SHOULD I JUST GO TO SABA AND GET THIS OVER WITH???

[OLD_DOG]

Here is the deal---I'm getting too old for this!!!
I started junior college in the fall of 97 as a highschool dropout. I was 33
at that time and now I am 40 and still not in medical school yet. I worked
full time as an electronic tech.until I transferred to a university in fall 2001.
I'm a biology major with a humanities minor and will get my B.A. in may
2005 (this spring). My GPA is overall 3.0 at university and 2.9 at the junior college. I screwed up my grades the first year at the university
because I wasnt used to the science load and didnt know how to study.
Now I'm in a groove and know how to get those grades and my transcript
looks better every semester! Here is what I have: gen chem1=c genbio1=c finite math=b gen chem2=c algebra-trig=b- orgo lab1=A-
gen bio2=B genphysics1=c genphysics2=B- cellbio=b genetics=A
genetics lab=B+ Orgo1=B- STATISTICS=B Evolution=C plantphysiology=A Orgo2=B Orgo2 lab=B Virology=B
And many other non-science classes. I figure that this means that I am doomed as far as the D.O. schools go. I plan to take the mcat in april but
don't know what score I can achieve. I have not missed a semester since fall of 97 so you can imagine how determined I am. With orgo I figured out that I need only my books and a quiet place to study and I do very
well. Saba sounds like a good place for this! I wonder if I should apply for
August 2005 and try to keep moving. I hate the idea of going into a masters program and waiting around for another year to hear from U.S. schools just to get denied in the end and waste more time. Even if I crank
out a 30 on the mcat, I'm not a straight A student! right now I could apply to Saba without the Mcat and see what happens. I don't have clinical
experience but can get excellent reqs from teachers. DO YOU GUYS THINK
I'M STILL IN THE RUNNING HERE AT MY AGE or is my family correct. everyone is laughing at me and saying that i won't get a residency anyway! TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!

[Siddman]

I think its never too later to get educated....and personally specking i think you can become a doctor if you have the guts to go thourgh University Degree. I don't think the evaluation committee will ever discriminate any student applying for residency becasue of age. And i personally believe that beign in the closer age to the baby boomers will actually increase your chances. Do apply and try your best..

Good Luck,

Siddman

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Faith it seems, is not wihtout a touch of irony

[scoobz1981]

Apply to SABA. You sound very competitive and devoted. Also, your age is not a hinderance unless you want a 10 year residency. If you just want General Practice, you could be done by 48 with residency and all. So, I say apply for Sept 2005. What do you have to lose? Also, there were people in my semester who were in there mid fifties. So apply already!

Val

[gypsyfey]

Val is right, apply
My husband starts in May and he turned fourty two days ago! You have already done so well, just going back to school after all that time was a major accomplishment! As far as anyone laughing, what will they be doing in a few years, when you are practicing medicine?
Bobbi

[docbee]

Not only should you do this for yourself -- by you going through with this, your setting positive influences for everyone around you!
And someone made an earlier post that you could be practicing at 48 .. this is true -- and the plus is you should get residents pay starting when you are 44. So, go ahead and do it.

[misssixty]

Apply!
You are never too old.
All of us will get older but at least we'll have an MD.
If you don't do it, you will always reflect and think" what if...." , "I should/could have..."

I have wasted a year researching which school I wanted to attend, couldn't decide, did not have the guts to move to a different country and now I am in my 4th semester.
Give it a shot, it is so worth it.

Best of luck!

[scoobz1981]

I like using other peoples words to sum up how I feel, so here is an old favorite in the ski industry.

"If you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller (ski guru)

Ta Da - so if you haven't sent in the application yet, then get your bottom over to the SABA university website ( www.saba.edu ) , download the application and start filling in the easy stuff like your name, and address, and phone number and you will find that once you get started you won't be able to stop. For fun, you can make your spouse help you, or your kids (this game is for those 5 and over only though) or make a whole party out of the shindig. I am sure that you get the point, now go and do it already!


Val

[WestTexasRN]

My LVN classmate graduated at the age of 57 with a left lung only. Dr. Maragret W. graduated from med school at age 55 after years of homemaking. You are never too old! Val is right. Once you started the easy part the rest just seems to flow right along. Go for it!

[###]

....................

[dr.holbs]

I think that Tyler Durden said it best when he said, "Getting fired is the best thing that could happen to any of us. That way, we'd quit treading water and do something with our lives." Sometimes we need a kick in the pants to achieve our goals.

[OLD_DOG]

Dr.B,
I'm sure that medicine is what I want to do until I retire. The only problem is that other people don't believe me because I do not have extensive medical experience. The only experience (long term) is taking care of the medical and dental issues for MOM AND DAD. I saw Mom through 2 surgeries and Dad through 1. After taking care of them for ten
years I'm sure (originally I wanted pharmacy). I don't have kids. I remember living in my brothers car for one year (homeless) right after I
dropped out of highschool. We would go to the mountain campgrounds to
sleep every night and shower at a local junior college. On the weekends
we would wash our hair in the river!! I'm pretty resilient so I do not think
that living on a caribean Island will be much problem for me. I love school
and wish that I could have done it sooner. I'm definitely going to med school but I'm just debating where to go and how much longer I can delay.
I'm going to take the MCAT in April but I think I'll apply to SABA now and
try to reserve a spot in the Aug 2005 class .

[wolfvgang22]

I love stories like that! Go for it, and Good Luck!
:yeah:

[Bob2k]

40 is definitely not too old to go to medical school.

You have a quarter century left until the traditional retirement age of 65. That is a really long time. A REALLY long time, or so I feel anyway.

If you started next year, and picked one of the shorter residencies like FP or IM, you would be all finished and set to practice by age 50, and have fifteen years to do so. Fifteen years, too, is a long long time. (I don't know, maybe time passes slowly for me).

It really doesn't matter what others think or who laughs at you. As others noted, there are people graduating from med school in their mid-fifties. Though I personally would never bother at that age and can't understand that, maybe they were successful earlier and have money to burn and love the subject but have no intention of practicing or even doing a residency, or can content themselves with just a few years of active practice. Whatever, we're all different, people should go where their heart leads, regardless of shallow individuals who thinks anyone slightly different or not following a set path is worthy of ridicule.

I'm sure you can and will do it as many have before you. Good luck.