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High school drop out GED to pre med

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 noob
(@noob)
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Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter  

Hello, I have not been to school for 10 years.
I dropped out senior year and got my GED.
I would like to know where to begin, I want to become a doctor and will do whatever it takes.
Im 28 years of age.
I will find a way no matter what even if I die trying, but without your help will take longer.
I am looking for what classes to take, starting from scratch, as well as books to read, anything to help my future in this field.


   
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(@drdave)
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Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 863
 

It's possible, but it's a very long road ahead if that is the path you are sure you will take.

You need to get an undergraduate degree. The degree can be in any field, but you'll need to take the pre-med required courses including:

1 year general chemistry
1 year biology
1 year physics
1 year organic chemistry

You'll need to take those courses at a 4 year college and with the associated labs. You'll need to get excellent grades in your classes in order to be considered for medical school.

You'll take the MCAT exam prior to applying to medical schools.

Medical school is an additional 4 years after undergraduate school.

After medical school, you'd do a residency which is a miminum of 3 years. You do get paid during residency, but not a whole lot.

Assuming you don't have an undergraduate degree at this time, you are looking at 11 years before you are done with your training.

My suggestion is, if you are serious about being a doctor, is that you need to start with getting an undergraduate degree. Assuming you have a job right now, I would suggest you look into some evening programs to obtain a college degree. See if they offer the necessary pre-med courses as well. Pre-med courses can be extremely difficult and you'd want to make sure that you are able to handle the difficulty of the material.

Best of luck!


   
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 noob
(@noob)
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Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter  

Thank you so much!
I do wonder about types of jobs that I may do to help with getting excepted, such as an emt.
what would you sugest?


   
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(@drdave)
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Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 863
 

Jobs make little difference when it comes to getting accepted into a medical school. The main factors are GPA and MCAT scores. After that, letters of recommendation and life experiences come into play. At least that's the formula for the majority of schools.

I'd focus attention on getting good grades at this point. Do whatever work you find interesting that will support you. If you can get some additional experience volunteering at a hospital, that's a bonus, but in the big picture it won't make or break any application (in my opinion).


   
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(@Anonymous)
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Joined: 1 second ago
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Hello, I have not been to school for 10 years.
I dropped out senior year and got my GED.
I would like to know where to begin, I want to become a doctor and will do whatever it takes.
Im 28 years of age.
I will find a way no matter what even if I die trying, but without your help will take longer.
I am looking for what classes to take, starting from scratch, as well as books to read, anything to help my future in this field.

Yes you can! Richard Carmona MD earned a GED went to CC then became Surgeon General under President George H.W. Bush.


   
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