Dreams may be over. Advice please :(

[heartonsleeve]

Hi everyone,
WARNING: THIS IS LONG.
This is my first time posting, I've been a long time lurker for several years lol.
I have always been confused between going into oral surgery or being a pediatrician.
My first two years of undergraduate college were kind of rough. I originally went to a university near my home with the intention of transferring after a semester or two. However when I was ready to transfer to the main and much farther campus we found out that my mom had a brain tumor. Since I was the only one willing to take care of her I had to transfer closer to my home. After a semester there my mother was feeling much better and wanted me to go away to school because she felt guilty for holding me back. Instead of going to the school that I was first wanting to transfer to I went to another one a couple hours away from home. I did that because there were severe family issues occurring and I needed to be close by incase my mother was in danger. While I was at that college, my grades suffered tremendously. My GPA was a 2.53 and I received two F's in Biology and Calculus for Life Sciences. I was extremely depressed while there and did not pay attention to my school work at all because I was constantly guilty and worrying/receiving phone calls from my mother begging me to come back. I transferred to the original satellite campus I started from and my grades have gotten much better. I changed my major from Biology to Health Administration and received all A's this semester. I also went to a psychiatrist and am currently being treated for PTSD and anxiety. My mother is feeling much better and everything finally feels at peace. I have to transfer to the campus that I originally had planned to next spring and I will be able to graduate on time, despite all the credits lost during transfers.

Because of all of these issues, my advisor told me that realistically I have no chance at medical school. I got accepted to be a scribe for fall semester and he told me not to go because I would not be able to get accepted into any American medical school.

I realize that my grades were poor, and failing a pre-med course is awful but I honestly believe I have the passion and drive to push through all of that. I am trying to figure out where to go from here but have no one that I could ask. I have been reading threads upon threads and feel that no one has a similar situation I could heed advice from and was wondering if any of you could shed some mercy lol and give me your opinion.

I still have half of pre-med courses to take but cannot find a way to fit it in my schedule except summer which I heard is not ideal to Medical schools.

I am sorry that this is so long and if I irritated any of you in any way. I have just reached rock bottom and am hoping for some light anywhere.

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[RogueUnicorn]

You're still ostensibly young and anything is possible. It's a long and hard climb to be sure but nothing screams impossibility to me from your story. What year are you and what is your current GPA

 

[eelgg123]

You can definitely still do it. Retake all of the courses you received an F/D in and take and succeed in the rest of the premed courses. Don't listen to the advisers. They don't know what theyre saying. You can always change your future, not your past. So I say if you definitely pull it off for the mcats and succeed with retaking/ finishing your classes, you can do exceptionally well and get accepted to a DO school atleast. Take it from me. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to message me friend. We all have our problems as premed students and life doesn't always goes our way. Don't lose hope

 

[leon sandcastle]

its ok man you can still raise your grades. i think some schools actually will take your most recent grade for retakes of classes as well

 

[Lil Mick]

You can still go. DO schools allow for grade replacement, so if you retake some of the classes and do well, the bad grades don't show up, and your gpa doesn't take the hit from those classes. You have a heck of a story, and your desire to become a doctor will show.

 

[heartonsleeve]

I am 20 years old and this upcoming semester will be my third year making me a junior in college. I want to retake the courses-it is at the other campus but I am thinking I could try to commute between the two satellite campuses in order to replace those grades.

Currently I am having a hard time thinking of a way to fit in the rest of my pre-med classes. I have two years left and the rest of the semesters will be taking the courses required for the major. I am not entirely sure of what to do. I suppose I could just let go of the date I planned to graduate and stay an extra semester taking the pre-requisite classes.

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I truly appreciate it.

Sorry I forgot to include my GPA, currently it is a 3.2 :/

 

[ar2388]

its not going to be an easy road but if you essentially ace every single class from now, rock the MCAT, and write about your story in the application, maybe even in the personal statement, some places may give you a chance. its hard. my own mom passed away from a brain tumor but thankfully i was in the same city as much family for college and med school and was able to go home during weekends until she passed. its not easy, but if you really want it then you need to figure out a way to get it
DO and caribbean schools may be another option but getting into residency will be alot harder and there wil be higher expectations from your step scores

 

[darklabel]

Is there any way you can retroactively withdraw those grades? I'm sure your argument is compelling enough to allow it.

If not, don't fret. If you're ready, score well on the MCAT, make A's from here on and if your GPA is 3.0 - 3.2 by the time you graduate, an SMP may let you get in to MD if that is your only desire.

If you don't mind DO, then grade replacement will make you cGPA and sciGPA a whole lot more competitive as long as you start doing well.

Good luck OP and sorry to hear about your tough time.

 

[911 Turbo]

shhh no tears only dreams now


and of course you have a chance lol. look at the above posts. you will probably be laughing at those Fs in 5 years.

 

[pandahunter]

Don't you dare give up

 

[Aerus]

You still have a chance. On a future note, if you're going to write a long post, space your paragraphs! It makes it easier on the eyes.

 

[SilverCat]

Hi everyone,

Because of all of these issues, my advisor told me that realistically I have no chance at medical school. I got accepted to be a scribe for fall semester and he told me not to go because I would not be able to get accepted into any American medical school.

I realize that my grades were poor, and failing a pre-med course is awful but I honestly believe I have the passion and drive to push through all of that. I am trying to figure out where to go from here but have no one that I could ask. I have been reading threads upon threads and feel that no one has a similar situation I could heed advice from and was wondering if any of you could shed some mercy lol and give me your opinion.

I still have half of pre-med courses to take but cannot find a way to fit it in my schedule except summer which I heard is not ideal to Medical schools.

I am sorry that this is so long and if I irritated any of you in any way. I have just reached rock bottom and am hoping for some light anywhere.

The bolded is absolutely ridiculous. Like everyone said, you still have a really good shot with grade replacement/ post-bac classes. What is wrong with these premed advisors?

 

[SteinmetzMD]

Don't you dare give up

+1, keep on keepin' on!

Just a side note, I've never understood how people can lurk on here for YEARS and not make an account or post anything!!

 

[mmmcdowe]

Moving to WAMC forum.

 

[kami333]

I transferred to the original satellite campus I started from and my grades have gotten much better. I changed my major from Biology to Health Administration and received all A's this semester. I also went to a psychiatrist and am currently being treated for PTSD and anxiety. My mother is feeling much better and everything finally feels at peace. I have to transfer to the campus that I originally had planned to next spring and I will be able to graduate on time, despite all the credits lost during transfers.

Because of all of these issues, my advisor told me that realistically I have no chance at medical school. I got accepted to be a scribe for fall semester and he told me not to go because I would not be able to get accepted into any American medical school.

Personally I agree with your advisor, not because I don’t think you have a shot ever but right now you need to put your grades first. You’ve had one good semester after a year and a half of not so good ones but it was also after switching from a science major to a non-science major. You've also only started being treated by a psychiatrist. I would make sure you have everything under control before committing too much.

I am 20 years old and this upcoming semester will be my third year making me a junior in college. I want to retake the courses-it is at the other campus but I am thinking I could try to commute between the two satellite campuses in order to replace those grades.

Currently I am having a hard time thinking of a way to fit in the rest of my pre-med classes. I have two years left and the rest of the semesters will be taking the courses required for the major. I am not entirely sure of what to do. I suppose I could just let go of the date I planned to graduate and stay an extra semester taking the pre-requisite classes.

Right now I would worry about getting your grades back on track over retaking courses and prereqs. Especially if the retake would involve commuting between different campuses. GPA (up to a point) > graduating in 4years, finishing prereqs before graduation or ECs such as scribe.

Sorry I forgot to include my GPA, currently it is a 3.2 :/

It’s needs to come up but you’re only a junior so don’t stress out too much.

 

[Goro]

Very very sorry to hear of your mom's illness. You're doing the right thing be seeking counseling.

I also went to a psychiatrist and am currently being treated for PTSD and anxiety. My mother is feeling much better and everything finally feels at peace. I have to transfer to the campus that I originally had planned to next spring and I will be able to graduate on time, despite all the credits lost during transfers.

Not right now, but you can re-invent yourself.

Because of all of these issues, my advisor told me that realistically I have no chance at medical school. I got accepted to be a scribe for fall semester and he told me not to go because I would not be able to get accepted into any American medical school.

Just do the best you can and actually, I recommend taking only some easy coursework until you are able to gear up for more rigorous courses.

I still have half of pre-med courses to take but cannot find a way to fit it in my schedule except summer which I heard is not ideal to Medical schools.


Just finish out your degree at a time table of your choosing. There's no law that says you have to graduate in four years.

Then re-take all of your F/D/C coursework, and you'll find this does wonders for your GPA, thanks to AACOMAS grade replacement policy.

Then, apply to DO programs.

If your heart is set only on an MD degree, then do an SMP and rock it. There are MD schools that reward reinvention.

 

[DreamInMind]

I am also in a similar situation.Although I am 25 years old. I took some years off school after realizing I wasn't ready for the commitment. I went back to community college. Picked up my GPA from a 1.7 to a 3.2 in two years. I pretty much got a 3.6-4.0 each semester, and the lovely Associate's Degree...I naturally continued on to Montclair State University...and everything in my life was shot down. I lost 4 friends due to drugs. My sister went through some kind of nervous breakdown and tried to set someone's car on fire. She was almost prosecuted for attempted murder, but because of her past mental history she was committed. She is stable now. This was about 2 years ago.
Since then, my mother has been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. She went undiagnosed for two years....the cancer spread to her spine and she had reconstructive surgery. Also, she almost succumbed to septic shock-MRSA. This happened when my sister was away. After her surgery, of course a second MRSA infection became active. It wasn't as severe as the first, but the cancer kept spreading. I can't remember a day in the past two years where she hasn't been in excruciating pain, and despair, at least once during the day. I try to support her as best I could, but I know I am depressed and it reflects in my grades. I refuse to give up, I know its my calling, and my mom wants me to succeed too. Its a strange feeling, being filled with such passion and motivation, and at the same time, utter hopelessness, as I watch my mom suffer and can do nothing. I try to stay positive, to be positive. Life.

 

[edgerock24]

This is a classic case of an adviser not knowing what the heck he/she is talking about. I bet this person doesn't even know what osteopathic medicine is. Terrible. People shouldn't have these roles and give out incorrect advice to premeds unless they have some sort of REAL experience with medical school admission committees.

Anyways, all you need to do is take advantage of DO grade replacement. Retake all science courses necessary in order to get your sGPA to 3.2+. Also, consider retaking any other non science courses that you have F's in to bring your cGPA up a bit as well. Build up some volunteering and shadowing if possible, and you will become competitive for DO schools. Retaking courses can take awhile, but do not rush it. Take your time to ensure that you get at least a B+ or higher in them (think 2 courses a semester PLUS volunteering or healthcare related work).

If you are set on allopathic schools, then you definitely would need to enroll into an SMP prior to applying, as this is essentially your only way into an MD school.

 

[heartonsleeve]

Thank you all so much for taking the time out of your day to reply to my post. I truly appreciate every single one of these posts. So much so that I printed them out and stuck them on my cork board near my desk for motivation...lol creeper status.

For those of you who have shared similar experiences, I am amazed at your strength and courage. You are very strong human beings and deserve only the best.

I am not going to give up, regardless of who tells me I have no chance. You have all rejuvenated not only my motivation but my well-being because I feel so uplifted now.

Okay..I am getting a little too Oprah so I'm just gonna stop here. Thank you again.

 

[Zonagirl]

I am 20 years old and this upcoming semester will be my third year making me a junior in college. I want to retake the courses-it is at the other campus but I am thinking I could try to commute between the two satellite campuses in order to replace those grades.

Currently I am having a hard time thinking of a way to fit in the rest of my pre-med classes. I have two years left and the rest of the semesters will be taking the courses required for the major. I am not entirely sure of what to do. I suppose I could just let go of the date I planned to graduate and stay an extra semester taking the pre-requisite classes.

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I truly appreciate it.

Sorry I forgot to include my GPA, currently it is a 3.2 :/

Don't get so discouraged. When you have thoughts of doubt push them out of your mind because all you can control is what you're working on now and negative thoughts just drain your energy. I would definitely push your graduation date back a semester or two and just commit!! You'll have the MCAT to worry about as well so take that into consideration. I did the same thing, and although it was hard, I don't regret the decision. In the scheme of things another year in undergraduate is no time at all if it means being able to get in to med school!!

Don't let your GPA get any lower

Good luck!!

 

[TLAD123]

You can definitely still do it. Retake all of the courses you received an F/D in and take and succeed in the rest of the premed courses. Don't listen to the advisers. They don't know what theyre saying. You can always change your future, not your past. So I say if you definitely pull it off for the mcats and succeed with retaking/ finishing your classes, you can do exceptionally well and get accepted to a DO school atleast. Take it from me. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to message me friend. We all have our problems as premed students and life doesn't always goes our way. Don't lose hope

I second this. Be encouraged about your future. If you have the desire to push forward and go to medical school, you can accomplish it! And keep asking questions from those who are ahead of you. I find that if you try to do things on your own its harder than getting advice from a mentor. Like this poster said, retake those courses, take the other prerequisites and keep getting clinical exp to show adcoms you are passionate about this dream. Any advisor that discourages you based on that past is either a bad advisor or doesn't want to take the time to help you.

 

[RCosker]

This is very inspiring to hear the encouragement from everyone about your situation. I too have gone through a similar experience where my grades suffered from the sudden loss of my father due to a traumatic situation and then my mother a few years later. Like yourself heartonsleeve I have dreams of becoming a physician as well and am pretty much on the same page with you in terms of making up classes and bumping up my GPA. Hang in there, life is always going to be tough but as long as you realize your faults, take responsibility for them instead of making excuses for them when asked about it later (possibly in our interviews) then only good things can happen. Chance favours the prepared mind. If you have any questions or need to run by thoughts you may have feel free to contact me! Hang in there!