Confessions of an Ex-Premed

[sinfin]

Fellow SDNers -

Here is my story : I graduated from a prestigious university with a 3.4 GPA with a major in business and I took all the premed reqs. After undergrad I was determined to get into med school ....I was really pumped about med school and medicine in general. I did all sorts of stuff....research, EMT, post-bacc with a 3.7 , published author, etc...However, my MCAT scores sucked and my GPA wasn't all that hot either. I took the MCAT 5 times!! I raised my score from a 17 to a 27. My problem was that I was too fixated on going to a US MD school. I could have easily gone to the carribean or gone the DO route. So, after the 5th time taking I realized medicine wasnt for me. I found my true passion in business. I felt like I was forcing myself to like med. So, now I have been accepted to NYU business in my beloved hometown of NYC with a few job interviews lined up.Anyway, here is my point : Everything works out in the end and if your heart is in the right place.....then it does not matter where
you go to med school. I am confident I could have a great doctor had I chosen to go the carribean or DO. SO best of luck to you all and thank you for all the advice/support fellow SDNers.


Best Regards,

Sinfin

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[AggieJohn]

Fellow SDNers -

Here is my story : I graduated from a prestigious university with a 3.4 GPA with a major in business and I took all the premed reqs. After undergrad I was determined to get into med school ....I was really pumped about med school and medicine in general. I did all sorts of stuff....research, EMT, post-bacc with a 3.7 , published author, etc...However, my MCAT scores sucked and my GPA wasn't all that hot either. I took the MCAT 5 times!! I raised my score from a 17 to a 27. My problem was that I was too fixated on going to a US MD school. I could have easily gone to the carribean or gone the DO route. So, after the 5th time taking I realized medicine wasnt for me. I found my true passion in business. I felt like I was forcing myself to like med. So, now I have been accepted to NYU business in my beloved hometown of NYC with a few job interviews lined up.Anyway, here is my point : Everything works out in the end and if your heart is in the right place.....then it does not matter where
you go to med school. I am confident I could have a great doctor had I chosen to go the carribean or DO. SO best of luck to you all and thank you for all the advice/support fellow SDNers.


Best Regards,

Sinfin

What?

 

[Pembleton]

Bravo for realizing that.

 

[njbmd]

Fellow SDNers -

Here is my story : I graduated from a prestigious university with a 3.4 GPA with a major in business and I took all the premed reqs. After undergrad I was determined to get into med school ....I was really pumped about med school and medicine in general. I did all sorts of stuff....research, EMT, post-bacc with a 3.7 , published author, etc...However, my MCAT scores sucked and my GPA wasn't all that hot either. I took the MCAT 5 times!! I raised my score from a 17 to a 27. My problem was that I was too fixated on going to a US MD school. I could have easily gone to the carribean or gone the DO route. So, after the 5th time taking I realized medicine wasnt for me. I found my true passion in business. I felt like I was forcing myself to like med. So, now I have been accepted to NYU business in my beloved hometown of NYC with a few job interviews lined up.Anyway, here is my point : Everything works out in the end and if your heart is in the right place.....then it does not matter where
you go to med school. I am confident I could have a great doctor had I chosen to go the carribean or DO. SO best of luck to you all and thank you for all the advice/support fellow SDNers.


Best Regards,

Sinfin

Hi there,
Good luck in the business. It must be pretty exciting to be in New York at this time in your life. I love the "soul" of NYC with its grit and diversity. It's truly a wondeful place with loads of opportunity. NYC is like no other city on this planet and it keeps getting better.

I am sure that many SDNers would envy you and all the challenges that lie ahead for you. Medicine is not for everyone and some folks are in for an unpleasant surprise. It usually hits right after they get their first exam scores back during first year.

Anyway, enjoy! Oh, to have a New York bagel right now.

njbmd

 

[mshheaddoc]

Great post. Although I thought I was a pre-med, went to business, left business, and I'm a pre-med again Sometimes you have to stick with your heart as well.

But at least there are a FEW sensible pre-meds who might really find what they want to do!

 

[MossPoh]

Heh. I started bioengineering as premed, and bombed so I switched to something because it sounded neat got to the real courses and realized it wasn't for me but was too late, sat down after my dad asked me what I wanted to do..took everything from external sources out of the question..(mainly him since he is a doctor, but also money, time, etc.) and I kept going back to medicine.....I quit before because I was miserable, failing, and well thought I was just doing it to make my dad happy...but yea now I'm switching back. Just finishing this degree and doing post bacc or the prereqs near home...

 

[kaybam20]

Good to Know medicine is not for ya.Anyway,
One more open spot for Borderline candidates.

 

[star22]

I thought someone could only take the MCAT three times?! I guess I was wrong.

 

[NonTradMed]

I thought someone could only take the MCAT three times?! I guess I was wrong.

You have to write for permission to retake the MCAT after the third time, and you have to show them proof that you have applied to med school and was rejected or you have other academic reasons for taking the MCAT.

 

[masterMood]

can they deny you from taking the mcat for a 4th time or 5th time even if you show all the proper documents?

 

[NonTradMed]

can they deny you from taking the mcat for a 4th time or 5th time even if you show all the proper documents?

Not that I'm aware of. It's on the aamc website, but they basically said you have to show proof that you are trying to get into medical school or doing it for academic purposes if you want to take it beyond 3 tries. I think it's to prevent people from retaking it over and over again like the SAT and getting overly familiar with the test, and to also prevent people from Kaplan and Princeton Review from hiring professionals to take it again and again for their classes. It's not to deter premeds from retaking it if they honestly did poorly on it.

 

[chad5871]

This is kind of what happened with me, except for with Forensic Science, not medicine. I realize now, as I am about to get into the more Forensic-specific courses, that it is not what I want to be doing for the next 30+ years. I wanted to be a doctor my entire life, but somewhere during high school (and a move halfway across the country for two years and back), I lost my vision of pursuing medicine. It wasn't until I sat down to a two hour discussion with my best friend that I realized medicine is what I have wanted to do all along and there is nothing holding me back from realizing my goal. It's scary when you're so committed to a major, and the more you learn about the field, the less you want to do it. I was so depressed, and I'm so much happier, fulfilled, and satisfied now that I have decided to pursue medicine.

 

[Sanctuary]

can they deny you from taking the mcat for a 4th time or 5th time even if you show all the proper documents?

AAMC can technically deny you since you must first seek permission; however, if I were on a medical school ad.com., I would probably deny you if you took the mcat 4-5 times anyway, since I think there would probably be a more serious underlying issue at hand.

Same goes for drivers: Never ride in the car with someone who has failed the driving test 4-5 times (long story, ended up being a scary ride ).

 

[lilmissangel]

This is kind of what happened with me, except for with Forensic Science, not medicine.....

Totally unrelated, but I looove ur avatar! It's aladin right? He's my hero. I bet if he had had better opportunities he would have become a great doctor.

 

[masterMood]

Totally unrelated, but I looove ur avatar! It's aladin right? He's my hero. I bet if he had had better opportunities he would have become a great doctor.

i was about to say the same thing.

aladdin's the best.

 

[liverotcod]

OP-
What do you feel you learned anything from the experience of trying for med school? Do you feel you would have always wondered if you didn't try? Or would it have been better if you had just gone with business from the start?

 

[chad5871]

Totally unrelated, but I looove ur avatar! It's aladin right? He's my hero. I bet if he had had better opportunities he would have become a great doctor.

i was about to say the same thing.

aladdin's the best.

Yep, it's Aladdin, the best male Disney character of all time. I have wanted to be Aladdin for halloween for years - I just need to hit the gym and tanning bed starting a few months before hand... Dr. Aladdin - I kinda like that!