Evaluate me please.

[WhoNeedsAShrink]

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Evaluate me please.

3.41 UGPA in Social Studies with 21 hours of psychology. 2003 Graduate. Started a dual major in business administration also but chose to graduate early instead and enter the workforce. I had no clue why I was in college back then. It just seemed like the thing to do.

In 2005 I was enrolled in a master's program that I elected to not finish. It was employer sponsored, and I received an A in the first course and W in the second. I dropped, quit my job, and subsequently changed careers.

College Algebra F in 1st summer session, retook and got A the 2nd session
College Chemistry I - C (was really bad at math back when I took it)
Microbiology - B
Veretbrate Zoology - A
Human Anatomy & Physiology I - A
Human Anatomy & Physiology II - A
May take more Bio.
Retaking college chem I this fall and the other chems to follow.

Relevant clinical experience. Did the EMT thing.
Several years volunteer service.

Some other science classes during under grad particularly earth and eco-sciences that I got A's in as well along with two courses for nonscience majors without labs. Those were two I never went to because I was an idiot back then and didn't really need them.

I'm interested in familiy medicine, emergency medicine, and particularly psychiatry hence my joking screen name. Quite interested in public health service (where I know EM is not feasible) and military service. Possibly a combined MD / MPH (particularly if that is helpful to admittance). I'm open to DO. I just think of docs as being MDs so I think I want an MD personally although OMM seems interesting in its own right.

I was a good student when I wanted to be, but if the class wasn't immediately interesting to me I usually either skipped ususally yielding a low A or B, or I did no class work other than tests. I'm really surprised that I got the GPA that I did from all that. It was the first summer and fall I was in college where I mostly got several C's that drug me down initially.

 

[211519]

evaluate me please.

3.41 ugpa in social studies with 21 hours of psychology. 2003 graduate. Started a dual major in business administration also but chose to graduate early instead and enter the workforce. I had no clue why i was in college back then. It just seemed like the thing to do.

In 2005 i was enrolled in a master's program that i elected to not finish. It was employer sponsored, and i received an a in the first course and w in the second. I dropped, quit my job, and subsequently changed careers.

College algebra f in 1st summer session, retook and got a the 2nd session
college chemistry i - c (was really bad at math back when i took it)
microbiology - b
veretbrate zoology - a
human anatomy & physiology i - a
human anatomy & physiology ii - a
may take more bio.
Retaking college chem i this fall and the other chems to follow.

Relevant clinical experience. Did the emt thing.
Several years volunteer service.

Some other science classes during under grad particularly earth and eco-sciences that i got a's in as well along with two courses for nonscience majors without labs. Those were two i never went to because i was an idiot back then and didn't really need them.

I'm interested in familiy medicine, emergency medicine, and particularly psychiatry hence my joking screen name. Quite interested in public health service (where i know em is not feasible) and military service. Possibly a combined md / mph (particularly if that is helpful to admittance). I'm open to do. I just think of docs as being mds so i think i want an md personally although omm seems interesting in its own right.

I was a good student when i wanted to be, but if the class wasn't immediately interesting to me i usually either skipped ususally yielding a low a or b, or i did no class work other than tests. I'm really surprised that i got the gpa that i did from all that. It was the first summer and fall i was in college where i mostly got several c's that drug me down initially.

mcat?

 

[WhoNeedsAShrink]

mcat?

Yeah, I kind of hinted there that I haven't taken the chems and stuff so no MCAT. 😉

What I'm asking basically is "is my current 'CV' crap" when it comes to med school admissions.

 

[sindadel]

In addition to the required courses, you will need clinical exposure (e.g. hospital volunteering and physician shadowing) AND community service. You should also be involved in substantial extracurriculars (e.g., athletics, music, marathon running) and also have some leadership experience

Your cv as presented does not really sound like you have your ducks in a row for med school admission at this point. Your GPA is on the low side and it seems that you have sporadic poor grades. What you need to do now is make consistently high grades in your pre-reqs to show adcoms that you have what it takes to focus and stay committed.

 

[WhoNeedsAShrink]

In addition to the required courses, you will need clinical exposure (e.g. hospital volunteering and physician shadowing) AND community service. You should also be involved in substantial extracurriculars (e.g., athletics, music, marathon running) and also have some leadership experience

Your cv as presented does not really sound like you have your ducks in a row for med school admission at this point. Your GPA is on the low side and it seems that you have sporadic poor grades. What you need to do now is make consistently high grades in your pre-reqs to show adcoms that you have what it takes to focus and stay committed.

Hmmm. I'm pretty sure I mentioned volunteer service which was community service obviously as well as clinical exposure. I also believe I noted that I can make good grades when I want to. Low side GPA eh? Well, that's cool. That's what I needed to know. Thanks bud!

 

[Temple2013]

I was a good student when I wanted to be, but if the class wasn't immediately interesting to me ...

I'd recommend you not say anything like that anywhere in the application/interviews.

 

[gman33]

Your gpa is low and your science gpa is probably even lower.
The bio you took, probably won't count for the prereqs.

Basically, you haven't taken any of the prereqs, except maybe 1 semester of chem, in which you got a C.

You need to take and do well in the prereqs, before anyone can say what your chances are to get into med school.

All I can say now, is that your gpa is on the low side, and you need to make some positive progress to have a good shot at MD schools.

 

[WhoNeedsAShrink]

Why would any combination of vertebrate zoology, human anatomy and physiology, and/or microbiology not count for prereqs?

It's understood that my GPA is low for medical school application, but then in college I didn't plan on going so I saw no need to sit around studying all the time. Not everyone is academically minded so like most people, even though I was committed to some classes, like many many college students I was just there because it seemed like the thing to do. This was several years ago, and I actually graduated without knowing what I really wanted to major in, lol.

 

[odoole]

Why would any combination of vertebrate zoology, human anatomy and physiology, and/or microbiology not count for prereqs?

The prereqs are pretty uniform for all med schools. None of the courses you list here are prereqs. Those are all courses you take once you're IN med school.

Prereqs include chemistry, physics, organic chemistry, and some year-long intro bio course with lab. These are the courses you will be tested on for the MCAT. Some schools also require calculus, biochemistry, and/or psychology. There is also an English/literature requirement at most schools. You're lucky if you haven't taken them yet, because now you have the opportunity to get all A's in them.

I think what people are trying to tell you here is that it is way too early to evaluate you because the two most important aspects of your application -- MCAT and prereq grades -- are not here. Yes your current grades are slightly low, but they're mostly going to be irrelevant once you take the "real" pre-med courses. The other stuff -- volunteering/EMT -- is good, but ultimately not all that important, and will be fairly old news by the time you apply to med school (meaning you'll have to add to these experiences in the future).

So ... if you were to do the pre-med thing starting now, you'd basically be starting form scratch. That's not a bad thing, you know. It's a much better position to be in than digging yourself out of a hole.

 

[gman33]

The bio prereq is 1 year of intro bio, the course designed for bio majors.
That's not what it sounds like you took.
It's not just 1 year of any bio courses.

 

[WhoNeedsAShrink]

The prereqs are pretty uniform for all med schools. None of the courses you list here are prereqs. Those are all courses you take once you're IN med school.

Prereqs include chemistry, physics, organic chemistry, and some year-long intro bio course with lab. These are the courses you will be tested on for the MCAT. Some schools also require calculus, biochemistry, and/or psychology. There is also an English/literature requirement at most schools. You're lucky if you haven't taken them yet, because now you have the opportunity to get all A's in them.

I think what people are trying to tell you here is that it is way too early to evaluate you because the two most important aspects of your application -- MCAT and prereq grades -- are not here. Yes your current grades are slightly low, but they're mostly going to be irrelevant once you take the "real" pre-med courses. The other stuff -- volunteering/EMT -- is good, but ultimately not all that important, and will be fairly old news by the time you apply to med school (meaning you'll have to add to these experiences in the future).

So ... if you were to do the pre-med thing starting now, you'd basically be starting form scratch. That's not a bad thing, you know. It's a much better position to be in than digging yourself out of a hole.

I would've assumed I've surpassed any intro stuff, but that's fine. I'll call my chosen schools to find out anyway, but biology is cake. It should be fun to redo some of it. 🙂 And geez what's with this. I HAVE ALREADY graduated college in 2003. I have all the normal degree stuff. How are people missing this in my posts? I figure I'll have all these prereqs done in a year, year and a half tops, and why would I stop with volunteering with my chosen community service? I'm not quitting work or anything to do all this, lol, afterall it is the nontrad forum. So basically what we've learned here is that I need to take fundamental biology courses also, and my grades stink by premed standards. Cool enough. I knew I had to take gen chem, org chem, and physics. I guess my original question should have been, "Does a 3.4something GPA stink," and we could've cut out all this filler. 😉

Oh, and if these bio courses I've taken don't count then why do I see premeds on these boards talk about taking them?

 

[odoole]

Oh, and if these bio courses I've taken don't count then why do I see premeds on these boards talk about taking them?

I'm not totally sure you're being serious here, but I'll answer anyway ...

I find it odd how smarmy you're being as you are making it more and more obvious that you don't know the first thing about applying to medical school. I suggest you do a bit of research. Calling the schools you're interested would be a good start.

And no, a 3.4 does not put you out of the running, but you don't seem to understand how much work you still have left to do.

Those classes I listed are all year-long classes with lab. If you plan on not quitting your job, you should also plan on it taking 2 years at least before you're done with your 4 basic pre-reqs. That's not counting the calc/biochem/English lit/psychology. That's also not counting the time it will take to study for the MCAT and the year it will take to apply.

To answer your question: People take the bio extra classes you mentioned because they're interested in them, and they do "count" towards the science GPA -- but they're not prereqs. A Intro to Bio course covers Cell Biology (NOT the same as microbiology, as you probably know), genetics, lab techniques, and some biochemistry. There is almost no microbiology or anatomy or physiology in your typical Intro to Bio course. True, some med schools may let you count those classes as you bio prereqs (ONLY if there was a lab component), but most probably will not.

Lastly, we know you have a degree; we didn't "miss" that. So did I when I started my pre-med path, so did almost everyone else on this non-trad forum.

Pretty much everyone on this forum has already done exactly what you are setting out to do here. I don't know why you are discounting the advice of people who know what they are talking about and are trying to help you, but that's your prerogative.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

I'm not totally sure you're being serious here, but I'll answer anyway ...

I find it odd how smarmy you're being as you are making it more and more obvious that you don't know the first thing about applying to medical school. I suggest you do a bit of research. Calling the schools you're interested would be a good start.

And no, a 3.4 does not put you out of the running, but you don't seem to understand how much work you still have left to do.

Those classes I listed are all year-long classes with lab. If you plan on not quitting your job, you should also plan on it taking 2 years at least before you're done with your 4 basic pre-reqs. That's not counting the calc/biochem/English lit/psychology. That's also not counting the time it will take to study for the MCAT and the year it will take to apply.

To answer your question: People take the bio extra classes you mentioned because they're interested in them, and they do "count" towards the science GPA -- but they're not prereqs. A Intro to Bio course covers Cell Biology (NOT the same as microbiology, as you probably know), genetics, lab techniques, and some biochemistry. There is almost no microbiology or anatomy or physiology in your typical Intro to Bio course. True, some med schools may let you count those classes as you bio prereqs (ONLY if there was a lab component), but most probably will not.

Lastly, we know you have a degree; we didn't "miss" that. So did I when I started my pre-med path, so did almost everyone else on this non-trad forum.

Pretty much everyone on this forum has already done exactly what you are setting out to do here. I don't know why you are discounting the advice of people who know what they are talking about and are trying to help you, but that's your prerogative.

I'm in a very similar boat, but yes in reference to the below reply I've omitted some details thus revised this in order to prevent further troubles. Big oopsie.

 

[Nasrudin]

OP,

You're gpa is not all that bad. It just aint great. If you bolster it up with a 4 point in the next 1-2 years you should see it pop up a little. Maybe past 3.5. And your science gpa will be really good--w/ only th F in math bringin it down. Remember math goes into your sci. gpa.

Then if you can post decent MCAT you'll be lookin as swell as the next cat as far as I can tell.

Avg. accepted med student, as I'm told here, is a 3.6, 31 MCAT. So you could get close to that. And then the rest is intangible. If not mysterious.

Thick skin. It's important. Pre-meds will pull a drive by on your CV just for kicks. Some med students too. Don't sweat it. Use the search function. Then you can size up the game w/out being personally in the brightness of the stage. Getting hit with tomatoes.

Work for a solid 1-2 years are the pre-reqs etc. If you can jam on that. Take the MCAT and go for it.

Break a leg.

Someone else's. Preferably.

 

[Grey Wind]

am i just tired or did the OP post under 2 screen names?

 

[MissIrish]

Yes. I'm very well rested, btw.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

Yes. I'm very well rested, btw.

Yes, I absorbed much of that since we're in similar boats. No harm done. 😳

 

[thes_hunter]

OP,

3.4 ain't as bad as peeps around these parts make it out to be. Poke your head in the low GPA forum and you'll see.

Though it is hard to give advice on people's chances, especially if pieces of the puzzle are missing.

Ignore the haters, because you have the most important thing. You believe in yourself. That's all you need. Work on what you can change, and learn from what you can't. Never dwell on crap because that is energy that could be spent becoming more awesome.

Remember, you have options even after you finish your pre-req's, and study hard enough to kill the MCAT. If you are still having trouble try an SMP.

But my feeling is, if you slay the MCAT and apply broadly, you will fulfill your dream of becoming a doctor.

Good luck!

 

[WhoNeedsAShrink]

OP,

3.4 ain't as bad as peeps around these parts make it out to be. Poke your head in the low GPA forum and you'll see.

Though it is hard to give advice on people's chances, especially if pieces of the puzzle are missing.

Ignore the haters, because you have the most important thing. You believe in yourself. That's all you need. Work on what you can change, and learn from what you can't. Never dwell on crap because that is energy that could be spent becoming more awesome.

Remember, you have options even after you finish your pre-req's, and study hard enough to kill the MCAT. If you are still having trouble try an SMP.

But my feeling is, if you slay the MCAT and apply broadly, you will fulfill your dream of becoming a doctor.

Good luck!

Now this person right here is inspiring. 🙂 You should've been a football coach.

 

[odoole]

Now this person right here is inspiring. 🙂 You should've been a football coach.

Sorry, didn't mean to be a "hater." For the record, my ugrad GPA was lower than yours before I took the prereqs, and I did just fine in the application process (due in no small part to the serious consideration I gave to the advice I received here on SDN when I was in your shoes). So in that sense I was actually trying to be encouraging by saying you're starting from scratch. Nothing wrong with a clean slate.

But if you look back at your responses to my post and as well as the others on here, I hope you'd agree you were being a little snippy for no reason, which isn't so cool when you consider we're all just trying to help each other out here. That's what I was responding to with my second post -- not your credentials. Your credentials are awesome. Your attitude ... not so much.

 

[Nasrudin]

How do folks get bounced from this joint so fast. I've been here like a rowdy baboon in a cage for years. And not so much as a slap on the wrist.

Makes you wonder. Why you even lower your paperback long enough to take in the new passengers.

I need a new hobby.

 

[BennieBlanco]

How do folks get bounced from this joint so fast. I've been here like a rowdy baboon in a cage for years. And not so much as a slap on the wrist.

Makes you wonder. Why you even lower your paperback long enough to take in the new passengers.

I need a new hobby.

If it makes you feel any better, I feel like they should have banned you months ago.

 

[sindadel]

LOL BB - I don't think Nasrudin should be banned. I think he stays juuust this side of ok. 🙂 And alot of his comments are very insightful.

I often wonder about these bans as well. From poking around, I surmise that there's often been some aggressive PM'ing behind the scenes which contributes. Some guy like this doesn't surprise me, but sometimes reading an old thread, you come across a poster with thousands of posts who's been banned and that does seem crazy. Years of productive and helpful (in many cases) posting, wiped out. Maybe they ask to be banned in some cases? A case of not being able to stay away without a little help?

 

[odoole]

LOL BB - I don't think Nasrudin should be banned. I think he stays juuust this side of ok. 🙂 And alot of his comments are very insightful.

I often wonder about these bans as well. From poking around, I surmise that there's often been some aggressive PM'ing behind the scenes which contributes. Some guy like this doesn't surprise me, but sometimes reading an old thread, you come across a poster with thousands of posts who's been banned and that does seem crazy. Years of productive and helpful (in many cases) posting, wiped out. Maybe they ask to be banned in some cases? A case of not being able to stay away without a little help?

That's a good theory, because I agree the ban was not warranted on face value. I didn't get any PM's, but maybe someone else did? Although it was a bit weird how the OP's doppelganger showed up about halfway through. Maybe that was the issue ...

In any case, I'll admit I've considered asking for a self-ban from time to time. This site is addicting!

 

[thes_hunter]

For the record odoole I do not think your posts came off as harsh. I felt others did.


Alas, this is the internet though. Where tone is not so easily determined.

 

[QofQuimica]

Due to privacy concern, we don't discuss the actions taken against other users' accounts. But basically, people get banned from SDN for one of the following reasons: they're spamming the forums, they're trolling the forums, or they're repeatedly violating the SDN TOS.

Nas, the reason we haven't banned you is because we can't understand most of your posts. 😉

 

[Nasrudin]

Due to privacy concern, we don't discuss the actions taken against other users' accounts. But basically, people get banned from SDN for one of the following reasons: they're spamming the forums, they're trolling the forums, or they're repeatedly violating the SDN TOS.

Nas, the reason we haven't banned you is because we can't understand most of your posts. 😉

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/files/imagecache/news/files/20070726_baboon.jpg


...oooohuh...oohuhooo... huh?

 

[sindadel]

Lmao!!