Am I fooling myself?

[182549]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Okay. I am nearly 24 years old. Graduated from a reputable midwestern university with a B.S. in Psychology. I have always dreamt of being an MD, but never really considered what the application committees would be looking for. For example, my first semester in U.G.: (2x 300-level courses, 1x 200-level french class, 1x english class and 1x psych. class). I have always been a great test taker (ACT of 34), but never really made a concerted, sustained effort to study.

Needless to say, I should have taken a more appropriate load my first semester at school. Consequently, I'm surprised that I didnt have to drop a few of these courses (although I should have). I never really listened to my academic advisor (hindsight... ahh).

My composite GPA undergrad was atrocious (2.5) largely due to my penchant for taking electives *way* out of my league (Astronomy 300? why not?), and my belief that studying was best done the night before a mid-term. Not to excuse this, but I thought that it wasnt the grade at the end, but what you could learn and take away from classes. Nevertheless, I graduated on time with a 3.1 GPA in my major.

I accepted a position at a clinic working with profoundly-autistic students full-time upon graduation in a clinical setting. I then decided to take some time to figure out what the heck I wanted to pursue later in life. I absolutely love working with these kids. I learned two things: a) coming in and giving your best day in and day out *was* rewarding (i.e. work ethic), and b) i could absorb and apply more technical information than I have ever thought possible.

A few coworkers convinced me to try out education, so I attended a state school for a semester part-time in their Master's in Special Education and decided that it wasn't something that I could see myself being happy doing when I was 40. I aced the courses, but dropped the program.

I have been told that I could be a stellar behavior analyst, and so I accepted a position at the facility training the staff in behavioral theory. I enjoy the field, yes, but life is funny.

My new year's resolution this year is to figure out what the heck I want to do for a living. The only thing that comes to mind, the passion that I've had since I was a child: medicine.

It should be relatively easy: go to a good Behavioral Psych program, become a BCBA and live a safe, comfortable life - but that's why life is funny. I feel that medicine is the profession that I am meant for. The body makes sense, it's a system. Being a doctor is more of a science. You can save lives. You can improve so many more peoples' lives. If I was born with a desire for anything, it is to don the white coat.

My UG GPA stinks, I don't have the prerequisite classes, it would be a huge career change, would my girlfriend stick around? Would I make the cut? Would I go into debt for nothing?

There are several Post-Bac courses in the Chicagoland area that I'm currently sizing up. I know that if I give this the green-light, I can actually apply myself like I've never had the motivation to do before.

I figure: take all of the prereq's, get straight A's in the courses (difficult? maybe, but if I can't do this, at least I know that I'm not meant for this). Work part-time at the facility. Study during any free moments for the MCAT. 2 years prep, 1.5 years applying, be into a school by the time i'm 27-28.

Am I delusional? Is there a chance that I could become a competitive applicant? At what cost?

Thanks for reading my rant. I'd value your advice.
~a

 

[gman33]

Starting with a 2.5 GPA you have a lot to overcome. It can be done, but make sure you have a realistic idea of what needs to be done.
The average gpa of a matriculant is around 3.6. With a 2.5 it is virtually impossible to get to that average. You would probably want to take UG courses full-time for 2-3 years and then possibly follow this up with a SMP.

If you are interested in DO schools, they replace old grades if you retake a class. This is a much quicker way to raise your GPA. They are also more forgiving when it comes to GPA. Something around a 3.3 should be good enough for some DO schools.

The MCAT is way down the road for you, but make sure you give yourself a lot of time (maybe 400-500 hours) to prep for the test. You will need an excellent score to demonstrate that you have overcome your past history.

It can be done, but you have a lot of work ahead of you.

 

[Faze2]

Agree with gman. Nothing is impossible. You just really have to take some classes to raise that GPA up to at least a 2.75 to be competative for some SMP programs. Some schools are somewhat, and I do mean somewhat, understanding of people in your situation, and consequently mine is similar to yours. You MUST prove to schools that your undergrad was not indicitive of your ability, simply your effort. This will require not only doing well but patience as well, as it can be discouraging seeing your gpa slowly inch up even after a year of 3.75+ gpa. But if you are patient and are willing to do the work, and can ignore the nay-sayers who tell you that you will never be a doctor, you can absolutely do it!!! And BTW, I cannot tell you how many docs I have met that started med school in their late 20's early 30's, so don't let that discourage you as well.

If you are a little impatient, Carribean is always an option, but you must know what you are getting into before you make that leap. But I have met several doctors who took that route and are very successful. You will hear all sorts of opinions on this option, which is for another thread, but it all boils down to the work you put into it.

As Gman stated, DO schools replace old grades and are not as dependent on gpa as MD schools, but do not kid yourself and think these schools are not competative or easy to get into. Again, some people will have an opinion about this option, saying it is a lesser degree, but that argument has been beaten to death, and quite frankly I am sorry to everyone for even bringing it up. 🙁 The reason I even said it is because some people will say, "Oh don't worry, just apply DO and you'll be fine." Like you are applying to U. of Tijuanna or something.

In the end, it all depends on if you really want it. If you do, you will get it.

 

[jimmym]

I'm new to this forum. What is a DO school?

 

[Blade28]

I'm new to this forum. What is a DO school?

Please read the FAQs either in Pre-Allopathic or Pre-Osteopathic. There are lots of good threads on MD vs. DO.

 

[Pigg-O-Stat]

Your story is similar to mine. I made the decision to change paths at 25. It took me 3 years, and currently I am in my first year of med school. I originally had a 2.7 undergrad GPA. Worked my ass off taking all of the med school pre-reqs and the MCAT twice, plus volunteer work, and extracurriculars. It was arduous, but well worth the effort.

Make sure you get those A's - its not as easy as it seems and most schools won't even look at your application with total and science GPA below 2.75, some 3.0.

DO will have a bit lower numbers, and more emphasis on life, work experience -- but unless you are interested in OPP I would advise you to consider Caribbean as a better back up plan.

Hope it helps. Good luck.
Adam

 

[biggiesmallsiz]

pretty sure nursing school reqs are hard and could suit your "penchant" for taking classes way out of your league.

Okay. I am nearly 24 years old. Graduated from a reputable midwestern university with a B.S. in Psychology. I have always dreamt of being an MD, but never really considered what the application committees would be looking for. For example, my first semester in U.G.: (2x 300-level courses, 1x 200-level french class, 1x english class and 1x psych. class). I have always been a great test taker (ACT of 34), but never really made a concerted, sustained effort to study.
Thanks for reading my rant. I'd value your advice.
~a

 

[Perrotfish]

Best case scenario you're 2 years from medical school

Year 1: Take med school prereqs and lots of easy class to get both your cumulative and science GPA up to 2.75. Study for and take the MCAT. Get a 34+ on the MCAT. Use your high MCAT score and your newly raised GPA to apply to a Special Masters Program.

Year 2: Take, and excel in, the Special Masters program. Use your performance in the program to enhance your medical school app. Go to medical school.

A 34 MCAT is sort of rare though. You might end up having to take 2 years to get your GPA to a 3.0, getting a 31 on your MCAT, doing the SMP in your 3rd year, and THEN going to medical school.

other options

1) Skip the SMP and go to the Caribbean. Don't fail out (2/3 do)

2) Retake the classes where you recieved the lowest grades to quickily get your GPA to about a 3.2 (with grade replacemnt). DO schools allow grade replacement, so in their eyes (but not in the eyes of MD schools) you now have a 3.2 and are competitive with a good MCAT score.