I met an academic advisor today (who happens to have an MD), and I told her about my post-bac plan: to raise my 2.8 gpa to a 3.0 then apply to an SMP in order to get into a US MD school.
She said because there was two occasions where I got academic probation (due to me being sick) and a somewhat sporadically marred undergrad GPA, I just had absolutely no chance in a US MD school, even if I had a high MCAT, etc. And she also said that I would be wasting time with my plan on doing a post-bac and an SMP when I could just go to the Carribean.
But I hear a lot of success stories on these forums where people pick themselves up from their bad records of the past and make it to a US med school.
Is there some truth to what she's saying? Thoughts?
Of course there is some truth in what she is saying. So? How bad do you want it and why? You are looking at a lot of work, stress, money, and time. And there is always risk.
But do you know what happens if you don't try, even if you really want it and for all the right reasons?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . NOTHING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
So you can make a plan, put your hand to the plow, focus hard on what needs to be done, and don't look back. . . .or
. . . . you be controlled by someone else's predeterminations, even if there is some serious reality in what they are saying.
You don't need that person to tell the risks and stats about getting into an allopathic US school. You can do the research for yourself. Some people with great applications don't make it in for whatever reasons.
If people look in great detail only at the stats behind various kinds of cancer treatments and long-term remission and the hell that many of these treatments involve, they may not even try. And sometimes that may be the best course of action for a person.
But one thing that moves people is that four-letter word called
HOPE. She can't say you have
no chance. She
can tell you that statisticallly it is problematic.
What does that have to do with you
IF you are willing to look at the hard realities and push forward with all you got?
Think this through, b/c it's a huge, costly, stressful, and even painful at times. It's something long and rough that you have to commit to, and even with hard work, there is a risk factor involved.
This is precisely why people
MUST do research and then they need to get a clear fix on what their motivation for going into medicine is. After that, they need to do their best to measure this against the total realities.
In the end, it's up to you. If you don't make it and you really want it and tried with all your might, then OK, you might have to face that it's possibly not the right path for you. But how will you ever know that if you don't get busy working a realistic, feasible plan for yourself and take it step by step.
If you have some money, perhaps consult with someone like Judy Colwell, if you are truly dedicated to this path. If she isn't taking new clients, see if she can refer you to some other reputable consultant.
Finally, listening to people--getting some good advisors can be very helpful, and we all have to have humble, teachable spirits. But at the end of the day, only you know what, who, and the whys of what is within you. But if you struggle after trying your absolute best, academically speaking, you will also have to be very realistic. I know one high school student who is nice and bright in her own way. But her ability to comprehend things in an indepth fashion is quite limited. On top of that she has absolutely NO discipline. She thinks her so called "desire" alone is going to get her into medical school. She is sweet, but she is utterly clueless. It would be better for her to either really figure out what is causing her problems with comprehension and then work on developing discipline and doing better in college than she did in high school, or she needs to re-think career choices.
If you know you have the intellectual stamina and acumen and have the discipline as well, yes you can overcome your past, and you do have a shot.
Look within first. Then get some second opinions from highly recommended, reputable people. After that, start taking some courses, and even take some higher math courses. If you can get your GPA up to 3.3 and can get a high enough GRE, you may well be able to gain entrance into some good formal post-bac programs. OTOH you may be able to take the pre-reqs at a university and then apply to an SMP.
Do the research and soul-searching, and then consult with reputable people. Watch who you listen to. Every person's situation is unique, even if the basic requirement are statistically what they are. You can change this. It just might take a while and it will take nothing less than high grades.
Good luck.