Depressed About My Future, But I Really Want To Be A Doctor...

[TikiMojo]

I am a 25 years old non-traditional premed. I started with a Business major and then changed it to Psychology. I finished my undergrad with a sad 2.9 GPA. Now I want to take more undergrad classes to fulfill science preqs. I've never taken science courses with the exception of Physics 1, which I got a P. Also took business class Operation Management Statistics, which I got a C on and don't know if it will count towards a science GPA.

Some of my friends went to Caribbean med schools and they've been telling me to not go to Caribbeans and that pursuing a PA will be better for me. Others that I've spoken to said that even if I try to get As on all my sci preqs, that will only raise my GPA to a 3.15 or 3.2 at best and that I will never get into any US med schools.

But I really, really want to become a doctor and there is not a day that I don't regret the mistake of not taking undergrad seriously. Adding to my horrendous GPA, I also have 6 withdraws on my transcript that I have to amend for.

Assuming that I can get all As on my sci preqs and receive a 3.15 overall GPA and approx. 3.8 sci GPA, plus a 30 or more on MCAT, what are my chances of getting into a DO school? Taking into consideration that I have 6 withdraws on my undergrad transcript (also 2 or 3 Fs for business classes), can I get into a DO school? Any chance at all???

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[DrWily]

Take the pre-reqs, nail them (get As and As only), study your ass off for the MCAT and get a great score. You have a chance at D.O. school if you buckle down now and work hard. It's never impossible, especially with D.O.'s grade replacement.

Do you have any volunteer activities or shadowing? Get started on those as well, even if it's just two hours a week. Schools like to see a long commitment, not just an extreme amount of hours.

 

[SML67]

If you have the time, I would definitely look into post-bacc programs- they definitely will help funnel you into med school and will take care of all of those pre-reqs for you.

Whatever you decide to do, never give up hope- if you have a dream, don't stop chasing it- you have the power to make that dream a reality.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I think you have the potentially to make it into medical school. You just need to get your head in the game and do your best to bring your gpa up and finish your pre-reqs, as well as consider retaking a few low grades from the past to quickly boost your gpa.

Also, do not neglect your EC's, shadow a DO, volunteer a few hours a week at a clinic/hospital, and give back a little to the community in a non-medical setting.

 

[TriagePreMed]

You can get into both MD and DO schools if you prove that your study habits have changed and that you can tackle the sciences.

Good luck.

 

[TikiMojo]

Thank you for the replies. Yes I will definitely try my best on the sci preqs. I was considering post-bac programs, excep they are all somewhat expensive. So I am going to take the sci preqs informally at CUNY, which is my city school and its cheap.

I have ZERO shadowing or research experience, so I really have to get started now. Someone also suggested to me that I should get a MPH after I am done with sci preqs to show med school that I can handle graduate course works. So maybe I'll do that too.

 

[MedicineMike]

Thank you for the replies. Yes I will definitely try my best on the sci preqs. I was considering post-bac programs, excep they are all somewhat expensive. So I am going to take the sci preqs informally at CUNY, which is my city school and its cheap.

I have ZERO shadowing or research experience, so I really have to get started now. Someone also suggested to me that I should get a MPH after I am done with sci preqs to show med school that I can handle graduate course works. So maybe I'll do that too.

You remind me a lot of myself. Almost identical stats and age. I started my journey 2 yrs ago and I start med school in a week! If you want it, you can do it.

Ps: I did an "informal" post-Bacc at a state school by my house. Which CUNY school would you go to? Hunter?

 

[MedicineMike]

Oh, and getting an MPH is not necessary. Destroy your classes and you will be fine

 

[DrWily]

Oh, and getting an MPH is not necessary. Destroy your classes and you will be fine

Second this. Forget the MPH. Get As from now on and you'll be fine.

 

[TikiMojo]

You remind me a lot of myself. Almost identical stats and age. I started my journey 2 yrs ago and I start med school in a week! If you want it, you can do it.

Ps: I did an "informal" post-Bacc at a state school by my house. Which CUNY school would you go to? Hunter?

I was seriously thinking about going to Hunter's post-bac program, but they have a deadline that I missed to apply for the coming semester. So I'll just take the sci preqs at York, which is close to my home.

Thank you for the encouragement! I was just too careless and lazy when I was younger.....but now I know better and I am going to study hard. Which DO school did you get into if I may ask? Also, did you have to explain your bad undergrad GPA in your personal statement or during interview??

 

[nicknickp3]

You are not in bad shape at all, assuming you rock your pre-reqs, and retake the F's you will be competitive do D.O. schools. The rest of your app needs to be pretty solid to. To give you hope, I started freshmen year 1.8, at 3.4 now. Good Luck!

 

[Dr Yiot]

your friends who told you your better off not even trying cause youll never get in are 100% wrong. You my friend have a VERY clean slate as you have not taken the pre req's.

take them. destroy them.

there might be concepts you do not like in certain subjects. for me, I hated physics. but remember while your sitting in that classroom. you need to know them as you will be tested on them come mcat time. I think that if you anhilate your pre-reqs. retake the F's you recieved and perform well on the mcat and you should be in GREAT shape. and let me echo what everyone else has said. try to bulk up your resume in other aspects as well. shadowing volunteering, research etc.


GL man and prove those people wrong.

 

[Eric01]

I am a 25 years old non-traditional premed. I started with a Business major and then changed it to Psychology. I finished my undergrad with a sad 2.9 GPA. Now I want to take more undergrad classes to fulfill science preqs. I've never taken science courses with the exception of Physics 1, which I got a P. Also took business class Operation Management Statistics, which I got a C on and don't know if it will count towards a science GPA.

Some of my friends went to Caribbean med schools and they've been telling me to not go to Caribbeans and that pursuing a PA will be better for me. Others that I've spoken to said that even if I try to get As on all my sci preqs, that will only raise my GPA to a 3.15 or 3.2 at best and that I will never get into any US med schools.

But I really, really want to become a doctor and there is not a day that I don't regret the mistake of not taking undergrad seriously. Adding to my horrendous GPA, I also have 6 withdraws on my transcript that I have to amend for.

Assuming that I can get all As on my sci preqs and receive a 3.15 overall GPA and approx. 3.8 sci GPA, plus a 30 or more on MCAT, what are my chances of getting into a DO school? Taking into consideration that I have 6 withdraws on my undergrad transcript (also 2 or 3 Fs for business classes), can I get into a DO school? Any chance at all???

Assuming you have 130 credit hours, if you simply retook those business classes you got an F in and got an A in them your new GPA would be around a 3.16. Take your science classes, to help your GPA out and maybe if you can retake some of your classes you got a C in and your gpa should get to the 3.3-3.4 range which is near average for DO schools.

 

[TikiMojo]

Thank you for the advices. However, I can't retake the business classes that I got Fs on because that means I'll have to take at least one more semester of school after finishing 2 years of preqs. I have absolutely no clinical experiences, so I want to use the summer to volunteer abroad or research. So that really leaves me no time to retake business classes. I don't want to apply to med school when I am 28, I want to save as much time as I can.

 

[Dr Yiot]

Thank you for the advices. However, I can't retake the business classes that I got Fs on because that means I'll have to take at least one more semester of school after finishing 2 years of preqs. I have absolutely no clinical experiences, so I want to use the summer to volunteer abroad or research. So that really leaves me no time to retake business classes. I don't want to apply to med school when I am 28, I want to save as much time as I can.

as someone who is reapplying for a second time. getting into med school is definitly a marathon. not a race. seriously try and retake those classes because trust me, it will work wonders on your gpa. who cares that its an extra semester, take them while your applying thats fine.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Thank you for the advices. However, I can't retake the business classes that I got Fs on because that means I'll have to take at least one more semester of school after finishing 2 years of preqs. I have absolutely no clinical experiences, so I want to use the summer to volunteer abroad or research. So that really leaves me no time to retake business classes. I don't want to apply to med school when I am 28, I want to save as much time as I can.

It's your application, love. You could frankly retake the class at a CC if need be ( If it offers it), as even retaking a single F is a .1-.2 increase in gpa. Which given your extremely low gpa, might be the edge which puts you into the accepted students group and not the reapplication pool. But like I said, it's your application, you decide what's best for yourself and the terms.

 

[costales]

Don't dwell too much on your past, focus on what you're going to do. Adcom people want to see successful remediation as well evidence of commitment. Concentrate on your retakes, always ask for help when you don't understand something, volunteer a couple of hours each week. Before you know it, it's become a hard-wired habit and the road will be wide open.

 

[isoquin]

You have two options: try to mend your crippling undergrad GPA, or the move-on method. Today, right now, is your turning point. Every day before this point was your "immature" phase. But from here on out, you are embarking on a career that demands rigorous study, demanding hours, and professionalism. So now you need objective evidence that supports that claim. Before we address that, you need to really understand why you want to go into medicine. If your reasoning is weak and you don't have a decent idea of what a medical career involves, it will come out later. Make no mistake: it will take years, but you can get into med school if you want.

So how do you get that proof? How do you definitively show you have made a large transition? More school. And research. And clinical experience if possible. You can go post-bac, which has the benefit of being added to your undergrad GPA, or you can go grad program, which has the benefit of giving you a clean slate brand new shiny GPA. 2.9 may not be so great, but a 3.7 from a grad program with a medical focus shows you have what it takes.

You can call around to see if any such grad program is still accepting students or late applications, but you will most likely need to wait until next year for matriculation. In the meantime, tackle those prerequisites and bulk up your resume with research or relevant volunteering.

You can do this. But not blindly. And not alone. You're 25 right now. Let's get you into med school by age 28. You'll be an attending in a decade. Questions?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

/\ You realize she has not completed a single pre-req right?

 

[nicknickp3]

It would be just plain silly to take two years of pre reqs then not retake those F's. Retaking the F's are crucial for repairing your gpa.

 

[torshi]

retake some failed courses, because D.O schools have grade replacement. Do well in your pre-reqs and get a 26+ on the MCAT at the least for D.O school acceptance.

good luck

 

[TriagePreMed]

Thank you for the advices. However, I can't retake the business classes that I got Fs on because that means I'll have to take at least one more semester of school after finishing 2 years of preqs. I have absolutely no clinical experiences, so I want to use the summer to volunteer abroad or research. So that really leaves me no time to retake business classes. I don't want to apply to med school when I am 28, I want to save as much time as I can.

If you're taking a 2 year plan, you can do this:

Semester 1: Bio, Chem, Business.
Semester 2: Bio 1, Chem 2, Business.
Semester 3: Physics, O.Chem, Business.
Semester 4: Physics 2, O.Chem 2, Elective.

That's probably going to barely hit 11 to 13 units.

Doesn't matter if you apply when you're 30. Better to do this right than mess up and have to do it again.

 

[gmcguitar4]

I am in a very similar GPA situation as you. I just enrolled in CUNY (CCNY) and am going to take some upper level bio courses and retake classes I messed up in. As you know CUNY has a HUGE enrollment problem..just be sure to talk to professors and see if they will overtally you for the class!! Once you get your prereq's and get rid of your lowest grades with grade replacement you will be good to go! Congrats on your decision in medical school.. you sound as motivated as me

 

[dbizzy]

You remind me a lot of myself. Almost identical stats and age. I started my journey 2 yrs ago and I start med school in a week! If you want it, you can do it.

Ps: I did an "informal" post-Bacc at a state school by my house. Which CUNY school would you go to? Hunter?

MedicineMike can you let us know your stats and how your app process went? I'm pretty much the same boat as you were, just finished 2 years of informal postbacc at a local state school, currently on MCAT lockdown. Looking to get in hopefully this cycle. Thanks!

 

[TikiMojo]

Thanks a lot for all your suggestions. Yes you're right, it'll be better for me in the long term to retake the Fs. I am just stuck on the mentality that I need to amend for all the time that I've lost in undergrad . I feel like a failure and I hate letting time slip by me again. But the hard truth is that I need to pay for my mistake and I need to to be willing to sacrifice. So I will go with the suggested plan of retaking Fs along with the preqs.

Now my question is do I have to retake the classes that I got Fs on at the same school (Brooklyn College where I graduated from) OR can I retake the classes at York college where I plan to take my preqs? Basically, does DO school allow grade replacement only if its the same course at the same school and not equivalent course at a different school?

 

[nicknickp3]

Doesn't matter where, as long as it is the same amount of credit hours or greater. For example, if your original business class was four credit hours at your old college and you retake it and its worth three it will not replace. Good luck!

 

[TriagePreMed]

Thanks a lot for all your suggestions. Yes you're right, it'll be better for me in the long term to retake the Fs. I am just stuck on the mentality that I need to amend for all the time that I've lost in undergrad . I feel like a failure and I hate letting time slip by me again. But the hard truth is that I need to pay for my mistake and I need to to be willing to sacrifice. So I will go with the suggested plan of retaking Fs along with the preqs.

Now my question is do I have to retake the classes that I got Fs on at the same school (Brooklyn College where I graduated from) OR can I retake the classes at York college where I plan to take my preqs? Basically, does DO school allow grade replacement only if its the same course at the same school and not equivalent course at a different school?

The rules are: equal or greater amount of units AND similar curriculum.

Don't feel bad about college. A 2.9 is not THAT bad. I've come from a 2.7 and still feel I'm not as bad as cases here where people have had less than 2.5.