- Joined
- Feb 5, 2015
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
I apologize in advance for posting this, because I have found snippets of my situation on several different threads, but it seems my exact "I'm-screwed-ness" is unique.
I am a late bloomer in life, and only recently did I even start to consider the possibility of a career in medicine. I just turned 28, so what have I been doing all these years? I graduated in '09 with a Plant Biology degree, 2.51 cGPA (got in with the wrong crowd early that fed my poor study habits with late night parties, etc). I worked in a greenhouse/research lab for about 3 years, all throughout undergrad, and upon graduating decided I wasn't ready to have a career and become an adult. I left the field entirely and relocated to a Buddhist urban monastery to get my mind straight, since I lacked any sense of direction and wanted to find out what I should do with my life. Two years later, I had to leave, since I had become so entangled in the politics and administration there that I was no longer meditating and progressing with my goal of self-discovery. The help had clearly become a hindrance, and all I had gained was a vague notion to return to school, sober and with a new purpose: to redeem myself and see how well I could actually do. This was back in 2012. I picked a 2nd Bachelor's program in Biochemistry, because I have to virtually retake every science course, and a vague backup plan was to get a MS in Biochem. First semester was a 3.73, with only 1 B+ in Calculus I, damnit. Not a 4.0 with only General Bio I and II and Calc killed my confidence. I still did not have strong study habits and was half-assing. Things then took a turn for the worse. Next sem I failed Orgo I and withdrew from all other classes, which I had then split with a local CC. Fast Forward now 2 years later now to the present, I am struggling to even complete any class I enroll in at my CC. I am just trying to take something, anything, that I can finish and get a good grade in. What happened? I am not entirely sure. It seems I have a very deep habit of self-sabotage.
Is DO school still an option? PA school? From what I read on these forums, yes. MD is almost certainly no. Even if I had 4-5 years of PB work at 4.0, the upward trend would be awesome, but with some rough calculations it showed I could only get to a 3.2. Plus with the way AMCAS averages grades and such, it doesn't look good. I already have too many quarter units with a crap GPA. Because I already have a BS, my sGPA is horrendous. The GPA repair will be many years in the making. Is this worth it? Not sure. Do I really want to become a doc? I do not have enough experience in the field to know. Just from what I read, both on SDN and library books about doc life, as well as what I hear from doc friends, it seems like a good fit. Committing far enough to even volunteer at the local hospital is a step I am still trying to accomplish. I feel that if I excel in the next few semesters, then the possibility will gain more momentum, I will gain more confidence, and I will then start EC's, shadowing, volunteering. I truly lack any clear direction and I have nebulous ambition (or am afraid) and thus my current situation is working two low-income jobs in food service while attending community college taking physics and math (living at home with frustrated parents). Working on self-esteem in an academic setting more than anything else is my top priority. However the academic discipline is still lacking. Somebody needs to shake my shoulders and be like WAKE UP DUDE. Thank you for reading this, I needed to verbalize and share my situation, and I apologize again, now that we are at the end, for wasting your time. Any feedback/advice/criticism is much appreciated.
I am a late bloomer in life, and only recently did I even start to consider the possibility of a career in medicine. I just turned 28, so what have I been doing all these years? I graduated in '09 with a Plant Biology degree, 2.51 cGPA (got in with the wrong crowd early that fed my poor study habits with late night parties, etc). I worked in a greenhouse/research lab for about 3 years, all throughout undergrad, and upon graduating decided I wasn't ready to have a career and become an adult. I left the field entirely and relocated to a Buddhist urban monastery to get my mind straight, since I lacked any sense of direction and wanted to find out what I should do with my life. Two years later, I had to leave, since I had become so entangled in the politics and administration there that I was no longer meditating and progressing with my goal of self-discovery. The help had clearly become a hindrance, and all I had gained was a vague notion to return to school, sober and with a new purpose: to redeem myself and see how well I could actually do. This was back in 2012. I picked a 2nd Bachelor's program in Biochemistry, because I have to virtually retake every science course, and a vague backup plan was to get a MS in Biochem. First semester was a 3.73, with only 1 B+ in Calculus I, damnit. Not a 4.0 with only General Bio I and II and Calc killed my confidence. I still did not have strong study habits and was half-assing. Things then took a turn for the worse. Next sem I failed Orgo I and withdrew from all other classes, which I had then split with a local CC. Fast Forward now 2 years later now to the present, I am struggling to even complete any class I enroll in at my CC. I am just trying to take something, anything, that I can finish and get a good grade in. What happened? I am not entirely sure. It seems I have a very deep habit of self-sabotage.
Is DO school still an option? PA school? From what I read on these forums, yes. MD is almost certainly no. Even if I had 4-5 years of PB work at 4.0, the upward trend would be awesome, but with some rough calculations it showed I could only get to a 3.2. Plus with the way AMCAS averages grades and such, it doesn't look good. I already have too many quarter units with a crap GPA. Because I already have a BS, my sGPA is horrendous. The GPA repair will be many years in the making. Is this worth it? Not sure. Do I really want to become a doc? I do not have enough experience in the field to know. Just from what I read, both on SDN and library books about doc life, as well as what I hear from doc friends, it seems like a good fit. Committing far enough to even volunteer at the local hospital is a step I am still trying to accomplish. I feel that if I excel in the next few semesters, then the possibility will gain more momentum, I will gain more confidence, and I will then start EC's, shadowing, volunteering. I truly lack any clear direction and I have nebulous ambition (or am afraid) and thus my current situation is working two low-income jobs in food service while attending community college taking physics and math (living at home with frustrated parents). Working on self-esteem in an academic setting more than anything else is my top priority. However the academic discipline is still lacking. Somebody needs to shake my shoulders and be like WAKE UP DUDE. Thank you for reading this, I needed to verbalize and share my situation, and I apologize again, now that we are at the end, for wasting your time. Any feedback/advice/criticism is much appreciated.