Got a low GPA in an informal post-bacc. Warning: Personal story

[2bsurgeon]

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Hey guys,

So I graduated with a 3.2 from a small liberal arts school, took a year off, then did an informal post-bacc at a top 20 school that wasn't too far from my house (80 miles). I lived in that county while I was going to school. My first quarter in Fall 2011 turned out great, I pulled all A's. Problem happened in 2012.

My brother lived at home with my parents for a long time but he had very reclusive behavior. He finally opened up to me in early 2012 and told me he thought invisible people were living in our house because he could hear voices. As we all know, that's symptomatic of schizophrenia. I began to learn that he abused marijuana to such a point that it more or less turned him schizophrenic (this happens come to find out). My dad initially didn't want anything to do with it, so, I began taking care of the problem myself. I searched for psychologists and psychiatrists, and after going through several, I found that right doctors. I managed (and still do) his medications, sat with him during the appointments with the doctors-did the whole bit. It's now been a year since this. My brother is now on a cocktail of meds, but, is able to hold down 2 jobs and be in public. So, how does this play in my grades? Well, it took a toll as it would on anyone. During the following Winter and Spring Quarters, I didn't do so hot, and I ended up with a cumulative GPA of a 3.2-the same GPA I started with! So it' 2013 now, I'm going to take the MCAT soon. But I was wondering, would a formal SMP give me a second chance? Am I doomed since I got the same low GPA as I did during undergrad?

If you think I'm just making up this story to see if it would work as a story for adcoms, go ---yourself. This is a rare case I suppose, I'm just looking for some real advice because the year 2012 changed my life and I wouldn't go back and change anything because I have my brother back. Having a healthy family member for the rest of your life is better, IMO, than getting a 3.8 instead of a 3.2. Should I have just dropped the program? Yes, and that's where I made my mistake. Anyways, I'm just looking for any supportive advice.

Thanks,

Just another rat in the rat race

 

[TriagePreMed]

You can't get schizophrenia from weed. You can only accelerate the inevitable.

Yes, an SMP is another second chance, but if I were you, I'd go DO. The investment for SMP is not worth it considering only the top students get in.

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[Chip N Sawbones]

Retake any bad grades you got in the last two quarters and go DO. Don't take the MCAT now unless you're sure you thoroughly understand all the material, including the stuff you got bad grades in last year.

 

[appleman123]

Hey guys,

So I graduated with a 3.2 from a small liberal arts school, took a year off, then did an informal post-bacc at a top 20 school that wasn't too far from my house (80 miles). I lived in that county while I was going to school. My first quarter in Fall 2011 turned out great, I pulled all A's. Problem happened in 2012.

My brother lived at home with my parents for a long time but he had very reclusive behavior. He finally opened up to me in early 2012 and told me he thought invisible people were living in our house because he could hear voices. As we all know, that's symptomatic of schizophrenia. I began to learn that he abused marijuana to such a point that it more or less turned him schizophrenic (this happens come to find out). My dad initially didn't want anything to do with it, so, I began taking care of the problem myself. I searched for psychologists and psychiatrists, and after going through several, I found that right doctors. I managed (and still do) his medications, sat with him during the appointments with the doctors-did the whole bit. It's now been a year since this. My brother is now on a cocktail of meds, but, is able to hold down 2 jobs and be in public. So, how does this play in my grades? Well, it took a toll as it would on anyone. During the following Winter and Spring Quarters, I didn't do so hot, and I ended up with a cumulative GPA of a 3.2-the same GPA I started with! So it' 2013 now, I'm going to take the MCAT soon. But I was wondering, would a formal SMP give me a second chance? Am I doomed since I got the same low GPA as I did during undergrad?

If you think I'm just making up this story to see if it would work as a story for adcoms, go ---yourself. This is a rare case I suppose, I'm just looking for some real advice because the year 2012 changed my life and I wouldn't go back and change anything because I have my brother back. Having a healthy family member for the rest of your life is better, IMO, than getting a 3.8 instead of a 3.2. Should I have just dropped the program? Yes, and that's where I made my mistake. Anyways, I'm just looking for any supportive advice.

Thanks,

Just another rat in the rat race

LOL at marijuana abuse. no such thing


you can make all the excuses you want, but your chances of getting into an MD are probably worse now than you did when you started the postbac (considering you have the same gpa)

apply DO/Carrib, move on

 

[sinombre]

Hey guys,

So I graduated with a 3.2 from a small liberal arts school, took a year off, then did an informal post-bacc at a top 20 school that wasn't too far from my house (80 miles). I lived in that county while I was going to school. My first quarter in Fall 2011 turned out great, I pulled all A's. Problem happened in 2012.

My brother lived at home with my parents for a long time but he had very reclusive behavior. He finally opened up to me in early 2012 and told me he thought invisible people were living in our house because he could hear voices. As we all know, that's symptomatic of schizophrenia. I began to learn that he abused marijuana to such a point that it more or less turned him schizophrenic (this happens come to find out). My dad initially didn't want anything to do with it, so, I began taking care of the problem myself. I searched for psychologists and psychiatrists, and after going through several, I found that right doctors. I managed (and still do) his medications, sat with him during the appointments with the doctors-did the whole bit. It's now been a year since this. My brother is now on a cocktail of meds, but, is able to hold down 2 jobs and be in public. So, how does this play in my grades? Well, it took a toll as it would on anyone. During the following Winter and Spring Quarters, I didn't do so hot, and I ended up with a cumulative GPA of a 3.2-the same GPA I started with! So it' 2013 now, I'm going to take the MCAT soon. But I was wondering, would a formal SMP give me a second chance? Am I doomed since I got the same low GPA as I did during undergrad?

If you think I'm just making up this story to see if it would work as a story for adcoms, go ---yourself. This is a rare case I suppose, I'm just looking for some real advice because the year 2012 changed my life and I wouldn't go back and change anything because I have my brother back. Having a healthy family member for the rest of your life is better, IMO, than getting a 3.8 instead of a 3.2. Should I have just dropped the program? Yes, and that's where I made my mistake. Anyways, I'm just looking for any supportive advice.

Thanks,

Just another rat in the rat race

 

[DocToBe1998]

Edit

 

[2bsurgeon]

^^ Thank you. That was the advice I was looking for. I suppose it also depends on how well I do on the MCAT. He smoked >1/8th a day for a year and a half. If anyone knows anything about marijuana, you know that's alot. And, my uncle has schizophrenia, so yeah it runs in the family. But nevertheless, thanks for the advice. I suppose getting a second bachelor's wouldn't do anything?

 

[eagles22]

But nevertheless, thanks for the advice. I suppose getting a second bachelor's wouldn't do anything?

It will get you more debt but that's about it. Getting into med school is hard. If your solution is to do something fairly easy (i.e. get another bachelor's), it's not going to impress anyone. Let's be honest, a bachelor's is not impressive since we all have them and you're going to be hard pressed to move a GPA significantly this late in the game.

Retake bad grades and go D.O. Your brother will always be a problem so I wouldn't mention him in interviews and apps. It can only cast the doubt that he will become a distraction again.

 

[thesauce]

^^ Thank you. That was the advice I was looking for. I suppose it also depends on how well I do on the MCAT. He smoked >1/8th a day for a year and a half. If anyone knows anything about marijuana, you know that's alot.

Doubtful that had anything to do with it.

If you're having personal problems that preclude you from doing well in school, then withdraw. Don't dig yourself a deeper hole by wasting your time and money and destroying your academic CV.

 

[MedPR]

Hey guys,

So I graduated with a 3.2 from a small liberal arts school, took a year off, then did an informal post-bacc at a top 20 school that wasn't too far from my house (80 miles). I lived in that county while I was going to school. My first quarter in Fall 2011 turned out great, I pulled all A's. Problem happened in 2012.

My brother lived at home with my parents for a long time but he had very reclusive behavior. He finally opened up to me in early 2012 and told me he thought invisible people were living in our house because he could hear voices. As we all know, that's symptomatic of schizophrenia. I began to learn that he abused marijuana to such a point that it more or less turned him schizophrenic (this happens come to find out). My dad initially didn't want anything to do with it, so, I began taking care of the problem myself. I searched for psychologists and psychiatrists, and after going through several, I found that right doctors. I managed (and still do) his medications, sat with him during the appointments with the doctors-did the whole bit. It's now been a year since this. My brother is now on a cocktail of meds, but, is able to hold down 2 jobs and be in public. So, how does this play in my grades? Well, it took a toll as it would on anyone. During the following Winter and Spring Quarters, I didn't do so hot, and I ended up with a cumulative GPA of a 3.2-the same GPA I started with! So it' 2013 now, I'm going to take the MCAT soon. But I was wondering, would a formal SMP give me a second chance? Am I doomed since I got the same low GPA as I did during undergrad?

If you think I'm just making up this story to see if it would work as a story for adcoms, go ---yourself. This is a rare case I suppose, I'm just looking for some real advice because the year 2012 changed my life and I wouldn't go back and change anything because I have my brother back. Having a healthy family member for the rest of your life is better, IMO, than getting a 3.8 instead of a 3.2. Should I have just dropped the program? Yes, and that's where I made my mistake. Anyways, I'm just looking for any supportive advice.

Thanks,

Just another rat in the rat race

The way you present it doesn't seem like taking care of your bro has been difficult or time consuming. It seems like you're just making excuses for letting your grades slip.

Also marijuana causing schizophrenia? Cmon.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

 

[Oogieboogie]

The way you present it doesn't seem like taking care of your bro has been difficult or time consuming. It seems like you're just making excuses for letting your grades slip.

Also marijuana causing schizophrenia? Cmon.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

I have heard of marijuana drugs causing hallucinations in people. It's not unheard of.

I doubt that your brother got schizophrenia from marijuana, but he probably started having schizophrenic episodes while he was using marijuana heavily. Schizophrenia is a disorder of excess dopamine in the brain, and it's usually genetic. Or so they say.

As for your GPA-- I agree with the other posters in saying you should consider doing DO, or find an alternative career. I'm not saying if your dream is to become a doctor, you should give up on it. But I am arguing that if you have problems at home that restrict you from fully pursuing a challenging career, you could find equally lucrative and rewarding careers in healthcare that would give you the benefit of helping your family simultaneously. Physician Assistants have the benefit of switching specialties without rigorous training, are well compensated, and well respected. There is also much less schooling involved...

Ditto for nurse anesthetists. Both are well respected and wonderful careers that would give you the flexibility you need to care for your family.

Good luck! If your dream is truly to be a doctor, then I am sure you will succeed. Just don't close all doors because you're too dead set on your goal. Just be sure that the lifestyle of medical school will be suitable for you.

 

[911 Turbo]

As an aside,


There are in fact several negative effects of marijuana intake.

C0nc0rdance, who has a background in molecular biology, has put together a nice, unbiased video explaining the health risks of using marijuana.

There is no inappropriate content in the video, but some idiot flagged it anyways so you will have to sign into yt to watch it.


[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnNPm5cG85c[/YOUTUBE]

 

[MedPR]

I have heard of marijuana drugs causing hallucinations in people. It's not unheard of.

I doubt that your brother got schizophrenia from marijuana, but he probably started having schizophrenic episodes while he was using marijuana heavily. Schizophrenia is a disorder of excess dopamine in the brain, and it's usually genetic. Or so they say.

As for your GPA-- I agree with the other posters in saying you should consider doing DO, or find an alternative career. I'm not saying if your dream is to become a doctor, you should give up on it. But I am arguing that if you have problems at home that restrict you from fully pursuing a challenging career, you could find equally lucrative and rewarding careers in healthcare that would give you the benefit of helping your family simultaneously. Physician Assistants have the benefit of switching specialties without rigorous training, are well compensated, and well respected. There is also much less schooling involved...

Ditto for nurse anesthetists. Both are well respected and wonderful careers that would give you the flexibility you need to care for your family.

Good luck! If your dream is truly to be a doctor, then I am sure you will succeed. Just don't close all doors because you're too dead set on your goal. Just be sure that the lifestyle of medical school will be suitable for you.

Sure, but hallucination while on drugs does not equate to schizophrenia.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

 

[113]

He smoked >1/8th a day for a year and a half.

How did you or your family not find out earlier?

You say he lived at home. His room must have smelled like Burning Man x100000.

 

[MedPR]

Sources tell me something relevant to this thread. Idk if this is what they had in mind but it's all I could think of.

actually, there's a good amount of compelling research relatively recently pointing to a link.. it's just unclear as to causation/correlation and how it all interacts with the genetic environment. very complex as you may imagine but it's not a far fetched idea, fyi.

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[Sink You Fool]

I also did an informal post-bac and did lackluster due to personal problems. I had a cumulative undergrad of about 3.4; as an effing film major, no less! Took Calc 1 at a CC and my sciences at State U. Post-bac science GPA ended up being a 3.3. It was the first semester of sciences that really killed the GPA, due to circumstances not unlike yours, and it was an upward trajectory after that. My MCAT was a 32. Not amazing, but not awful. In my personal statement, I touched on the circumstances that contributed to my crap semester, but I didn't dwell on them. I didn't have interviews coming out of my ears, but in the end, I got a few and ended up with an MD acceptance. It can be done, you just have to walk that fine line of making it a reason but not an excuse.

 

[neworleans8]

of course I am no expert, but i wouldn't discredit everything he said about marijuana and psychosis so quickly. I work in the psych department of a top 20 school and we are actually doing a longitudinal study on this very topic

That's not to say things would have definitely been fine and dandy even if he hadn't been smoking marijuana (like you said it runs in the family), but you can never really predict that stuff. either way, its incredible how drastically marijuana can change the onset and course of the disease.

 

[TriagePreMed]

How did you or your family not find out earlier?

You say he lived at home. His room must have smelled like Burning Man x100000.

I was going to say maybe he ate it, but he did say smoke. Maybe he used a vaporizer or inundated his room with fabreeze.