So i wanna be a doctor...

[Dawsonkw]

Emergency Medicine to be precise. But i only have a GED currently. Im enrolling at Tallahassee Community College to start my AA and i was wondering what kind of classes should i study? Another thing is will it be possible to pay for a PHD or MD or whatever the highest degree in medicine is based on only student loans and a little bit of money from working im coming from a very poor family so im not gonna have any help from my parents. Also will i be able to get into a good med school even though i only have a GED? I plan on busting my ass and getting the best grades possible while im on my way through the 4 years of pre med school stuff. I appreciate any replies and thanks for the help.

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[GoodmanBrown]

Emergency Medicine to be precise. But i only have a GED currently. Im enrolling at Tallahassee Community College to start my AA and i was wondering what kind of classes should i study? Another thing is will it be possible to pay for a PHD or MD or whatever the highest degree in medicine is based on only student loans and a little bit of money from working im coming from a very poor family so im not gonna have any help from my parents. Also will i be able to get into a good med school even though i only have a GED? I plan on busting my ass and getting the best grades possible while im on my way through the 4 years of pre med school stuff. I appreciate any replies and thanks for the help.

Hey, man. Congrats on the determination. Here's the plan:
1.) Don't sweat the GED. No one cares about high school when applying for med school.
2.) Take 2 years max at a CC. I would maybe even recommend one year, then transferring to a 4-year university. A state school is fine, but shoot for the best you can get into. UF or Florida State would be good, I think.
3.) Rock every single college class. Your GPA has to be 3.5+ from here on out. So, maybe take some more basic classes this year. Intro to writing, pre-calc, etc. Don't bite off too much by taking calculus, biology, chemistry, etc. in your first semester. If you get bad grades in these classes it will haunt you.
4.) Take math until you can get 1 semester of calculus under your belt. Take 2 semesters of biology w/ lab. Take 2 semesters of Gen. Chem w/ lab. Take 2 semesters of physics w/ lab. Take 2 semesters of Organic Chem. w/ lab. Do well in all these classes. Again, a 3.5 or better is needed to have a good shot at med school.
5.) By this time, you should be at a 4-year university. Ask the career counselor or the pre-health advisory board for more help regarding the MCAT, application process, etc.

Student loans can get you there, though the road might be harder. Again, ask your schools' financial aid offices for help. Obama recently passed extra Pell grants, etc., so you might have more help than in previous years. Good luck.

 

[tennisball80]

No one will care about your high school grades unless you discovered the vaccine for swine flu.

Do the following in college years.

• Complete prereqs
• Take MCAT
• Gain volunteer, research experinces

Then, apply to medical schools.

 

[Dawsonkw]

Thanks so much for the replies that made me feel so much better about my life knowing that my GED wouldn't haunt me. Also What does emergency medicine entail... aside from the obvious of emergencies in hospitals... i guess the correct question is what are the finer points. Once again thank you guys or gals so much for the help i cant wait to start.

also would a major in philosophy help me at all in the mix?

 

[tennisball80]

also would a major in philosophy help me at all in the mix?

Any major would be helpful. The key point is maintain a high GPA.

 

[Silverman780]

Paying for medical school isn't that bad if you don't care how far in debt you want to go into. The nice thing about making $100,000-ish (depends on the field) a year is that you will be able to pay off the debt rather quickly

And I there are some programs that will cover your costs of medical school if you go work in some under served area.

I'm not doing or recommending this, but another option is the US army will pay for med school if you sign on for five-ish years plus side: no debt, bad side, you don't necessarily get a say in what you do...

 

[Dawsonkw]

eh i was looking into the army or the navy to enlist as special forces before i decided to do this. The only problem with that is they won't take me right now because i have a GED and since the Economy is terrible right now and everyone decided to enlist because they lost their jobs they are only taking people with high school diplomas. And as for the debt im not too worried about it i know im gonna make it through all the required schooling. I've failed at stuff before and i refuse to let myself back down from this challenge(thats what i see it as i've got a slightly different world view than most people lol) So i know i can do it i just gotta get started at it. I actually got my promissary note in the mail today from the BOA student loan office so im halfway there i figure.

 

[Terpskins99]

So i wanna be a doctor...

Well if that's the case, then don't wander into the pre-allopathic forum. According to them, wanting to be a doctor is a bad reason to be a doctor.

Emergency Medicine to be precise. But i only have a GED currently. Im enrolling at Tallahassee Community College to start my AA and i was wondering what kind of classes should i study? Another thing is will it be possible to pay for a PHD or MD or whatever the highest degree in medicine is based on only student loans and a little bit of money from working im coming from a very poor family so im not gonna have any help from my parents. Also will i be able to get into a good med school even though i only have a GED? I plan on busting my ass and getting the best grades possible while im on my way through the 4 years of pre med school stuff. I appreciate any replies and thanks for the help.

A GED won't make any difference with your medical school application. College performance is all that matters. Yes, you can cover a medical degree using only school loans. Obviously... the more you borrow, the much more difficult it will be to pay back.

 

[Rendar5]

don't worry about the different fields of medicine just yet. this is coming form someone going into an emergency medicine residency =p. You'll figure it out once you get some experience under your belt. we deal with everything and anything that comes in the doors. most of it is very boring, but so is most medicine in the end . Any finer details would probably be lost on you at this point. Suffice to say it's not really like anything you'd see on tv.

 

[NonTradMed]

First off, don't worry about paying for med school. The majority of med students take out full loans for school and the med school will help you along. You're biggest focus should be getting in. And for that, the above suggestions are all helpful. I would suggest doing your prereqs at a four year university. If you do CC, use it to get some of the non-science courses out of the way (writing, history etc). CC still carries a stigma among med schools unless you can show financial or personal circumstances for choosing it (fulltime job, children to support etc).

Also, keep in mind that 90% of premeds do not end up doing medical school. Major in something useful while in college. I did computer science. I knew plenty of people who did BME since it covers all the prereqs and it's a useful degree. If you want something less stressful, a finance degree is probably helpful in the long run. Just something to think about since you seem keen on finances.

As for EM. It's a three year residency. It's not considered very competitive and if location isn't an issue, I think most med students can probably find a residency somewhere in the country. The residency itself isn't too bad, probably not as cush as derm or PMR but not as bad as surgery (is any residency worse than surgery?! ). You come out doing well financially. I live in between the coasts in a metro area and they pay about $200 starting, upwards of $300 in the local community hospital where I live. Not bad for 8 (hectic) hours of work a day.

 

[CScull]

Well if that's the case, then don't wander into the pre-allopathic forum. According to them, wanting to be a doctor is a bad reason to be a doctor.

Ah... so we're all s'posed to stumble on it accidentally then or is the path to greatness just going to lead us there on its own?

 

[Rendar5]

well, we're supposed to come upon the magical path through some sudden inspiration while saving kids from HIV in Africa while working in our research labs coming up with cures for cancer. At least that's how I came to apply to med school, all so I can ultimately completely and drastically alter the current healthcare system to save the world.

 

[JJMrK]

So i wanna be a doctor... Emergency Medicine to be precise.

Also What does emergency medicine entail...

Huh?

 

[Dawsonkw]

Thanks you guys for all the replies, sorry i haven't written back in a while i've been busy trying to sign up for school and finding a job (which by the way Tallahassee has none...). As for the medical jargon i decided that i still want to do medicine, i just am not sure as to what field to go into anymore. Im not to worried since i figure that once im in Med school they'll go through everything so i can pick my poison... if im wrong correct me. Also Im gonna agree with CScull, if wanting to be a doctor isn't enough what does it take. I've got plenty of determination and something based off of what one person tells me in a forum isn't gonna drag me down... Theres a quote that goes "You tell me i can't, and i'll show you i will" im not sure who said it but thats how i live my life. I am going to be a doctor, I do have what it takes and im not gonna let someone tell me otherwise. I'm not trying to stir up any trouble but thats who i am and if you tell me that just wanting to be a doctor is a bad reason to be a doctor then im gonna prove to you that i will indeed pursue and accomplish my dream. Once again thank you for all the replies and have a great day

 

[Gallix23]

. Im not to worried since i figure that once im in Med school they'll go through everything so i can pick my poison... if im wrong correct me. y

This is right, you'll do rotations in many different specialties 3rd and 4th year of medical school, and I believe you have some "elective" slots 4th year that you can pick which specialty you'd like to rotate in.

 

[Silverman780]

Ah... so we're all s'posed to stumble on it accidentally then or is the path to greatness just going to lead us there on its own?

seems vaguely familiar some how...

lol

 

[Dawsonkw]

on a side note you know that movie is supposed to be a trigger for mind control patients... i can totally see it... flying monkeys and whatnot.

 

[CScull]

on a side note you know that movie is supposed to be a trigger for mind control patients... i can totally see it... flying monkeys and whatnot.

Haha, or maybe it's just all the pretty opium flowers. What a nice place to take a nap...

*note: this tanget was not the primary work of Cscull and therefore she has not denied nor given consent for it. It shall in no way be considered for her hijacking records.

 

[LovinPsych]

Really ? I had no idea . Nice to know .

 

[Dawsonkw]

lol more like a nice way to waste your life chasing the dragon... you catch it the first time and after that... well you get the point its called chasing for a reason