Nontrad help please!

[Maddie20]

I've come across a concern. So I have a degree and wanted to pursue medical school so I'm taking the pre-reqs at a different school, back in my home state. While talking with my advisor, him being the judgmental/bitter person he has always been, points out that medical school admissions may look that those particular required classes but that they also look at how many times you've taken it, as well as the workload of that semester, to assess how one could handle the reality of being a medical student. My undergraduate GPA isn't so hot, so I want to have all A's and a few B's with a solid MCAT score going into my applications. However, I have had to retake some classes to get the A or B that I want. My question is, how much thought will they put on my application when they look at my transcripts and see that I've only taken 7-8 hours at a time, only to do poorly the first time, and retaken them to get A's and B's the second time.

This career is something I have always wanted to do. However, recent events keep bringing me down and I'm to the point to where I'm asking myself, will my hard work and many sacrifices pay off in the end? Like many other nontraditional students I'm dealing with the added real-world realities that doesn't come up as often as it would if I were a traditional undergrad. I'm constantly broke from taking and retaking these classes, have no support from my family or friends besides their criticism, stressed to the point of tears every semester, working at a job I loathe, on top of many tragic family deaths over the past 6 years.

My grades do not reflect what I've learned in the past few years, whatsoever. However, it leaves me worrying will admissions look at it all and see a person that took two classes at a time, and had to retake everything, and can't cut it at their school, or will they see it as a very very determined individual?

Any advice and honesty on this subject is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

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[Goro]

While the Ivies and Stanford might sneer at you for being all too human, there are MD schools (and all DO schools) that reward reinvention. If you maintain a high GPA with your pre-reqs, and score well on MCAT, then you should be fine.

Suggest, if possible, re-taking any F/D/C science coursework. Does wonders for the GPA, under AACOMAS' grade replacement policy.

I've come across a concern. So I have a degree and wanted to pursue medical school so I'm taking the pre-reqs at a different school, back in my home state. While talking with my advisor, him being the judgmental/bitter person he has always been, points out that medical school admissions may look that those particular required classes but that they also look at how many times you've taken it, as well as the workload of that semester, to assess how one could handle the reality of being a medical student. My undergraduate GPA isn't so hot, so I want to have all A's and a few B's with a solid MCAT score going into my applications. However, I have had to retake some classes to get the A or B that I want. My question is, how much thought will they put on my application when they look at my transcripts and see that I've only taken 7-8 hours at a time, only to do poorly the first time, and retaken them to get A's and B's the second time.

This career is something I have always wanted to do. However, recent events keep bringing me down and I'm to the point to where I'm asking myself, will my hard work and many sacrifices pay off in the end? Like many other nontraditional students I'm dealing with the added real-world realities that doesn't come up as often as it would if I were a traditional undergrad. I'm constantly broke from taking and retaking these classes, have no support from my family or friends besides their criticism, stressed to the point of tears every semester, working at a job I loathe, on top of many tragic family deaths over the past 6 years.

My grades do not reflect what I've learned in the past few years, whatsoever. However, it leaves me worrying will admissions look at it all and see a person that took two classes at a time, and had to retake everything, and can't cut it at their school, or will they see it as a very very determined individual?

Any advice and honesty on this subject is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[DrMidlife]

MD schools do not forgive previous grades on repeated coursework. If you take Bio for a C and repeat for an A, both the C and the A count in GPA calculations. How your college calculates GPA makes no difference whatever.

You'll want to focus on DO schools, I think. Otherwise you probably have multiple more years before you're ready to apply.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Maddie20]

Sweet thanks!

 

[Maddie20]

But there has to be some small schools that wouldn't look at retaking classes as a bad thing though? A person I met in one of my classes retook all of his major science classes because he needed A's to get in. How does that work?

 

[DrMidlife]

But there has to be some small schools that wouldn't look at retaking classes as a bad thing though? A person I met in one of my classes retook all of his major science classes because he needed A's to get in. How does that work?

Assume you don't know the whole story with that guy and that he isn't going to tell you.

 

[petyr_baelish]

Keep getting A's, assuming that you will go to DO school. Keep your hopes up for DO because it is realistic for you.

Then apply to MD school anyway because nobody here can tell you whether or not the great cr*pshoot that is medical admissions will go in your favour.

 

[Indianarn]

I've come across a concern. So I have a degree and wanted to pursue medical school so I'm taking the pre-reqs at a different school, back in my home state. While talking with my advisor, him being the judgmental/bitter person he has always been, points out that medical school admissions may look that those particular required classes but that they also look at how many times you've taken it, as well as the workload of that semester, to assess how one could handle the reality of being a medical student. My undergraduate GPA isn't so hot, so I want to have all A's and a few B's with a solid MCAT score going into my applications. However, I have had to retake some classes to get the A or B that I want. My question is, how much thought will they put on my application when they look at my transcripts and see that I've only taken 7-8 hours at a time, only to do poorly the first time, and retaken them to get A's and B's the second time.

This career is something I have always wanted to do. However, recent events keep bringing me down and I'm to the point to where I'm asking myself, will my hard work and many sacrifices pay off in the end? Like many other nontraditional students I'm dealing with the added real-world realities that doesn't come up as often as it would if I were a traditional undergrad. I'm constantly broke from taking and retaking these classes, have no support from my family or friends besides their criticism, stressed to the point of tears every semester, working at a job I loathe, on top of many tragic family deaths over the past 6 years.

My grades do not reflect what I've learned in the past few years, whatsoever. However, it leaves me worrying will admissions look at it all and see a person that took two classes at a time, and had to retake everything, and can't cut it at their school, or will they see it as a very very determined individual?

Any advice and honesty on this subject is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I will give you some points from my experience. I moved to the US when I was twenty. Money was always tight and I stayed part time for four years and skipped many semesters cause I couldn't afford to pay for them. It took me 9 years to get my BS in biology and then I enrolled in the school of nursing and got another BS in 3 years. I failed a few classes in my first semesters just not for showing up to the finals (dumb me). I only repeated statistics and got an A in it. I was out of school for 9 years and then took MCATs. My scores are ok but not eye opening and I was late in the cycle. I decided only to apply for DO school, primary care is my interest any ways. In the nine years I was out, I got many experiences and put them all in my applications. I applied to 18 schools and got 15 secondaries. So far, I have 2 rejections and two interviews set up. So right now you should only worry about taking these classes and keeping good grades. Secondly, start doing some volunteer work. I don't mean 1000 hours in the same kind of volunteer experience, but I think you should do many different kind of things with 50-80 hours in each. Keep your CV ready, put everything in it. Write down what you got out of it and how it relates to medicine. Last but not least, start shadowing some doctors now. It will come in handy and you will be ready for the LOR when you apply. Last of all, take the MCAT when you think you can ace it. Do you best and depending about score apply to the school that you think might like you as a candidate. But keep all your options open both MD and DO school. Keep working hard, you can do it. Good luck.