Heyas,
Great post and reasonably accurate.
I would add that many states have "in state" tuition that can considerably reduce the outlay from 50k a year to around 15k.
It can be a tough road, and as someone moves from their 20s, and into their 30s and 40s, the LONG footprint and considerable financial outlay, not to mention loss of wages, can put you on the wrong side of what is reasonable. You simply get to a point where you will never recoup the money invested. If you're ok with that, then I say go for it...after all, we're in an industry where people pay 100k to get a 20k job with crappy QoL.
There ARE alternatives to a MD. DOs are rapidly becoming as respected as MDs, and share a majority of residency programs. They're slightly easier to get into and they seem to like non-traditional students (anyone who didn't follow the typical route). There's also the Physician's Assistant route, which has a much smaller footprint.
The MCAT is difficult and can be a REAL hurdle. You just don't pick up a guilde and skim through it and take the test. I've watched smart kids prep for an entire year only to get mediocre score (high 20s).
Vet school is also an option, and has a shorter footprint (no internship or residency unless you specialize), but it is significantly harder to get into vet school than either an MD or DO program (far fewer schools) and despite what people think, what vets make is crap next to an MD. 55k out of school is not uncommon, and it really tops out at around 140-150k unless you run an uncommonly successful practice or specialize.
In any case, along with the grades/MCAT (GRE for Vet School), you need to have substantial volunteer time (1000+ hours) and shadowing time (where you follow a Dr) for them to even consider you. There is not a single school that does not have this requirement, and they will not consider ANYONE without this time.
As a general rule, to have a realistic shot at even a bottom rung MD school (US school), you really need a 3.5 GPA and a 34 on the MCAT. For every 0.1 GPA, you add/subtract 1 on the MCAT (3.6/33 or 3.4/35). If you have less than a 3.0, forget it...it's just not going to happen.
They count ALL undergrad grades (grad school grades are rarely considered), even grades from 20 years ago. Even going back an retaking some pre-requistites is of limited value because it's all averaged together. For Vet school, you need around a 3.7 and an 1200 on the GRE.
DO schools are slightly more flexible, and if you retake a class, those grades are substituted rather than averaged, BUT, they are rapidly becoming as competitive as MD schools.
I'd say that if you were in your mid 20s to early 30s, and can get in, and that's what you REALLY want to do, then I'd say go for it. As you get into your 30s, if you can get into an in-state school with the lower tuition and are willing to accept the loss of wages, then I'd day fine. Past that, and you are really past the point of diminishing returns unless you are REALLY into it.
www.studentdoctornetwork.com is a great place for non-traditional students to get information. They have a non-trad forum.
Nu