My mother just told me to quit. More below.

[The Last Reclaimer]

because Im about to turn 24 and haven't taken the MCAT right after I graduated undergrad back in Dec of 2019, my mother thinks I should just quit pursuing medicine. This hurt. I am working right now at an assisted living/memory care facility for clinical hours and starting to study for mcat. If any of you had similar experiences with not going straight to med school right out of undergrad I would just appreciate insight or opinions. Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mc3894]

The decision is yours and yours alone. Everyone has a different path, and the average age of matriculants is now around 25 I believe. Taking some time after college before application is perfectly fine and pretty normal these days. I am going to start med school in July at the age of 27. I am actually grateful for the time and experiences I've had since graduating college and personally feel much more mentally ready now than I would have at 22. If medicine is what you want to pursue, don't let others stop you.

 

[deleted1106691]

because Im about to turn 24 and haven't taken the MCAT right after I graduated undergrad back in Dec of 2019, my mother thinks I should just quit pursuing medicine. This hurt. I am working right now at an assisted living/memory care facility for clinical hours and starting to study for mcat. If any of you had similar experiences with not going straight to med school right out of undergrad I would just appreciate insight or opinions. Thanks.

I’m sorry to hear about your situation. I’m currently taking two gap years before hopeful matriculation. I don’t regret it one bit. It’s allowed me to gain much more clinical experience and mature as a person. I think I will be a much better medical student because of it. I also took my MCAT during my gap year and did much better than I probably would have with a semester full of classes. It is extremely common for pre meds to take gap years now. In fact, most pre meds usually take at least one gap year. This is also your decision to make, not anyone else’s to make including your mother. If you truly want to become a physician then you should pursue it full heartedly! You can do it! Good luck on your MCAT!

 

[zNoodlez]

because Im about to turn 24 and haven't taken the MCAT right after I graduated undergrad back in Dec of 2019, my mother thinks I should just quit pursuing medicine. This hurt. I am working right now at an assisted living/memory care facility for clinical hours and starting to study for mcat. If any of you had similar experiences with not going straight to med school right out of undergrad I would just appreciate insight or opinions. Thanks.

If you can afford it, drop the working hours and go into the MCAT fulltime, at some point you will have to fully commit to this med school journey, might as well start with the MCAT.

 

[Mr.Blackdoc.5]

Poor to make decision based on parents advice. they will die one day . What will you do then?
Gotta do what you think is best for you and what will make you happy. Or else you will (eventually) resent others holding you back if whatever alternative you choose doesn’t work out, and also be mad at yourself.

 

[Goro]

because Im about to turn 24 and haven't taken the MCAT right after I graduated undergrad back in Dec of 2019, my mother thinks I should just quit pursuing medicine. This hurt. I am working right now at an assisted living/memory care facility for clinical hours and starting to study for mcat. If any of you had similar experiences with not going straight to med school right out of undergrad I would just appreciate insight or opinions. Thanks.

Do you want to be a doctor?

If yes, then to hell with what your mom thinks. Ignore her.

And taking a gap year is actually very common.

 

[The Last Reclaimer]

Do you want to be a doctor?

If yes, then to hell with what your mom thinks. Ignore her.

And taking a gap year is actually very common.

You always know just what to say. Thanks, Goro.

 

[Proudfather94]

because Im about to turn 24 and haven't taken the MCAT right after I graduated undergrad back in Dec of 2019, my mother thinks I should just quit pursuing medicine. This hurt. I am working right now at an assisted living/memory care facility for clinical hours and starting to study for mcat. If any of you had similar experiences with not going straight to med school right out of undergrad I would just appreciate insight or opinions. Thanks.

I'm reapplying to medical school right now at the age of 26 almost 27. Sometimes life happens and you got to go at your own pace, especially if you come from a family that can't afford to support you during college so you have to work. Sometimes I feel bad that if I get in I'll be starting close to 30 but at the same time I had a kid before medical school so I'm doing things out of order. I may be slightly older as a doctor but at least all the other aspects of my life are complete at this point. Just focus on yourself keep working and focusing on your bills, that will make you more financially responsible when you become a doctor so you can ease into living your independent life.

 

[Proudfather94]

If you can afford it, drop the working hours and go into the MCAT fulltime, at some point you will have to fully commit to this med school journey, might as well start with the MCAT.

I politely disagree with this advice. I think working and studying for the mcat is a great opportunity to show ones ability to multi-task. I also think op should try to save as much money as they can to apply for their cycle. I studied half time for 5 months and got a 512 on it the second time I took it but got barley above 500 the second time I took it when I studied full time for 3 months.

 

[zNoodlez]

I politely disagree with this advice. I think working and studying for the mcat is a great opportunity to show ones ability to multi-task. I also think op should try to save as much money as they can to apply for their cycle. I studied half time for 5 months and got a 512 on it the second time I took it but got barley above 500 the second time I took it when I studied full time for 3 months.

The more time and dedication you put into the MCAT will most likely result in a better result and also shorter time of studying. If OP wants to start applying this cycle then he/she better starts studying ASAP, then take the MCAT around Sept and he/she can submit application in Oct when score comes back. Since this thread is in the DO section, I am assuming that OP wants to attend a DO school, and the timeline I mentioned is fine for DO cycles.

 

[Spiceupyourlife]

because Im about to turn 24 and haven't taken the MCAT right after I graduated undergrad back in Dec of 2019, my mother thinks I should just quit pursuing medicine. This hurt. I am working right now at an assisted living/memory care facility for clinical hours and starting to study for mcat. If any of you had similar experiences with not going straight to med school right out of undergrad I would just appreciate insight or opinions. Thanks.

My friend just got into medical school at the age of 32. Had a classmate in my master's program who is over 40 yo get into med school. Most of my friends in med school were already 24-25yo when they started and some just graduated and matched. Most of them them did post-bacc programs/masters before applying. My mom learned to understand and support my journey. I'm reapplying this cycle at the age of 29. If you want to be doctor, then do it.

 

[Stranger00120]

I start medical school in August. I am 34 years old. If you want to become a physician, do what you need to do. Don't let anyone discourage you. When I got into med school, my dad asked my mom, "why didn't she just apply to PA school?" If this is what you want, you need to do it regardless of what anyone else says, at the end of the day, you need to do what will make you happy.

 

[wook]

because Im about to turn 24 and haven't taken the MCAT right after I graduated undergrad back in Dec of 2019, my mother thinks I should just quit pursuing medicine. This hurt. I am working right now at an assisted living/memory care facility for clinical hours and starting to study for mcat. If any of you had similar experiences with not going straight to med school right out of undergrad I would just appreciate insight or opinions. Thanks.

What Goro said!

I started medical school in my mid thirties and the oldest person in my class was 50 when he started. You should pursue what YOU want and and enjoy.

I would tell you to the enjoy the ride, no matter what you decide to pursue. If you like something, you will work hard at it and likely succeed. If you don't like something, you will hate it and not likely succeed.


Good luck!



Wook

 

[ortnakas]

Went to graduate school, worked for a few years, then went to (osteopathic! *gasp*) medical school. Admittedly struggled first year, but rallied. Got into the residency I wanted. Just graduated residency winning awards at graduation. Have a contract for the exact job I want. Have no regrets.

tl;dr you’ll be fine no matter what your mom thinks

 

[Doc_Ock]

It's incredibly common to not go straight from undergrad to med school. Main thing is filling that time with medical stuff that will give you helpful experiences that you can put on ur application and talk about in an interview, like your current job.

 

[Chads2]

I started medical school at 30.

I’ve just finished my 7th year as faculty in an academic Internal Medicine program.

 

[Limvostov]

I started medical school at 28 and I got similar advice from my parents that it was a bit late and that I should focus on family and my engineering career when I started taking premed classes at 26 years old (I stayed an engineer during that time). Now I'm an interventional cardiologist and couldn't be happier with my decision. Like what is said above, its a personal decision and having time working or doing other stuff between undergrad and medical school is not at all uncommon. Just know that nothing in medicine will come easy and some of the hard work is making the commitment to start the pursuit.

 

[chemistry hahgdgjjhdf]

I started medical school at 28 and I got similar advice from my parents that it was a bit late and that I should focus on family and my engineering career when I started taking premed classes at 26 years old (I stayed an engineer during that time). Now I'm an interventional cardiologist and couldn't be happier with my decision. Like what is said above, its a personal decision and having time working or doing other stuff between undergrad and medical school is not at all uncommon. Just know that nothing in medicine will come easy and some of the hard work is making the commitment to start the pursuit.

Can I pm you?

 

[Limvostov]

Can I pm you?

sure

 

[Basil_Bond]

Middling GPA, didn't take the MCAT until 25. I got a 518. Accepted to my top DO and non-reach MD this cycle at 26.

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

I was accepted at 27 after spending my early 20s extricating myself from toxic parents and the shady habits I’d learned from them. If you’re going to be a doctor, remember that you’re going to be a a leader too. You need to be able to make your own judgement calls, including and especially re: your own abilities and value. Ideally parents should be trusted advisors but they don’t all know about everything. Do you trust your mother’s opinion on this? It’s your call if you’re going to let her opinion dictate your actions.