Hi everyone! This is my first post on SDN. I originally posted this on a premed group on Facebook. One person there suggested that I look for advice here. I apologize if this isn't the right place. Let's see how this goes.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. The first time I considered studying medicine was in 2006, when I was 19. I always loved science, and helping others, so I thought that medicine was the obvious path to take. But I had a rough time in college. I had zero study skills, and had no idea what I was doing. I kept switching majors, dropping classes, switching universities. I felt lost. On top of all that, I had been struggling with episodes of depression and severe anxiety from a young age.
In a moment of despair I stumbled into a nursing program at my local university, but managed to finish my degree. I excelled there. I was fascinated by health sciences, and the human body. I also knew from day one that nursing would never be enough. By then I was in my mid-twenties and needed to start my life, so I thought I’d work as a nurse for a short while until I figured out what I wanted. That was almost ten years ago. In 2015 I took a backpack, a small suitcase, and my nursing license and moved to Western New York. I’ve been working here ever since. I now work at a large emergency department, and love the chaos, but I crave more knowledge.
I was diagnosed with ADHD at 29, which explained a lot. I’ve since gone to therapy, developed a meditation practice, and learned more about what works for me and what doesn’t. I have matured, and have become more organized. But none of that changes these facts: I have 28 W’s and 7 F’s on my transcript; I haven’t set foot in a classroom in a decade; I never took organic chemistry; My other prereqs are 15 years old. Some of these courses I repeated a few times, but here are the final grades: General Chemistry 1 & 2 - B’s, General Biology 1 & 2 - A & B, Physics 1 & 2 - A & B, plus many math courses. According to the GPA calculator on Mappd my cGPA is 3.15, and my sGPA is 2.72, with an upward trend. Terrible, I know.
That dream of becoming a doctor has never wavered. I’ve had well-intentioned nurses tell me that “I’m wasting my time here.” and a few doctors ask “So when are you going to med school?” I have to try again. Should I repeat all of these courses? Find a formal post-bacc program? Apply to an SMP? I’m open to advice and suggestions, no matter how brutal it may be. Thank you.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. The first time I considered studying medicine was in 2006, when I was 19. I always loved science, and helping others, so I thought that medicine was the obvious path to take. But I had a rough time in college. I had zero study skills, and had no idea what I was doing. I kept switching majors, dropping classes, switching universities. I felt lost. On top of all that, I had been struggling with episodes of depression and severe anxiety from a young age.
In a moment of despair I stumbled into a nursing program at my local university, but managed to finish my degree. I excelled there. I was fascinated by health sciences, and the human body. I also knew from day one that nursing would never be enough. By then I was in my mid-twenties and needed to start my life, so I thought I’d work as a nurse for a short while until I figured out what I wanted. That was almost ten years ago. In 2015 I took a backpack, a small suitcase, and my nursing license and moved to Western New York. I’ve been working here ever since. I now work at a large emergency department, and love the chaos, but I crave more knowledge.
I was diagnosed with ADHD at 29, which explained a lot. I’ve since gone to therapy, developed a meditation practice, and learned more about what works for me and what doesn’t. I have matured, and have become more organized. But none of that changes these facts: I have 28 W’s and 7 F’s on my transcript; I haven’t set foot in a classroom in a decade; I never took organic chemistry; My other prereqs are 15 years old. Some of these courses I repeated a few times, but here are the final grades: General Chemistry 1 & 2 - B’s, General Biology 1 & 2 - A & B, Physics 1 & 2 - A & B, plus many math courses. According to the GPA calculator on Mappd my cGPA is 3.15, and my sGPA is 2.72, with an upward trend. Terrible, I know.
That dream of becoming a doctor has never wavered. I’ve had well-intentioned nurses tell me that “I’m wasting my time here.” and a few doctors ask “So when are you going to med school?” I have to try again. Should I repeat all of these courses? Find a formal post-bacc program? Apply to an SMP? I’m open to advice and suggestions, no matter how brutal it may be. Thank you.
