How should I do this?

[Hopefultexan92]

I am not sure how I was to proceed with making myself competitive for medical schools. I thought that I had made a plan to negate some of my shortcoming, but the more I read the more questionable my plan looks.

• So, where to start. rifht now I have an abysmaly low gpa. Not sure of the exact number but I would say below a 2.0. What I see as someone good new is that this was in an economics major. I graduated school a year early and went to a small private school. I was no where near mature enough for school. Did very well in courses I enjoyed and very poorly in course I hated. I transfer/ flunked out of the school and went to a state school. Here I took my only science courses basic chemistry which I loved and got an A and pre-calculus which I flunked. I decided college was not right for me at this point so I joined the Air Force. I'm very successful in my job and was outstanding during training but I don't feel very satisfied with what I do and how I left my education. So now that I have really centered myself and come up with goals I would like to become a doctor for various reason.
• Here was my plan but I'm not sure that it would work. I wanted to go back to school and finish up my economics degree. I know I can do very well with the rest of my course work. I am bright and now I have the motivation of a clear goal. Plus more effective study techniques. And maybe the most important the reality of paying off student loans (This is really is disheartening when you have nothing to show for it)
• One I finish up that degree I want to apply to a larger state school and work on a science major to complete course work to apply for med schools. But also go through a complete program without any hiccups so I can have more continuity in my education when I apply

I wanted some insight on this plan to see if it was something I can do and end up competitive or is there any hope for me? The financial implications of getting the second degree wouldn't be too tough because I plan on using educational benefits so I can spend additional time volunteering and building good ECs.
Should I just go back to school change majors complete pre rec with a high science gpa. And try applying with a trash cgpa and explain the upward trend with my military service?
Any and all advise would be helpful. I'm just trying to make a clear plan before I seperate.

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[clookie13]

I was in a similar situation and this is what I can tell you. First you need a high GPA to get into med school. At my current school there were probably 5000 applicants for 175 seats. You need high scores because honestly you app will get thrown out. It may be somewhat unfair but that is how the schools have to eliminate the other 4825 applicants. So how do you turn your sub 2.0 into a +3.5 GPA? First forget about ever applying to an MD school because the way the app calculates your GPA you will never be able to eliminate all of the classes you failed. If you apply to a DO school all of your F's can be turned into A's but you have to retake the same classes and the highest grade is the only one calculated in your GPA. In this sense DO schools are willing to accept those of us who may have learned the hard way the importance of getting good grades or had other life experience that got in our way of getting it right the first time. Make sure the classes you are re-taking will be substituted. I re-took mine at the same university so there was no question. Even getting into DO schools is getting much more competitive. You will need very high GPAs, a 30 MCAT, and of course early app to get in. It took me 4 years to straighten out my transcript. It can be done but make sure at your second try you look flawless on paper because you will be asked about your past failures. Basically don't leave any room for doubt about your abilities. Of course you could always go to a Caribbean school as the end result will be the same

 

[deleted480308]

A lot of retakes and apply DO, just major in whatever is fastest while you take your retakes and prereqs