Clinically diagnosed ADD...Need help really badly

[brideofwalken]

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I started out my freshman year of college as a pre-med student but I kind of completely failed because I've never been good at science or math plus it was the first time I ever really attempted to study in my life. (In high school I didn't do shat but was always a pretty good student because I'm more of an english person and I stayed away from science classes. And I know i'm not completely stupid because I scored really high on my SATs, I just have absolutely no work ethic at all)

But I definitely do want to be a doctor and after being diagnosed with ADD, my life makes a lot more sense and I take Adderall now to help control it and it's like a completely different world where studying is actually something that's possible for me to do. I've also realized I only do well if I start planning stuff really early.

So my questions are:
1) Do you guys think it's worth for me to go back to being pre-med since I am a lot more motivated and have a much better idea of how to succeed?

2)How hard is it really to be a pre-med student for a person with ADD/bad memorization?

3) How bad will it look that I pretty much failed my biology and chem courses my first year of college? (I'm obviously going to retake them)

4) Does it get easier as the years go on or do the courses just get harder? (Taking chemistry or any kind of higher level math for me was like a mentally-******ed person trying to understand the theory of relativity)

5)Can someone please explain how hard the required courses are relative to each other and kind of what the main materials taught in the courses are?

• "General Chemistry 1 & 2 (with laboratories)
• General Biology 1 & 2 (with laboratories) (some schools allow zoology in place of second semester)
• Organic Chemistry 1 & 2 (with laboratories) (some schools allow biochemistry in place of second semester)
• General Physics 1 & 2 (with laboratories)
• One or two semesters of math, at least pre-calculus (algebra and trigonometry). Of course calculus 1 and either calculus 2 or a statistics course are preferential.
• English and Writing

Pre-medical students may be advised or required to take upper level biology and chemistry electives, such as cellular biology, physical chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, etc. Specific requirements for these courses vary by institution."



6) Are math courses really required for pre-med?

Sorry it's so long...Thanks guys.

 

[nevercold]

I started out my freshman year of college as a pre-med student but I kind of completely failed because I've never been good at science or math plus it was the first time I ever really attempted to study in my life. (In high school I didn't do shat but was always a pretty good student because I'm more of an english person and I stayed away from science classes. And I know i'm not completely stupid because I scored really high on my SATs, I just have absolutely no work ethic at all)

But I definitely do want to be a doctor and after being diagnosed with ADD, my life makes a lot more sense and I take Adderall now to help control it and it's like a completely different world where studying is actually something that's possible for me to do. I've also realized I only do well if I start planning stuff really early.

So my questions are:
1) Do you guys think it's worth for me to go back to being pre-med since I am a lot more motivated and have a much better idea of how to succeed?

2)How hard is it really to be a pre-med student for a person with ADD/bad memorization?

3) How bad will it look that I pretty much failed my biology and chem courses my first year of college? (I'm obviously going to retake them)

4) Does it get easier as the years go on or do the courses just get harder? (Taking chemistry or any kind of higher level math for me was like a mentally-******ed person trying to understand the theory of relativity)

5)Can someone please explain how hard the required courses are relative to each other and kind of what the main materials taught in the courses are?

• "General Chemistry 1 & 2 (with laboratories)
• General Biology 1 & 2 (with laboratories) (some schools allow zoology in place of second semester)
• Organic Chemistry 1 & 2 (with laboratories) (some schools allow biochemistry in place of second semester)
• General Physics 1 & 2 (with laboratories)
• One or two semesters of math, at least pre-calculus (algebra and trigonometry). Of course calculus 1 and either calculus 2 or a statistics course are preferential.
• English and Writing

Pre-medical students may be advised or required to take upper level biology and chemistry electives, such as cellular biology, physical chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, etc. Specific requirements for these courses vary by institution."



6) Are math courses really required for pre-med?

Sorry it's so long...Thanks guys.

1. Yes.

2. Far from impossible.

3. Ace them, explain what happened and you'll be fine.

4. Varies. Harder in theory, but you'll be smarter.

5. Rigor varies by school. Answer re: content would be way too long. Check syllabus for each or google a syllabus for each at a random college.

6. Math - yes. Requirements vary by school.

 

[armybound]

why in the world did you link us to the wiki page for each subject?

 

[brideofwalken]

why in the world did you link us to the wiki page for each subject?

Oops. I didn't mean to link it, I was just copying the list of usual requirements.

 

[joyrunner]

So my questions are:
1) Do you guys think it's worth for me to go back to being pre-med since I am a lot more motivated and have a much better idea of how to succeed?

2)How hard is it really to be a pre-med student for a person with ADD/bad memorization?

3) How bad will it look that I pretty much failed my biology and chem courses my first year of college? (I'm obviously going to retake them)

4) Does it get easier as the years go on or do the courses just get harder? (Taking chemistry or any kind of higher level math for me was like a mentally-******ed person trying to understand the theory of relativity)

5)Can someone please explain how hard the required courses are relative to each other and kind of what the main materials taught in the courses are?

1) Yes. I went back to pre-med my last year of college, and it seemed daunting, but I'm on the other side now; it was definately worth it.
2) I don't know how hard it is for a person with ADD to memorize, but from what you said, it seems like it's nothing you can't handle. I'm sure there are lots of successful doctors out there with ADD.
3) A lot of schools look at grade trends. Most students don't even have an excuse as good as "I had undiagnosed ADD," to explain poor grades their first year. THey just say they weren't grounded and partied a lot, and then got serious. If you ace the courses and show off on the MCAT, you'll be just as good as anyone else.
4) In my experience, and I've heard others say this too, the second round of courses are the hardest, ie orgo, cell, micro, genetics, etc. But once you get past these it gets easier.
5) I thought the second semester of gen chem was harder than the first, but the second semester of orgo was easier than the first. The labs are what sucked for me; lots of time, not lots of credit. I loved cell biology, and thought it was way better than freshman bio. I think the most remarkable characteristic of the coursework is that your first year or two, you'll be really competing with your classmates to stay in the major, and your last year or two you'll feel more like you belong. It gets more familiar and personal.
Good luck.

 

[mm3781]

1. If it is really what you want to do, go for it.
2. It can be done, you just have to realize that you are going to have to study a LOT more than the average person, like all the time. Once you accept the fact that your social life will be less than that of a dish towel, it's a real possibility to do well.
3. You have a reason, but be prepared to explain why it was undiagnosed (i.e., some people are just that smart that they can pull off excellent grades during high school or college, but hit the floor when they get to college or med school respectively).
4. I thought they got easier as I progressed. I HATED first year biology because it was full of stupid **** busy work, but I loved my courses junior and senior year becuase they were about the details of microbiology and immunology, which interested me.
5. Honestly, it depends on what kind of person you are. I am strictly a visual learner, so anything that I can picture in my mind or draw a pathway for sticks like glue. For general chemistry, it worked because I could "see" a pathway in the chemical reactions. I loved organic because I could picture the structures in my mind and manipulate them (I was actually going to double major in chemistry until I realized that would involve physical chem and upper level calculus, and the only thing I hate more than calculus is vegetables). So for me, dermatology is my thing. I can see a skin disease and never forget what it looks like, the same goes for dermatopathology. I also love cell biology and immunology as they can be very visual as well.

The short is, its gonna be a pain in the kahunas, but it can be done and done very well at that.

 

[nata723]

So my questions are:
1) Do you guys think it's worth for me to go back to being pre-med since I am a lot more motivated and have a much better idea of how to succeed?

2)How hard is it really to be a pre-med student for a person with ADD/bad memorization?

3) How bad will it look that I pretty much failed my biology and chem courses my first year of college? (I'm obviously going to retake them)

4) Does it get easier as the years go on or do the courses just get harder? (Taking chemistry or any kind of higher level math for me was like a mentally-******ed person trying to understand the theory of relativity)

5)Can someone please explain how hard the required courses are relative to each other and kind of what the main materials taught in the courses are?

• "General Chemistry 1 & 2 (with laboratories)
• General Biology 1 & 2 (with laboratories) (some schools allow zoology in place of second semester)
• Organic Chemistry 1 & 2 (with laboratories) (some schools allow biochemistry in place of second semester)
• General Physics 1 & 2 (with laboratories)
• One or two semesters of math, at least pre-calculus (algebra and trigonometry). Of course calculus 1 and either calculus 2 or a statistics course are preferential.
• English and Writing

Pre-medical students may be advised or required to take upper level biology and chemistry electives, such as cellular biology, physical chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, etc. Specific requirements for these courses vary by institution."



6) Are math courses really required for pre-med?

Sorry it's so long...Thanks guys.

Hi brideofwalken! First of all, I'd like to say that if you WANT to do it and take steps to become a doctor, you can TOTALLY achieve it! I had a boyfriend who has ADHD and he is now a graduate engineering student at Georgia Tech. He was also really smart and just had to buckle down and study lots of times...but he learned to do it and learned it well!

Anyway, to answer your questions:
1.) It is DEFINITELY worth it if that's what you have a passion for! Motivation takes you a long way and can make you do incredible things. 🙂

2.) Probably about the same difficulty as following an advanced engineering degree, which my response above demonstrates as VERY POSSIBLE.

3.) It won't look bad IF you do really well in all of your courses and show a complete turnaround! In fact, I think that the admissions committees would be incredibly impressed with what you will have been able to do by that time. That freshman year will show them how difficult it is to study and succeed with ADD, but that despite that, your later years in college went really excellently. They'll admire your drive and perseverance. So, don't worry about that first year, as long as you do really well from now on.

4.) The pre-reqs aren't really that bad, and med schools don't require that many. That means that all of the pre-reqs are basically freshman or sophomore level, which means that no, they don't really get harder. However, the courses within a science major DO get harder, but if you work thoroughly the whole time, it is not at all unbearable or impossible. By your junior and senior years, you'll be well-practiced and will be able to balance such a schedule. The course material will be more in-depth into your area of study as the years go by, but it will not necessarily be harder....just more in-depth.

5.) Organic chemistries are the hardest. They take a lot of time and memorization and diligence, which may be especially difficult for you. But just like you said, if you plan for it, you will do well. So, start studying hard the first day of the course and you will be fine.

One last note: You CAN do it, you CAN become a doctor, just be sure to plan everything and if you find yourself getting off track, take the necessary steps and talk to people that will help you get back on track! (and you can PM me if you have any questions or ever need any motivation in the future!🙂)

 

[brideofwalken]

thanks guys!

 

[Cegar]

How many classes did you fail?

I.E. what was your freshman year GPA and how many credits was it worth?

 

[brideofwalken]

How many classes did you fail?

I.E. what was your freshman year GPA and how many credits was it worth?

My freshman GPA is 1.774 as of now. I took a semester off and I'm on my first semester since coming back so I haven't gotten any new grades yet...yeah...1.774...makes me cringe...

 

[Cegar]

My freshman GPA is 1.774 as of now. I took a semester off and I'm on my first semester since coming back so I haven't gotten any new grades yet...yeah...1.774...makes me cringe...

So that 1.8 counts for what I presume is 1/8th of your total credit load?

If you got a 4.0 in all other 7 semesters, then you would finish with a 3.7.

That's about average for the highish middle tier medical schools.

Keep in mind that AMCAS will not replace grades. If you got an F in Gen Chem 1 and you retook it and got an A, both the F and the A will factor into your AMCAS GPA.

 

[172858]

I started out my freshman year of college as a pre-med student but I kind of completely failed because I've never been good at science or math plus it was the first time I ever really attempted to study in my life. (In high school I didn't do shat but was always a pretty good student because I'm more of an english person and I stayed away from science classes. And I know i'm not completely stupid because I scored really high on my SATs, I just have absolutely no work ethic at all)

But I definitely do want to be a doctor and after being diagnosed with ADD, my life makes a lot more sense and I take Adderall now to help control it and it's like a completely different world where studying is actually something that's possible for me to do. I've also realized I only do well if I start planning stuff really early.

So my questions are:
1) Do you guys think it's worth for me to go back to being pre-med since I am a lot more motivated and have a much better idea of how to succeed?

2)How hard is it really to be a pre-med student for a person with ADD/bad memorization?

3) How bad will it look that I pretty much failed my biology and chem courses my first year of college? (I'm obviously going to retake them)

4) Does it get easier as the years go on or do the courses just get harder? (Taking chemistry or any kind of higher level math for me was like a mentally-******ed person trying to understand the theory of relativity)

5)Can someone please explain how hard the required courses are relative to each other and kind of what the main materials taught in the courses are?

• "General Chemistry 1 & 2 (with laboratories)
• General Biology 1 & 2 (with laboratories) (some schools allow zoology in place of second semester)
• Organic Chemistry 1 & 2 (with laboratories) (some schools allow biochemistry in place of second semester)
• General Physics 1 & 2 (with laboratories)
• One or two semesters of math, at least pre-calculus (algebra and trigonometry). Of course calculus 1 and either calculus 2 or a statistics course are preferential.
• English and Writing

Pre-medical students may be advised or required to take upper level biology and chemistry electives, such as cellular biology, physical chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, etc. Specific requirements for these courses vary by institution."



6) Are math courses really required for pre-med?

Sorry it's so long...Thanks guys.

wow. crazy post. someone's adderall is kicking in.

 

[brianmartin]

someone's adderall is kicking in.

Haha exactly what I was thinking 🙂 It does do wonders (I know)!

OP, you can still go for it. Just retake those classes and ace them. Get your study habits in gear though because these classes are not easy. I don't think the classes get any *harder*, but maybe require more work (like organic chemistry).