Mitch Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 Hi all, I'm a "nontrad" premed...I'm a 38 year old mom of three small, awesome, kids. I'm looking around to see if there's any other Canadian nontrad premeds who are also parents to connect with. Anyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 Hey, have you tried looking at http://www.mommd.com? They have a message board there, as well as other resources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted April 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Yep, I'm a member there. It's a really great resource, but unfortunately for me, it's mostly American. I'm hoping to connect with one or more crazy Canuck moms doing the same thing I am! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyann Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 I'm a mom too! I'm 30 and I have a one year old daughter. I'm trying for med school right now. In a week or two I'll know if I got in. How old are your kids? Do you have a hard time studying while taking care of your family? I know I do, at least some of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahZ Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 I've seen your name on mommd i think. I lurk there, there seems to be some strong personalities there and I find it hard to jump in. I am 26 and a mom of an 18mo old. I applied this year and am still waiting to hear, I also registered for the mcat again so I can rewrite if things don't go my way. I know there are some parents here. Welcome to the forum, I have found it an excellent resource for understanding the admission processes in canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanttobedoc Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 Hi Mitch,I'm 35 and am mom of 2 children under the ages of 5. Hoping to get into UBC this year..... You can always PM me if you want. I've posted a few things on this site in the past in regard to my worries about parenthood and going back to school.... I'm crossing my fingers to get in and that it will all go smoothly if it happens. We will definately be getting a nanny. How old are your children? Where are you applying? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted April 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Hi everyone, Thanks for replying!! my kids are 6, almost 5, and 3. I'm hoping to apply next year to UBC (for 2009). We *just* got a nanny, and holy cow, what a relief!! It's sooooo much better, and I can see it will be essential when/if I get in, especially now that my two older ones seem to be so busy with activities, school, and social lives! Do anyone of you have family nearby that can or will help? Feel free to PM anytime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanttobedoc Posted April 12, 2007 Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Hi Mitch, I Pm'd you with some questions about the nanny etc...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine4Isa Posted April 12, 2007 Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Hello ladies (I assume I'm typing to moms here...)! I'm also a mom. My son just turned 6 months this week. I'm trying to get into med, although I have had a few distractions along the way. I completed my M.Sc. when he was just 2 months old. That was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life! Now I'm in a PhD program and he's been in a dayhome part-time since he was 3 months old. I have a hard time focusing when he's around, so child care was a must (I was lucky - he was the only kid at the dayhome... long story). As for my med school aspirations, I want to re-write the MCAT this summer and apply this fall to hopefully complete a Md/PhD program. I've looked on the MomMD website, but on some threads, they are really closed off to non-med students. I'm happy to connect with others in my situation, so please PM me as well if you'd like to chat. I'm always looking for ways to maximise my time studying and with my family (although I have to admit I'm procrastinating right now and wasting precious minutes away from my son!). Part of me wonders how I can possibly spend all these hours studying in med school. It would probably be more time consuming than what I'm doing right now... Anyway, good luck to those who are waiting to hear. I'd love to hear from you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimchi Posted April 14, 2007 Report Share Posted April 14, 2007 Hi Mitch and everyone else Cool - this thread could be our Canadian version of MomMD! Hey Mitch, I think I'm channeling you here in Chelsea, QC (just north of Ottawa, ON). I'm 38 and have three kids (9, 8, and 3) too. I'm applying next fall for fall '08 meds, to Ottawa U. I'm going to do one year of pre-meds next school year to get my last pre-req and provide some more up-to-date marks for my application... I'm starting to be kinda nervous about all this; I would love to talk more with you all . PM me, anyone, if you want to talk more outside of the forum! Cheers, Kim:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paule Posted April 14, 2007 Report Share Posted April 14, 2007 Hello moms, I have a 3yr old and two stepdaughters that are with us part-time, 9 and 15. I've applied to UBC twice and got an interview this year (no interview last year). Now I'm just waiting waiting waiting. It's killing me. I feel like I'm on the other side of a glass wall and everyday I have to look at the thing I want the most and have been working on for the last three years, but I can't enjoy it or move on to the next thing. Anyone else waiting to hear if they got in for 2007? It's great to see other mom's trying to get in. It can be a little hard to relate to students in those first or second year science courses. This is my first time using this site. What does PM means? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darla Posted April 14, 2007 Report Share Posted April 14, 2007 This is my first time using this site. What does PM means? Hi Paule! Welcome to the boards! PM = personal message, to do it, just click on the persons name and choose personal message from the drop down list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahZ Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 Hello moms, I have a 3yr old and two stepdaughters that are with us part-time, 9 and 15. I've applied to UBC twice and got an interview this year (no interview last year). Now I'm just waiting waiting waiting. It's killing me. I feel like I'm on the other side of a glass wall and everyday I have to look at the thing I want the most and have been working on for the last three years, but I can't enjoy it or move on to the next thing. Anyone else waiting to hear if they got in for 2007? It's great to see other mom's trying to get in. It can be a little hard to relate to students in those first or second year science courses. This is my first time using this site. What does PM means? Hey Paule I totally relate to that statement about not being able to move on!! I find it really hard to live life to the fullest and enjoy the present when you are looking towards something in the future. I too am waiting to here about this year and it sure is tough, especially facing the possibility of having to do it all over again next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxy Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 Hey Ladies, I just want to wish those of you waiting to hear about admission this year, good luck. I was 38 when I started medschool, and with 3 kids between the age of 4 and 8. I am in 3rd year now. I intimately remember the stress of that period of waiting... it is an awful feeling to feel like you have NO CONTROL over the results of those admission committee meetings. And when the decision you are waiting for majorly impacts not just your life, but the lives of you partner and children.... well, it's just that much more agony and no one else seems to understand the stress of that period. I've spoken to Mitch about this process before (I've changed my screenname, lost my original login info, lol, Mitch - I am in NS) and would be willing to chat a bit with anyone else too. Maybe we need to exchge msn names or something and arrange a semi-private Cnd Moms-to-be-MD chat sometime???? Take care guys, Roxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanttobedoc Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 Wow! There are a bunch of us here. Yes we should start our own Canadian "Chat group" for mommy docs. I am waiting to hear if I get in this year at UBC too. I have my kids on all of these waitlists for schools and daycares... I just want to find out now. There are so many things that I have to arrange if I do get in. We are living on Vancouver Island and we will have to move when/if it happens for me this year. I felt like everything went really well with the interview but with all of this time waiting, I'm starting to second guess myself. So many things feel like they are being put on hold until I find out if I get in. Even silly things like my kids want a trampoline to jump on in our backyard. We have a big backyard now, but if we are moving back to Vancouver, I'm sure it will not be that big and we don't want to move a big thing like that over. We have a house in Vancouver rented out to tenants. If we want to move back into it, they need 3 months notice..... I just pray that if I do get in, it is "cleanly"...and not by having to wait another few weeks/months on a waitlist. I don't think I'd be able to do it if I was waitlisted. Apparently if you are waitlisted you can find out as late as the day before school starts!!! That can not happen for me. Any of you moms that want to chat, PM me please. Mitch and i have exchanged emails.... I would love to chat with Paule and Roxy....and anyone else interested too! I don't have MSN set up but I could figure it out. We use Skype. I know there are ways of setting up Yahoo 'groups' too. We did one of these when I lived in Taiwan. It was a Yahoo group for Canadian moms "surviving" in Taipei. It was a nice venting place and support group for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuciLu Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 Hi everyone, I am 34 and a Mom of 2 girls (ages 3 & 1) and I am waiting to hear back from MUN Med for September. Very similar thoughts as you all as I felt really good after the interview as we are a different group applying as we have life experiences to draw on when answering the questions, however with all of this waiting I am second guessing everything. I applied last year too (with an interview 10 days after my youngest was born...that was fun)and made it to the waitlist which made for a very long summer of waiting. Hopefully this will be the year for me which in retrospect would be much better timing than last year as my youngest would have only been 6 months...not that it wouldn't have been doable just it would have been a tougher first year. It is great to know that there are many others in Canada who are in the same situation. I agree about hte mommd website...I went onto it a few times but it was primarily American when I wanted to hear about Canadian schools. Well keep me in mind if you are setting up a discussion group. Best of luck to those who are waiting on a decision from Med school for 2007. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paule Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 Hey everybody, I'm procrastinating from studying for finals... I find it very hard to concentrate on school right now. I can't wait until exams are over and then I can do stuff that will make it easier to distract myself from the waiting. Roxy-I'm glad you mentioned how hard it is to relate to people the stress of this period. It's like my baseline stress has gone up an octave and now small things that wouldn't usually have an impact on me will totally stress me out. SarahZ-I now exactly what you mean about dreading doing this all over again next year. I applied last year too, but didn't get an interview. At least I progressed to gettting an interview this year. I just hope that once I'm out of this period of waiting that applying again next year will seem like an action oriented do-able thing. My family doctor only got in on her third try when she was in her mid-thirties. And she's a great doctor. Okay, back to physiology. Only a week more to go. Take care all of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted April 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 Hi gals, Wow, it's great to hear from ALL of you!!! I was afraid I was the only crazy mommy out there! I'm studying for a final tomorrow, yuck, but I agree, I think we should make our own Canadian Mommd!! Feel free to PM me anytime! Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kary Posted April 24, 2007 Report Share Posted April 24, 2007 Hi everybody, I am so happy, finaly i found moms that want get in Canadian med school. I am 27 and a mom of 2 yrs old boy. I want to apply to med school too. LuciLu i am wondering how you managed to have interview just after giving birth. Did they know (from med school you applied) that you have a 10 day baby? What was their opinion about this? Did this influence your interview somehow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuciLu Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Hey there. As for the interview...it was tough trying to get your head into the right thought process as your are breastfeeding and up every 3 hours with a newborn. Not to mention that when my youngest was a week old I had a terrible case of mastitis on the Monday with severe pain, rigors and fever..which only calmed down on the Wednesday after doses of antibiotics and Atasol 30's followed by my interview on the Friday. However, believe it or not the interview went really well (once I was able to find a suit to squat my 10 day post partum body into!) The difference with the non-traditional group of applicants is that the questions they ask can be answered from our life experience. Unlike new grads who probably don't have as much real life situations to draw from as we do. I can honestly say the night before the interview I reviewed a number of standard questions that could be asked and just tried to think of relevant experiences. I think that if I had tried to prepare too much the interview wouldn't have gone as well as it did as it wouldn't have been as casual and free flowing. Although I didn't get accepted last year I was on the waitlist (which I thought was great also) and when I asked the Dean of Admissions about my application it still comes down to my terrible grades in Undergrad...she said that my interview was great. The whole idea of being judged on grades that I acheived 13 years ago is very frustrating to me. Although I did a MSc in Medicine it isn't counted for much as it was a thesis based program with only 5 courses (which I did fantastic in all). It irks me because I am not the same person I was back then...Urghhhh! Wow I am really digressing here. I feel that my interview went really well this year so hopefully this will be my year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted April 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 Well ladies, I'd love to start a webgroup for us all......except I will confess I have no idea how to do this!! Does anyone have any ideas? Or we could just do an email group, too. I'm so glad there's so many other crazy mommies like me out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaka84 Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 I wouldn't say that I am pre-med but I am the father of a one year old. I can certainly appreciate some of the difficulties that mother's, especially of very young children would face in med. It will take a lot of work and time management to get through it and do well but is definitely very possible. In my interview I brought up the fact that I was a dad and was asked how i would manage. I told them that i thought being a parent was an advantage as we had a more stable home-life (typically anyways) and could probably put thing in perspective better. I focused on the fact that coming home to a child excited to see you could turn any bad day to a good one. Did any body else discus being a parent in the interview? Just my 2 cents. Good luck to everyone in the next few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuciLu Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Glad that people are back on this site....It is May 1st and I am already starting to feel anxious even though there are a few weeks left before we find out. This process is not good for my nerves!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyann Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 In my interview I brought up the fact that I was a dad and was asked how i would manage. I told them that i thought being a parent was an advantage as we had a more stable home-life (typically anyways) and could probably put thing in perspective better. I focused on the fact that coming home to a child excited to see you could turn any bad day to a good one. Did any body else discus being a parent in the interview? I did. I don't think I could have left that out as being a mom is such a huge part of my life. I told them how much it changed me to have to take care of a person who's so vulnerable and dependant. I also mentioned the more stable home life. The interview went well, I got my letter of acceptance a few days ago (UdeM). Good luck to everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuciLu Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 Congrats Cyann!!! Great to hear that some of the non-trads are getting acceptance letters! I also mentioned my children in the interview. There wasn't any way to really get around it as they are such a big part of my life and I end up referring to them without even meaning to. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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