Okay so about me, I have completed 53 credit hours including all my prereqs at a 3.65 GPA. Due to a withdrawal clerical error I received an F in an online psych class I forgot I was even in lol, I blame myself for the F, waiting until the last minute to withdraw, but they lost my paperwork soo that sucked. That pulled my GPA down to like a 3.45. Now I am leaving for the marines, I will be an 0300 MOS, which is infantry. I have practically no other extracurriculars except organizing some fundraisers for refugees. Havent taken MCAT. Im just wondering how much weight being on the front lines of a military conflict will hold in the eyes of adcoms compared to other humanitarian volunteering, and if they will really care about the F that much. I'd like to just hear any advice about the whole process in general and what I can do to improve my app when I get back. Sorry I know this is all over the place but I'd just really love input from everyone lol. OH and what kind of benefits can a veteran get for financing a medical education ?
Military to Med School, Looking for Advice
- Thread starter AJL894
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I was Army infantry but did a bunch of stuff between those days and starting med school.
I wouldn't worry about the F. You can't change it. Just be prepared to explain it well during the application process.
Comparing shooting guns and blowing up stuff to humanitarian work is probably not applicable, but when you weren't making things go boom you were probably interacting with humans in a capacity that is different than most applicants. So, if I were you, I would use the military experience as one of my "most rewarding experiences" (or whatever the wording is on AMCAS) and describe how you are a better, more well-rounded person after interacting in that capacity.
My MGIB was done when I started med school. So, I'm not sure what you can do in med school with that. But take advantage of it as much as you can in UG. There should be an adviser on whatever UG campus you're on that can help you take advantage of whatever VA benefits you have. If you can see yourself going back in look into HPSP.
I wouldn't worry about the F. You can't change it. Just be prepared to explain it well during the application process.
Comparing shooting guns and blowing up stuff to humanitarian work is probably not applicable, but when you weren't making things go boom you were probably interacting with humans in a capacity that is different than most applicants. So, if I were you, I would use the military experience as one of my "most rewarding experiences" (or whatever the wording is on AMCAS) and describe how you are a better, more well-rounded person after interacting in that capacity.
My MGIB was done when I started med school. So, I'm not sure what you can do in med school with that. But take advantage of it as much as you can in UG. There should be an adviser on whatever UG campus you're on that can help you take advantage of whatever VA benefits you have. If you can see yourself going back in look into HPSP.
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Well, I wouldn't hedge all your hopes and dreams on military service in and of itself carrying you into med school. I have heard varying opinions about how much adcoms value it, but as far as I can see they all do value it to some varying degree. What is more likely to influence your journey however, is the level of discipline and maturity you will develop while on active duty (either you will develop it or you will be booted out). That skill set should significantly improve your ability to perform well in undergrad and on the MCAT, and those numbers will without a doubt influence adcoms. Also, if your ASVAB was good enough to qualify you for some medical job, that would have probably been a better choice IF your primary reason for joining the military was to help get into med school, because it would count as clinical exposure. I know when I joined though the only branch where you could actually pick your job was the Army, so maybe you just joined the wrong branch 
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There is a military forum...and it is littered with people in the military who will be happy to help you along the way.
A great MCAT score can make up for many past sins. Let me put it that way. Rock it. If you don't...you may want to consider DO as an option. It is a very good option, by the way. I still generally recommend MD over DO in most circumstances, but I am a DO, and I am very happy with my decision. DO allows for grade replacement...MD does not. So you could repeat the course that you failed, get an A, and the F disappears/replaced with an A. Your GPA would shoot up astronomically making it very competitive for DO schools.
As a guy who recently when through the civilian match...it's a wash in regards to who will see military experience as a positive, as you can imagine. There are still plenty of people out there that believe that military service is a positive. I would just apply more broadly, just in case.
Stop by the military forum some time.
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This thread should really be stickied. It goes into vocational rehab and using the post 9/11 GI bill for medical school. With the new regulations regarding in state tuition rates you should be eligible to receive full payment of the GI bill if you go to any public medical school.
The hard part is just into medical school. You need to get some clinical experience if you don't have it already. ADCOM's love vets but you gotta have a decent app to back it up.
