Feedback on My Son’s Pre-Med Path

[PreHealthParentTX]

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I’m posting on behalf of my son, who’s preparing for medical/DO schools and wanted some unbiased feedback from the SDN community. He’s been managing this mostly on his own, but we’d like to make sure he’s on the right track.

He’s a senior at UT Dallas, majoring in Healthcare Management, graduating Fall 2026. Alongside his degree, he’s been completing his DIY pre-med prerequisites through a community college and ASU as a non-visiting student taking online science courses.

Science coursework:
CC: Biology I (C; in-person), Biology II (A; online), General Chem I (D, then C; both in person), Calculus I (F, D then C; all in person)
ASU: General Physics I & II (Both A’s – online with virtual labs)
Planned: General Chem II (Spring 2026), Organic I & II (Summer/Fall 2026: lecture online + in-person labs), then Biochem

His UT Dallas GPA began around 3.8, dipped to 3.2 after some tough upper-level finance and health IT courses, and he expects to finish near 3.4–3.5.

He’s not naturally drawn to math; Calculus was a rough experience and probably not the best choice for his track (advisor-driven) but he’s performed better in biological and health sciences. He’s also noticed he does better in structured online science courses than in variable in-person ones where grades depend heavily on the professor.

He holds an active Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) license, has volunteered virtually with the Free Medical Clinic of Tennessee, currently volunteers at a full-service free urgent-care clinic in Dallas, and is gaining additional shadowing and clinical experience before applying.

I’d appreciate any insight on:
• How med schools view upward trends and repeated sciences
• Acceptance of ASU’s online/hybrid science courses
• Whether a post-bacc or SMP would help strengthen his science GPA
• Best ways to use a gap year (clinical work, MCAT prep, volunteering, etc.)


Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts; any honest feedback is appreciated.

 

[wysdoc]

My honest feedback is that he should decide which path is a better fit for him (medical school or dental school) because I notice you have posted this message in both forums!
Also, the extracurricular activities needed for dental school are quite different, with more hours of observation or assisting in a dental office expected.

UT Dallas has a very involved pre-health advising office and if your son gets connected with them soon, he will get specific help and advice on the path he chooses.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

You have also posted in pre-dental:

P

Thread 'Feedback on My Son’s Pre-Dental Path'

Oct 27, 2025

I’m posting on behalf of my son, who’s preparing for dental schools and wanted some unbiased feedback from the SDN community. He’s been managing this mostly on his own, but we’d like to make sure he’s on the right track.

He’s a senior at UT Dallas, majoring in Healthcare Management, graduating Fall 2026. Alongside his degree, he’s been completing his DIY pre-dental prerequisites through a community college and ASU as a non-visiting student taking online science courses.

Science coursework:
CC: Biology I (C; in-person), Biology II (A; online), General Chem I (D, then C; both in person)...

• PreHealthParentTX
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Pre-Dental

Because of this, I'm not going to answer these concerns. Your son needs to demonstrate adult responsibility and post on his own account. The advice can be more actionable based on the details he gives. We also need more information: is he a Texas resident? Has he become familiar with TMDSAS or other systems out of state. What is his specific goal, and why not healthcare management? Has he met with the UTD Prehealth Office? Have YOU met with them?

 

[moltmannfanboi]

I’m posting on behalf of my son, who’s preparing for medical/DO schools and wanted some unbiased feedback from the SDN community. He’s been managing this mostly on his own, but we’d like to make sure he’s on the right track.

He’s a senior at UT Dallas, majoring in Healthcare Management, graduating Fall 2026. Alongside his degree, he’s been completing his DIY pre-med prerequisites through a community college and ASU as a non-visiting student taking online science courses.

Science coursework:
CC: Biology I (C; in-person), Biology II (A; online), General Chem I (D, then C; both in person), Calculus I (F, D then C; all in person)
ASU: General Physics I & II (Both A’s – online with virtual labs)
Planned: General Chem II (Spring 2026), Organic I & II (Summer/Fall 2026: lecture online + in-person labs), then Biochem

His UT Dallas GPA began around 3.8, dipped to 3.2 after some tough upper-level finance and health IT courses, and he expects to finish near 3.4–3.5.

He’s not naturally drawn to math; Calculus was a rough experience and probably not the best choice for his track (advisor-driven) but he’s performed better in biological and health sciences. He’s also noticed he does better in structured online science courses than in variable in-person ones where grades depend heavily on the professor.

He holds an active Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) license, has volunteered virtually with the Free Medical Clinic of Tennessee, currently volunteers at a full-service free urgent-care clinic in Dallas, and is gaining additional shadowing and clinical experience before applying.

I’d appreciate any insight on:
• How med schools view upward trends and repeated sciences
• Acceptance of ASU’s online/hybrid science courses
• Whether a post-bacc or SMP would help strengthen his science GPA
• Best ways to use a gap year (clinical work, MCAT prep, volunteering, etc.)


Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts; any honest feedback is appreciated.

I don't really understand why you are posting this instead of your son. The process is very self-driven, and I fear that this type of "handholding" will not serve him well. The other concern I would have is if your son is even interested in medicine? If they were, I would expect them to take ownership of the investigative work needed to narrow down between dentistry and medicine. They are different career paths.

TL;DR: It's giving the vibes of child (who is actually an ADULT) with not a lot of intrinsic motivation for this path... but a lot of "parental" motivation.

 

[PreHealthParentTX]

That’s fair. I actually agree with you on the hand-holding part. He’s still figuring out his direction and motivation between medicine and dentistry, which is why I wanted to hear some outside perspective first. Appreciate the honest feedback.

 

[moltmannfanboi]

That’s fair. I actually agree with you on the hand-holding part. He’s still figuring out his direction and motivation between medicine and dentistry, which is why I wanted to hear some outside perspective first. Appreciate the honest feedback.

I'm just an applicant, but I'm also a parent. My kid is young, but I get wanting what is best for your kid and wanting them to succeed. This process rewards those who chase medicine with internal motivation and is *brutal* to those who don't. Best of luck to you and your son!

 

[eigen]

Seconding the "you need to back off and he needs to take ownership" advice.

But also, why is he not taking any of his pre-requisite classes at UT Dallas? The amount of online pre-requisites + taking them at a different school would raise a red flag for me.

 

[RockClimberMed]

With 6 BCPM grades if i'm counting correctly with a C or below it would be hard to believe his sGPA will be much above 3.0 at all if even possible, especially with this performance at a community college. This would be well below the threshold for most MD schools (not sure about DO) and additionally does not predict great success with the MCAT. I think he really needs to lock-in to actualize a med school acceptance. Also, med school is not online so an online-only strong performance will not fly very long.

 

[PreHealthParentTX]

You have also posted in pre-dental:

P

Thread 'Feedback on My Son’s Pre-Dental Path'

Oct 27, 2025

I’m posting on behalf of my son, who’s preparing for dental schools and wanted some unbiased feedback from the SDN community. He’s been managing this mostly on his own, but we’d like to make sure he’s on the right track.

He’s a senior at UT Dallas, majoring in Healthcare Management, graduating Fall 2026. Alongside his degree, he’s been completing his DIY pre-dental prerequisites through a community college and ASU as a non-visiting student taking online science courses.

Science coursework:
CC: Biology I (C; in-person), Biology II (A; online), General Chem I (D, then C; both in person)...

• PreHealthParentTX
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Pre-Dental

Because of this, I'm not going to answer these concerns. Your son needs to demonstrate adult responsibility and post on his own account. The advice can be more actionable based on the details he gives. We also need more information: is he a Texas resident? Has he become familiar with TMDSAS or other systems out of state. What is his specific goal, and why not healthcare management? Has he met with the UTD Prehealth Office? Have YOU met with them?

I understand your point and appreciate the direct feedback. I’m just doing some early groundwork while my son’s tied up with his fall semester exams ; more to get a sense of process and timing. He’s a Texas resident, familiar with TMDSAS, and has already had an initial meeting with the UTD Pre-Health Office, where they outlined a prerequisite plan to complete his remaining sciences.

He chose Healthcare Management as his major back in high school when he wasn’t fully set on medicine or dentistry and wanted a strong, practical fallback degree within the healthcare field. During that time, he also earned his CMA license, started volunteering and shadowing, and has been gradually shaping his direction since then.

Thanks again for the perspective; it’s helpful to understand how this looks from the advising side.

 

[LelouchLamperouge]

He chose Healthcare Management as his major back in high school when he wasn’t fully set on medicine or dentistry and wanted a strong, practical fallback degree within the healthcare field.

I think that it was wise to choose a practical major since he wasn’t dead set on either medicine or dentistry. Some people will graduate pre-med and realize that they don’t want to do either so they’re SOL.

During that time, he also earned his CMA license, started volunteering and shadowing, and has been gradually shaping his direction since then.

It’s good that he’s trying things out and getting a feel for what he wants to do. That’s definitely important.

I understand your point and appreciate the direct feedback. I’m just doing some early groundwork while my son’s tied up with his fall semester exams ; more to get a sense of process and timing. He’s a Texas resident, familiar with TMDSAS, and has already had an initial meeting with the UTD Pre-Health Office, where they outlined a prerequisite plan to complete his remaining sciences.

I hate to be an echo chamber, but I think that one the biggest attributes that members of admission want to see is self-motivation. Did your son do this because they had to check off a box, or did they do this because it was actually something they found fascinating and felt passionately for. Your son needs to be scouring the internet, learning the process for himself. That way he can truly know, for himself, that this is a process worth committing himself to.

 

[nobadwaves]

Will you be filling out his AMCAS for him?

Asking for a friend…

 

[PreHealthParentTX]

Just to clarify for context, I’m a dad of three boys (21, 17, and 10). Both of my older ones are interested in healthcare-related fields, so my goal here isn’t only about the older one in college, but also about making sure my high school senior learns from that experience and doesn’t repeat the same early missteps with course choices or outside experiences. I’m just trying to be an aware parent who understands the process better so I can guide them to make informed, realistic decisions.

 

[polymerization]

Just to clarify for context, I’m a dad of three boys (21, 17, and 10). Both of my older ones are interested in healthcare-related fields, so my goal here isn’t only about the older one in college, but also about making sure my high school senior learns from that experience and doesn’t repeat the same early missteps with course choices or outside experiences. I’m just trying to be an aware parent who understands the process better so I can guide them to make informed, realistic decisions.

Many of us premeds have struggled with the experience of an underinformed parent imposing unilateral decisions on us under the guise of helping that all but guarantees we will not reach our goal. A big problem is that much of what you need to know as an applicant is communicated through experience. So, even though your heart may be in the right place, you could be unintentionally robbing your children of the experiences they need in order to move forward.

For example, my high school offered a dual enrollment physician assistant program (back when it was an associate's-level degree) with the local college, and I was very excited for it. Mom forbade it, because "you will make a little money for your age and be satisfied with wiping butts the rest of your life." If only she knew what a PA actually was, or how insane it would be to have graduated high school at 17 with a prescription pad and NPI number. I mean, what a leg up on medical school admissions all the way around.

She meant well—she knew I wanted to become a physician, and in her view, saw this decision as falling short. But because she insisted she knew better by virtue of simply alive longer, I ended up not having options and was forced to enroll in an entire degree's worth of courses in the fine arts—probably the last thing she would have selected for me. When I eventually failed in college as a result of having spent my entire adolescence taking art and design rather than the science and technology courses I would have wanted and needed to succeed, she lowered her gaze and ironically suggested "the PA route," as if I'd never heard about it. At this point it had become a master's-level program and shared most of their requirements with MD/DO programs. It was a small, seemingly inconsequential decision on her part that she can easily justify as something done in my best interest that actually ruined my life plans in ways that would take a decade to reverse—time I will never get back.

The sense that my parents lived vicariously through me and my accomplishments forced an overwhelming wedge into our relationship, ultimately. I have not spoken to them in several years. I did not feel supported by them, so much as I felt invaded. Had I listened to them posteriorly to all of this, I wouldn't have made it where I am today. It wasn't always bad advice, either—it just needed to be my path, not the one they decided for me.

As a result of their parenting, they never had the satisfaction of coming to learn that their son interviewed at an Ivy League medical school, just like they'd always wanted. They will never see the hallowed halls they so fetishized. Estranging my family completely remains one of the best decisions of my life because it finally enabled me to move toward my goals in ways their parenting made impossible. I think, in many ways, there is a recognition that you may be verging on this pattern.

Maybe none of this resonates with you... but I have a sneaking suspicion you will remember this comment down the line.

 

[HuskyMD Emeritus]

I would like to present a different viewpoint.
I applaud @PreHealthParentTX for being involved with his sons, being the aware parent, and wanting to be informed about the process of applying to medical school or other healthcare fields. Many on this site opinion is that school counselors have no idea what applying to medical school is like, so here is a dad who is coming to you for advise and you are telling him to stop, so who are his sons going to turn to when they apply? At least he can provide some sort of guidance, a starting point. It's obvious his older son made missteps that maybe could have been avoided if they were better informed? Now, he has a long ways to go to repair his GPA.
When my daughter was applying, I also had little idea of what it's like since I applied so long ago. I wish I could have provided more assistance than just moral support.
Now that I am actually a faculty member and also work on admissions (file review and interviews, not an adcom though) at a medical school, I know a lot more about this process and know what you all go through. Wish I had this information to help my daughter. Life as a premed is challenging, to say the least. Some of you have to travel far and overcome obstacles to get to where you are at. Don't you wish you had more support, including from your parents???
@PreHealthParentTX, best wishes to you and your sons future.

 

[PickaGodnPray]

I agree the student should be the one on here learning, but everyone works at their own pace. I do, however, want to support this parent as I feel they are doing the responsible thing when so many other parents do not. As far as we know from the information given, they are not pushing their child into either field and are actively trying to learn about the application process. So many other parents instead of trying to understand the process, give their children advice or criticize them for not doing things a certain way despite having no understanding of admissions. I myself would have loved for my own parents to have done the same work instead of blaming admissions committees or complaining about "DEI acceptances" during my own premed journey.

 

[Med Ed]

My napkin math estimates his current prerequisite GPA to be 2.33. This is well below the expected performance of successful applicants.

Taking the prerequisites outside of one's undergraduate institution (while currently enrolled) is a very peculiar move, and raises questions.

Applicants need letters of recommendation from science professors. If your son struggles with in-person courses, this may limit his ability to obtain these letters. A plug-and-play biology course from ASU, which is likely being run by a TA, is not going to do the trick.

Putting all this together, I think your son needs to push pause on this whole medical/dental endeavor, focus on finishing his degree at UT Dallas, and then get a job for a couple of years. With some work experience under his belt he can make a more informed decision about his career path, and this would allow him to put some distance between him and his academic blemishes. The difference between young men a 20 versus 25 is significant (I am living proof), and he may just need some more time to mature and grow into himself.

 

[polymerization]

As a result of their parenting, they never had the satisfaction of coming to learn that their son interviewed at an Ivy League medical school, just like they'd always wanted. They will never see the hallowed halls they so fetishized.

Correction: their son was accepted to an Ivy League medical school.

 

[nobadwaves]

Correction: their son was accepted to an Ivy League medical school.

Let’s frickin’ go!!!!!!

 

[Stuaccount]

Echoing what most people here said about letting your son do this on his own. From experience, one of the reasons you should take that advice seriously is because students who were hand held do not make good classmates or team players.

Even if you help either of your sons make it into the medical/dental field, you are teaching them the subtle lesson of someone else around them offloading some of the work when they should be responsible for all of it.

Two, and somewhat more importantly, beyond just gathering information, your post makes too many excuses for your son which is another lesson he should not be bringing to professional school.

If he got an F in calculus, it’s not because he is not naturally drawn to math or because it was an advisor driven decision, or because he would have done better in virtual, structured (what does that mean) classes or because professors grade harsher in-person etc. He took the course three times and his highest was a C. And that’s a pattern that is repeated in other classes as well. Unless there is something else going on that’s purely about him that you, as a parent, can help him figure out, none of the excuses apply.

An increasing number of students are coming into adult professions with a mindset that’s not helpful to them or anyone around them, so please give it some thought and let your son take responsibility for his path and accountability for his academic performance without excuses.

 

[Heyigotnoclue]

Facebook has a parents support group.

 

[IlDestriero]

His prerequisite class grades are terrible and were taken at other schools. This is a massive red flag and a huge hurdle to overcome. All of the college classes he’s taken will be on his transcript and will seriously hurt his application. If he can’t excel in STEM classes he wouldn’t pass med school classes.
Is he focusing on clinical/service/volunteer hours? He needs to figure out what the issue is and fix it before the med/dental school door closes and he’s looking at years of reinvention, rehab, SMP, etc.