Hate medicine, but GPA is too low for grad school...

[jaykav07]

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I'm actually thinking of taking my undergrad again. I am not very fond of medicine, and have got a 2.7 GPA, and I'm pretty sure that's too low to even be considered for ANY non-online grad program of any field. So my options are take undergrad again in an unrelated feild, or go to an offshore medical school. What do yall think is best? Do you think there are grad schools that accept GPA's so low if they are unrelated to my major?

This is assuming of course, I have enough competency to pull my stuff together to do well in an offshore medical school.

 

[sinombre]

So you "hate" medicine, and want to know if it's a good idea to go to medical school?

 

[jaykav07]

So you "hate" medicine, and want to know if it's a good idea to go to medical school?

I can see myself doing the job, I just hate the subject and the culture/philosophy, if that makes any sense. I'm pretty sure there are tons of people studying finance who hate finance, but need to pay the bills, what makes medicine different?

 

[Lys Ile Glu Leu]

Definitely not medicine. Might I advise a tech program, e.g., automotive, electrical, hair, nails, etc.?

 

[TriagePreMed]

There are plenty of private colleges that will take 2.50 to 2.99 applicants to their masters program. If you hate medicine why consider it? Looks like the GPA is no accident but an actual reflection of your ability to analyze things.

 

[jaykav07]

Definitely not medicine. Might I advise a tech program, e.g., automotive, electrical, hair, nails, etc.?

This is kind of why I said I "dislike the culture" of medicine, why do you have to have a passion for medicine to do it? Don't act like you guys aren't in it for the money, why else would you carefully moderate the seats available at med schools to keep your salaries high? As far as I can tell there is little upward mobility once you do become a doctor compared to other high achieving fields like law and management so where is that passion going to go?

Also back to the OP, do you think that GPA is too low for grad school in hospital admin or something?

If you hate medicine why consider it? .

Starting salary is sky high compared to basically every other profession, though with the downside of less upward mobility.

 

[TangoDown]

So you hate the career that you would potentially be devoting yourself to for the next 40 years, sometimes at a pace of 100 hours a week.

You also have an abysmal GPA, but you think you can do well at an off-shore medical school where the same level of dedication is required to absorb enough information to pass the STEP as would be in the U.S if you want to practice in the U.S.

"I think I can do the job" is not a reason for why you want to do it. Do you even have a reason? Because right now I'm guessing it's either "mommy and daddy want me to go to med school" or "I want money."

I think you suffer from delusions of grandeur, sir. Please pursue another profession.

 

[notbobtrustme]

Most of the people who head to the islands are highly motivated people who want to exploit a backdoor into medicine. And most of those people (>40% at least) fail because studying medicine is ****ing hard. What chance do you think you have when you aren't motivated, you can't be motivated (the low GPA is proof) and your attitude is ****ty. The islands will eat you alive and the only thing you'll have to show for it is a nasty case of diarrhea, a bad sunburn and 100k in non-dischargable student debt.

 

[sinombre]

I can see myself doing the job, I just hate the subject and the culture/philosophy, if that makes any sense. I'm pretty sure there are tons of people studying finance who hate finance, but need to pay the bills, what makes medicine different?

Medicine is different for a lot of reasons, but probably the most important from your point of view is because of the insane amount of time involved. Most people in other fields will work about 40 hours a week. You'll be working 80 hours a week through residency, and most likely many more than 40 hours a week as a physician.

And that's assuming you can even find a residency if you go to an offshore medical school. With a 2.7 and no MCAT score, the odds are not in your favor.

 

[jaykav07]

So you hate the career that you would potentially be devoting yourself to for the next 40 years, sometimes at a pace of 100 hours a week.

You also have an abysmal GPA, but you think you can do well at an off-shore medical school where the same level of dedication is required to absorb enough information to pass the STEP as would be in the U.S if you want to practice in the U.S.

"I think I can do the job" is not a reason for why you want to do it. Do you even have a reason? Because right now I'm guessing it's either "mommy and daddy want me to go to med school" or "I want money."

I think you suffer from delusions of grandeur, sir. Please pursue another profession.

You don't know me or my situation but are playing armchair psychologist from the comfort of your computer, pls stick to the OP, I came here asking for help. Assuming I can do it, what would be the pros and cons of each option?

If it helps, my incentive to go into any field will be money, and that is why I'm giving medicine a double take. EDIT: @ above post, I'm pretty sure your MCAT or undergrad GPA is not a very big deal when looking for residencies >.> And to get a 200k+ salary in finance? You better be working your arse off, just b/c medicine is tough doesn't mean everything else is easy.

 

[Geebeejay]

I can see myself doing the job, I just hate the subject and the culture/philosophy, if that makes any sense. I'm pretty sure there are tons of people studying finance who hate finance, but need to pay the bills, what makes medicine different?

Uh, 4 extra years of school, at least 3-4 extra years of residency making chump change for money, an extra 500k in debt, malpractice insurance, inherent dangers/risks with patient care, high competition for "better" careers in preferable areas, arguably much less ideal lifestyle to name a few.

 

[Wipeout416]

Apr fools?

 

[Doctor Strange]

Come on, guys, give OP a break.

I think OP will fit in great at either a Caribbean or Israeli medical school. He has a great shot! Go and fulfill your dream of being a rich doctor, OP! Haters gonna hate.

 

[harnabra01]

If you just want to pay the bills, there are plenty of other fields out there with better salary and less time devotion.

 

[aspiring20]

You don't know me or my situation but are playing armchair psychologist from the comfort of your computer, pls stick to the OP, I came here asking for help. Assuming I can do it, what would be the pros and cons of each option?

If it helps, my incentive to go into any field will be money, and that is why I'm giving medicine a double take. EDIT: @ above post, I'm pretty sure your MCAT or undergrad GPA is not a very big deal when looking for residencies >.>

while i disagree with your incentive of pursuing medicine, i am in no position to criticize you. in fact, i respect your brutal honesty, and everyone is entitled to their own reason for pursuing this field, whatever that may be. i respect your motivation, and i expect you to respect my motivation as well.

and you are correct that ugrad GPA and MCAT has no bearings on residency applications. but you are getting way ahead of yourself. first, you need to get into medical school, and your GPA and MCAT are the #1 and #2 factors in terms of importance.

right now, your 2.7 GPA is way too low, even for DO schools. so if you want to pursue medicine, you need to take additional undergraduate courses and raise that GPA as high as you can. did you take the prereqs yet? if not, enroll in a formal postbacc and earn a high GPA in the program. you also want to do well on the MCAT.

and in addition to numbers, how are your ECs looking? what acitivities did you engage in during college? do you have any clinical experiences? if not, start working on those immediately.

if you want medicine, then get off this forum and start working on those areas!

 

[Lys Ile Glu Leu]

What tango said: you don't have to get an advanced degree or make boatloads of money to be happy. Pick a career that's reasonable considering yourself and circumstances, and pick something you will actually like, if not love.

As for medicine, the money is a perk, but not really so much until about a decade after residency. That's 13 or more years out of medical school. Those loans ain't gonna pay themselves. Most of us pursue this career because we can't see ourselves happier doing anything else. The sacrifice and challenge to get to what you consider the ultimate reward of medicine is not worth it for that end.

Honestly, OP, you should consider it a sign of respect from me that I didn't just write you off as too dumb to understand and actually support your idea of going Caribbean.

 

[487806]

I'm actually thinking of taking my undergrad again. I am not very fond of medicine, and have got a 2.7 GPA, and I'm pretty sure that's too low to even be considered for ANY non-online grad program of any field. So my options are take undergrad again in an unrelated feild, or go to an offshore medical school. What do yall think is best? Do you think there are grad schools that accept GPA's so low if they are unrelated to my major?

This is assuming of course, I have enough competency to pull my stuff together to do well in an offshore medical school.

Yeah you're probably suited for an offshore medical school. Just don't plan on doing a residency in the US.

My best suggestion is to find some alternative career goal. Medicine isn't for you, and you know you'll hate it in the future.

 

[jaykav07]

Uh, 4 extra years of school, at least 3-4 extra years of residency making chump change for money, an extra 500k in debt, malpractice insurance, inherent dangers/risks with patient care, high competition for "better" careers in preferable areas, arguably much less ideal lifestyle to name a few.

How many people do you know who have been working in other feilds make 200k+ after 4 years of working? The mid-career salary of a graduate from a top 15 MBA program is like 150k.

 

[487806]

How many people do you know who have been working in other feilds make 200k+ after 4 years of working? The mid-career salary of a graduate from a top 15 MBA program is like 150k.

Get a degree in computer science.

 

[mcloaf]

Most of the people who head to the islands are highly motivated people who want to exploit a backdoor into medicine. And most of those people (>40% at least) fail because studying medicine is ****ing hard. What chance do you think you have when you aren't motivated, you can't be motivated (the low GPA is proof) and your attitude is ****ty. The islands will eat you alive and the only thing you'll have to show for it is a nasty case of diarrhea, a bad sunburn and 100k in non-dischargable student debt.

This.

I'm not going to preach to you, OP, since you aren't interested in that. But from a purely financial standpoint going to an offshore medical school is a huge gamble that's more likely to land you with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt and no ability to practice in the US, or as in many cases no medical degree at all. Also keep in mind that those who do match are generally going to be stuck in primary care residencies in undesirable locations (and the matches for offshore grads are only getting worse), which again won't fulfill your financial criteria. If you were able to get into a US medical school then we could have a reasonable conversation about whether the sacrifices are worth it for the salary if you don't love the job, but that you're asking about offshore school makes most of that totally irrelevant.

 

[jaykav07]

If you just want to pay the bills, there are plenty of other fields out there with better salary and less time devotion.

like?

 

[Geebeejay]

How many people do you know who have been working in other feilds make 200k+ after 4 years of working? The mid-career salary of a HARVARD MBA is like 150k.

That's wonderful and all, but if you don't like medicine, I don't think it's gonna work out for you in the long run. 200k/yr doesn't cure crippling depression, lack of accomplishment and doesn't pay for the lawsuits you accumulate for doing a half-ass job at the career you hate. And it's not like you'll have as much free-time as an actuary who hates his job, so you won't be able to drown your sorrows in quarts of whiskey as frequently. And that's not even touching the personal and financial sacrifices you'll make along the way before you start hauling in six figs.

 

[TangoDown]

You don't know me or my situation but are playing armchair psychologist from the comfort of your computer, pls stick to the OP, I came here asking for help. Assuming I can do it, what would be the pros and cons of each option?

If it helps, my incentive to go into any field will be money, and that is why I'm giving medicine a double take. EDIT: @ above post, I'm pretty sure your MCAT or undergrad GPA is not a very big deal when looking for residencies >.> And to get a 200k+ salary in finance? You better be working your arse off, just b/c medicine is tough doesn't mean everything else is easy.

I don't care about your situation. The facts that are presented are enough to justify my response.

If you hate the field and the material you will be learning, how the hell are you going to have the intrinsic motivation to even get through the training?

You're going to be in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt and dedicate most of your being to a field that you can't stand for the rest of your working life.

Pros? You think you'll have tons of money? Go to a foreign school and then get stuck in an FM residency in the U.S, if you even match. Come out making $150k/year before tax and expenses (malpractice, a house, insurance, a car, family) with $500k debt. That's not a lot of money if you put that into perspective. Unless of course mommy and daddy are paying for the whole thing, which in that case, you'll make a good salary.

 

[notbobtrustme]

You don't know me or my situation but are playing armchair psychologist from the comfort of your computer, pls stick to the OP, I came here asking for help. Assuming I can do it, what would be the pros and cons of each option?

If it helps, my incentive to go into any field will be money, and that is why I'm giving medicine a double take. EDIT: @ above post, I'm pretty sure your MCAT or undergrad GPA is not a very big deal when looking for residencies >.>

Do you like studying? You will put in at least 25-30 hours of self-study a week, double that during exam times. That's pretty much a minimum amount too. On top of that, you will have between 3 and 10 hours of unavoidable lab time each week. Rinse and repeat for the first years. In your 3rd and 4th years, you will basically be working a 60-80 hour job, except that you get graded on it, have the privilege of paying to be there and have to study for shelf exams. Medical school doesn't let you learn at your own pace, you either keep up or you repeat a year. The mantra is "deal with it". Schools are very supportive (90%+ of all students will graduate in 4 or 5 years), but they won't hesistate to hold you back (and charge you another year for tuition) if you fail to meet their standards.

And that's just getting started. Enter 3-5 years of residency, where you work an 80 hour/week (and those are the nice programs; the ugly ones will work you 100 hours a week) job plus you have to study for exams in order to graduate on time.

Simply put, you have a 10 year marathon in which you receive very little financial compensation for the amount of work and stress you go through. If you don't have a passion for something in medicine, you'll burn out long before you get your MD. If you can't handle the courseload, you'll get fried in the islands where there basically is no academic support.

 

[jaykav07]

Get a degree in computer science.

I was curios so a quick google search:

Average mid-career pay for computer science grads: $97,700

 

[487806]

You don't know me or my situation but are playing armchair psychologist from the comfort of your computer, pls stick to the OP, I came here asking for help. Assuming I can do it, what would be the pros and cons of each option?

If it helps, my incentive to go into any field will be money, and that is why I'm giving medicine a double take. EDIT: @ above post, I'm pretty sure your MCAT or undergrad GPA is not a very big deal when looking for residencies >.> And to get a 200k+ salary in finance? You better be working your arse off, just b/c medicine is tough doesn't mean everything else is easy.

The classic case of the Aggressive OP Syndrome (which sadly has no cure or treatment).

1. Post a thread asking for advice.
2. Read the advice posted by numerous members.
3. Attack them for posting unsatisfactory advice.

OP, I'm not going to bother with the redundancy, but you're not suited for medicine or any professional career with your attitude. Choose something else.

 

[sinombre]

You don't know me or my situation but are playing armchair psychologist from the comfort of your computer, pls stick to the OP, I came here asking for help. Assuming I can do it, what would be the pros and cons of each option?

If it helps, my incentive to go into any field will be money, and that is why I'm giving medicine a double take. EDIT: @ above post, I'm pretty sure your MCAT or undergrad GPA is not a very big deal when looking for residencies >.> And to get a 200k+ salary in finance? You better be working your arse off, just b/c medicine is tough doesn't mean everything else is easy.

You're right that these metrics aren't used by residency program directors, but GPA and MCAT are strong predictors of how well you'll do in medical school (which is why they're used in the first place).

 

[notbobtrustme]

 

[jaykav07]

Also its good to note that I'll have to spend loads of money on schooling if changing career paths, so either option is a pretty big financial dent.

 

[Medstart108]

Ok April Fools is over, just admit it this was a joke. Lol. If this is serious, the only thing OP is going to do is fail hard at an offshore school.

Being in it for the money is a very realistic thing to do, but being in it for the money with a 2.7 GPA? HA, HA. Find a way to improve that GPA and then talk.

 

[487806]

 

[jaykav07]

The classic case of the Aggressive OP Syndrome (which sadly has no cure or treatment).

1. Post a thread asking for advice.
2. Read the advice posted by numerous members.
3. Attack them for posting unsatisfactory advice.

OP, I'm not going to bother with the redundancy, but you're not suited for medicine or any professional career with your attitude. Choose something else.

I chastised him for not sticking to the OP. Also, get at me.

 

[jaykav07]

Ok April Fools is over, just admit it this was a joke. Lol. If this is serious, the only thing OP is going to do is fail hard at an offshore school.

Being in it for the money is a very realistic thing to do, but being in it for the money with a 2.7 GPA? HA, HA. Find a way to improve that GPA and then talk.

Are u kidding, why would I improve that GPA? My chances of getting into any american program are 0 unless I somehow miraculously bring it up to 3.5-3.8. Better off literally getting another undergrad degree, as I stated in OP.

 

[music2doc]

I was curios so a quick google search:

Average mid-career pay for computer science grads: $97,700

Sounds like a pretty good bargain for someone who is in the BOTTOM 10% of their college class. Sorry, dude, I'm just going to put this bluntly because from your responses to others, you just don't seem to be getting it:

You are not cut out for medical school. Period. Academically -- you lack the skill and self-awareness required.
You are not cut out to be a resident (or M3/M4). Period. Professionally -- you lack the ability to accept and learn from criticism.
You are not cut out to be a physician. Period. Personally -- you lack the appropriate personality and motivations.

The Caribbean might take you, but it's not because they think you have a goldfish's chance in hell's flames of making it out.

(Excuse the Resident & Physician comments as I am not yet one, but this sure is the expectation I see modeled here and your responses, OP, strongly indicate a lack of alignment with those values.)

 

[487806]

I chastised him for not sticking to the OP. Also, get at me.

Nah. Everyone else is doing the deed. 😎

 

[Geebeejay]

Sounds like a pretty good bargain for someone who is in the BOTTOM 10% of their college class. Sorry, dude, I'm just going to put this bluntly because from your responses to others, you just don't seem to be getting it:

You are not cut out for medical school. Period. Academically -- you lack the skill required.
You are not cut out to be a physician. Period. Personally -- you lack the appropriate personality and motivations.

The Caribbean might take you, but it's not because they think you have a goldfish's chance in hell's flames of making it out.

They might take you because they wantcho $$$ before they fail you.

Gotta love all these kids at the bottom of their class who think they are entitled to a six figure salary. WTF?

 

[halterst]

This has to be an Aril 1st troll. I refuse to believe otherwise.

 

[jaykav07]

you lack the ability to accept and learn from criticism.

Last reply to comments off topic from OP, what is there to learn from all this criticism? To give up and work at a 7/11 despite everything I know about myself b/c some kid who doesn't have close to the full picture is trying to put me into a box based on where the average person with a 2.7 GPA would fall into? I know full well where the avg person in my situation would be, that's not what I came to these forums to ask.

 

[mcloaf]

Last reply to comments off topic from OP, what is there to learn from all this criticism? To give up and work at a 7/11 despite everything I know about myself b/c some kid who doesn't have close to the full picture is trying to put me into a box based on where the average person with a 2.7 GPA would fall into? I know full well where the avg person in my situation would be, that's not what I came to these forums to ask.

You've gotten a number of replies to the OP, including multiple from current medical students who can shed more light on the process than most of us around here. The OP has been answered pretty definitively in the negative. You've just chosen to ignore this in favor of baiting people and arguing.


:troll:

 

[TangoDown]

Last reply to comments off topic from OP, what is there to learn from all this criticism? To give up and work at a 7/11 despite everything I know about myself b/c some kid who doesn't have close to the full picture is trying to put me into a box based on where the average person with a 2.7 GPA would fall into? I know full well where the avg person in my situation would be, that's not what I came to these forums to ask.

Why do you have to work at a 7/11 just because you can't make 6 figures? Outstanding job marginalizing the entire middle class to that of a convenience store staff.

People have already offered you the pros and cons and you choose to ignore them. Cons: You will hate your life, you will not make 6 figures when you factor in being stuck in FM and having $500k of debt as well as other expenses, you will most likely not have the motivation to get through training and thus be stuck with a massive debt load and no foreseeable income...oh, and did I mention that you will hate your life?

Pros? If you actually do get through training and match into FM, and mommy and daddy make sure you have no debt, you will make a good salary.

So go ahead and apply to The Island.

 

[JSB72993]

So you "hate" medicine, and want to know if it's a good idea to go to medical school?

= Logic

 

[ComfortCreature]

 

[music2doc]

Last reply to comments off topic from OP, what is there to learn from all this criticism? To give up and work at a 7/11 despite everything I know about myself b/c some kid who doesn't have close to the full picture is trying to put me into a box based on where the average person with a 2.7 GPA would fall into? I know full well where the avg person in my situation would be, that's not what I came to these forums to ask.

You ARE the average person with a 2.7 (or WORSE off than him/her) in this situation. 98% chance:

You just don't seem willing to accept where you are. It's not like you're going to magically get better.

BTW, this is TOTALLY ON TOPIC for the OP:

I'm actually thinking of taking my undergrad again. I am not very fond of medicine, and have got a 2.7 GPA, and I'm pretty sure that's too low to even be considered for ANY non-online grad program of any field. So my options are take undergrad again in an unrelated feild, or go to an offshore medical school. What do yall think is best? Do you think there are grad schools that accept GPA's so low if they are unrelated to my major?

This is assuming of course, I have enough competency to pull my stuff together to do well in an offshore medical school.

The topic is you going to med school and/or grad school. The answer is: "NO" to both. You should probably find a well-paid trade job. You're going to laugh, but I would honestly suggest looking into something like plumbing that actually does pay quite well and requires learning specific skills and will always be in high demand.

 

[touchpause13]

OP

You say you have issues with the culture of medicine (which is fine and go you for being self aware enough to realize this sooner than later) you are solely talking about doctor or the healthcare field in general? I'm wondering if perhaps you would be happier in a PA or nursing program? What about chiropratic or dental or pod or OD? Depending on your interests there are a lot of health field which can be fufilling and provide fincially security if you are willing to work hard and require significantly less student loans.

TBH I'm not sure exactly what you mean by upward mobility. Many doctors who have good business sense and talents besides medicine (such as writing or speaking) are able to outearn those in their field. Once you have an MD/DO you aren't exactly locked within a particular earning bracket, there are ways to make more money. Also the nature of medical education means that you will experience upward mobility from residency years forward.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using SDN Mobile

 

[aspiring20]

OP, did you even read my response earlier in this thread?

read it, follow the advice i gave, and get off this site so you can start working your way into medical school.

 

[jaykav07]

OP

You say you have issues with the culture of medicine (which is fine and go you for being self aware enough to realize this sooner than later) you are solely talking about doctor or the healthcare field in general? I'm wondering if perhaps you would be happier in a PA or nursing program? What about chiropratic or dental or pod or OD? Depending on your interests there are a lot of health field which can be fufilling and provide fincially security if you are willing to work hard and require significantly less student loans.

TBH I'm not sure exactly what you mean by upward mobility. Many doctors who have good business sense and talents besides medicine (such as writing or speaking) are able to outearn those in their field. Once you have an MD/DO you aren't exactly locked within a particular earning bracket, there are ways to make more money. Also the nature of medical education means that you will experience upward mobility from residency years forward.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using SDN Mobile

Yeah I know you can do an MBA or something after you get an MD, but if I was destined to go into business in any case, I'm thinking why not just cut the MD part out of it? The same could be said if I was to go into writing and speaking, etc, 7 years is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears just to put that title on the end of your name.

 

[jaykav07]

while i disagree with your incentive of pursuing medicine, i am in no position to criticize you. in fact, i respect your brutal honesty, and everyone is entitled to their own reason for pursuing this field, whatever that may be. i respect your motivation, and i expect you to respect my motivation as well.

and you are correct that ugrad GPA and MCAT has no bearings on residency applications. but you are getting way ahead of yourself. first, you need to get into medical school, and your GPA and MCAT are the #1 and #2 factors in terms of importance.

right now, your 2.7 GPA is way too low, even for DO schools. so if you want to pursue medicine, you need to take additional undergraduate courses and raise that GPA as high as you can. did you take the prereqs yet? if not, enroll in a formal postbacc and earn a high GPA in the program. you also want to do well on the MCAT.

and in addition to numbers, how are your ECs looking? what acitivities did you engage in during college? do you have any clinical experiences? if not, start working on those immediately.

if you want medicine, then get off this forum and start working on those areas!

I already graduated unfortunately. I don't think there is a way in for me at all in America as even an SMP won't take me with this GPA. I was in charge of several organizations in school but with little clinical experience.

 

[JSB72993]

The truth is the fact that you will never be a doctor, find something else to do there are plenty of careers out there. You came here hoping that you would hear maybe a glimmer of good advice about how to be a doctor but honestly to a person in your situation there isn't one. Nut up or shut up.

 

[aspiring20]

I already graduated unfortunately. I don't think there is a way in for me at all in America as even an SMP won't take me with this GPA. I was in charge of several organizations in school but with little clinical experience.

that's absolutely not true. maybe MDs are out of the question, but if you raise your GPA above a 3.0 and do well in your prereqs (which if you havent taken any yet, then you have the possibility of presenting a super high science GPA), then you still have a great shot at DOs (and possibly MDs).

SMP is not the only way to raise GPAs. just take individual science courses at your local state university on your own, and study for the MCAT in the process.

absolutely DO NOT go to the carribean for medical school. it'll take you a while to repair your GPA, field a competitive MCAT score, and have all the relevant ECs lined up. but if you really want it, then what's stopping you?

that 200k + is calling you, and you are not going to get any closer to it arguing on this forum. so log off, and start searching for classes at your local state university.

good luck.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Apr fools?

Ding ding. Nobody trolls this hard on this day of the year for realz.