From nothing and with felonies to MD

[Anon45678]

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If ANYONE on sdn or anywhere else tells you that bad grades and felonies automatically stop your dreams of being a doctor, ignore it.

I had a 2.5 GPA and multiple non-violent felonies before seriously pursuing medicine. It took time to earn my GPA higher and to work through my legal issues- time to improve myself.

However, I'm now a practicing, fully credentialed and licensed physician. People who perpetuate that doctor must never have committed a crime or always have been straight A students are ruining medicine.

Hope this gives someone courage to pursue their dream.

 

[annaray]

thank you so much for this! I was self doubting myself due to the fact that my gpa isn't the best and I am struggling to pass some of my pre reqs I need. This is very motivating and inspiring!

 

[Goro]

If ANYONE on sdn or anywhere else tells you that bad grades and felonies automatically stop your dreams of being a doctor, ignore it.

I had a 2.5 GPA and multiple non-violent felonies before seriously pursuing medicine. It took time to earn my GPA higher and to work through my legal issues- time to improve myself.

However, I'm now a practicing, fully credentialed and licensed physician. People who perpetuate that doctor must never have committed a crime or always have been straight A students are ruining medicine.

Hope this gives someone courage to pursue their dream.

I'm glad to hear of your success, but you do realize that you are more of an outlier?

Can you Enlighten us as to your story as to how you reinvented yourself?

 

[jdubs1984]

If ANYONE on sdn or anywhere else tells you that bad grades and felonies automatically stop your dreams of being a doctor, ignore it.

I had a 2.5 GPA and multiple non-violent felonies before seriously pursuing medicine. It took time to earn my GPA higher and to work through my legal issues- time to improve myself.

However, I'm now a practicing, fully credentialed and licensed physician. People who perpetuate that doctor must never have committed a crime or always have been straight A students are ruining medicine.

Hope this gives someone courage to pursue their dream.

Would love to hear more of your story!

 

[Dave1980]

If ANYONE on sdn or anywhere else tells you that bad grades and felonies automatically stop your dreams of being a doctor, ignore it.

I had a 2.5 GPA and multiple non-violent felonies before seriously pursuing medicine. It took time to earn my GPA higher and to work through my legal issues- time to improve myself.

However, I'm now a practicing, fully credentialed and licensed physician. People who perpetuate that doctor must never have committed a crime or always have been straight A students are ruining medicine.

Hope this gives someone courage to pursue their dream.

Wow congrats. What field are you in? Not trying to be rude but for some reason I am getting podiatry.

 

[deleted314957]

Amazing story. With all due respect, I am doubtful you are a practicing MD/DO. If you have a bullet proof story, I will be the first to admit my hesitation in buying this and apologize.

 

[deleted1103055]

Dr Antonio Webb MD came from a really difficult upbringing, something to which most MD applicants can not relate including:

Antonio Webb, MD

Ever since he was a child, ANTONIO had to find it in himself to overcome what promised to be a very desolate future. Growing up in the heart of Shreveport, Louisiana, he was constantly surrounded b…

antoniowebbmd.wordpress.com

Growing up in the heart of Shreveport, Louisiana, he was constantly surrounded by influences of the very worst sort. From a younger brother who served juvenile life for armed robbery to a mother whose addiction to crack cocaine landed her in jail over 20 times, Antonio’s family was split in half between members in and out of prison. Not only that, but several of his close friends were killed and others began serving 10+ years in prison for crimes they committed as teenagers.

and yet....

Antonio J. Webb, M.D.

Dr. Webb applied to medical school three times before getting accepted, and now he's an orthopedic surgeon.

students-residents.aamc.org

Dr. Webb applied to medical school three times before getting accepted, and now he's an orthopedic surgeon.

Did anyone encourage or discourage you from applying to medical school?

There were several instances where individual advisors tried to discourage me from applying to medical school. I was told that my grades and scores were not competitive enough and that I would have a hard time matriculating. However, I stayed persistent and continued to work hard until it finally paid off.

Did you have any concerns about taking the MCAT exam?

My main concern about the MCAT was that, traditionally, I was not the best standardized test taker. This resulted in me taking the MCAT three times. Each time I struggled. To overcome this, I took preparatory courses, hired a tutor, and focused on my weak areas to improve my score.

 

[LiftingMed]

Dr Antonio Webb MD came from a really difficult upbringing, something to which most MD applicants can not relate including:

Antonio Webb, MD

Ever since he was a child, ANTONIO had to find it in himself to overcome what promised to be a very desolate future. Growing up in the heart of Shreveport, Louisiana, he was constantly surrounded b…

antoniowebbmd.wordpress.com

Growing up in the heart of Shreveport, Louisiana, he was constantly surrounded by influences of the very worst sort. From a younger brother who served juvenile life for armed robbery to a mother whose addiction to crack cocaine landed her in jail over 20 times, Antonio’s family was split in half between members in and out of prison. Not only that, but several of his close friends were killed and others began serving 10+ years in prison for crimes they committed as teenagers.

and yet....

Antonio J. Webb, M.D.

Dr. Webb applied to medical school three times before getting accepted, and now he's an orthopedic surgeon.

students-residents.aamc.org

Dr. Webb applied to medical school three times before getting accepted, and now he's an orthopedic surgeon.

Did anyone encourage or discourage you from applying to medical school?

There were several instances where individual advisors tried to discourage me from applying to medical school. I was told that my grades and scores were not competitive enough and that I would have a hard time matriculating. However, I stayed persistent and continued to work hard until it finally paid off.

Did you have any concerns about taking the MCAT exam?

My main concern about the MCAT was that, traditionally, I was not the best standardized test taker. This resulted in me taking the MCAT three times. Each time I struggled. To overcome this, I took preparatory courses, hired a tutor, and focused on my weak areas to improve my score.

That is not the same as OP, they committed felonies, whereas Dr. Webb grew up in a very rough environment.

 

[8YearsLate]

That is not the same as OP, they committed felonies, whereas Dr. Webb grew up in a very rough environment.

This + also, more people than you might think grew up with addict parents or criminal activity in the family. It's just not something that comes up in polite conversation or with adcoms. I doubt that during interviews Dr. Webb led with, "Well, my fascination with pharmacology when my mother taught me to make freebase in the microwave..."

That said, felonies can be sealed from a record, it's not unfathomable. Theft in the first degree, which one could get for stealing a Playstation 5, is a felony. Having a bottle of someone else's pills can be charged as a felony if they want to call it trafficking. Starting a dumpster fire can be charged as a felony.

 

[Anon45678]

thank you so much for this! I was self doubting myself due to the fact that my gpa isn't the best and I am struggling to pass some of my pre reqs I need. This is very motivating and inspiring

thank you so much for this! I was self doubting myself due to the fact that my gpa isn't the best and I am struggling to pass some of my pre reqs I need. This is very motivating and inspiring!

Study hard and focus on your own path to medicine! No problem!

 

[Anon45678]

Wow congrats. What field are you in? Not trying to be rude but for some reason I am getting podiatry.

Amazing story. With all due respect, I am doubtful you are a practicing MD/DO. If you have a bullet proof story, I will be the first to admit my hesitation in buying this and apologize.

I am a practicing MD and a US medical grad.

 

[deleted314957]

I am a practicing MD and a US medical grad.

And you are the head of cardiac electrophysiology at the Texas Heart Institute.

 

[almostasloth]

This is equally inspiring if true and disturbing if not. I still remember a tragic story from UWash grad who committed suicide after not matching due to multiple felonies. The inconvenient truth is that the applicant pool is more and more competitive not only academics wise but also in terms of public service. for every low mcat/GPA applicant with felonies there are 100+ applicants not only with great stats but also amazing extracurriculars. Yes, there are some success stories, sure, but its important to recognize that those are outliers not the norm

 

[Anon45678]

This is equally inspiring if true and disturbing if not. I still remember a tragic story from UWash grad who committed suicide after not matching due to multiple felonies. The inconvenient truth is that the applicant pool is more and more competitive not only academics wise but also in terms of public service. for every low mcat/GPA applicant with felonies there are 100+ applicants not only with great stats but also amazing extracurriculars. Yes, there are some success stories, sure, but its important to recognize that those are outliers not the norm

Valid opinion and very well stated, I'll make a retort.

Being marginalized in medical school admissions and in the match is real.

I worked with hundreds if not thousands of doctors and professors in my journey. A select few well-established and influential individuals staked their career and reputation on my success - that's how I gained the edge over the 100:1 odds in the "competitive pool". Demonstrate academic and civic excellence and allow a relationship with possible mentors to develop, you usually do not know who they are when you first met them.

So again, low GPA/felonies to MD difficult - yes impossible - no.

 

[Osminog]

I still remember a tragic story from UWash grad who committed suicide after not matching due to multiple felonies.

URochester, if you’re talking about Leigh Sundem.

 

[Anon45678]

URochester, if you’re talking about Leigh Sundem.

This is really devastating but it brings up a helpful point. I spent at least 10 years after my last felony before applying to med school - even talking a few gap years to volunteer in the community in that time.

 

[almostasloth]

URochester, if you’re talking about Leigh Sundem.

I'm sorry, confused the two schools. Yes, that's the one I meant.

Either way, I remember she was a stellar student and had put many years of meaningful service between her felonies and residency apps. And still nothing. I love reading stories that inspire but I think its important to have common sense and remember that for every inspirational story there are a hundred failures. I think pre-meds should be encouraged to avoid any red flags on their apps if at all possible

 

[Anon45678]

I'm sorry, confused the two schools. Yes, that's the one I meant.

Either way, I remember she was a stellar student and had put many years of meaningful service between her felonies and residency apps. And still nothing. I love reading stories that inspire but I think its important to have common sense and remember that for every inspirational story there are a hundred failures. I think pre-meds should be encouraged to avoid any red flags on their apps if at all possible.

For me, the message of this story is about the dangers of a medical education system that stigmatizes people based on mistakes made during the folly of youth.
Avoiding red-flags -absolutely, excluding individuals for poor judgement as children - no, hazardous to mental health and society.

 

[deleted1103055]

That is not the same as OP, they committed felonies, whereas Dr. Webb grew up in a very rough environment.

The difference between Dr Webb and OP, is that the former is the real deal whereas the latter is anonymous.
Dr Webb put it all out there to lead, inspire and mentor others, hence the reason for my above links, i.e. turn a trolly post with low mileage into something really awesome.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Dr Antonio Webb MD came from a really difficult upbringing, something to which most MD applicants can not relate including:

Antonio Webb, MD

Ever since he was a child, ANTONIO had to find it in himself to overcome what promised to be a very desolate future. Growing up in the heart of Shreveport, Louisiana, he was constantly surrounded b…

antoniowebbmd.wordpress.com

Growing up in the heart of Shreveport, Louisiana, he was constantly surrounded by influences of the very worst sort. From a younger brother who served juvenile life for armed robbery to a mother whose addiction to crack cocaine landed her in jail over 20 times, Antonio’s family was split in half between members in and out of prison. Not only that, but several of his close friends were killed and others began serving 10+ years in prison for crimes they committed as teenagers.

and yet....

Antonio J. Webb, M.D.

Dr. Webb applied to medical school three times before getting accepted, and now he's an orthopedic surgeon.

students-residents.aamc.org

Dr. Webb applied to medical school three times before getting accepted, and now he's an orthopedic surgeon.

Did anyone encourage or discourage you from applying to medical school?

There were several instances where individual advisors tried to discourage me from applying to medical school. I was told that my grades and scores were not competitive enough and that I would have a hard time matriculating. However, I stayed persistent and continued to work hard until it finally paid off.

Did you have any concerns about taking the MCAT exam?

My main concern about the MCAT was that, traditionally, I was not the best standardized test taker. This resulted in me taking the MCAT three times. Each time I struggled. To overcome this, I took preparatory courses, hired a tutor, and focused on my weak areas to improve my score.

I interviewed Dr. Webb for our podcast a few years ago and he has an absolutely amazing story of determination, self-improvement, and resilience. As Quimbara wrote he put his story out there to inspire others. And it is inspiring and one of the most amazing interviews I had. And I've had over 400.

Please note that OP, while anonymous, is also talking about working really hard on himself to get to where he is today from where he was many years ago. If you assume his story is not true, there is nothing to talk about. If you take it at face value, the hard work should be the focus, not the impression that one may prefer to take away, especially from the initial post, that he seemingly leapt effortlessly from felon to MD. He didn't. He worked hard, took years, developed valuable relationships, and it all helped. He changed himself.

In fact, the one thing that both OP and Dr. Webb have in common is that they both worked exceptionally hard in pursuit of their dream.