Medical School Admissions: Special Circumstances

[JulianaW]

Here's my story:

• Solid 4.0 at strong research university for first two years of college
• Spring semester of junior year, struggled with eating disorder and had to withdraw all my classes and leave on medical leave. This put me on academic probation.
• Continued to senior year and had problems with eating disorder again. I had no choice but to withdraw/drop all classes for fall semester and was asked to leave school for awhile (since once you are on academic probation you HAVE you get off it the next semester).
• Remained out of school for spring semester (of my original senior year) and returned the following fall. Finished school that year and I'm graduating tomorrow with a 3.88 in Biology. Eating disorder is CONQUERED!

I'm not sure of a few things. First, my school's request that I take time off is not on my record and never was. Is this something that I need to report in applications? I feel like it is but my registrar says no. Is this going to look terrible if it's on my app?/How should I explain this?

Second, I have to take my MCAT this August (my previous score expired). Since I have a spotty record, would you advise waiting until next year to apply so that I can get my apps in early? Or will having a 2 year gap between med school and undergrad look even worse since I was already out of school for medical problems?

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[hlh84]

Hello,

I appologize for bumping an old thread but came across it on a google search. My question was touched on in an earlier post but was hoping for some clarification. Im not a medical student but I am working on my second degree in nursing after graduating a few years ago in mechanical engineering. Im currently finishing my A&P pre-reqs and will apply to the nursing program in the fall while I work on my bridge courses. My ultimate goal is the go to Anesthesia school to become a CRNA.

My problem arrises after being charged with a DUI this week. I have never even had as much as a speeding ticket at 25 years old.. a completely clean record. I was not even driving my car either. I had left a bar and was sitting in my car waiting for a friend to give me a ride but apparently made the mistake of turning the car on to get some AC and listen to some music while I waited. The officer must have seen me leave the bar and walk to my car because as soon as I looked up from turning the key he was at my window. Im told this is something that can be dropped given the scenario and the fact that I have such a clean record. If it is not dropped Ive also been told that as a first offense I can have this expunged from my records with some community service/classes. The court date is the 13th of July and I have what is apparently the "best lawyer in town." Will this be much of a road block as I have to apply to the program by Sept. 15? If the charges are not dropped and I do have to take classes and cannot have this expunged (if possible) in time to apply do I wait a year to apply or just go ahead and apply anyway? I know there are a lot of variables here (state to state; I live in NC) but maybe just some general clarification would help.

Sorry for the lengthiness here, this is just very frustrating and saddening as this is not who I am as shown by my track record. I work full time in the OR at a local hospital as an anesthesia tech and am putting myself through full time school so needless to say Im very ambitious and feel like Im a contributing member to society; not a criminal menace. Thank you for any help.

 

[fhgoalie15]

Hi, I'm going to apologize in advanced for the length my post might be... I have a complicated situation (I think).
My big problem: I got a 24 on the MCAT.
I have been working hard for as long as I can remember so I would have the best possible chance of getting into medical school. I love medicine to an extent that most people cannot understand. I have been raised on medicine: my sister has had full time nursing in our house for her mental/physical disabilities for years, my other sister is a 3rd year resident, my mom is a nurse practitioner, and I am a patient. I have a passion that I honestly don't know how to explain in words... all I can say is that I feel it. Crazy? Probably, lol, but I'm ok with that.
My problem is that I have lung disease, which had not been a problem until now. I took my MCAT on May 25th; before I had any idea that my world was going to go crazy at the worst possible time. In April I had to travel to Florida for 2 weeks because my grandma got sick and passed away. I missed 2 weeks of my semester, but was keeping up just fine. The week I returned to school, however, my lung collapsed. I was in the hospital for a week, leading to a total of 3 weeks of missed classes with just one week until finals and 4 weeks until the MCAT. I pulled out the semester with decent grades, though not up to par with my previous grades (3 A- and 3 A, so I was satisfied considering the circumstances).
After finals I was exhausted, but no rest for the pre-med! I began to study, though I had lost an entire month of preparation to the pseudo-apoctalyptic cascade that had just occurred. I studied hard until the day of the test, though I did not get as far as I had planned when I was under the impression that I would have more than 3 weeks to get ready.
The night before the test I felt my lung collapse again... but there was absolutely no way I was going to miss this test, not after everything else. I went to take the test, despite a little increased work of breathing and some not-so-fun pain. I really feel that this is what contributed most dramatically to my below average (to put it nicely) score. I took the test, and ended up in the hospital for the next month or so. I was admitted for longer than expected because my doctors decided it was time for pleurodesis so that my lungs would never be able to collapse again (YAY!!). Although I will never have another (foreseeable) problem that will prevent my participation in a medical school situation again... it seems that it may have come too late. My application was already in. I stuck to in-state schools. And I just planned on hoping that the work I had done for years would be noticed before the MCAT score and that the one (HUGE) blemish on my application wouldn't render all of that work useless.
I have gotten one secondary... possibly my only chance of not being screened out... and I need to decide if I will bring up this information in the 'explain any lapse in undergraduate education' section of the secondary, or just keep on hoping that I'm catching the break of a lifetime. I have absolutely no idea what would be best, or if I have any hint of a chance... but I refuse to give up, so I want to do everything possible to show that, despite this setback, I CAN do medical school.
Thank you for any advice... and sorry, again, for writing out a novel... I tried to stick to the cliff notes version...

 

[PaperMaker]

Dear Mentors,

I have a low uGPA (3.3) with an average MCAT (30Q) and have tried to illustrate I am competent my doing an SMP (Gtown 3.7).

I am applying this cycle but have not been doing well (no interviews, and only secondary from UC Davis, In State Student). I'm just wondering if it was unwise to talk about my sister's battle with schizophrenia PS as the reason I got interested in medicine.

In addition, to address my low undergrad GPA I also elaborated on how her illness put alot of stress on the family which effectively directly much of my focus away from scholarly pursuits and towards keeping the family one.

Thanks!