CC to 4 year University crazy circumstances

[sacredalthea]

Hello All!! This is my first post on SDN and I'm terrified. I am currently living in California where I attend a local CC. I have been taking classes at a community college since 2003. Why, you ask. Well here goes the story. In 2002 my father started a new family while still married to my mother. He completely walked away and we lost our house. Shortly after this my grandfather was murdered which left my grandmother alone with the responsibility of her house as well. My grandmother and mother worked together to pay the bills however things were short and my mother lost her second house and we moved in with grandmother in south central LA. I started taking care of my sisters while my mother worked 2 jobs. I cooked cleaned etc. this became to hard while in HS so I was home schooled and took a few college courses on the side. Although I truly wanted to be a doctor since my bone marrow transplant in '96 I just couldn't find the time to study and my grades dropped tremendously. Fast forward to now and my gpa is approx a 2.6-2.7. This is definitely not indicative of my academic abilities. It is truly due to my circumstances. I now know I should have taken some time off but I have several classes that I repeated for better grades 2 F's and 1 D. I felt as though it would be selfish to attend school full time while my family was struggling. My mother told me that being a doctor was for geniuses not for little girls from the hood like me. But I know I can do it. Here is my question, I will be transferring to a four year uni in the fall in another state where I have an opportunity to focus for the first time on my studies. Since my gpa is so low would it make since for me to major in say anthro or whatever then graduate and do a post bacc of the sciences I need to get in or should I transfer major in the science I really want to major in but have no way of separating who I was as a student before and who I am as a student now? In other words does a 4.0 post bacc look better than if took those classes before graduating. And do I have a chance at MD. Also, I don't know if this matters but I am 25 yr old AA.

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[sacredalthea]

It might also help to know that I have take almost 100 unit hours at this CC which is embarrassing but its HS combined with repeats and changing major etc. So when I transfer I have a lot of work to change my gpa. Feedback in any form would be appreciated

 

[ksmajmudar]

I'm very sorry to hear about your circumstances and experiences, but I can only imagine how strong of a person it must have made you. That being said, with 100 credits, a 2.7 GPA, roughly 9 years at a community college, and medical school admissions becoming more and more competitive, I personally believe your MD chances are shot.

I encourage you to consider and research the DO route. In my opinion, it's your only way to become a doctor at this point. And it will still take a lot of time, hard work, and money.

For the DO route, you can do something called grade replacement, where you retake the same class worth the same number of credits, and only the higher grade will be counted towards your GPA. To do this for 100+ credits (not to mention, you still have to transfer to a 4 year and get your bachelors) will certainly take several years. Make sure this is what you want before you embark on such a journey - however, if you are certain this is what you want, know that it is in fact possible. Just remember - it's all A's from here on out.

Also, do you have any ECs? You're going to need lots of extracurriculars and a good MCAT score to have a shot.

 

[Catalystik]

Hello All!! This is my first post on SDN and I'm terrified. I am currently living in California where I attend a local CC. I have been taking classes at a community college since 2003. Why, you ask. Well here goes the story. In 2002 my father started a new family while still married to my mother. He completely walked away and we lost our house. Shortly after this my grandfather was murdered which left my grandmother alone with the responsibility of her house as well. My grandmother and mother worked together to pay the bills however things were short and my mother lost her second house and we moved in with grandmother in south central LA. I started taking care of my sisters while my mother worked 2 jobs. I cooked cleaned etc. this became to hard while in HS so I was home schooled and took a few college courses on the side. Although I truly wanted to be a doctor since my bone marrow transplant in '96 I just couldn't find the time to study and my grades dropped tremendously. Fast forward to now and my gpa is approx a 2.6-2.7. This is definitely not indicative of my academic abilities. It is truly due to my circumstances. I now know I should have taken some time off but I have several classes that I repeated for better grades 2 F's and 1 D. I felt as though it would be selfish to attend school full time while my family was struggling. My mother told me that being a doctor was for geniuses not for little girls from the hood like me. But I know I can do it.

Here is my question, I will be transferring to a four year uni in the fall in another state where I have an opportunity to focus for the first time on my studies. Since my gpa is so low would it make since for me to major in say anthro or whatever then graduate and do a post bacc of the sciences I need to get in or should I transfer major in the science I really want to major in but have no way of separating who I was as a student before and who I am as a student now? In other words does a 4.0 post bacc look better than if took those classes before graduating. And do I have a chance at MD. Also, I don't know if this matters but I am 25 yr old AA.

Your way of separating yourself from the Old You and the New You is to have excellent performance from now on with no further blips in the academic road. Why plan on even more school with a Postbac? Just complete the prerequisites during the coming college years regardless of what major you choose. Earning near straight As for 2-3 years will help excuse your past poor grades, especially if some of them are in upper-level Bio and Biochem. A strong MCAT score to prove you "got it," will be important too.

Once you solidify your study strategies, then consider getting ECs. Don't rush into them just yet and distract yourself from the prioity of excellent grades.

Don't rule out the possibility of an MD just yet, as some schools are very forgiving when there are extenuating circumstances, but keep DO schools in mind too.

 

[sacredalthea]

Thank you so much for you advice guys. If it helps none of my bad grades were in upper level sciences. Unfortunately I took anatomy the first time and dropped very late receiving an F. I then tried the next semester and had not time to study and got a D this was all while under the age of 18 and working full time. I then took it a year ago and received an A. Same with bio1 which i took at 16 while working and received an F which I retook for an A. Those are the only unsatisfactory grades on my transcript. Does that change anything?

 

[sacredalthea]

Also I have 100 hours of hands on clinical volunteering and I am volunteering as a tutor for at risk youth starting monday.

 

[Catalystik]

Unfortunately I took anatomy the first time and dropped very late receiving an F. I then tried the next semester and had not time to study and got a D this was all while under the age of 18 and working full time. I then took it a year ago and received an A. Same with bio1 which i took at 16 while working and received an F which I retook for an A.

It would help your outlook for DO med schools considerably and for MD schools somewhat. You might figure out your AMCAS cGPA and BCPM GPA compared to your AACOMAS cGPA and science GPA (no math) when using only the most recent grade earned for AACOMAS, then figure in 2-3 years of theoretical A grades (depending on how long you plan to stay in school) and see what it does for your numbers:

AMCAS GPA calculator:a modifiable version/also calc BCPM:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=590424

DO GPA calculation spreadsheet:http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=450050
Newer modified version: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=839864

 

[sacredalthea]

Catalystik I feel like crying lol this is more advice than I have received from my CC counselor : )

 

[Catalystik]

We're happy to help. Let us know what numbers you come up with.

 

[TriagePreMed]

There could be a way to get into MD with a lot of hard work, but I will say that it's not worth it at all. The amount of money and time required to be competitive for MD programs will probably sink you. If I were you, I'd focus solely on D.O. I would calculate how much the remaining classes can get your GPA up, and then accordingly do retakes until you hit a 3.3 GPA. Provided everything else is good, you'll have no problem with admissions at that point.

 

[dreamweaver1988]

Get used to it

 

[sacredalthea]

I'm sorry but get used to what?

 

[sacredalthea]

Okay Catalystik my AMCAS gpa is 2.229 : ( and my AACOMAS is 2.53 : ( ....Should I call it quits before transferring and wasting more time?

 

[TriagePreMed]

Okay Catalystik my AMCAS gpa is 2.229 : ( and my AACOMAS is 2.53 : ( ....Should I call it quits before transferring and wasting more time?

For MD, I would suggest you call it quits. For D.O. school, it's salvageable. Osteopathic schools do take into account economic disadvantage.

 

[sacredalthea]

So MD schools do not take in to account economic struggles, life experiences etc but DO schools do? hhmm. Now Triage do you know this because you are a med student or are you assuming and you just so happen to be in the pre med boat as well? In an case thank you for your advice.

 

[Catalystik]

Okay Catalystik my AMCAS gpa is 2.229 : ( and my AACOMAS is 2.53 : ( ....Should I call it quits before transferring and wasting more time?

If you have ~100 credit hours now(which should not count any Ws) and earn another 120 hours of straight As at the university, your final AMCAS cGPA would be ~3.195. With a strong MCAT score and 4 years of excellent grades, a very high BCPM GPA, IMO some MD schools will consider you.

Now, let's be more practical and fgure that a 3.7 cGPA for the next 4 years is more likely. Your cGPA would then be ~3.03. The same good MCAT score would probably result in about the same consideration, IMO.

But if your grades are lower than that, and you don't get past the 3.0 cGPA barrier, many schools won't consider your application. (But some still will). An additional option kicks in here: the completion of a 1-year GPA boosting program meant for minorities with disadvantaged circumstances. Of course, you'd for sure need a high GPA with this, for med schools to overlook your uGPA. The Postbaccalaureate Programs Forum, attn to Dr Midlife's sticky, can give you more information on these programs.

Now consider what will happen if you retake more of your lower graded classes to get additional grade forgiveness that AACOMAS offers. You could easily get your cGPA into the average matriculating DO student range of 3.47 if you earn As. You would not need such a high MCAT score. You could probably be ready to apply somewhat sooner.

At this point, I'd suggest you keep both options open, and when the time comes, apply to both types of schools if your grades are great.

 

[dreamweaver1988]

I'm sorry but get used to what?

Sorry, initially meant to quote.

What I mean is, get used to Catalystik being more useful than the vast majority of people. Don't forget to befriend your pre-med adviser at your school, though--she will also be a great resource.

 

[TriagePreMed]

So MD schools do not take in to account economic struggles, life experiences etc but DO schools do? hhmm. Now Triage do you know this because you are a med student or are you assuming and you just so happen to be in the pre med boat as well? In an case thank you for your advice.

Because I said D.O. schools do, I'm not saying M.D. schools don't, but lets talk reality here. Your 2.2 is not salvageable, and even if your life circumstances sucked, they sucked for others too and they performed better. M.D. is simply not a realistic option in my opinion. Sure, if you pull a 4.0 over 4 years and get a 34, you might get some love, but 4 years of your life + potential income lost + paying for all expenses + the risk of scoring low on the mcat = not something a sane person would do at this point. Beggars can't be choosers, so go D.O. or go home.

 

[sector9]

Because I said D.O. schools do, I'm not saying M.D. schools don't, but lets talk reality here. Your 2.2 is not salvageable, and even if your life circumstances sucked, they sucked for others too and they performed better. M.D. is simply not a realistic option in my opinion. Sure, if you pull a 4.0 over 4 years and get a 34, you might get some love, but 4 years of your life + potential income lost + paying for all expenses + the risk of scoring low on the mcat = not something a sane person would do at this point. Beggars can't be choosers, so go D.O. or go home.

Haha Triage, always a people pleaser!

I do agree with Triage on principle that MD is simply out of the question in the sense that it would take a TON of time and work to become competitive for MD. DO is much more realistic at this point and it will still require a lot of effort.

 

[improvcric]

Straight A's from here out at all cost. Ideally get a solid 3 years at a 4 year.You may be able to overcome but not if you aren't willing to commit yourself to a 4.0 from now on. It maybe hard but an MD qualified individual can accomplish this with enough work.

Schools like to see success in spite of hardship.

4.0 here we go!!!!