Am I Crazy? (thinking about med school)

[medicinalman]

I'm 28 years old. I'm currently in my first year of law school and I wish I could be in my first year of med school. I've always loved science and my life was saved by medicine when I was very young, so I do have a sincere reason for wanting to go to med school.

 

The problem is that I have an undergraduate and a graduate degree in music but no science courses. My grades are quite good: 3.7 (on 4.0) GPA from undergrad, and all A- or A+ in my Master's.

 

Am I crazy for even thinking of medicine as a possibility? I'd have to do all the prerequisites, write the MCAT and then apply. I'm already in law school but my heart is not really in the legal profession - it was just a "relatively" smooth transition from music, since there are no prereqs it's a lot easier to get into than med school.

 

Any ideas, advice?

 

Thanks!

[AndreaM]

You would have an ok shot based on your gpa. It depends on your province of residence and extra-curriculars though. Do you have any volunteer or paid experience of the health care field? If I were you I would continue on with law school, take some pre-reqs and the MCAT on the side and then make a decision after that.

[MPH07]

Go for it...

 

One of my good friends and former colleague (now in medical school) was also a law student first...she dropped out because her heart was not into...she did have science courses though...and after law she did a MSc in epidemiology...however medical schools look for people with diverse backgrounds...takes some pre-reqs write ur MCAT and go for it!

[medicinalman]

AndreaM:

 

I'm in Ontario. Extra-curriculars aren't great but I did volunteer at a Wild Bird Care Centre (mending broken wings etc.).

 

I know I'd have a good sell with diversity, but my concern is that I'd be starting from scratch taking science prereqs...going back to undergrad is a depressing thought after all the years of school I've already been through.

 

Anyone have advice on the most efficient (i.e. fastest) way to obtain the minimum prerequisites that satisfy most canadian med schools?

[iwh333]

agree with Andrea,

 

your grades are ok, but not spectacular for a med applicant. are you considered in province in other provinces? if so, it would be easier to get in if you have that status.

 

also: depending on your grades, you might have a shot at western/queens as they look at last 2/best 2 years... of course you would have to write your mcat though and do well on it.

[rmorelan]

agree with Andrea,

 

your grades are ok, but not spectacular for a med applicant. are you considered in province in other provinces? if so, it would be easier to get in if you have that status.

 

also: depending on your grades, you might have a shot at western/queens as they look at last 2/best 2 years... of course you would have to write your mcat though and do well on it.

 

I would agree with that! Your biggest problem is probably the mcat at this point. Also be very careful if you take prereqs - don't sign up for another degree as western will make you finish it before applying (you probably don't need that many prereqs actually).

 

If it helps we have people in our class who started much older than you would be

[future_doc]

AndreaM makes sense. You need a fallback position anyhow, and having come this far, law seems appropriate. Moreover, there are some who have both law and medical degrees and having the law degree can do you no harm. There is the distance ed option and there are some in med school now who went this route who can give you good advice, Jochi and rmorelan.

 

On the basis that you continue with law, it may be worthwhile to take the extra year to join the Bar - as then, come what may, you have an excellent viable option or to work in concert with med. It will be a lot easier to pass your Bars while you still have the juice as it is unlikely you would have the energy/juice to go for it in ten years.

 

There are quite a few people who have switched from being a lawyer to entering med or are considering it. Use the search function and you will find discussions on this topic by others in your shoes. Good luck!

[warren_1988]

I honestly don't think you can do it. Hopes and dreams are nice but the reality for this path is grim. The ECs are almost as challenging as the academics- considering that will be overkill.

If ur from TO, you've got tremendous barricades against you

False hope is much more cruel than telling you that you don't have a chance. I'm afraid you don't have a reasonable one. It's not rational to risk the time and money involved for what is probably not possible.

People can tell you what you CAN do, but supposing you do do it, there's no guarnatee of success (in academics especially). So it's not just a consideration of effort, but risk. It could be not only wasted effort but a loss of years, your law degree, earnings you would have otherwise had. Either the cost is too much, or you won't have the ability, time, and perseverance.

 

You have a great alternative bro

[MukMuk]

Hey! I'm not trying to dissuade you from your dreams but I am curious whether you've considered the options related to health/medicine that could stem from a law degree?

 

I think that if you are drawn to medicine because of the human interaction found in doctor-patient relationships, then medicine is great, and maybe law would not be able to offer that. However, I feel that a lot can be done with a law degree in advancing health for populations (health policy, human rights advocacy, etc).

 

Just for consideration. I think highly of the legal profession and its possibility to do really great things to help people

 

 

 

I'm 28 years old. I'm currently in my first year of law school and I wish I could be in my first year of med school. I've always loved science and my life was saved by medicine when I was very young, so I do have a sincere reason for wanting to go to med school.

 

The problem is that I have an undergraduate and a graduate degree in music but no science courses. My grades are quite good: 3.7 (on 4.0) GPA from undergrad, and all A- or A+ in my Master's.

 

Am I crazy for even thinking of medicine as a possibility? I'd have to do all the prerequisites, write the MCAT and then apply. I'm already in law school but my heart is not really in the legal profession - it was just a "relatively" smooth transition from music, since there are no prereqs it's a lot easier to get into than med school.

 

Any ideas, advice?

 

Thanks!

[123coco]

Essentially, my back up plan if I do not get into med school is to get into law school and fuse the two together. Hopefully I'll still be able to advocate for human rights and ethical issues in the realm of health care. Have you thought of coupling the two to suit your interest maybe?

________

Vaporizers

[hastin11]

I honestly don't think you can do it. Hopes and dreams are nice but the reality for this path is grim. The ECs are almost as challenging as the academics- considering that will be overkill.

If ur from TO, you've got tremendous barricades against you

False hope is much more cruel than telling you that you don't have a chance. I'm afraid you don't have a reasonable one. It's not rational to risk the time and money involved for what is probably not possible.

People can tell you what you CAN do, but supposing you do do it, there's no guarnatee of success (in academics especially). So it's not just a consideration of effort, but risk. It could be not only wasted effort but a loss of years, your law degree, earnings you would have otherwise had. Either the cost is too much, or you won't have the ability, time, and perseverance.

 

You have a great alternative bro

 

 

I unfortunately agree. The risk/benefit doesnt seem to make sense in your case.

 

Realistically, the mcat will take one summer (maybe longer since you have no science background, and the mcat is very tough for people who DO). Do you really want to do this, and prereq's, on top of a law degree?

 

And even if you do, your gpa is on the low side for a med school applicant.

 

Getting into med is not easy even for those who are strong in the sciences and have a much higher gpa than you. Im not saying give up, but you really have an uphill battle here.

[AndreaM]

AndreaM:

 

I'm in Ontario. Extra-curriculars aren't great but I did volunteer at a Wild Bird Care Centre (mending broken wings etc.).

 

I know I'd have a good sell with diversity, but my concern is that I'd be starting from scratch taking science prereqs...going back to undergrad is a depressing thought after all the years of school I've already been through.

 

Anyone have advice on the most efficient (i.e. fastest) way to obtain the minimum prerequisites that satisfy most canadian med schools?

 

Being from Ontario you are at a disadvantage (less than 20% acceptance rate in Ontario and no in province benefits). A lot of courses can be taken through distance education and most large universities have a limited selection of DE courses that you can choose from or you can go through Athabasca or TRU. Be careful taking science pre-reqs through DE, because most unis want ones that have in person lab portions. You could also take one or two courses in the spring/summer for the ones that require labs. I would suggest taking at least the basics before trying the MCAT, because while much of the problems are based on logical reasoning skills, a solid foundation in biology, chemistry and physics is necessary.

 

Aside from courses and the MCAT I would also strongly suggest volunteering or getting paid experience in a healthcare related setting where you can really see what a doctor's day is like and evaluate if you really have the interest and desire for a career as a doctor.

[supafield]

As for the in person labs, with Athabasca I will be flying to Edmonton and staying in a hotel May1st-7th which will allow me to get Chem 217, 218 (combined=1st year chem) and Chem 350 (Orgo I) all in one shot.

 

Otherwise I forfeit any potential acceptance I could receive from Ottawa.

 

However, if you're willing, there are options.

[Gogoplata]

I think this boils down to weighing your sincerity for medicine with your desire to continue in law. Though it may appear to be wasted time/money if you dropped law altogether, it would be horrible to be trapped in a career you ultimately wouldn't enjoy.

 

Maybe shadowing a doctor would help clear up this decision.

[rmorelan]

good post, good advise

[bloh]

No offense but it doesn't truly sound like you're following your calling; you may not even know what it is. You're simply picking the better of the high paying professions.

 

Music to law to medicine? Are those really logical transfers? What enticed you to go into music in the first place?

[Lactic Folly]

Here's my case:

I thought I was a shoe-in because I had a near perfect gpa in an intense double major program. I was on the executive board of a charity, worked on 3 major fundraisers a year, volunteered with special needs kids for over a decade, was the manager of an auditory neuroscience lab, a frequent guest lecturer for 2nd and 3rd year neuroscience classes, an accomplished artist with pieces in galleries in 5 major cities...blah, blah, blah

 

I was rejected from 3 schools 3 years in a row.

Not to digress too much, but it sounds like something is missing from this story..

Often, great paper application + rejection pre-interview = red flag (poor reference), while great paper application + rejection pre-interview = poor interview.

[ihaveknownbetter]

I honestly don't think you can do it. Hopes and dreams are nice but the reality for this path is grim. The ECs are almost as challenging as the academics- considering that will be overkill.

If ur from TO, you've got tremendous barricades against you

False hope is much more cruel than telling you that you don't have a chance. I'm afraid you don't have a reasonable one. It's not rational to risk the time and money involved for what is probably not possible.

People can tell you what you CAN do, but supposing you do do it, there's no guarnatee of success (in academics especially). So it's not just a consideration of effort, but risk. It could be not only wasted effort but a loss of years, your law degree, earnings you would have otherwise had. Either the cost is too much, or you won't have the ability, time, and perseverance.

 

You have a great alternative bro

 

I second what warren said. If you drop out of law now, its is going to be extremely difficult to get back to law later, should you fail to enter a medical program in the future. Remember the people in this forum have no responsiblity for the consequences of any of your actions. Sometimes you have to use your head than go with your gut.

[UTPEOPLE]

I only applied to 2 schools: Ottawa and Mac, beyond that, I saw my reference letters, they were a-frickin-mazing, the point of my story was not to say that it's the norm, but that even when you think you have all your ducks in a row, things sometimes just don't work out.

 

Granted, I'm thrilled to not be in med school.

 

My med interview was a disaster.

My dent interview 2 days earlier was amazing and the interviewer was extremely impressed by a certain job title I had. The med interviewer decided to skewer me and rant about how the fact that I would accept such a position with so little credentials showed that I had no respect for the hierarchy, and in med people who disrespect the hierarchy "get other people killed"

 

LOL

 

Yeah, there was just no chance with that guy. I barely got to say anything, and he ended the interview early.

Again, the point is that no matter how well I prepared, it just wasn't going to happen.

 

I'm certainly not a typical case, but it can happen that the dice just don't roll in your favor. Everything on your application just serves to improve your chances, nothing makes it a guarantee.

 

perhaps the reason for your rejection pre interview was that if you got so much going for you already, why switch to med? I heard that some people tried to overplay their research in the personal statement, with the result that the reviewers just thought... why dont you just stay in research then.