A Request for Advice!

[JoeFreely]

I just wanted to start this by thanking you guys for taking the time to read this message and respond to it. I also want thank you all for bearing with my attempt at trying to present relevant information in a logical manner because I am not used to posting stuff on message boards (this may be tl/dnr for some, heads up). The overall goal of this post is to find out if Medical School is a pipe dream, or something that I can hope to achieve with hard work and dedication (and if it is possible, what should I start working on now to improve my chances).

I did not graduate from high school, and worked for a few years before returning to school to get my GED. I initially started taking classes in 2005 at a technical college in my area, and ended up withdrawing from a lot of classes at the time because I was also working 40-50hours a week and did not have any real goal or understanding of the consequences of WP's and grad schools or medical schools. I ended up waiting until the fall of 2007 before I took a solid semester of classes. I took one quarter of classes and made a C in non-science major Biology, and a C in College Algebra, and an A in the basic English class (1101).

After this quarter, I started volunteering at a local hospital and decided that I would be happy working in the medical field. I transferred to a community college and did exceptionally well in all of my classes there. I completed an Associates Degree of General Studies with a GPA of 3.65, and my adviser along with my chemistry teacher suggested that I might be capable of getting into Medical School. I made A's in both Gen Chems, an A in Bio1107, and a C in Bio1108. I made a B in Pre-Calculus, and an A in Statistics.

I then transferred to a state university in the fall of 2009, and was accepted into the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program. Things did not go well. There is always an excuse, but I had never lived on my own, I had recently lost my job (after having just signed my first lease that I could not get out of), and I had started dating someone which I had not really ever done before. Long story short I was completely stressed and focused on the wrong things. I basically flushed 3 semesters down the toilet. I made a C+ in physics, a D in Calculus, and a C in a Spanish class. I was put on academic probation, and retook Calculus making a C- (in retro-spec, I probably could have spoken with my teacher and gotten a C, but I did not understand that that was acceptable). In any case, I re-re-took Calculus and made a B in it this semester, and I am no longer on Academic Probation. My current overall GPA is 3.1 (although my cumulative gpa at my state university is a 2.09 for the 3 semesters of classes I have taken). I still have about 50 more credit hours to go and potentially bring my grades up. My current major is Biochemistry and Molecular Biology which also guarantees me at least two semesters of research experience. I am concerned about my abysmal Math GPA and two semesters of academic probation, and the fact that I have withdrawn (passing) from O-chem twice now.

Is there any kind of hope for me as far as medical school is concerned?



Should I stick with my current major which will be extremely challenging and potentially allow for only marginal improvement of my GPA (as in I literally only have sciences left in it, and my school is notorious for having weed out policy for classes all upper level sciences, not just ochem)? I would also be guaranteed research experience if I stuck with this major.


Should I switch to a different major that will allow me to bulk up my gpa and just take ochem and the last physics as electives?

Also, I have around 130 volunteer hours at a local hospital as well, and am lucky enough to live in an area with lots of different medical centers for shadowing experience.

I hope that this post was not too rambling, or hard to follow. Thank you again for any advice, and words of wisdom.

**Edited to add that I am not worrying about trying to get into top Medical Schools, in fact I live in Georgia and would love to get into school in Georgia.

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[AutumnChild]

Do you actually like your major or are you just doing it b/c u think it'll help u get into med school? Don't stick with a major you do not like, no ones says you have to be a bio and/or some sort of science major to get into medical school. If you like something else, say English or History or Business, do that instead, take the necessary pre-reqs for med school and just be sure to do well in them as well as in your major classes. Medical school isn't a pipe dream as you haven't finished your undergrad studies yet but you need to make good grades and you need to do well on the MCAT. The grades you received at a community college really aren't going to help you. Community colleges have less challenging courses and adcoms know that and for you do somewhat poorly in them reflects negatively on you...UNLESS you can show them you are capable of doing well at a University. The verdict is going to be still out at this point since you have so many credit hours left to go. If you do well all around, get the appropriate ECs etc... I see no reason why you can't pursue your dream.

 

[MCATism]

I'm going to be harsh, please forgive me.

Your explanation of your academic career is basically a series of bad grades and reasons for them. While it's great that you want to be a doctor, I'm sure you're well aware how competitive this process is. The margin of error isn't that great. Many students with one or two so-so grades intermixed with A's at top schools are fearing for their application. I'm one of them.

I'm not an adcomm, so there is possibility that I'm totally wrong and you have a compelling story, but at this point, that would just be a start. You're well below even average DO matriculants. Since you've taken most of your pre-reqs, I'd say start studying for the MCAT and see where that takes you. Someone that isn't ready to handle their own life (grades, lease, dating) probably isn't ready to handle the lives of others. Being able to take responsibility in spite of what life throws at you is an essential skill. My advice would be to focus on all-around self-improvement, including academics, and holding off your app until you feel ready.

Some students have remarkable bounce-backs. You could be one of them. That said, I'd consider many things (such as focusing on things like being able to handle adult life - leases, dating, essential stuff) as a priority first. Take your time. Don't do a major just because there is guaranteed research experience. That is not enough to get you in, particularly if your GPA will take a hit.

Think about what you LIKE, and study it. See where it takes you. Perhaps this is medicine, perhaps it is not. Most people come back at this with "No no you have it all wrong, I need to be a doctor," but just let your choices take you somewhere, and work hard at whatever you do.

I'd also consider other allied health professions (nursing, radiation technologist, EMT, pharmacy) if health care is your area of passion.

Good luck!