harrypotter, as for the pre reqs, you really needant worry. Although I am probably working alot harder now that I ever did in my undergrad studies (finance, which comes pretty easy to me), it is really amazing when you look at yourself and your peers (other post baccs) and compare them to the undergrad 'competition'. In my program, there is almost no contest.
In the past 6 months of classes (chem 1 and 2, bio 1, phy 1, orgo 1) I had the chance to met several post baccs, and the level of maturity and dedication is second to none. While most undergrads are out partying and having a good time and typically are happy with B's, most of the post baccs I know spend alot of time studying, but also score the highest grades in the class. So as long as your dedication is there and you study smart your grades will follow.
Febrifuge: so what is your answer to that question?
For me, I studied business in undergrad and worked in management consulting for 3 years before deciding to change to medicine. That decision itself surprised me as I hadn't thought of medicine as a viable career since I was 8 or 9. (It was probably the influence of my dad who has his own business, that I majored in business). I enjoyed the intellectual stimulation of finance, and the fact that it could be fairly lucrative as long as you were 'smarter' than the next guy.. but it was unfulfilling. In business, I saw it ultimately as 'in pursuit of the next scam'. The basic principle of business is to maximize profits, and that usually comes at the expense of other people, or at cost to our environment. Politics also play a pretty prominent role. To succeed in the corporate world, you really need to put these concerns aside and work for your shareholders.
I realized that no matter how many deadlines were set, they will be forever severly optimistic and relatively pointless (in the grand scheme of things). As I thought about things more, I became more and more dissatisfied with my job. Along with that dissatisfaction, went my dedication to 'bust my ass' for my boss and clients.
One day, as I was working on my car, I realized that I like to 'figure out how things work', and liked to work with my hands. I also needed sometihng to 'light a fire under my ass' as I work and focus best under pressure. Having had a recent conversation with my cousin regarding his future plans (he was premed), medicine came to mind. I liked the relatively unstructured work environment, the relatively fast pace of the work, the analysis involved, and ultimately the satisfaction of being able to help someone.
After thinking about it more and more, it slowly seemed like a more real possibility. I volunteered at a local hospital in the ER for 2 months on my spare time and decided to go for it. I registered for summer classes and quit my job when the time came. That was 7 months ago.
Though how I can distill this into a sensible blurb during the interview is still pending.
