# Med School Readmission?



## cavemanslaststand (Jan 6, 2011)

7 years ago, I dropped out of first year med school after I stared down bad family and debt issues.

I am now burned out at my bank IT job and tired of the part-time MBA program which trains me to be even more of a tired suit.

Last week I went to ask the Med School for reinstatement. They said it's an uphill battle for me. Most drop-outs don't get a second chance at the same institution as I have a stigma of quitting, and furthermore they have to consider the new population of applicants.

They did however say I can schedule to retake the year 1 exams, but given it's 7 years since I cared about Medical Biochem, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Anatomy and Physiology, and Clinicals, fat chance I can buckle down and study like a bionic. I get dizzy just thinking about mentioning those subjects.

I need some time to rethink this carefully...


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

I don't know the med school you went to, and how friendly they are towards this sort of situation, but I'd imagine that the attitude of the school's admissions would be very dependent on this. My school for instance, to help out with students who have life hit them in the ***, has a program which lets you attend part time, splitting the first year into two years so it goes to show that some schools are more understanding than others. I've heard actually, the attitude of DO schools in particular makes them more accepting of non trad applicants. 

There is no point in crying about spilled milk, and there is no sense in ignoring what happened. I would definitely highlight what happened in your personal statement - I'm not exactly sure what you mean by your reasoning, but I'm sure you can work it into good reasoning as to why you had to drop out then. I hope you've done well in your current courses - it'll show that you're not past your prime, and so long as you do well when you retake the MCAT, I don't imagine you'd have too much trouble getting back into medical school. 

Also, have you considered going to PA school? Obviously they can't do everything a doctor does, but in the primary care setting, they pretty much act as doctors very often, and only have to run things by a supervising physician. The jobs are flexible in that you don't have to lock into a path, and can change specialties whenever you want, and considering with some of these specialties you can earn more than a primary care doc it isn't at all a bad salary. Best thing, the programs are only two years, and there is no residency, so after a year of science and a year of clinical you're set loose. My GF is going this route, and it seems like an awesome way to go.


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## cavemanslaststand (Jan 6, 2011)

Thank you lonelyjew. I brooded over this and no longer think it's feasible.

They don't have part-time. What they want me to do is retake all the first year exams with the current first year, then be synchronized with the second year starting 2012 - 2013.

The U of M Med School grades Pass-Fail (Note the Dental and Pharm program here are graded A/F, and that's another topic of unfairness to those folks). They are really concerned about my ability to eventually pass the Boards.

It still amounts to too many more years (5-7) of school including internship. It will be that many years of being bionic-student, spending about $100k on school and not making money for a while.

Well into my 30s, that amount is already looking like a security. I probably need to figure out how to remain employed and stop being whimsical about greener pastures.


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## Double Indemnity (Aug 15, 2011)

cavemanslaststand said:


> Thank you lonelyjew. I brooded over this and no longer think it's feasible.
> 
> They don't have part-time. What they want me to do is retake all the first year exams with the current first year, then be synchronized with the second year starting 2012 - 2013.
> 
> ...


Out of curiosity, what type of medicine would you have wanted to practice?


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## cavemanslaststand (Jan 6, 2011)

Double Indemnity said:


> Out of curiosity, what type of medicine would you have wanted to practice?


My top two list choices originally were surgeon or MD/PhD (so drug research and academics).

I was actually in the MD/PhD program, but dropped out of both. Wasn't a complete loss (currently two masters to show for it so should just be a happier person in general).


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

edit*
Sorry for the terribly judgmental post cavemanslaststand. I knew better and posted it anyways...


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## cavemanslaststand (Jan 6, 2011)

lonelyjew said:


> You were an MD/PHD? I'm sorry but what exact financial issues could you have had when the school covers your expenses *and paying you a stipend on top*?
> 
> (more...)


It wasn't my debt. It was family issues and debts. My father was one-armed vet and roamed the streets of Minneapolis, and my brother copied his act. My mother had a medical condition and didn't drive either, so I taxied her around town all the time.

I left school to go work in engineering to make money as quickly as I can.

Yes, I didn't pay for a single dime of school (neither ungrad nor grad) as scholarships, fin-aid, the military and companies paid for ALL my school. Even right now, my company is paying for the part-time MBA.

I'm still a born loser and feeling it.


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

cavemanslaststand said:


> It wasn't my debt. It was family issues and debts. My father was one-armed vet and roamed the streets of Minneapolis, and my brother copied his act. My mother had a medical condition and didn't drive either, so I taxied her around town all the time.
> 
> I left school to go work in engineering to make money as quickly as I can.
> 
> ...


That is impressive that you got that many scholarships. Sucks though that you couldn't finish medical school.


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

But in a way, you may be lucky in that you did not go down this path. Medicine is becoming more work and less fun.
Here is a graph of my work hours, the first few weeks of 40 to 50hrs a week is very atypical (was on a light service then).


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## cavemanslaststand (Jan 6, 2011)

alte said:


> But in a way, you may be lucky in that you did not go down this path. Medicine is becoming more work and less fun.
> Here is a graph of my work hours, the first few weeks of 40 to 50hrs a week is very atypical (was on a light service then).


alte, sorry to hear about this. I tutored a few MHA (Master of Healthcare Administration) brats through school and really doubted their sincerity and knew they were out there to count beans and give Doctors a hard time.

Makes me feel better about my banking job where I call in sick all the time, declare work from home days anytime, and attend meetings to sip coffee. EDIT: Sorry I absolutely hate my job too, so sorry for this casual comparison.


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## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

I've been meaning to respond to your PM - know I'm on it as soon as I finish this darn chem assignment. I'm a bit biased given my current surroundings (papers and equations and textbooks from high school for the reminders!) but I would say, granted I don't know YOU and what you need from life to be happy, it's not worth it. Will expand soon.


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## cavemanslaststand (Jan 6, 2011)

seafolly said:


> I've been meaning to respond to your PM - know I'm on it as soon as I finish this darn chem assignment. I'm a bit biased given my current surroundings (papers and equations and textbooks from high school for the reminders!) but I would say, granted I don't know YOU and what you need from life to be happy, it's not worth it. Will expand soon.


seafolly, good luck on your assignment. Just ignore my postings. I should move on from the subject and not call so much attention to myself as others are struggling through school.

I'm already feeling like a loser for bringing this up. Would be nice if the SAS had an apology section where I can post apologies.


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

cavemanslaststand said:


> It wasn't my debt. It was family issues and debts. My father was one-armed vet and roamed the streets of Minneapolis, and my brother copied his act. My mother had a medical condition and didn't drive either, so I taxied her around town all the time.
> 
> I left school to go work in engineering to make money as quickly as I can.
> 
> ...


I'm sorry for jumping to hasty conclusions. I really should have known better than to just judge you with the tiny bit of knowledge I had, especially considering that you are intelligent and hard working (you would have had to have been to get in). Try not to take that idiotic and judgmental post I made too seriously because it was a character flaw of mine, not yours, which was behind it.


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## cavemanslaststand (Jan 6, 2011)

lonelyjew said:


> I'm sorry for jumping to hasty conclusions. I really should have known better than to just judge you with the tiny bit of knowledge I had, especially considering that you are intelligent and hard working (you would have had to have been to get in). Try not to take that idiotic and judgmental post I made too seriously because it was a character flaw of mine, not yours, which was behind it.


lonelyjew, actually you have been a friend to me and everyone else here!

In fact, your questions are very probing and absolutely essential. It helped me question and correct my lunatic behavior as I've gone depressed over veterans day and fleeting thoughts about the self-application issue SIG-218 in my safe.

I admire your courage, and indeed school is much harder for you now than me 10 years ago for sheer economcs and the gazillion of facts they are craming into your head with genomics and proteomics. I'm very well aware of the brutal economics facing young people, but of course have moments like this that proves I'm the idiot who drinks too much.

If anyone needs to apologize, it's me. I've valued your input always. Cheers!


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

cavemanslaststand said:


> alte, sorry to hear about this. I tutored a few MHA (Master of Healthcare Administration) brats through school and really doubted their sincerity and knew they were out there to count beans and give Doctors a hard time.
> 
> Makes me feel better about my banking job where I call in sick all the time, declare work from home days anytime, and attend meetings to sip coffee. EDIT: Sorry I absolutely hate my job too, so sorry for this casual comparison.


I am not completely disillusioned with my job yet, I think of it in less idealistic terms than when I first started as a premed but there are some clear advantages which makes me confident that in the end that it is still a decent career choice.
It made my day yesterday when a person proudly said to his family "that's my doctor" and another person I had treated before, recognized me in the hallways. 
FYI I am just an intern, a few months into this medicine thing.


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

cavemanslaststand said:


> It wasn't my debt. It was family issues and debts. My father was one-armed vet and roamed the streets of Minneapolis, and my brother copied his act. My mother had a medical condition and didn't drive either, so I taxied her around town all the time.
> 
> I left school to go work in engineering to make money as quickly as I can.
> 
> ...


To actually respond to this, first of, you're not a loser at all, and you deserve a medical school spot far more than a lot of my classmates, myself included, and the world would be better off with a caring person like you practicing medicine.

Do not hide the above when applying, and explain it in your personal statement. Anyone who has a heart will understand that family comes first, and should not only be understanding of why you chose to drop out, but hopefully supportive of what you did. Your personal statement has to sum up who you are, why you want to be a doctor, why you'll be a good doctor, and why they should accept you; your story is compelling and exceptional, and should hopefully facilitate your getting into a number of programs.

To making a quick outline,

I. Intro: Start out talking about the decision to drop out itself - it is the most pertinent. I wouldn't go into too much detail here, but I would mention how happy/lucky you felt being in medical school, and then go into the fact that you had to choose between your family and your dream, and that family came first. End it with why you are wanting to go back now, how you can't see yourself doing anything else, or something of this sort. No need to go into details here, make it interesting, so it catches the adcom's attention and has them understanding right off the bat that you were capable of doing well, and that you wanted to stay, that you were obligated to leave for selfless reasons, and that it was the hardest decision you've made in your entire life.

II. talk about what got you interested in medicine and research, how you explored it, and what you did to pursue getting in. Talk about everything that qualified you to get in (go back to your first personal statement).

III talk about getting in, and how amazing it was, how much you enjoyed it, how lucky/privileged you felt for getting into the MD/PHD program, and then describe the family situation and how it became harder and harder. Describe the internal conflict, of giving up your dream and why it's sacrifice was necessary. Point out that you knew you were disappointing your mentors, and yourself with this decision but, again, the necessity of it, and how you couldn't abandon your family.

IV Talk about your careers, and how you never felt satisfied. Talk about your MBA program and how, again, you don't feel fulfilled. Talk about how being a doctor, and helping, is still your dream. Explain why now you wouldn't drop out (to alleviate the worry that you might be forced to drop out again) and why you're ready to go back.

V In your conclusion, I would say that in dropping out, you knew that not only were you giving up your dream then, but that you might never be able to get it back. Add that, in spite of this, you know you made the right decision then. In my personal statement, I had something about the sacrifices doctors make to help their patients by in putting the needs of their patients before theirs. Maybe you could put in something like this, and how you know what it is to sacrifice for others.

Sorry for the long post, I don't mean to tell you how to write your personal statement, but I figured in doing so, I could help you realize how amazing it was what you did, and why you should become a doctor (if you want to anyways). In any case, very many schools, especially Jesuit schools and schools which focus on helping the needy, would really appreciate your story. Unlike many medical students who can only write of their character, your actions have shown that you have strong character, and a strong desire to help, even at cost to yourself.


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