Well I've made a decision. I've been studying for my BSN, but I had a big change of heart recently. Well, acutally I've wanted to do it since I was little, but I kind of let my practical side take over somewhere along the way and didn't think I could do it anymore. But now that it seems like a possibility again, I'm willing...I'm driven to do everything I can to made it happen.I'm going to get my BSN, but within a year to two after (probably two, so that i'll have more experience to show off and plenty of time to prepare for the test) - I'm going for med school. I think I can do it. MUSC has a good program and they're not wrapped up in having specific pre-reqs and pre-med majors. They're looking for a more rounded app (and not to mention, i'll have clinical experience by that point); though me taking some of the normal pre-reqs for other med schools will probably help. If it were just over the MCAT, I'd do self study (I was a homeschooler so that would work fine for me, I'm used to it), but for app purposes - the extra effort of taking classes will look good. Its a long shot. I know its extremely difficult, but its something I really want to do, and to be honest - something I need to do.The last few months, I've been sickened by these other students who are attending - I've been reading the work from my fellow classmates, and christ - people can't even write! I feel like I have to translate to figure out what they're saying, I mean some of these people sound like they never even got through grade school grammar! I've honestly heard six year olds who speak better, just without a few of the fancy words. And they're passing through college just fine! Probably with all c's, but they still get the degree! People are knocking off from classes all the time so they can go play with their friend's new dog.I, on the other hand, am busting my ass trying to get the top grades, perfect attendence so that I know what they hell I was supposed to learn that day, graduate quickly, be one of the youngest in my class, and get every honors I can! And sure, it'll give me a bit of an edge on nursing applications, but god, its not like there's a shortage of nursing jobs! In the long run it won't make that much of a difference over someone who graduated several years older, in five rather than four years time (as most nurses at my college do), missed every class they could, with c+, maybe b average, never did any extra work, or got into and completed any honors programs. I was just starting to wonder why the hell i'm putting myself through the hassle when i'm not really getting much for it. And more than that - there's some room for promotion and academic/professional growth in nursing, sure, but theirs still a point when you're going to hit the ceiling in that job whether or not you have more potential or desire for more. in the end, that c average, given enough time, will get just the same amount of achievement as you. why the hell try? Its overkill!But now that I'm going for med school, i have a reason to try. My efforts will actually further me along in my knowledge and what I can accomplish. I really need a career that's going to let me go as far as I can, and I don't mean financially. For christ sake, I think 35k+ is enough for a young single woman to live off of - if that was all there was to it I'd stay a nurse, I'm not a money-greedy person. I was poor for too long to be able to respect people who feel that they need such excessive amounts of money. I'd be dissapointed the rest of my life, I think, if I didn't do something, if I just threw away the opportunity. I was trying to find something like that in nursing, like the international nursing jobs where you get to travel from country to country every 3 to 6 months. But that was about the biggest thing I could do. I'm not the kind of person to just happily settle into the 9-5 job as long as it pays the bills. And I also know that if I can find something i like, I could easily be a workaholic - something valued in the medical profession. The bottom line is that I want a career in the health field, I've always stuck with that even after I gave up my aspirations of becoming a doctor years ago. But I need to know what I can do, and with an md, potentially a md/phd later down the line, i only get stopped when I've hit my limit.Now that I've decided I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel completely happy with what I am doing for the first time. I was almost there with nursing, but I always felt somewhat held back, missing something. I know I can do this, I have to do it.
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