looks like I'll be rather busy for the next few years! I am in Ontario, so I would look there first when it comes time to applying, but if the family doesn't mind moving, neither do I. PB and ilisten, if you don't mind me asking, did/do you have dependents and was it a big adjustment? I'll check out the OMSAS website for info. Anybody have any suggestions for financing? Is it better going through banks or government? Are there any tricks to obtaining financing? Eventually I'm going to have to 'retire' from my current career and give up my current salary. Probably have to downsize quite a bit, but I don't want to go homeless doing it. Do the MCAT scores ever expire? Can I take the exam then apply for med school a couple of years later (assuming I do well on the test)? Are the extra curriculars as important for older applicants? It's tough for me to get out and save the world while holding down a pretty demanding job, raising a family coaching minor hockey. That's it for this round of questions. Thanks again to everyone taking the time to respond, good to know I'm not alone in this! -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ploughboy Posted September 13, 2005 Report Share Posted September 13, 2005 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hey biff, I have no wife, no kids and no mortgage, which made going back to school a lot easier. I suspect that if I were still with my ball-and-chain I would not be in meds right now, but I'm glad to say that she's not my problem anymore (Bitter? Me? No...) Regarding financing - there is a good thread on lines of credit around here somewhere (back a couple of pages in the med students forum?) Long story short - as a med student you can snag somewhere between $150k and $200k at prime from a bank, over and above osap. As well, 15 people in my class at UWO received Schulich Scholarships, in the amount of $20k per year for four years. It sounds like a lot of cash, until you realize that tuition is $15k and instruments, books, clinical clothes rent and beer all cost money. There was a line in my Western acceptance letter to the effect that no qualified applicant will be denied admission to the program solely due to finances. Schools recognize that meds tuition is a real burden, and are doing what they can to help the situation. However, unless you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you can count on having a huge pile of debt to repay once you finish med school. Rule of thumb is that most schools will accept MCAT scores taken within the previous five years. Check school websites to be sure. I don't thing there's a need to "save the world" with your ECs. For instance, you mentioned coaching minor hockey. I suspect in an interview you could talk about the rewards of coaching and teaching not only hockey skills but also life skills and shaping the way your players view the world on and off the ice, for example. Be passionate about what you do, and let that show through when you get to the interview stage. Cheers pb -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.2 (OpenBSD) iD8DBQFDJzHE/HNgbK3bC2wRAvoaAKCABm956eGCab8GTGbKra/pjE9VawCeJJlU CEfm48As7gTzoiqNdrGYz5c= =MZwr -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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