<p>Someone very close to me has an issue. He’s currently 21, and had to drop out of Community College because, being the oldest in the family, and having parents that weren’t able to work, has had to support and sustain his family, and he’s had to do this for the past 3 years. He graduated high school in 2009, in Jacksonville, and had dreams to become a doctor, so he started off by attending a Surgical Technology school, but he was only able to complete one year, and had to discontinue it, because of family legal issues, and he and his family moved to Miami in 2010. However, he still has dreams to become a doctor, and he would like to attend a school an accelerated BS/MD program, because he feels the clock ticking away. I was an average student in high school, but I know he is very bright, is a hard worker, and is amazingly talented - he plays three instruments, sings, knows English, Spanish, and taught himself Portuguese, etc., and he needs to go back to school but doesn’t even know where to begin. What can he do?</p>
<p>Your friend can certainly go back to school and aim for medical school, if that’s his life’s goal.</p>
<p>However, it is extremely unlikely he will be considered for admission by BS/MD programs. These programs are extremely competitive and require an excellent high school GPA, top SAT/ACT scores, multiple AP classes (with exam scores of 4 and 5), and many hours of medically-related volunteering. Since your friend lacks those qualifications, his chances for combined BS/MD programs are about zero.</p>
<p>His best option would be to find a local college he can afford and start taking classes toward a BA/BS degree. (With almost no exceptions, medical schools require matriculants to have completed a bachelor’s degree.) If he is unable to afford a FL public college at this time, he needs to start at the local community college (Miami Dade CC?) and earn credits that will transfer towards his 4 year degree. He needs to take CC coursework that is academic–not vocational. (Surgical tech is vocational, so is biotech and similar fields.)</p>
<p>If he is unable to attend full time, then he can consider taking coursework part-time. It’s the hard to do things, but if that’s what it takes–then that’s what it takes.</p>
<p>It’s vital that he takes ALL his classes seriously since a strong GPA is one the most important factors for medical school admissions. Any grades he already has from his previous attendance at a CC will count towards his cumulative GPA and will be considered when he goes to apply for medical school.</p>
<p>Your friend should avoid taking on educational debt as much as he can since med school is very expensive and there is little FA except for loans. Having huge debt will limit his options in his choice of a medical specialty and where & how he will be able to practice medicine.</p>