Medical Education US

I graduated from college in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and a 2.375 GPA (ick!)...my plan was to go to law school however since the years I have graduated I have slowly lost interest in that field and am really interested in becoming a psychiatrist....espeically a forensic psychiatry!! I have done some research and I know that I would have to go back to school to take my pre-med classes (I was also thinking about getting a bachelor's in Psychology) and then 4 years of med school followed by 4 years of residency. I am 28, unmarried, have no children and am A LOT more forcused and disciplined than I was 6 years ago. I need to make a decision pretty quickly so that I can get started right away. My questions are...

1. Would have a shot at getting into medical school even though my first undergraduate GPA is so low?

2. Should I go for a second degree to increase my GPA or just take the pre-med classes I need to apply for medical school?

3. Am I wasting my time doing this so late or is this goal totally realistic for someone my age?

1. Your undergraduate GPA would definitely cause you some difficulty. If you do well now, however, and you can explain why you did so much better now compared to at that time, then you may still have a chance.

2. I would not bother filling another major - you just need your pre-med classes to go to med school. The only advantage of more classes would be to show that you can get good grades. If you get good grades in the required pre-med classes, I think you'd prove your point that you are capable of being a good student in challenging classes.

3. Your age should not be viewed as a limiting factor, if you are truly motivated. I know many people who went to medical school at an older age and did just fine. I think it probably is more of a challenge than going straight through after college, but challenges are all relative.

I think the biggest test for you will be taking the pre-med classes and doing well. I think if you can do well in those pre-med level science classes, then you are off to a good start.