circuscircus Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 Hello Everyone, I wanted to get anyone's honest opinion of the following situation: I always had an interest in medicine. Due to family and financial situations, I managed to get a degree in Criminal Justice from university (BA) by 2001. Now I am 32 and I moved to Toronto from Los Angeles. I am currently working, but still feel I want to pursue medicine. I am willing to do anything I can as I refuse to feel that I'm too old to do anything. What I'd like to know is this: being that I will very likely take out a loan for this, what would my realistic chances be in succeeding in medicine? I hear you cannot "fail out" of med school here, but is this realistic? I have not taken the MCAT and I did take some science while in university. Are there any suggestions? Please help, and thank you in advance! - Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon01 Posted December 22, 2007 Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 Almost everyone in my class has taken out a loan. Don't worry about the MCAT too much if your GPA is good. Do a search on this forum; tons of suggestions. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted December 22, 2007 Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 I agree, do a search and also, check out the "non traditional applicants" forum on the main page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chemgirl Posted December 22, 2007 Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 Definitely do it. I hate to hear when people are held back only by finances. I also went back to pursue medicine and I have never regretted it (3rd year now and in lots and lots of debt). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuscircus Posted December 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 Thank you for replying to my message everyone! Being that a loan is most likely to happen, I don't mind now. I guess for now, I want to know how first and second year classes are in meds. I have a 3.6 GPA from university. For some reason, I'm afraid that if I try I will fail. Truthfully, my so-called friends and spouse have stated that I am wasting my time thinking about it and that I will fail....but I refuse to accept that. At the same time, I also want to realistic of my chances. Opinions anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted December 22, 2007 Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 Thank you for replying to my message everyone! Being that a loan is most likely to happen, I don't mind now. I guess for now, I want to know how first and second year classes are in meds. I have a 3.6 GPA from university. For some reason, I'm afraid that if I try I will fail. Truthfully, my so-called friends and spouse have stated that I am wasting my time thinking about it and that I will fail....but I refuse to accept that. At the same time, I also want to realistic of my chances. Opinions anyone? Your friends and spouse don`t sound very supportive! You never know until you try. 3.6 is on the low end of things...but recalculated using the formulas the various schools have and it might come up. (ie some schools look at only at your last 3 years or best 2 etc.) The weeding process for med school happens with the application process. It is not in the school's best interest to fail out students since we need doctors! It is not impossible to fail out of med school but you'd have to work pretty hard at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuscircus Posted December 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2007 Thank you Satsuma for your input. I appreciate it. I will do more research into this. After New Year's, I plan on going into the bank and talking with them about how I can be financed. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Cave Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 Are you talking about taking out a loan to finance more undergrad work or med school? If you get into medicine getting a $150000 line of credit is unbelievably easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 I agree with others. It's hard to get in med school, but if you do, you won't fail (unless you really try to!). First year courses in med are no harder than getting the undergrad GPA you need to get in, IMO. They don't admit people who don't have the ability to succeed. As for financing, once you're in, at least if you go to school in Canada, it really should not be a problem at all, unless you have really bad credit. All you have to do is show your admissions letter and the banks will fight over who gets to loan you the money You can check individual bank web sites (or past threads) for the specifics of what they offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuscircus Posted January 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Dr. Cave and Julie, Thank you so much for the information and I hope everyone had a great New Year! Julie, I was truthfully concerned on how first year would be. I took it as sort of a "litmus test" in which if one were to fail first year, they probably cannot continue. However, the posts have been encouraging and I am looking into getting all my information together and will apply to get into 2009. I have an appointment with the bank to discuss possible financing next Wednesday! Thank you both again! <of course, if there is anyone else who has more to add, please do!> -Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergie Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Hi! Here is my two cents: Do not forget to check prereq courses. They are different for different med schools and also look at for how long your science courses are valid. I was trapped in a very unpleasant way: my chemistry was taken a year later than my physics, and was already 6 yo when I tried to apply. So, I was asked to take Phys. As soon as I finished it, I realized that I should retake Bio and Chems. Check also MCAT discussion. You will see that MCAT helps. Especially if your GPA is not that good, it might be the best way to improve application. Hope, this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoconutSmasher Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Hey, Now, before anyone sighs at the cliche...it really is appropriate. If you want to do this then just give it a whirl. Here's my abridged story: I did a degree in biochemistry, starting 19 years ago. I didn't do great, lots of family stuff, lack of direction...you know. Anyway, after working in industry in various jobs and travelling I finally decided I wanted to do medicine 3 years ago. Most of my pre-reqs were more than 10years old and not competitive anyway, so I started back at college and started over. I'm now in 3rd year microbiology and immunology at UBC and am waiting to see if I get interviews for UBC and Calgary this year. It has been a big sacrifice as I've got a wife and an 18 month old son, but it is what I want. My advice: Just do your homework (literally and figuratively). Make sure that you use the websites to get all the information about the pre reqs, residency requirements, GPA, MCAT values etc. Most of the information is on the sites and in the documents the schools have. I'm 37 and am hyped about where I am right now. There is absolutely NO reason that you can't go after this. Your "chances" are just as good as anyone else. Yeah, sure you might need to do something to up the GPA, but you might not. If you truely will do "anything" to get there then you have options, just like I did. Trust me, it was not my wife's first choice for me to start over, but it made the most sense to give me a competitive application. Oh, and one more thing. People are awesome and helpful, especially on this forum. BUT, don't take anyone's word for anything. Go find out or confirm for yourself. The last thing you want is to find out that information wasn't quite accurate in a year or two. I wish you all the luck and any help I can give I'm happy to. Peace, Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Cave Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Cocosquisher, good luck dude! If you get into Calgary look me up, I'm the oldest male in the class of 2010 at 36. I was surprised there were not more old fogeys in a class of 152. And circus if you can't get in with 3.6 (you might be able to) you can always coconutcase's path and bring up your marks a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuscircus Posted January 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 First, I want to thank all of you who have responded to my thread/posts. I appreciated hearing your examples/experiences and your stories. As of last week, I received my MCAT review materials! I felt the need to go ahead and review in order to take the exam which would increase my chances of getting into meds SOMEWHERE. Thank you all for your encouraging vibes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Hi CircusCircus, Always remember, a Medical School is a Medical School! When someone is in pain, they're not going to ask where you went to school but rather shout at you, "Help me!" So best of luck to you, and I hope you blow up the MCAT. I'm serious, blow it up. -Batman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock* Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Don't forget to try the mid and lower tier american schools and also the carribean. They tend to be easier to get into but are also much more pricey (expect to spend ~$250k for 4 years). A 3.6 and an MCAT at or around 30 will almost guarantee you a spot in St. George's, give you a shot at the lower tier american schools, but it'd be insufficient for pretty much all the canadian schools unless you have a master's or PhD. Smoke the MCAT (35+, especially the verbal reasoning) and you'll have a good shot at Manitoba, Calgary, Dalhousie, and possibly some others. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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