Does my plan sound viable?

[dtt9412]

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Long story short I did really badly my sophomore year of college (I was depressed about personal issues and health of my father, skipped class, ended up getting a D, an F and a C-). I've since turned things around and have been getting A's and B's exclusively. I'm now heading into my senior spring semester and my gap so far is 2.78. If I got all A's next semester (unlikely but I'll try my best) I could graduate with a 3.0; if I got a mix of A's and B's (more likely) I could graduate with around a 2.9. I don't know if it makes a difference I've certainly not noticed it myself (any bad grades I've gotten have been a result if me not studying enough) but my school is notorious for grade deflation.

Anyway, I don't really have much going for me in terms of my application and so far I've not even been able to get any research positions. I have a job but I've not been able to find anything healthcare related so medical schools will probably find me majorly uncompetitive in that area. I haven't taken the MCAT yet.

Typing this out I'm actually thinking/realizing just how much it seems like I don't want this but I do. I just wish I knew how to fix all the mistakes I've made in my undergraduate career: letting my depression get the best of me, not seeking out research positions, not studying harder). I've been thinking about taking a year off after I graduate to study for an take the MCAT, take a couple of extra science courses at my local community college (I haven't had a chance to take Orgo 2 yet bc of scheduling issues), and find some health related work/volunteer position.

I have a few questions:
1) If I take a year off, how do recommendations work? Should I get them before I graduate and just have them submit it when I apply a year later? Or should I email them after my year off and pray that they remember me?
2) Would fulfilling my Orgo 2 prerequisite at a community college be a deal breaker for med schools? The sceduling at my school conflicts with Orgo 2 and its lab so I can't fit it into my college, plus I'm already overloading with 5 courses (as I did last semester), so I couldn't add it even if I wanted to.
3) I've been reading about the Uniformed Services University and I'm really interested in what it has to offer. Are they generally an easier school to get into because of their smaller applicant pool? Would I stand a chance at all?
4) I'm also a resident of Massachusetts and was even a student of UMass Boston before I transferred to Boston UNiversity my sophomore year, would UMass Medical also be relatively easier to get into because I'm a resident of Massachusetts?
5) Is my overall plan futile? Should I apply now just in case or is taking a year or two off a good idea? Should I do both (meaning apply now and if I get rejected take a year off)?

I know it's a long shot but this is all I've ever wanted to do and, even though everything I've done up to this point says otherwise, I'm going to do all that I can to achieve it. Thanks for at least skimming through my post haha, sorry for the wall of text 🙂

 

[Moses2016]

Hey,

I apologize for typographical errors in advance! I'm going to try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge. Please be advised that this is merely my own opinion.

1) If I take a year off, how do recommendations work? Should I get them before I graduate and just have them submit it when I apply a year later? Or should I email them after my year off and pray that they remember me?

Answer: I would advise you to get the recommendation letters while attending the university. It's hard for faculty members to write you a "stellar" letter of recommendation a year later or even a semester later. This all depends on how big your university is and how many students your professor deals with each semester.

2) Would fulfilling my Orgo 2 prerequisite at a community college be a deal breaker for med schools? The sceduling at my school conflicts with Orgo 2 and its lab so I can't fit it into my college, plus I'm already overloading with 5 courses (as I did last semester), so I couldn't add it even if I wanted to.

Answer: I recently had this discussion with the admissions committee at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. They told me that all medical schools accepts prerequisites from community colleges. They understand that some students may not have the financial means to continue taking classes that will not fulfill their major requirements. If you are planning to take Organic Chemistry II at your local community college, make sure that you look the professor up on www.ratemyprofessors.com. You want to make sure that the professor is a good professor!

3) I've been reading about the Uniformed Services University and I'm really interested in what it has to offer. Are they generally an easier school to get into because of their smaller applicant pool? Would I stand a chance at all?

Answer: The Uniformed Service University is a phenomenal school to go to. I have been in the Army for almost seven years and that is one of the places I am trying to attend. With the rise of medical school tuition, a lot of individuals are seeking to seize opportunities through the Armed Forces. With that being said, they are not as easy to get into. They offer, mostly full ride scholars and give their students a stipend of $2300 (if you take their scholarship). You do stand a chance but, medical school wants to see consistency. They are not interested in what happened freshman year, they understand that some students find it hard to adjust to the life of a college student. With that being said, they want to see who you are now! I would advise you reassess your priorities. If medical school is something that you want, you need to make that a priority. That means, sacrificing those extra-curricular activities such as partying, etc. You need to find a healthy balance. That is something that I struggled with as well.

4) I'm also a resident of Massachusetts and was even a student of UMass Boston before I transferred to Boston UNiversity my sophomore year, would UMass Medical also be relatively easier to get into because I'm a resident of Massachusetts?

Answer: This all depends on what the UMass Medical school is looking for. Some schools are really big in diversity. Meaning, most schools want to accept of applicants from other schools. With that being said, you need to do some research and find out how many applicants that were offered admissions, that were residents in the state you currently reside in.

5) Is my overall plan futile? Should I apply now just in case or is taking a year or two off a good idea? Should I do both (meaning apply now and if I get rejected take a year off)?

Answer: Your plan overall is decent. With you taking a gap year or two, medical school committees would ask you, what did you do during your gap year. If you decide to take a gap year, you should consider doing a post-bacc program. If you're not familiar with post-bacc programs, here's a little insider for you. Post-bacc programs are designed for numerous reasons. One reason is to strengthen your application by allowing you to take additional undergraduate classes to boost your overall G.P.A. They are also for people with bachelor degrees to change their career choice without going through another four years of undergraduate. Sometimes, the post bacc programs will be called 2nd degree options. This will allow you to take only about 30-39 credits in a particular area of study and you will be rewarded another bachelors degree. I know that the University of Pittsburgh, offers a post-bacc program and the only requirement is that you need a bachelors degree from an accredited university in the United States. In addition, I would advise you to study really hard for the mcat and take it and see what you get. After you get those results, then talk to a pre-health advisor and way your options.

Addendum* If you want to be a medical doctor, it up to you to make it happen! No one will prevent you from getting into medical school but yourself. You see the deficiencies in your life such as, not studying as hard as you can, fix it! You know what you need to do in order to make your dream turn into a reality! I know that you have what it takes so make it happen! Remember this one thing...Procrastination gives rise to self-doubt! If you know you can do it, apply your self and make it happen! I hope you the best!

Best,

Moses2016

 

[Germanicus89]

Just wanted to add a couple things.

1) I would look into Interfolio. Google it.

2) I would invest in the MSAR if you're serious about putting together a medical school app. It includes course requirements for every medical school in the US, including whether they accept community college courses for prereqs.

3) According to the MSAR USUHS cGPA/sGPA (look at that string of acronyms. Just look at it.) medians are 3.7. They have a median MCAT of 32. That's pretty standard i.e. not really easier to get into.

4) Check out MSAR.

5) Apply once with the best possible app. Check out DO grade replacement. Here are MD acceptance rates based on MCAT/GPA
https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/157998/factstablea24.html

 

[Goro]

OP, your fastest path to be a doctor will be to retake all F,D,C science coursework and aim for DO schools.