I'm 45 and recently accepted to a postbacc for medical school. I'm going to rock the science classes and MCAT. I was very apprehensive about all of it, and realized I need to fulfill my dream.
although I'm much younger than you are, I had an entirely different career for 4 years, went back to post-bacc when I was almost 27 (2017) and got into medical school this year (about to turn 30 in a few months). At my post-bacc, I met several people who were in their late 30's, and they were some of the most dedicated and mature applicants I've met.
@@SC-or2zb thank you for sharing your thoughts. Please be proud of your story and your success of your admission to medical school. It's good to hear to hear the support and that non-traditional students come in all ages with the same dreams.
That reminds me of a question to Dear Abby: “Dear Abby: I am a 36-year-old college dropout whose lifelong ambition was to be a physician. I have a very good job selling pharmaceutical supplies, but my heart is still in the practice of medicine. I do volunteer work at the local hospital and people tell me I would have been a wonderful doctor. If I go back to college and get my degree, then go to medical school, do my internship and finally get into the practice of medicine - it will take me seven years. But in seven years, I will be 43 years old! What do you think?- Unfulfilled in Philly Dear Unfulfilled: And how old will you be in seven years if you don't go back to college?”
31 years old. I have 3 undergrad degrees, 1 masters, but still felt a pang of regret that I didn't try to go to med school my first time around. Enrolled in a couple pre-req classes this last semester, working full time as an RN. I don't want to live with the regret that I didn't even try. Will sign up for more classes this fall, but COVID definitely threw a wrench in my summer plans. My goal is to complete my MD by the time I'm 40. I'll probably have to squeeze in having kids in there too. I know it won't be smooth sailing, but my husband and family are supportive. :)
Hi Danthea can I ask you being an RN what makes you want to go get your MD degree? I am asking because I cannot decide which. initially i was all MD but lately seeing how short nursing school is and then u begin working right away it is tempting. also I am a non trad as well. just got accepted into a postbacc and not sure if i should complete nursing prereqs and do that instead. Simply because the time is shorter. Thats why im curious as an RN why are u now going to med school. Great admiration to you! :)
Always love to see fellow RNs who decide to pursue medicine! Same here at age 33! Continue forth and be great! Congratulations on making the commitment!
Dr. Gray please make a video saying something about the MCAT registration process on May 7th. It has been a torture that has lasted all day. AAMC has handled the situation terribly, and they should not get away with it.
I have an associates degree in computer art, and a bachelors in business/ audio recording. So far from medical. In fact I steered clear from maths and sciences and focused on arts. I’m 28 y/o now driving a school bus feeling completely lost (but I know God has me right where he wants me), and I keep feeling an urge to go to medical school. The problem is is that it just feels so unobtainable because I have no background/ I don’t even know where to start. For years I’ve been consuming medical content on TH-cam, and I have a heart for people. I dream of going into work and interacting with patients and having a big responsibility.
Hey Michael emergency medicine resident here , I was like you didn’t do it traditionally. I wasn’t the smartest in high school mostly because I never cared to apply myself. I was lost working minimum wage no education post hs, thought hey being a fireman sounds cool did an EMT academy and became hooked on the medical aspect (after years of working minimum wage) I worked as an EMT then medic school became a medic and realized I can really be an er doc after seeing them everyday and talking to them I fell in love worked on a 911 als unit as a paramedic throughout my entire undergrad! Got into med school it was tough but loved every second! I started my undergrad at 26 (bachelors in neuroscience) it’s a long road but as I near the end I’m glad I made the decision to get into it! Take a leap forward brother if it’s really your passion because it doesn’t matter how smart you are if you don’t feel the urge to be a doctor don’t be one.
Once you correct for irrelevant circumstances the same advice applies: Age...factored out Trans...factored out Additional degree...factored out Has kids...factored out You're left with a college graduate with some make up post bacc work to do who needs to tell his story. Your story will be interesting to the adcoms for sure!
I’m so glad to see this b/c I justed turned 29 (the day before this was posted actually lol) and I’m completing my pre-med prerequisites and will be taking biochemistry in the Fall. I was starting to wondering if I was now too old! I had to retake gen chem II summer of 2019 so I had a slight delay 🤦🏽♀️. Also I’m doing a DIY Post Bacc.
I just turned 29 and I started my journey a month before! I would have started in January but I was working nights as a nurse and That would have been hard. Then Covid hit🙄 I’m also doing a DIY post bacc!
Hi Sierra Stewart ! It feels good to know I'm not the only 29 year old that's on this path! My name is Jennifer btw lol. That is completely understandable & I would have done the same by waiting. I think it's awesome that you are a nurse b/c you will have so much experience! My bachelors is in health science (I was a radiation therapy major at one point during undergrad but I was wait listed & changed to health science). Yes, this Covid have messed up so much of everyday life 😩. Please be safe while working in this Covid & thank you for your hard work as a nurse!! Also good luck with your DIY post-bacc!
Wow! Thanks so much for posting this. I’m 28 and have a BA in Psych. I want to start premed soon. I just watched a video that kind of discouraged me on DIY post bacc. 😩🤦🏾♀️ So right now I’m looking to more videos to ask those in med school already, or MD’s, what’s their take on it.
Hey @@ConcreteRoseKei ! My bachelor was in health sciences with a concertation in healthcare management (I major in this after I was waitlisted in my first intended major as a B.S in radiation therapy) so I definitely understand where you are coming from!! So the reason I did a DIY post-bacc was because I graduated with a high GPA 4.0 and researched that formal post-baccs program are strongly suggested if you have a low GPA or the previous degree is completely outside a science related major. My major was in the college of allied health so I had one of my biology sequences and other science classes. I only needed to complete all the chemistries and physics prerequisites. Also, the university I attend for my DIY post-bacc (which is the same one I earned my bachelors degree) doe not have a formal post-bacc program unfortunately and I did not want to move six-eight hours away to the next schools that have one. Now, both are great options depending on your situation. With a DIY I did a degree seeking second bachelors in biology in order to have financial aid pay for my classes and this is based off the amount of aid you have left over from your first degree (I had a lot left over). So make sure to talk to a financial aid officer to see our options. Also, make sure the university have a premed advisor and that the advisor understand you are doing a DIY post-bacc so they can help you through the process. Now if you GPA is not the strongest, then I would look into a formal program and I even learned that you cant enroll in graduate program and take high level 300-400 undergrad classes to strengthen your GPA after watching to Dr. Andre pinesett here on TH-cam (he's legit!!). Be careful with the videos you are watching as many are speaking from their own experiences or do not have the actual knowledge. stay away from SDN & reddit premed!!!. If I were you, I would definitely look into pinesett videos and twitter has a great community of pre-meds and med students on there! look for #medtwitter.
@@thenightdances21 This is so helpful. Thanks for replying so quickly, too. My first bacc doesn’t have the strongest gpa. ☹️ So I would agree that formal is the best way to go then. The school I intended to go to for the diy post bacc is the same that I got my first degree from. But after reading your reply, it does make sense about which route to go in.
I asm 24 and did really bad on the MCAT and have a 3.2 GPA. I think I am gonna do an SMP even though it will delay med school for me. I feel it is something I need.
If that were true, no student would be able to take more than one single gap year before having to repeat their freshman level courses (general biology, chemistry, some humanities, etc). Usually it’s at least 10 years before prerequisites expire.
They don’t expire, maybe a specific school wouldn’t take it but most schools do take prerequisites without expiration I’ve heard of people getting in with prerequisites over 10 years old.
Are there any channels like this for dental school? Or can it be assumed that the things taught on this channel can apply to the dental school admissions process?
Thank you for the videos, Dr. Gray and company. I'm applying now as an old dude and a couple of my old jobs (in mental health and related fields) were 10-13 years ago. Any thoughts on if I can't find anyone there anymore who I can put down as a contact?
Thank you Dr. Gray and guest! I am a trans-student in the almost the same boat as the guest and I really appreciated hearing this. Looking to start my Post-Bac this summer and I am worried all my starting and stopping and poor performance couldn't be overcame. A's here we come.
I would like to know whether there were people, who decided to change their major to medicine and what were the steps towards applying for med school. As I have found out, I need to take the prerequisite courses, but because I am currently not in the US, what materials and books should I start reading. I have bought Kaplan books. Can I get any additional advice on books that need to be read? or any advice on how to start my journey? Thanks in advance.
Dr.Gray I am foreign graduated MD and I am 49 y.o. I am RN in NJ now. I was thinking to go to be get my doctor license but I don't know from where to start... sometimes I think it's too late... any advice appreciated. Thank you
I think all you need to do is to take your medical board. I had a coworker who was a foreign medical graduate, and she was studying for the boards and did not have to go back to school.
@@justfit71 Yes, just as you said. You will need to take your boards USMLE step 1 and step 2 etc and apply for residency. You will have to start from the residency to be able to become a fully licensed doctor in the US.
@@anjudindyal5736 you have to go to medical school first. You actually can’t even take those board exams without going to medical school first because you have to have a signed paper by the school with a seal in order to sign up in the first place
Marganilized identities? I feel like he went into a liberal arts program. I hope he is at a good med school now that isn't forcing social idioligies. Or that he has grown past the victim mentality that is so pushed in the universities these days.... Oh hes trans. I get it. I wish him well, just please, sincerely I hope he isn't pushing that mi dset on the youth. It leads to so much suffering. We really need to midagate the spread of this on the youth. It should be left to adults. It unnerves me hearing stories of detransitioners and I fear for and empathize with those who have lost natural biological functionality in adolescence. When they were most vulnerable and obviously unaware of even the basic conception of the self. Overt compassion without push back is just as dangerous as zero compassion. I understand and agree with the need to be open minded and accept all forms of humanity and life. But we have all been young and if you are honest with yourself you will understand how naieve and reckless you were when you were without the wisdom of your current being. Favorite quote: "The purpose of life, as far as I can tell. Is to find a mode of being that's so meaningful that the fact that life is suffering is no longer relevant" - Dr. Jordan B. Peterson PhD
I think if you're older and you can see yourself being happy doung something else, you should do that. The reason being medical school is way too expensive.
What if medical school was free, would that change your mind? Never let the price tag of medical school stop your ambition! You can ALWAYS make more money, but you can never make more time!
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I'm 45 and recently accepted to a postbacc for medical school. I'm going to rock the science classes and MCAT. I was very apprehensive about all of it, and realized I need to fulfill my dream.
please share your story! What made you go back and decide medical school? This is inspiring, as I am a non traditional student myself!
Thank you for everyone's likes.
although I'm much younger than you are, I had an entirely different career for 4 years, went back to post-bacc when I was almost 27 (2017) and got into medical school this year (about to turn 30 in a few months). At my post-bacc, I met several people who were in their late 30's, and they were some of the most dedicated and mature applicants I've met.
@@SC-or2zb thank you for sharing your thoughts. Please be proud of your story and your success of your admission to medical school. It's good to hear to hear the support and that non-traditional students come in all ages with the same dreams.
You're awesome and you got this! I'd love to hear how it's going.
This is the most accepting environment I've ever seen.
That reminds me of a question to Dear Abby:
“Dear Abby: I am a 36-year-old college dropout whose lifelong ambition was to be a physician. I have a very good job selling pharmaceutical supplies, but my heart is still in the practice of medicine. I do volunteer work at the local hospital and people tell me I would have been a wonderful doctor.
If I go back to college and get my degree, then go to medical school, do my internship and finally get into the practice of medicine - it will take me seven years. But in seven years, I will be 43 years old! What do you think?- Unfulfilled in Philly
Dear Unfulfilled: And how old will you be in seven years if you don't go back to college?”
I love this answer haha !
Seen plenty of older students during Medical School, often times they're some of the best!
I am a graduate biomedical science graduate, I am 51 and still thinking about going to med school.
Same here, biomedical engineering biomaterials master … but my heart goes for med
31 years old. I have 3 undergrad degrees, 1 masters, but still felt a pang of regret that I didn't try to go to med school my first time around. Enrolled in a couple pre-req classes this last semester, working full time as an RN. I don't want to live with the regret that I didn't even try. Will sign up for more classes this fall, but COVID definitely threw a wrench in my summer plans. My goal is to complete my MD by the time I'm 40. I'll probably have to squeeze in having kids in there too. I know it won't be smooth sailing, but my husband and family are supportive. :)
Please go for it. Age is just a number and your experience is worth plenty during these times.
Hi Danthea can I ask you being an RN what makes you want to go get your MD degree? I am asking because I cannot decide which. initially i was all MD but lately seeing how short nursing school is and then u begin working right away it is tempting. also I am a non trad as well. just got accepted into a postbacc and not sure if i should complete nursing prereqs and do that instead. Simply because the time is shorter. Thats why im curious as an RN why are u now going to med school. Great admiration to you! :)
Always love to see fellow RNs who decide to pursue medicine! Same here at age 33! Continue forth and be great! Congratulations on making the commitment!
Go for it I’m married with 2 kids and i want another one and I’m going to western uni. Go for you you can do it.
Go for it! 31 is still pretty young IMO.
I think the cutout for getting into Med School for me personally would be maybe 40 ish.
I like it! As long as you have a pulse, you can go to medical school! Thanks Dr. Gray for supporting non-traditional applicants.
Thank you Dr. Gray. 34 yo premed here :)
The best fricken story EVER!!! So dope that you had this person on here representing so many people in various ways !!!! A billion 👍🏾
Dr. Gray please make a video saying something about the MCAT registration process on May 7th. It has been a torture that has lasted all day. AAMC has handled the situation terribly, and they should not get away with it.
yeah it was painful.
I have an associates degree in computer art, and a bachelors in business/ audio recording. So far from medical. In fact I steered clear from maths and sciences and focused on arts.
I’m 28 y/o now driving a school bus feeling completely lost (but I know God has me right where he wants me), and I keep feeling an urge to go to medical school. The problem is is that it just feels so unobtainable because I have no background/ I don’t even know where to start. For years I’ve been consuming medical content on TH-cam, and I have a heart for people. I dream of going into work and interacting with patients and having a big responsibility.
Hey Michael emergency medicine resident here , I was like you didn’t do it traditionally. I wasn’t the smartest in high school mostly because I never cared to apply myself. I was lost working minimum wage no education post hs, thought hey being a fireman sounds cool did an EMT academy and became hooked on the medical aspect (after years of working minimum wage) I worked as an EMT then medic school became a medic and realized I can really be an er doc after seeing them everyday and talking to them I fell in love worked on a 911 als unit as a paramedic throughout my entire undergrad! Got into med school it was tough but loved every second! I started my undergrad at 26 (bachelors in neuroscience) it’s a long road but as I near the end I’m glad I made the decision to get into it! Take a leap forward brother if it’s really your passion because it doesn’t matter how smart you are if you don’t feel the urge to be a doctor don’t be one.
Yo, this guy's story should be a movie lol. I'd watch the shit out of it
Wow what a great story! I hope he is able to go into medicine :) he would be a wonderful clinician
Once you correct for irrelevant circumstances the same advice applies:
Age...factored out
Trans...factored out
Additional degree...factored out
Has kids...factored out
You're left with a college graduate with some make up post bacc work to do who needs to tell his story. Your story will be interesting to the adcoms for sure!
So you're saying he has a shot? sorry got a bit confused by the initial part of your post. I'm hoping thats the case!
I’m so glad to see this b/c I justed turned 29 (the day before this was posted actually lol) and I’m completing my pre-med prerequisites and will be taking biochemistry in the Fall. I was starting to wondering if I was now too old! I had to retake gen chem II summer of 2019 so I had a slight delay 🤦🏽♀️. Also I’m doing a DIY Post Bacc.
I just turned 29 and I started my journey a month before! I would have started in January but I was working nights as a nurse and That would have been hard. Then Covid hit🙄 I’m also doing a DIY post bacc!
Hi Sierra Stewart ! It feels good to know I'm not the only 29 year old that's on this path! My name is Jennifer btw lol. That is completely understandable & I would have done the same by waiting. I think it's awesome that you are a nurse b/c you will have so much experience! My bachelors is in health science (I was a radiation therapy major at one point during undergrad but I was wait listed & changed to health science). Yes, this Covid have messed up so much of everyday life 😩. Please be safe while working in this Covid & thank you for your hard work as a nurse!! Also good luck with your DIY post-bacc!
Wow! Thanks so much for posting this. I’m 28 and have a BA in Psych. I want to start premed soon. I just watched a video that kind of discouraged me on DIY post bacc. 😩🤦🏾♀️ So right now I’m looking to more videos to ask those in med school already, or MD’s, what’s their take on it.
Hey @@ConcreteRoseKei ! My bachelor was in health sciences with a concertation in healthcare management (I major in this after I was waitlisted in my first intended major as a B.S in radiation therapy) so I definitely understand where you are coming from!! So the reason I did a DIY post-bacc was because I graduated with a high GPA 4.0 and researched that formal post-baccs program are strongly suggested if you have a low GPA or the previous degree is completely outside a science related major. My major was in the college of allied health so I had one of my biology sequences and other science classes. I only needed to complete all the chemistries and physics prerequisites. Also, the university I attend for my DIY post-bacc (which is the same one I earned my bachelors degree) doe not have a formal post-bacc program unfortunately and I did not want to move six-eight hours away to the next schools that have one. Now, both are great options depending on your situation. With a DIY I did a degree seeking second bachelors in biology in order to have financial aid pay for my classes and this is based off the amount of aid you have left over from your first degree (I had a lot left over). So make sure to talk to a financial aid officer to see our options. Also, make sure the university have a premed advisor and that the advisor understand you are doing a DIY post-bacc so they can help you through the process. Now if you GPA is not the strongest, then I would look into a formal program and I even learned that you cant enroll in graduate program and take high level 300-400 undergrad classes to strengthen your GPA after watching to Dr. Andre pinesett here on TH-cam (he's legit!!). Be careful with the videos you are watching as many are speaking from their own experiences or do not have the actual knowledge. stay away from SDN & reddit premed!!!. If I were you, I would definitely look into pinesett videos and twitter has a great community of pre-meds and med students on there! look for #medtwitter.
@@thenightdances21 This is so helpful. Thanks for replying so quickly, too. My first bacc doesn’t have the strongest gpa. ☹️ So I would agree that formal is the best way to go then. The school I intended to go to for the diy post bacc is the same that I got my first degree from. But after reading your reply, it does make sense about which route to go in.
I think you will be a great doc and will bring great experiences to those u care for
I am a premed in my second year of college, what should I be doing this summer? Corona hit so I am limited to volunteering and shadowing !
I asm 24 and did really bad on the MCAT and have a 3.2 GPA. I think I am gonna do an SMP even though it will delay med school for me. I feel it is something I need.
I'm 72 am I to school through gov benifit
👏👏👏🙌🙌🙌❤❤
Awesome interview! Tough questions from both; great answers and insight from both.
Dr. Gray, I am a Nurse Practioner who had my schooling over 30 years ago. What will be my position in applying to Med school in the US?
Most med school require pre-reqs to be within last 5 years. No matter, what your story is, the pre-reqs is not something you can circumvent.
If that were true, no student would be able to take more than one single gap year before having to repeat their freshman level courses (general biology, chemistry, some humanities, etc). Usually it’s at least 10 years before prerequisites expire.
They don’t expire, maybe a specific school wouldn’t take it but most schools do take prerequisites without expiration I’ve heard of people getting in with prerequisites over 10 years old.
Are there any channels like this for dental school? Or can it be assumed that the things taught on this channel can apply to the dental school admissions process?
Thank you for the videos, Dr. Gray and company. I'm applying now as an old dude and a couple of my old jobs (in mental health and related fields) were 10-13 years ago. Any thoughts on if I can't find anyone there anymore who I can put down as a contact?
This is exactly what happened to me.
Thank you Dr. Gray and guest! I am a trans-student in the almost the same boat as the guest and I really appreciated hearing this. Looking to start my Post-Bac this summer and I am worried all my starting and stopping and poor performance couldn't be overcame. A's here we come.
I would like to know whether there were people, who decided to change their major to medicine and what were the steps towards applying for med school. As I have found out, I need to take the prerequisite courses, but because I am currently not in the US, what materials and books should I start reading. I have bought Kaplan books. Can I get any additional advice on books that need to be read? or any advice on how to start my journey? Thanks in advance.
Are you trying to say I can’t go back because I have no pulse?! The *offense*
Dr.Gray I am foreign graduated MD and I am 49 y.o. I am RN in NJ now. I was thinking to go to be get my doctor license but I don't know from where to start... sometimes I think it's too late... any advice appreciated.
Thank you
I think all you need to do is to take your medical board. I had a coworker who was a foreign medical graduate, and she was studying for the boards and did not have to go back to school.
@@justfit71 Yes, just as you said. You will need to take your boards USMLE step 1 and step 2 etc and apply for residency. You will have to start from the residency to be able to become a fully licensed doctor in the US.
ECFMG is what you will have to go through. However, it depends on what country you were a doctor at. ECFMG will state what countries qualify.
@@anjudindyal5736 you have to go to medical school first. You actually can’t even take those board exams without going to medical school first because you have to have a signed paper by the school with a seal in order to sign up in the first place
@@user-rz8vp1bd2y she is a foreign graduate MD.
you rock, chief.
Marganilized identities? I feel like he went into a liberal arts program. I hope he is at a good med school now that isn't forcing social idioligies. Or that he has grown past the victim mentality that is so pushed in the universities these days....
Oh hes trans. I get it. I wish him well, just please, sincerely I hope he isn't pushing that mi dset on the youth. It leads to so much suffering. We really need to midagate the spread of this on the youth. It should be left to adults. It unnerves me hearing stories of detransitioners and I fear for and empathize with those who have lost natural biological functionality in adolescence. When they were most vulnerable and obviously unaware of even the basic conception of the self.
Overt compassion without push back is just as dangerous as zero compassion. I understand and agree with the need to be open minded and accept all forms of humanity and life. But we have all been young and if you are honest with yourself you will understand how naieve and reckless you were when you were without the wisdom of your current being.
Favorite quote:
"The purpose of life, as far as I can tell. Is to find a mode of being that's so meaningful that the fact that life is suffering is no longer relevant" - Dr. Jordan B. Peterson PhD
I think if you're older and you can see yourself being happy doung something else, you should do that. The reason being medical school is way too expensive.
Buzzkill
What if medical school was free, would that change your mind? Never let the price tag of medical school stop your ambition! You can ALWAYS make more money, but you can never make more time!
Rayan Gray MD is based and red pilled.
Works at the based department.
what??
108 year old pre med here 👀