Do I have a chance of getting into ANY medical school?

[Giovanni]

Hi everyone. Im new here. Very well done forum you have here.
Well now for my questions.
Im 25, and have a GED. I quit high school at 16. Long story short. My dad left and my mom had 4 kids by herself. He also left her with a business to run. Albeit not a very profitable one. We got by barely. I left school so I could help day and night at that business. My mom was working two jobs besides that.
This past June I got my GED. I scored very high. I didn't leave school for lack of intelligence or ability as some do. I had no choice at the time. I did what I thought was right.

I realize that I must go to College and take some sort of premed courses.
Is it worth it for me to do all this though? Will I be accepted to a medical school having recieved a GED? I thought to ask this here. Its a good a place as any. Thank you for any information.
Giovanni

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[ucsfmed]

Medical schools don't care about what you did in high school. Whether you have a High School diploma or a GED makes no difference to them. Do well in college and ofcourse you stand a decent chance of getting in to medical school.

 

[gschl1234]

I don't see why having a GED would hinder you. As I recall, on the AMCAS, they never asked about my HS diploma. They did ask me to put down all college-level courses taken and I took a few HS classes for college credit and put them down. If I hadn't, there would be no HS record on the application at all. I woudln't think that schools would even know you had a GED. Even if they did, why would they take it against you?

Hi everyone. Im new here. Very well done forum you have here.
Well now for my questions.
Im 25, and have a GED. I quit high school at 16. Long story short. My dad left and my mom had 4 kids by herself. He also left her with a business to run. Albeit not a very profitable one. We got by barely. I left school so I could help day and night at that business. My mom was working two jobs besides that.
This past June I got my GED. I scored very high. I didn't leave school for lack of intelligence or ability as some do. I had no choice at the time. I did what I thought was right.

I realize that I must go to College and take some sort of premed courses.
Is it worth it for me to do all this though? Will I be accepted to a medical school having recieved a GED? I thought to ask this here. Its a good a place as any. Thank you for any information.
Giovanni

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

If you are successful in your college career, get some clinical experience, and prove that medicine, in particular, is your calling, then you have a better shot than most premeds coming out of high school.

Overcoming adversity is highly respected, with good reason.

 

[LP1CW]

My friend, you have a great chance. You might have to go to community college to prove yourself before you can head off to a State University.

Don't rush in and take on too much. Pace yourself. You want to prove yourself. Are you prepared for general chemistry. You might need to take a remedial chemistry course? How's your math skills? You might think about taking a college Algebra class.

You are young. Plenty of people are in their 30's and starting medical school. Your past won't hurt you. It will help you. You have a history. It's going to lend to a wonderful story. Work hard, stay focus, and this won't be a dream. You will succeed.

Also, don't be afraid to seek help, study groups, tutors. Do what ever it takes for you to find success.

 

[bigdan]

G-
Go for it. You must, of course, do very well in college and do well on the MCAT - which you'll read about ad nauseum in this forum - but you have shot.
I hope that things work out well for you.
Welcome to SDN.

dc

 

[uniqueseraph]

Welcome!

Sounds like you've had your share of difficult times. If you're sure you want to be a doc, by all means go for it! A GED shouldn't be held against you. I would start college as soon as possible. Choose a major-something that really interests you first so you have a goal at the end of the four years. Most medical schools have the same basic pre-medical requirements:

2 semesters of English
2 semesters of Biology
2 semesters of General (Inorganic) Chemistry
2 semesters of Organic Chemistry
2 semesters of Physics

I wouldn't suggest jumping right on into these classes though. Try some remedial classes for a semester and go from there. Start out with a lighter load and move your way up at your own speed when you're ready.

Good luck!

 

[SoCalOrBust]

Even the EC section on the app is labeled "postsecondary experiences." Basically, you started with a clean slate as soon as you graduated high school. Your family background could allow for a very convincing story on your personal statement as well (if it contributed to your motivation to be a doctor of course.)

As far as it being worth it, do you really want to be a doctor? It's alot of work getting into a med school. You should aim for at least a 3.5 gpa and above a 30 on the MCAT to be competitive. It's really a matter of if you want to go through the undergraduate education, the EC experiences, studying for the MCAT, and the application process.

 

[manta]

one of my classmates has a GED. it's definitely doable! good luck!

 

[sickofit]

My dad left and my mom had 4 kids by herself.

How the hell did she manage that?!? I mean, it's been a while since I took sex ed, but...

 

[Neuronix]

I have a GED and I left high school at 15. Don't worry about it. if anything, this makes you a unique story and shows that you have alot of internal strength if you are successful in college.

Try to get into your state University (that's what I did) and work really hard. You'll be competing mostly with a bunch of middle-upper class prep school kids who have already had bio/chem/physics/etc, but if you work hard you can outperform all of them.

If you'd like to talk more about this, feel free to PM me.

Good luck!

 

[bigbassinbob]

I'd say you're in better shape than most people who make it through high school. You've got more life experiences, thus you have more to talk about in your personal statement/secondaries/interviews. You're obviously more mature than most people who have graduated high school, and not just because you're a little bit older. I'd say you're a perfect non-traditional applicant. All you have to do is prove that you can handle the curriculum by doing well in college and on the MCAT. I think the best advice I saw is to pace yourself, because the pre-med curriculum can be a little intimidating -- especially when you've never had some of those classes before. So take a remedial math/chemistry class, and don't worry if it takes you more than 4 years to get through college. You've been through a lot, and ad coms will see that.